Issuu

THE TEMPLE NEWS

VOTER GUIDE 2025

Check out The Temple News’ Voter Guide before Election Day on Nov. 4.

THE TEMPLE NEWS

Sidney Rochnik Editor-in-Chief

Valeria Uribe Managing Editor

Anna Augustine Managing Editor

Ryan Mack Copy Editor

Bradley McEntee Copy Editor

Nathan Horwitz Co-News Editor

Connor Pugh Co-News Editor

Clarissa Jett Assistant News Editor

Caelan O’Neill Opinion Editor

Wania Irfan Assistant Opinion Editor

Madelynne Ferro Features Editor

Benjamin Dipalma Assistant Features Editor

Sienna Conaghan Co-Sports Editor

Colin Schofeld Co-Sports Editor

Jacob Moreno Assistant Sports Editor

Leah Duffy Investigative Reporter

Tellicia Walker Investigative Reporter

Julia Anderson Director of Audience Engagement

Nathaniel Thrush Co-Community Engagement Coordinator

Kayla McMonagle Co-Community Engagement Coordinator

Isabella Farrow Audience Engagement Editor

Nalani Chiles Audience Engagement Editor

Xavier Johnson Sports Engagement Editor

Brian Nelson Photo Editor

Lillian Prieto Assistant Photo Editor

Aidan Gallo Assistant Photo Editor

Ava Campbell Multimedia Editor

Jeremy Shover Assistant Multimedia Editor

Jack Larson Print Design Editor

Daniya Eggleston Graphic Design Editor

Chili Ramgolam Data Editor

Ariana Droz Podcast Editor

Sage Spohn Newsletter Editor

Nadia Bodnari Web Editor

Maria Lombana Advertising Manager

Aaliyah Abdur-Rashid Advertising Manager

Calista Aguinaldo Business Manager

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

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

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

The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-inChief, Managing Editors, Chief Copy Editor, Deputy Copy Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editors. The views expressed in editorials only refect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

CORRECTIONS

ON THE COVER Independence Hall facing South Broad Street.

BRIAN

Contacts

Visit us online at temple-news.com

Email section staff news@temple-news.com letters@temple-news.com features@temple-news.com sports@temple-news.com

The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

In the print issue on Oct. 7, an article on Crew incorrectly referred to Sebestian Rawson as a captain of the crew team last season and incorrectly stated that the team had no frst place wins during the 2024 fall season.

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

NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

How to vote in person or by mail in this election VOTE IN PERSON VOTE BY MAIL

Registered voters can cast their ballots in person on Nov. 4 or through mail ahead of the election.

BY CLARISSA JETT Assistant News Editor

Voters who plan to cast their ballot in person must go to their designated polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 4 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. If voters are in line before closing time, they can still cast their vote.

First time voters must bring a valid form of identifcation to their polling place. This includes voter registration cards, valid state IDs, bank statements, paychecks and utilitiy bills; a full list is posted on the Philadelphia government’s website.

After voters check in, a poll worker will direct them to a voting station. Voters will then insert their paper ballot into the station and ballot options will appear on the touchscreen. Once voters make their selections, they

will turn green. Voters do not have to vote in every contest, and they may select fewer than the maximum number of candidates. After voters are fnished casting their ballot and reviewing their selections, they will click ‘print’ on the screen. The printed paper ballot will appear in a window to the right of the screen. Voters can confrm their ballot and then click ‘cast.’ The ballot will be scanned and transferred into a secure container. A confrmation screen will appear after the ballot has been submitted.

Polling places will vary based on address. Voters can fnd their correct polling place on the Pennsylvania voter services website.

Voters can apply for a mailin or absentee ballot either online, by mail, at The County Board of Election’s Ofce or their district’s Satellite Election Ofce. Applications must be received by Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.

Here’s how to submit a mail-in ballot:

Read the instructions carefully and make selections on the ballot. Before completion, be sure to check the front and back of each page.

Seal the ballot inside yellow envelope marked “ofcial election ballot.” Ballots will not be counted if the yellow envelope is not fully sealed.

Then, place the yellow sealed envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope. Fill out the voter’s declaration on the outside of the return envelope by signing and writing the current date. Return envelopes without the flled voter’s

declaration will not be counted. Return the fully flled out ballot to the county election board or another designated voting area.

Voters have the option to return their completed ballots by mail, at an ofcial ballot drop-box or at the county-election ofce. Voters are required to return their own ballots. In cases where disability prevents voters from applying for mailin ballots or returning them in-person, they can fll out the Authorize a Designated Agent Form.

Absentee and mail-in ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on election day.

The County Board of Election’s Ofce is located at 1400 JFK Boulevard. The City Commissioner’s Satellite Election Ofce in Temple’s City Council district is located at 2301 Broad Street.

VOTER GUIDE

VOTER GUIDE 2025

Who’s on the ballot for the municipal election?

24 candidates are running in Philadelphia’s municipal election with 23 judges for retention.

BY CONNOR PUGH, NATHAN HORWITZ & CLARISSA JETT

For The Temple News

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Larry Krasner (D) Incumbent, 2018

Krasner is running for a third term as district attorney. He has held the position since January 2018.

Krasner considers himself a progressive reformer and his policies aim to alter the culture in which prosecutors seek high conviction rates, rather than utilizing approaches that are shown to reduce crime. Krasner promises to end mass incarceration, concentrate on serious crime, advocate against violations to civil rights and combat initiatives of the Trump administration.

Krasner worked as a public defender in Philadelphia before starting his law practice, which focused on criminal defense and civil rights work.

Pat Dugan (R)

Dugan served as a judge in the Municipal Court for the last 17 years. He was appointed by Governor Ed Rendell in 2007 and elected in 2009. He retained his position in 2015 and 2021. Dugan is running as a Republican despite identifying as an independent Democrat.

As district attorney, Dugan promises to increase community engagement eforts, expand resources for diversionary initiatives and create pipelines within Philadelphia law schools to locally source his staf.

CITY CONTROLLER

Christy Brady (D) Incumbent, 2022

Brady is running to keep her position for another four years after she was

elected for the remainder of former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart’s term via a special election.

Brady’s key stances include investigating the business contract policy and the appeals and property assessments process in Philadelphia. She also hopes to prioritize audits and increase transparency in bureaucratic operations for businesses and property owners.

Before being appointed as city controller, Brady worked within the ofce for more than 30 years, rising from entry-level positions to deputy controller of audit and oversaw key audits for municipal agencies and operations.

Ari Patrinos (R)

Patrinos is running for the position of city controller for a four-year term. This would be his frst elected political position.

Patrinos was frustrated by what he perceives as a failure of Philadelphia to provide basic care for its citizens. He advocates for fnding the right leadership to provide clean streets and proper schooling for students in Philadelphia.

Patrinos also wrote for outlets like The Federalist and the Chestnut Hill Local and had a successful career in the New York fnancial sector.

JUDICIAL POSITIONS

The Philadelphia Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association investigates and interviews each candidate and releases voter recommendations based upon their fndings.

SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Brandon Neuman (D)

Neuman served four terms as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2011 before being elected to his current position as a judge on the Washington County Court of Common Pleas in 2017. Neuman got his

start as a trial lawyer before being elected to state legislature.

As a Superior Court Judge, Neuman hopes to increase the efciency of justice for families dealing with custody and parental rights cases, to make sure children get a safe home.

“I appreciate and respect that the families and litigants want decisions to be made fairly, impartially and quicker,” Neuman told The Temple News. Neuman is highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Maria Battista (R)

Battista has worked in the Pennsylvania Department of Health as a member of the Safe and Efective Prescribing Practices Task Force and served as president of the Clarion County Bar Association.

She also has more than 15 years of legal experience in civil, criminal and administrative law. As a hearing examiner, she’s presided on hundreds of cases for agencies like the Department of Corrections.

Battista hopes that her expertise in education and experience with children with disabilities will be valuable insight as a Superior Court judge and that her background in a rural county of Pennsylvania will bring geographic diversity to the court.

Battista is not recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for failure to participate in investigation.

Daniel Wassmer (Liberal)

Wassmer has been a practicing lawyer in Doylestown and Hawley for more than 30 years. Alongside his legal work, Wassmer serves as an adjunct professor at Bucks County Community College.

Wassmer previously unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2022, advocating for pro-choice abortion rights and the avoidance of “improper interventionist fascos.”

JUDGE OF THE COMMONWEALTH COURT

Stella Tsai (D)

Tsai was appointed as a judge on Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas in 2016 and was elected to a 10-year term in 2017. Her judicial experience consists of criminal, civil, orphan court and family court divisions. Tsai, a Philadelphia resident, is highly recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Matt Wolford (R)

Wolford is a small business owner and solo law practitioner in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he represents individuals, families, farmers, landowners and businesses. His practice focuses on environmental law, property rights and regulatory matters.

Wolford served as an adjunct professor at Gannon University for more than 20 years and has taught at Allegheny and Thiel colleges. He also lectures for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and other organizations. Wolford is highly recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

JUDGE OF THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, 1ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

Will Braveman (D)

Braveman served as a solicitor in the City of Philadelphia Law Department for 12 years. He spent the last 14 years serving as a court-appointed counselor for patients in Mental Health Court proceedings and as a designated counsel-

or for a union.

Braveman supports preventing bias and discrimination in court proceedings, divisionary programs for defendants struggling with addiction or mental health issues, protecting Philadelphians from gun violence, acknowledging the issues with the cash bail system, re-entry programs and teaching children lifelong skills. Braveman is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Leon A King II (D)

King II previously served as Philadelphia’s prison commissioner from 2002 to 2008. He is currently a working lawyer specializing in criminal defense, civil rights and employment. King is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Sarah Jones (D)

Jones has experience with family and criminal defense law in Philadelphia and New Jersey areas. Jones is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Brian Kisielewski (D)

Kisielewski believes justice should be fair, accessible and help individuals manage life’s challenges. He’s the founder of the Elder Justice & Civil Resource Center and has more than a decade of experience in Philadelphia courts. Kisielewski is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Deborah Watson-Stokes (D)

Watson-Stokes is a former public school teacher and adjunct law professor with three decades of experience as a Philadelphia assistant district attorney. Watson-Stokes is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Anthony Stefanski (D)

Stefanski has more than 30 years of legal experience with various positions in the Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia’s District Attorney’s Ofce and assistant district attorney. He also represented union members in need of legal assistance from 2011 to 2020. Stefanski is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Kia Ghee (D)

Ghee hopes to bring advocacy and systemic change to the courts. She served as executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. Ghee is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

VOTER GUIDE

Joseph Russo (D)

Russo has more than 12 years of experience practicing law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Russo is not recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Irina Ehrlich (D)

Ehrlich has more than two decades of experience as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney. Ehrlich is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Jennifer Santiago (D)

Santiago’s private practice focuses on criminal and family law. Santiago is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Larry Farnese (D)

Farnese worked as a litigator in Philadelphia for 14 years and served as a Pennsylvania State Senator for 12 years. Farnese is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

JUDGE OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT, 1ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT

Amanda Davidson (D)

is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

SUPREME COURT OF PA

Christine Donohue

Donohue served on the Pennsylvania Superior Court for eight years prior to the start of her Supreme Court tenure in 2016. Donohue helped lead an initiative to help young lawyers get experience within the courtroom. Donohue is recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Kevin M. Dougherty

Dougherty was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2015 after serving as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas and a Philadelphia County Administrative Judge for the Family and Trial divisions. Dougherty is recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PA

Michael B. Wojcik Wojcik practiced law for more than 20 years before his election to the Commonwealth Court in 2015. Wojcik is recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS,

1ST JUDICIAL

DISTRICT, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

RECOMMENDED FOR RETENTION BY THE PHILDELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION

Gwendolyn N. Bright

Ann M. Butchart

Michael Fanning

Christopher Mallios

Walter J. Olszewski

Rainy Papademetriou

Davidson has more than 15 years of experience with her own law frm and is an active member of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Davidson is recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Cortez Patton (D)

Patton served for nine years as chief counsel to PA State Rep. Anthony Williams and is a South Philadelphia native. Patton advocates for eliminating disparities within the justice system as well as promoting diversity within the judiciary. Patton is not recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Sherrie Cohen (D)

Cohen became the frst openly gay person to run for Philadelphia City Council in 2011. She was not elected and ran again in 2015 and 2019. Cohen is a tenant rights lawyer and self-described democratic socialist. Cohen is not recommended for election by the Philadelphia Bar Association.

Michael Parkinson (D)

Parkinson has 25 years of litigation experience and 20 years practicing law within the Municipal Court, Juvenile Court and Major Trials Unit. Parkinson

David Wecht

Wecht served as a judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania for four years before being elected as a state Supreme Court justice in 2015. During his tenure, Wecht ruled against gerrymandering and attacks on women’s rights. Wecht is recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

SUPERIOR COURT OF PA

Alice Beck Dubow

Dubow served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas before being elected to the Superior Court in 2015. Dubow has served on the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and as vice chair of the Continuing Judicial Education Board. Dubow is recommended for retention by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Tracy Roman

Stephanie M. Sawyer

Susan I. Schulman

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR RETENTION BY THE PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION

Scott DiClaudio

Daine A. Grey Jr.

Frank Palumbo

Lyris F. Younge

MUNICIPAL COURT, 1ST JUDICIAL

DISTRICT, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

RECOMMENDED FOR RETENTION BY THE PHILDELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION

David H. Conroy

Henry Lewandowski

Wendy L. Pew

T. Francis Shields NOT RECOMMENDED FOR RETENTION BY THE PHILADELPHIA BAR ASSOCIATION

Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde

connor.pugh@temple.edu nathan.horwitz@temple.edu clarissa.jett@temple.edu

VOTER GUIDE

VOTER GUIDE 2025

Krasner and Dugan compete for district attorney

Incumbent Larry Krasner is running against Pat Dugan after beating him in the primary.

BY NATHAN HORWITZ Co-News Editor

Democratic incumbent Larry Krasner and Republican candidate Pat Dugan are competing for district attorney of Philadelphia in the municipal election Nov. 4.

The DA oversees the operations of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Ofce, which prosecutes criminal misdemeanors and felonies. The DAO decides when to prosecute crimes, which penalties are pursued against accused individuals and makes sentencing recommendations during trials. DAs have the power to ofer diversion programs or dismiss cases altogether.

Krasner beat Dugan by more than 28% of votes in the Democratic primary on May 20. Dugan was able to remain in the race because he received more than 6,000 write-in votes from registered Republicans. Dugan announced he would accept the Republican nomination on Aug. 9 to run against Krasner in the general election.

Larry Krasner (D) Incumbent

Krasner worked as a public defender in Philadelphia prior to starting his law practice in 1993. Krasner’s practice focused on criminal defense work and he fled more than 75 civil rights lawsuits against the police before running for DA in 2017.

Krasner promises to end mass incarceration, concentrate on serious crime and oppose violations to civil rights and liberties and Trump administration initiatives.

He claims to have supported victims of crime, advocated for the falsely accused and held police accountable since becoming DA in 2018. He has exonerated nearly 50 for-

merly convicted people who were later proven innocent as DA.

He instructed prosecutors to drop charges for marijuana possession and discontinued the use of cash bail for many misdemeanors and non-violent felonies crimes during his frst year in ofce.

Krasner has faced criticism for his reformative justice policies, including his decision to withdraw from the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and his prosecution of Philadelphia police ofcers.

Krasner’s plans for his third term include ending excessively punitive sentencing, increasing alternatives to prosecution, reducing racial inequality in the justice system and exonerating wrongful convictions.

“In our country’s criminal justice system, prosecutors wield tremendous power and discretion,” Krasner wrote in a statement on his website. “This Offce’s leadership is committed to ensuring everyone in this ofce exercises this enormous power responsibly and compassionately.”

He was endorsed by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Working Families PA and various other unions in the primary.

Pat Dugan (R)

Dugan is a former judge and military veteran and considers himself an independent Democrat despite his place on the ballot. He served on the Philadelphia Municipal Court for 17 years and twice retained his position.

Dugan spent the summer considering whether he should accept Republican nomination, ultimately deciding that he couldn’t allow Krasner to run unopposed. Dugan, who holds more centrist views, believes Krasner is extremely far left. He wants voters to put political partisanship to the side when casting their vote for DA.

“This is not about red or blue,” Dugan told The Temple News. “This is about the safety of the city of Philadelphia.”

Dugan promises that his top priority will be prosecuting crime, helping victims of crime and making neighborhoods safe. He believes that Krasner has

failed to fulfll these duties.

“It’s a revolving door,” Dugan said. “[Violent criminals are] let out right away because Larry, Mr. Krasner, does not prosecute them the way that he should.”

Dugan plans to restructure the DAO by dividing it into six geographic regions, each led by a senior prosecutor. The goal of this restructuring is to increase communication between community members and the prosecutors responsible for addressing crime in their area.

Dugan is a veteran of the Iraq War and received his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers-Camden Law School.

Dugan has been endorsed by dozens of labor unions, like Roofers Local 30, Philadelphia Building Trades Council and the International Association of Firefghters and Paramedics Local 22. He is also supported by the Forward Party, which was founded by former Democratic Presidential candidate Andrew Yang.

nathan.horwitz@temple.edu

COURTESY / WIKICOMMONS & PAT DUGAN

VOTER GUIDE

VOTER GUIDE 2025

Brady and Patrinos vie for Philly city controller

Republican Ari Patrinos and democrat Christy Brady are running for city controller.

BY CONNOR PUGH Co-News Editor

Incumbent and democratic candidate Christy Brady will compete against republican candidate Ari Patrinos for Philadelphia’s city controller in the 2025 election.

The city controller operates independently of the mayor and City Council to conduct audits on the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia School District and uncover reports of mismanagement, fraud or other inefciencies within city agencies, employees and contractors.

The city controller also serves as a member of multiple diferent boards and committees, like the Board of Pensions and Retirement, the Sinking Fund Commission and the Bond Committee. The city controller has the responsibility of evaluating the City of Philadelphia’s Five Year Plan to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, judging the plan’s reasonableness and assumptions.

Here is a look at both candidates’ campaigns, experience and vision for the ofce.

Christy Brady (D) Incumbent

Brady has worked for the City of Philadelphia and the Ofce of the City Controller for more than 30 years. She began working as an entry level auditor in 1994, eventually taking on leadership roles in the Controller’s Ofce, like deputy controller of audit in 2016.

“I am defnitely not a stranger to the ofce, I probably held every single audit position in the ofce,” Brady told The Temple News. “I’ve worked under the past three city controllers and worked directly as a deputy under the last two.”

Brady was appointed acting city controller Nov. 7, 2022, after former City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart resigned to run for mayor. She remained in the position after winning the 2023 election against Republican candidate Aaron Bashir.

As city controller, Brady conducted numerous audits of city departments, including investigations into the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. One audit uncovered a lack of requests for contractors’ licenses or employment documentation across eight city construction sites, which could prevent employees from proper workplace benefts and might allow contractor tax evasion.

If re-elected, Brady will continue planning audits like her current investigation into improper rental licensing of Airbnbs and unsuitable speed hump heights in the city.

“I like to go out into the community and to hear their concerns to see I represent you, I represent the taxpayer,” Brady said. “I want to make sure my priorities are the priorities of the citizens.”

Ari Patrinos (R)

Patrinos has extensive experience working in the New York fnancial sector. He passed series 7 and 63 examinations for securities licenses, which allows him to sell bonds and other fnancial contracts, alongside actuarial exams in probability and fnancial mathematics.

After building his career in New York, Patrinos returned to his hometown of Philadelphia and worked as a math and history teacher for charter and public schools while writing for publications like The Chestnut Hill Local and The Federalist, an online nationalist magazine.

His writings have focused on the historical African American experi-

ence in the United States. He’s written analyses on intellectuals like Booker T. Washington and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Patrinos critiques modern social justice and Black movements from a conservative perspective, arguing for a greater cultural unity through entrenched institutions such as Christianity.

Patrinos grew frustrated with what he described as Philadelphia’s failure to provide basic services like clean, safe streets and high-quality education. He decided to run for the position of Philadelphia city controller to ensure taxpayer money is used more efectively.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that we just aren’t getting our money’s worth to enable our own residents to succeed,” Patrinos wrote in his campaign announcement in The Chestnut Hill Local.

connor.pugh@temple.edu

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS City Hall from South Broad Street on Oct. 18.

VOTER GUIDE

Judiciary candidates are up for election, retention

Voters will decide on seats for Pennsylvania’s Supreme and appelates courts.

BY CLARISSA JETT & CONNOR PUGH

For The Temple News

The Pennsylvania municipal election includes numerous candidates on the ballot for positions in the state judiciary. Voters can choose between 20 candidates vying for open seats on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, Superior Court and the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court on Nov. 4.

The Superior Court and Commonwealth Courts are the two appellate courts before the Supreme Court in the Pennsylvania judiciary system. The Superior Court takes appeals from the Court of Common Pleas, and the Commonwealth Court handles actions by and against the Commonwealth and appeals for agency decisions.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht are up for retention on the state Supreme Court. Voters will be presented with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ options to determine if the candidates should be reelected for another 10-year term.

All three were elected in 2015 as democrats and are now seeking to continue their service.

If the majority of voters select no for any of the judges on the ballot, then the governor will appoint a temporary replacement with the approval of the Senate. An election for a replacement to serve a full 10-year term would be held in 2027.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth and the oldest appellate court in the United States. The court is made up of seven judges — fve Democrats and two Republicans, currently.

The justices review appeals from the state’s two lower appellate panels, the Commonwealth and Superior Courts.

They may also intervene in any lower court case of their choosing.

In the last decade, the court ruled on cases demanding mail-in ballots with mistakes still be counted and ruled that state profts from oil and gas drilling go toward environmental conservation.

Superior Court

The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is one of the two appellate courts in the Commonwealth. Alice Beck Dubow is the only of the court’s 15 judges up for retention.

Another of the court’s seats is open after Judge Daniel McCafery was elected to the State Supreme Court in 2023.

The court currently has eight judges elected as democrats and six republicans.

The court handles criminal, civil and family cases appealed from lower courts like the Court of Common Pleas.

Brandon Neuman (D)

If elected to the Superior Court, Neuman hopes to improve the efciency of the judicial process for custody and parental rights cases.

“If there’s a way that we can make a docket, like the fast track docket, make it even quicker, so that families aren’t waiting months and months and months

for an opinion,” Neuman told The Temple News.

Maria Battista (R)

Battista has focused on children and education throughout her schooling, holding several education degrees.

Battista hopes that her background in a rural county and multiple education degrees will bring needed geographical diversity and expertise to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.

Daniel Wassmer (Liberal)

Wassmer unsuccessfully ran as the Liberal Party candidate for Senate in 2022, advocating for pro-choice abortion access and a disconnection of United States foreign policy from the “military-industrial complex.”

The Liberal Party of Pennsylvania, formerly known as the Keystone Party of Pennsylvania, operates on a platform of curtailing government overreach and the preservation of individual rights for all citizens.

Commonwealth Court

Judge Michael Wojcik is up for retention in the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, the second appellate court in the Commonwealth.

One of the nine seats is open for

election. Stella Tsai and Matthew Wolford are vying for the spot.

The Commonwealth Court presides over direct actions by and against the Commonwealth, as well as appeals to state agency decisions.

Stella Tsai (D)

Before her appointment to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in 2016, Tsai worked as a partner for law frms and was the chair of administrative law at the City of Philadelphia Law Department from 2000 to 2003.

Tsai aims to avoid biases and provide fair judicial processes.

Matthew Wolford (R)

Wolford has worked as a solo practitioner for his own law frm since 1999. Prior to his solo practice, Wolford served multiple diferent positions across the Pennsylvania government, including deputy attorney general and regional counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Wolford hopes to practice judicial restraint and judge with integrity and fairness if elected.

clarissa.jett@temple.edu connor.pugh@temple.edu

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS City Hall on Oct. 18.

OPINION

EDITORIAL

Remember to vote

The Philadelphia municipal election will take place on Nov. 4, with voters casting their ballots for candidates in races like city controller, district attorney and judge retention at several levels of the Pennsylvania judiciary.

While national elections often dominate headlines, city and county decisions have the most immediate impact on students’ routines and opportunities. It is important for the Temple community to recognize how local politics directly afect their dayto-day lives.

These races determine how the city’s fnances are managed, how the justice system operates, and how accountability is upheld throughout the local government. These broader conditions afect students and residents alike.

The Editorial Board urges Temple students, employees and community members to participate in the local elections and stay informed on key deadlines as Election Day approaches.

The deadline for voting registration for mail-in ballots is Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. Pennsylvania residents can register by completing an online application.

Temple community members should make a voting plan to ensure they fulfll their civic duties. The polls will open on Election Day from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Voter turnout in recent elections has declined noticeably. The 2025 primary saw about a 16% voter turnout, compared to the 19% that took place in 2024, according to reports by the Philadelphia City Commissioners.

Voting is the most efective way to infuence local politics. Amid tumult in the federal gov-

ernment, it’s more important than ever to participate in local elections, so voters can see the changes they want.

Temple students should read up on local issues, attend city council or candidate forums and follow local news to stay updated on Philadelphia politics. Resources like Temple’s Civic Engagement Center make it easy to register to vote by providing registration assistance, information on voting options and educational and post-election resources.

STUDENT

LIFE

Death of communication

A student refects on how growing up online changed the way her generation forms connections.

BY LOGAN THOMPSON For The Temple News

When I hang out with friends, it feels like we are together, but we are not really there. We’ll sit in a circle, phones in our hands, sending each other posts or laughing at TikToks without saying anything out loud. The silence doesn’t feel awkward anymore. It just feels normal.

I’ve noticed how much easier it is to talk through a screen than face-to-face. When I’m online I can take my time to edit what I say. But in person, there’s no backspace button, just real reactions and real pauses

In the past couple months, I realized how often I relied on social media to express myself, and how that habit made real conversations feel heavier. It was like I’d forgotten how to fll the space between words when my phone wasn’t involved.

What I’ve seen in myself isn’t rare. Across the country, teens are communicating more than ever — but saying less. More than half of teens say it would be difcult to give up social media, according to an April 2023 survey by Pew Research Center.

I’ve noticed digital dependence in my younger cousins. They hide behind their iPad instead of talking to people at family gatherings and they freeze up when someone tries to start a conversation. It’s like socializing in person is foreign to them because most of their interactions happen online.

Social media provides endless ways to connect, but it’s slowly changing how comfortable people communicate in real life. For many teens today, social media is a second language, one they’re fuent in from a young age.

Teens spend more than eight hours a day on a screen, according to a March 2022 report by Common Sense, a non-proft organization focused on technology education for families and schools.

That time might create digital closeness, but it shouldn’t replace physical presence. Being social doesn’t always mean being present.

People can appear outgoing online but feel uneasy in real life situations. The freedom to flter, crop and caption has reshaped what comfort looks like. When every post is a performance, unpredictable, unplanned and unfltered conversations feel intimidating.

This new way of connecting has also deepened the loneliness epidemic. Friends who talk every day online might barely acknowledge each other in person. Some of the side efects of digital dependence include a lack of empathy, reduced attention spans, and mental health decline among teenagers and young adults, according to an August 2023 study by Cureus, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Social media may be easier to access, but it doesn’t teach confict resolution: it teaches avoidance. Every word, reaction or emoji can be edited or deleted; creating a version of communication that feels safe but artifcial.

Relearning how to connect doesn’t mean deleting every app or ignoring technology. It just means remembering what it feels like to truly be present.

I’ve made some small changes to ensure I’m as present as possible — keeping my phone face-down during lunch with friends, asking people about their day even when it feels awkward and trying to keep eye contact just a little longer. I’ve been focusing more on moments that don’t need to be recorded: the shared laughter, the quiet pauses, the kind of connection that doesn’t come with notifcations.

Social media isn’t evil. It connects us and gives us new ways to express ourselves. But I think we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be fully seen not through screens, but in person. Real conversations are messy, unedited and imperfect, but that’s what makes them matter. Because in a world where everyone’s talking, being able to truly listen might just be the rarest skill of all.

logan.thompson.thompson@temple.edu

Don’t miss out on the benefts of small lectures

Two students argue that class size is an important factor when registering for classes.

BY WANIA IRFAN & CAELAN O’NEILL For The Temple News

Large lectures have become a staple of college life: efcient, structured and often unavoidable. Even though they are practical, there is an important concern about whether students are truly learning as efectively in these environments as they could be in smaller classrooms.

Students like Maurice Williams believe it’s easier to retain information in a smaller class setting. Williams feels that in smaller classes, professors take their time during the lecture to connect with their students and foster a successful learning environment.

“Working so closely with the professor in smaller lectures allow me to build a real and understanding with them,” said Williams, a sophomore criminal justice major. “Whereas in the larger lectures the professor doesn’t really build these types of close-knit relationships because of the amount of people in the class.”

With class registration approaching at the end of October, it is important for students to consider the benefts of smaller classes and think about how they can beneft from them. Students should try to balance lectures and smaller classes to make sure they get a more personalized learning experience.

Students often register for large lectures out of convenience or familiarity, not realizing how much class size can shape their learning experience. A smaller class might mean increased class participation, increased interaction with the professor and overall better satisfaction with the course material, according to a February 2022 study by the Organizational Management Journal.

Many core courses still take place in large lecture halls where one professor teaches dozens of students at once. These classes may allow more students to enroll, but their structure often limits personal interaction and feedback.

Forty-two percent of classes at Tem-

ple have fewer than 20 students, and the student-to-faculty ratio sits at 12 to 1, according to the university.

Large lectures ofer reach, not connection. In courses where professors teach hundreds of students at once, individualized feedback and discussion often take a back seat to presentation and pace.

Shannon Martin, the honors program assistant director of advising, believes smaller, discussion-based courses allow for a better learning environment.

“Students feel they can connect with the faculty better,” Martin said. “[In a lecture hall,] it’s not a less meaningful experience, but an experience where the faculty might not know your name as well.”

Smaller class allow students to know each other’s names, personally acquaint themselves with professors and speak up in class discussions.

Positive teacher-student relationships are among the most powerful external factors infuencing student engagement. Instructors are better able to provide personalized guidance and help their students, according to a January

2023 study by the Behavioral Sciences, a peer-reviewed psychology journal.

Tyleel Stewart often avoids large lecture classes because he believes he does not form strong connections and has a harder time interacting and socializing in larger lectures.

“I don’t feel comfortable talking in a lecture hall because I already tend to dislike needing to raise my voice so people can hear me in a normal class,” said Stewart, a sophomore social work major. “So in a lecture, when it’s infnitely hard to hear people, I would feel embarrassed.”

The dynamic shifts from one-way instruction to dialogue, and students become active participants in their education. Students should rethink what kind of learning environments they’re choosing and valuing if they truly want the most out of their education.

“Smaller class sizes really beneft both the students and the faculty, where they feel like they can leave the class having more hands-on feedback, more engagement, and just that mentor relationship, rather than feeling like they’re not connecting as much,” Martin said.

In bigger lectures, students may fnd themselves absorbing information passively rather than engaging critically with it. The anonymity that comes with sitting in a crowd can discourage participation, leaving many hesitant to ask questions or share opinions.

Large lectures can be a great way to check of gen-ed requirements without sacrifcing schedule space for program classes. Not every class is ofered in a smaller, discussion-based setting. However, students shouldn’t fear the smaller classes that allow for a more personal approach to learning.

Student class size can afect learning. In large classes, students can feel like a number. Smaller classes, can be more engaging because they can form relationship with their classmates and professors.

caelan.oneill@temple.edu wania.irfan@temple.edu

MARIA JONES / THE TEMPLE NEWS

THE ESSAYIST

Saying goodbye to my best friend for life, Phoebe

A student refects on her bond with her dog, and the difculty of coping with her passing.

BY CAELAN O’NEILL Opinion Editor

I had to say goodbye to my best friend on Sept. 9. She was only in my life for four years, but she was the best part of those years.

She was a black pitbull; half of her face was white, the other black, perfectly split down her nose. It reminded me of the moon. I googled moon names and found the ninth moon of Saturn was named Phoebe, and I immediately knew it was the perfect name for her.

She came into my life through a Facebook post in 2021 when her owner unexpectedly passed away. I lived in a city that didn’t have a ton of shelter resources, and the city shelter turned her away because they considered her breed “unadoptable.” Despite more than 200 comments on the post sending love and good wishes, nobody was able to take her in.

I commented and said I’d come pick her up without thinking twice about the decision. I knew in my heart I’d be her last home; she was eight years old, and I refused to rehome her.

The person I was dating at the time wasn’t interested in a dog, so I said we’d just foster her. I had no intention of fnding her another home; I just knew he would come around and agree to keep her. It took less than 12 hours for him to fall in love with her silly and spunky personality.

The frst night she stayed with me, she stuck her nose under my comforter and wiggled her way into the warmth of

my bed. She curled up right behind my knees, just like my childhood dog used to. In that moment I knew nothing was going to separate us.

Phoebe was my saving grace when my partner and I broke up. After we separated, I only wanted to lay in bed and cry. I didn’t want to go to work and I wanted life to pause. But every morning, Phoebe politely indicated she had to go to the bathroom or needed food in her dish. She would sit next to me, softly whining and wagging her tail, so I was obliged to get out of bed.

During a time of transition, she remained constant. She was always willing to go with the fow of my day. She was so happy to get ice cream with me whenever I wanted and loved to snuggle as much as physically possible.

Losing a pet is one of the hardest things I’ve gone through in my life. I had many childhood pets, but Phoebe was the frst pet I had to make an end-of-life decision for myself.

Toward the end of her life, Phoebe was diagnosed with canine cognitive decline, which a lot of people refer to as

dementia. It came on suddenly at the end of 2024 and progressed quickly.

I started pre-mourning her. Instead of laughing at her for her silly noises and the goofy positions she would lay in, I started crying. I wanted to hold onto these moments because I knew they wouldn’t be around forever, but I didn’t know how to push away the preemptive grief.

My chill old lady, who used to lay in bed with me until I got up in the morning, and whose number one priority was to cuddle, became restless. She could never settle herself, and I could see her anxiety worsening every day.

At the start of this year, I knew she wasn’t going to make it to the next. I desperately wanted to be wrong, but I wasn’t.

Her last day was beautiful. All my friends she loved dearly came to visit. We sat on my bed and fed her as much cheese as she wanted. She preferred Colby Jack and despised Provolone.

My biggest fear throughout the process of saying goodbye was that I was doing it too soon. I kept asking myself,

“What if this is just a bad day? What if tomorrow she’ll be better?” But when I started asking the same question every day, I knew it was time.

Navigating the grief was horrible. People in my life understood the loss, but I’m the only one who walks into my empty apartment every day and am now met with silence, a stark diference to the excited yips that used to meet me.

People attempt to comfort me by saying it’s for the best, as she’s no longer sufering. Logically, I know they’re right and agree. But emotionally, I want to go back to the frst night with her and preserve the moment of her pushing herself under my comforter forever.

She was and always will be my best friend. She taught me the purest form of love and I hope she felt that love radiating for her radiating of me.

caelan.oniell@temple.edu

KEELY CARTER / THE TEMPLE NEWS

LIVE in Philly

“Hay” from Dilworth Park: Fall Maze Days Festival

Families gathered at Dilworth Park this October to enjoy various fall festivities.

BY AIDAN GALLO & LILLIAN PRIETO

For The Temple News

Fall in Philly is Joanna Mroczek’s favorite time of year. The season is identical to the Polish summers she grew up with. Pumpkin carvings, hay and mazes all fuel her yearly excitement, so bringing her son Milo to the Maze Days at Dilworth Park was a no-brainer.

“We came here to be next to City Hall because it’s so beautiful, the weather is amazing, so we try to be outdoors as much as possible,” Mroczek said.

Maze Days, a fall festival that runs

from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31 and is sponsored by Temple and the whisky company Maker’s Mark, has transformed Dilworth Park into an autumnal oasis every October since 2020.

The fall activities kicked of at 3 p.m. with an apple cider making workshop. Attendees eagerly gathered around to drop fresh apples into the press, fascinated as the cider slowly dripped down into a small bucket to be served as a delicious beverage.

“You look around and there’s people of all ages here with smiles on their faces and really enjoying this beautiful fall day,” said Laurel Perley, an events senior director at Center City District.

Barbara Sheree, a Philadelphia native and Temple alum, serenaded the crowd with a collection of original songs and covers like “Blackbird” by

Children ran around the event’s titular hay maze with fervor, playing tag and making friends with others. Parents helped their children through the maze or took a beat to enjoy the fall weather.

Roger Pacheco, parent and Temple alum, heard about the maze activities that day and thought it’d be a good opportunity for family time. Pacheco brought his two-year-old son for the frst time and found him to be immediately captivated by the maze layout once they arrived.

“He’s having a big blast, and we’re happy that he’s burning out some energy,” Pacheco said.

The fun continued inside the maze with a pumpkin carving demonstration hosted by Philadelphia-based carver Roger Wing. Wing had eight pumpkins

set up, carving out a variety of fall-related imagery, from leaves to ravens.

During the demonstration, Wing would talk to the kids about the objects he was carving and answer any questions the kids had about his process. Kids would sit behind him and curiously watch Wing carve the pumpkins before running back into the maze.

Brie Von Hausch, a midwife at the University of Pennsylvania hospital, found the festivities to be a highlight for her family’s fall activities.

“Since it’s sprung up, we’ve been coming every year and it’s always the thing we look forward to,” Von Hausch said. “It sets the scene and makes you just feel there’s really a free, accessible place to celebrate the season in your city.”

gallo@temple.edu

lillian.prieto@temple.edu

AIDAN GALLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

A child turns the apple cider press wheel at Dilworth Park on Oct. 18.

The Beatles.

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Carver Roger Wing demonstrates pumpkin carving while children watch.

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

The Makers Mark stands at the Maze Days Festival.

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Barbara Sharee, local singer-songwriter, performs at the Maze Days Festival.

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Novae and her son pose for a portrait in the maze.

AIDAN GALLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Children dropping apples into the grinder box to make apple cider.

How daily journaling improved my quality of life

A student refects on the positive effects journaling has had on their life.

BY ARI MACDONALD For The Temple News

I’ve tried to start a journal multiple times in my life. I would buy a colorful notebook from the middle school book fair with a lock and tiny key and vow to myself that I would write in it every day. But I never did.

It was so easy to forget about the journal and I didn’t have the drive to apply myself. I liked the idea of journaling, but in practice it was difcult to stick with.

I realized journaling is a hobby that requires a great deal of discipline, especially if I wanted to write consistently. Unfortunately, I lacked that self-discipline when I frst tried it in middle school, so I came to the incorrect conclusion that I wasn’t a journal person.

I believed this until I started college. My social media algorithm started suggesting videos about journaling. My feed was flled with compilations of aesthetic journals; they were all decorated with washi tape and stickers, full of writing in colorful fountain pens.

I was mesmerized by the romanization of the practice. But I was still stuck in the mindset that I couldn’t keep a journal, even though it was still something I really wanted to do.

After a few weeks of going back and forth, I decided to just try. I found myself a cheap, thirty-sheet notebook, scribbled the date on the top of the page and wrote about my day. The frst entry was around nine sentences; I only wrote as much as I desired before closing the notebook for the day. Surprisingly, I journaled again

the next day, and did so consistently after that.

After just a month, I felt more touch with my feelings and what caused them. I started to see value in every small thing I did in a day, because documenting them made them feel meaningful.

Journaling became something I looked forward to every day because it helped me decompress and unload my thoughts. I didn’t just write about things that happened to me. I wrote about books and movies I loved. I wrote down passages from articles I didn’t want to forget and poems I enjoyed. Everything I wrote in the journal was for me, driven by my desire to document it.

When I was having a bad day or something was bothering me, I didn’t have to keep my negative emotions bottled up; I could vent about it in my journal. Writing became a way to help me regulate my emotions.

Once my thoughts were on paper, it didn’t take up space in my head. It gives me an option: I can dwell on the same thing for weeks or I can write it down

on a page and let those thoughts escape through my pen.

Journaling also became a way to document my life. The act of writing helps me retain knowledge, and my journal is now an archive of my life and captures it in a way social media can’t.

Online, we glorify our lives to others. It can even be argued that all those journaling infuencers I saw online were only putting on a show for the internet to see.

Journaling is an alternative to posting on social media. It helped limit my screentime and, instead of doomscrolling for hours, I kept myself occupied with my writing. There was also no pressure to document things for the sake of others, which enabled me to express myself more genuinely than I would’ve online.

I’ve realized journals represent my life accurately. I’m not writing for others to see, I’m doing it for myself. I can document the highs and lows, the most intimate moments and insignifcant details I would’ve never remembered otherwise.

I’ve discovered that a journal is the ultimate documentation of one’s life, and I’m the only person in the world who ever needs to look back on it.

At the end of the day, journaling is a hobby that revolves around me: it’s a method of self-care. It changed the narrative in my mind that my life was boring, or that the day I had wasn’t productive enough.

Everyone’s life is worth archiving. Sometimes it’s necessary to write to realize that. Everybody can be a journal person.

ari.macdonald@temple.edu

DANIYA EGGLESTON/ THE TEMPLE NEWS

ALL IN GOOD FUN

Local Neighborhoods

Local Neighborhood Word Search Phamous Philadelphians Crossword

Untitled

O O U N U U Y H G Z F P D C M U T P R R

L N G L O F Q V V F A R E E U A E F T W

D L J E A R M G O I I T G N B H H E Q F

C S F P R U T W O C R N Z T T D U B Q M

I P T R U M J H I Q M T K E X E A C X V

T I D R P C A O E U O O V R W P L C G R

Y Y Z C A K Y N J R U H H C Q N D H M K

J G G Q H W S I T N N G H I A J C E O X

H S D H J I B S L O T L K T O B B S Z F

O R M D Q S N E X H W K I Y F V B T I I

Y X Q I S X J A R G O N J B S X E N W S

G L E N W O O D T R T A P Q E M T U E H

P O J E A A F X Z O Y K O Y K R L T E T

L K L R Z Z L T Y A W M T M R P T H Z O

M K I M J L F A P C R N A P P E E I L W

E G I E A S T P A S S Y U N K I B L E N

K Y F X U K S K J I K M J I S Y V L M S

M J G W O V F V O F O Y W N T I N J N U

S S U N I V E R S I T Y C I T Y O C F C

Q K P A I O T I S Z W R G K S Q J N X D

Northern Liberties

Chestnut Hill

Northern Liberties Strawberry Mansion

Center City

Glenwood

Across

3. Portrayed Philadelphian Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook

Strawberry Mansion University City Germantown Fairmount East Passyunk Chinatown Old City Fishtown

3. Portrayed Philadelphian Pat Solitano in Silver Linings Playbook

5. Lady Marmalade, “The Godmother of Soul”

5. Lady Marmalade, "The Godmother of Soul"

7. The host of the original America's Funniest Home Videos

Chestnut Hill University City East Passyunk

Center City

Glenwood

Old City

7. The host of the original America’s Funniest Home Videos

8. Known as the "fresh prince" or Agent J

8. Known as “the fresh prince” or A Lakers shooting guard for 20 Down

11. A 20-year shooting guard for the Lakers Down

1. Masked DJ whose collaborations include Bastille and Selena Gomez

2. Portrays DC's newest Man of Steel

2. Portrays DC’s newest Man of Steel

4. Known as Ren McCormack or Valentine McKee

6. Rapper, singer, songwriter known for hits like "Who's That Girl?"

6. Palindrome rapper, singer, songwriter known for hits like “Who’s That Girl?”

8. Singer, songwriter, actress with hits like Daydreamin' and Golden

8. Singer, songwriter, actress with hits like “Daydreamin’” and “Golden”

9. Comedian and actor who became the first American to sell out an NFL stadium for a standup show

10. Known as Liz Lemon or Ms. Norbury

9. Comedian and actor who has made four movies with The Rock

10. Known as Liz Lemon or Ms. Norbury

LONGFORM

POLL: Temple students divided on generative AI

The Temple News surveyed 86 students on their usage of artifcial intelligence.

BY CHILI RAMGOLAM Data Editor

Most Temple students use generative artifcial intelligence services while others reject it altogether, The Temple News found in a survey of 86 students from Sept 25. to Oct 18.

While 35% of students abstain from using AI models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini or DeepSeek for moral and environmental reasons, the remaining 65% of the student body utilizes the technology for various reasons.

According to survey responses, 62% of AI-using students use it for brainstorming, 44% use it for searching general information, and 38% use it to assist with Temple coursework.

“I used to use it a lot, sometimes I would use it to summarize notes or summarize a concept,” said Isaiah Moore, a junior media studies and production major. “I would use that as a foundation for me to understand [the concept] and as I start reading articles on the topic, I [would] kind of have that base knowledge about it.”

The rise of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots has grown within the last couple of years, but the origins of generative AI and large language models stem from more than half a century ago.

The earliest predecessors of LLMs were experimental neural networks created by researchers at International Business Machines Corporation and Georgetown University for English-Russian translation in the 1950s and expanded on later with the world’s frst chatbot, Eliza, engineered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Joseph Weizenbaum in the 1960s. These early advances lead to the rise of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer, otherwise known as GPT and later marketed as ChatGPT.

For ChatGPT and other such generative models to function, they need considerable amounts of energy, space, water and data.

In North America alone, data cen-

ters training large language models with trillions of parameters of raw text data took over 5,341 megawatts in the span of 2023. All the data centers around the world use enough energy and resources to be the 11th largest electricity consumer, just behind France, at 463 terawatt-hours, MIT News reported.

With more people around the world utilizing generative AI in their everyday work, writing millions of prompts a day, the pollution these data centers produce will only amalgamate.

Many survey respondents denounced the use of generative AI, citing the damage training and using the technology has on the environment.

“It is vital that we learn how to use [generative AI] as that may be one of the most important life skills moving forward, however as an environmental studies major I am extremely concerned for its impacts on the climate,” one anonymous survey respondent said.

Other respondents expressed concern surrounding the efects Generative AI has on the critical thinking skills of students and the quality of higher education. Only 7% of respondents stated that they have a positive opinion on generative AI, and many worry about the long-term efects that the technology will have on students’ analysis and problem-solving skills now that they rely on AI chatbots for their answers.

“I just don’t prefer being dependent upon technology in general,” Moore said. “We’re our own human beings. We’re supposed to be able to do things without something else doing all the legwork. It feels like we’re only doing [AI searches] for the convenience of it all.”

Temple’s AI policy was introduced ahead of the 2023 Fall semester and took a backseat approach to the new technol-

ogy.

Understanding the positives and negatives that generative AI has within the classroom and in the industrial world, the university decided that each professor should be able to decide if AI has a place in their classroom.

“I don’t think there’s a way you can control people more than that,” said Grace Scott, a senior journalism major. “There’s nothing that [the university] can go out of their way to control without making it harder for students to be

able to get their work done, and making it harder for the students that are actually putting the work in.”

Many students take the risk of sidestepping this rule in the classroom. Of the 86 survey respondents, 26% of them admitted to using Generative AI in class when it was not allowed. Only 3% have ever been accused of plagiarism or cheating with the use of Generative AI.

Most Temple students have only recently started using Generative AI within the last few years. Of the respon-

dents, only 6% have been using the tool since LLMs became publicly available in 2022. About 16% of respondents were even able to utilize Generative AI during high school. Around 2023, services like ChatGPT gained popularity with Temple students, as 27% of respondents began using it then; 30% of respondents followed suit in 2024.

“[AI] can be almost like a stimulant,” said Joseph Prince, a sophomore computer science major. “In the sense that you can get hooked onto it and you just

[have to] build a mental recognition to AI as being just [a tool] to get something easy done.

Many respondents note AI’s lack of accuracy in its answers. Only 35% of respondents stated that generative AI is at least somewhat reliable in giving the correct answer. Around 88% of respondents stated that they have gotten an answer they knew was incorrect from generative AI.

“It confuses me how often I see people in my class immediately open ChatGPT when looking for reliable information,” one anonymous survey respondent said. “It just generates the most surface-level and most of the time incorrect information.”

Still, some students believe despite the glaring issues that come with generative AI, it is a technology that many are pigeonholed into learning for the sake of their future careers.

“What I’ve seen recently in my classes is professors trying to get students to work with AI instead of shooting it down because it’s another ever changing technology,” Moore said. “In order for you to keep up with technological advancements, you have no choice but to use it.”

chili@temple.edu

FEATURES

STUDENT LIFE

Psychedelic science club reaches academic highs

The Psychedelic Sciences Collective explores the science behind psychedelic drugs.

BY SAMUEL CARR For The Temple News

During Gavin Bowman’s summer internship in a lab studying stem cells, neuroscience and psychoactive compounds, he became entranced by how psychedelics interact with the human brain.

When he returned to Temple in the fall, he wanted to show other people what he learned. Bowman created the Psychedelic Science Collective this year, a student club where people visualize neuroscience and discuss the science behind altered states.

“I just wanted to create a space for people who are like-minded and thirsty for knowledge to come together, socialize, and work together to make the world a better place a little bit at a time,” said Bowman, a senior health professions major. “As I explored psychedelic research, I started hearing about it, going to conventions and meeting people, it became clear that neuroscience made sense for me.”

The club’s objective is to provide accessible, accurate and science-based information to create an environment for students who are interested in learning about how psychedelic substances interact with the human body. They meet Thursdays in Ritter Hall for group discussions, explorations of podcasts, philosophy, workshops and history related to psychedelic science, neuroscience and therapy models.

The use of psychedelics became scrutinized during Richard Nixon’s presidency, which pushed policies criminalizing psychedelics and caused most research to be halted until the early 2000’s. Despite the destigmatization of its uses, scientists have only begun learning and discovering about their health benefts.

“This is a good starting point for anybody who doesn’t understand the basics of psychedelics,” said Niko Bezanis, a

graduate student studying social and behavioral sciences. “I saw a poster in Pearson and decided to come.”

PSC got the word out through hands-on techniques like fyers, posters, handouts or just having conversations with students.

Knowing the stigma that has grown around the use of psychedelics, which depicts the drugs as dangerous substances posing a risk to people’s physical and mental health, Bowman encouraged everyone to come to PSC with an open mind. The club has about 10 to 15 recurring members, which Bowman never anticipated when he started the group.

“The turnout is defnitely more than I expected,” Bowman said. “It’s nice to know that there is a good number of people interested in this. It’s nice to know that we have that support and can keep growing.”

The organization has also begun to

catch the eyes of people not within the student body. Schuyler Patton, a professor of chemistry, got involved with PSC after reading works from Michael Pollan, a journalist and professor from Harvard who researched plant-based chemistry.

He was curious about the club’s discussions on the relationship between psychoactive plants and humans. Patton was able to listen to people discuss unlocking awareness of the ego through psychedelics and give insight on the topic.

“I think it’s great that everyone’s getting the word out with some things. And I support curiosity in all its safe respects,” Patton said.

There has been a substantial rise in literature on psychedelics, indicating a potential resurgence of interest in psychedelic substances, according to a September 2024 study from ScienceDirect, on psychedelics for depression treat-

ment.

“I know in terms of the scientifc community, it has been ramping up exponentially in the last 10 to 15 years,” Bowman said.

The club will further explore how a better understanding of scientifc research can bring good to the world and continue to discuss the brain’s ability to recognize deeper value in connections. Bowman is considering relocating to a larger space like an auditorium for future meetings.

“Nobody chooses to be here,” Bowman said. “We’re here. We all want the same thing, to sufer less and have a better life. And because of that, we can all come together to decrease sufering and spread love.”

samuel.carr@temple.edu

MARIA MAZA RION / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Layered images of Gavin Bowman, president of the Psychedelics Science Collective, on Oct. 16.

AROUND CAMPUS

Researchers employ AI in communication devices

Stephen

MacNeil and

his

team are using AI technology to improve communication devices.

BY MADELYNNE FERRO Features Editor

Whether it’s an accent, a go-to phrase or regional colloquialism, communication is deeply personal.

So, when Stephen MacNeil heard about research aiming to make Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices easier to personalize for people who struggle with speech, he knew he had to get involved.

“The kinds of things you’d want to say in the bathroom versus the kitchen are going to be very diferent,” MacNeil said.

High-tech AACs are typically smart tablets with grid displays of words and phrases. Users select the phrases they want to communicate, and they’re played out loud.

MacNeil is working with researchers Slobodan Vucetic and Eduard Dragut to create AAC devices that understand context by integrating them with generative artifcial intelligence.

Through a $5 million grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, the trio is working with Temple’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab and three other universities to develop adequate AAC technology.

Temple’s $1.5 million share of the grant will go towards the engineering and technology components of a new Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center located at the University of Arkansas.

When MacNeil came to Temple, Vucetic and Dragut were already working on improving AAC devices with generative AI, through funding from the National Science Foundation.

During the past fve years, MacNeil, Vucetic and Dragut have heard users discouraged by difculty customizing AAC devices to their unique communication and the necessary reprogramming every

time they change location.

“A lot of people would stop using the communication device,” MacNeil said.

Context-aware AAC technology harnesses AI capability to understand where a person is. When the tech knows a user’s environment, it can suggest the things they’d probably like to communicate.

The group co-designs AACs with user preferences, which vary on privacy and device capability. Components like audio processing and other context-aware tools in GPS and Bluetooth are possible technologies that can increase AAC device capability.

However, users may not be willing to trade privacy for increased capabilities.

“We hear from users we work with that [they] don’t want AI to take over,”

Dragut said.

Undergraduate students under MacNeil at Temple’s HCI Lab develop manually controlled prototypes and test on users who believe the technology is automated before PhD students develop the AI capabilities.

The prototypes developed at Temple will be sent to researchers conducting clinical testing with real AAC users at the other universities sharing the grant. MacNeil’s team will modify their models according to feedback that they are given.

“I was a psychology student, and I think that demonstrates just how interdisciplinary this whole concept is,” said Kate Hamilton, director of operations at the HCI Lab.

The team has already seen success integrating AI with AAC tech in past

testing. Joel, an AAC user with cerebral palsy who the team previously worked with, is understood most of the time but struggles with certain words. He used the devices to speed up his communication.

Joel faced the same time-consuming problems as other AAC users, and the new improvements were revolutionary.

“This device was sort of listening and reproducing what he was saying in a smoother way,” MacNeil said. “When he heard the frst one, he shrieked. He said, ‘I’ve been waiting for this my entire life.’”

madelynne.ferro@temple.edu

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

From left to right, Kate Hamilton, Stephen MacNeil, and Eduard Dragut sit in the Science Education and Research Center.

FEATURES

AROUND CAMPUS

Staf, UArts alum return to repurposed Terra Hall

A former UArts building will house Temple University Center City within a few years.

BY SAMUEL CARR For The Temple News

While at the University of the Arts, Liam Cavenagh spent most of his days in Terra Hall attending classes. He cultivated a strong connection with the building during his four years there, observing the small but passionate group of students and educators within the diferent arts programs. But just sixteen days after graduating, Cavenagh received the email that the school was closing its doors for good.

Now, he’s returning to Terra Hall. This time, for a diferent university.

“It’s defnitely a little bittersweet being back there, but only because it’s where I once went to school,” said Cavenagh, a 2024 music business and entrepreneurship UArts alumnus. “I think being able to say that I graduated from UArts is really impactful. I didn’t feel

O I C E S

stuck there. I was able to move on from UArts.”

Cavenagh is now returning to UArts as a tech specialist for Temple University Center City.

After UArts closed in June 2024, and a merger with Temple fell through, Temple purchased Terra Hall, its largest instructional building, in February this year. The university is planning to relocate its Center City Campus, which is located on Market Street near 16th, to Terra Hall on Broad Street near Walnut.

TUCC’s new home in Terra Hall will provide more fexibility and freedom for the faculty since the space is completely owned by Temple, said Melanie Ellison-Roach, the director of Center City Campus.

Sole ownership simplifes problems with scheduling, building maintenance and event planning, opposed to the current TUCC structure, which is shared with a Citizens Bank, Firstrust Bank and owned by Accesso Partners.

Temple hopes to be fully moved into the space by Spring 2027, Ellison-Roach said. While the full transition is still a couple of years away, early steps could begin sooner.

“I’m excited for the students and our faculty,” Ellison-Roach said.

The focus of Terra Hall has been incorporating Temple schools like the Boyer College of Music and Dance, which lacks a presence at the current TUCC building. Boyer’s move is one of the largest tasks in Terra Hall’s reorganization, Cavenagh said.

The program’s focus on music technology, instrumental performance and vocal studies aligns with Terra Hall’s purpose-built creative spaces and Caplan Studio Theater, located on the 16th foor.

Boyer is looking to continue using Terra Hall’s 140-seat theater space in their programming, alongside the building’s numerous instructional rooms, to spread across its 16 stories.

“I think it’s great that we’re moving to a larger location where we have more ofces,” said John Visher, a student consultant for TUCC. “It creates more potential classes for future development at Temple.”

Visher, who has worked at TUCC for nearly four years, graduated from Temple this past summer. As a TUCC consultant, he helps to set up classrooms

WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING TO BE FOR HALLOWEEN?

EMMA GELATT

Senior, advertising major | she/her

“ Nyan Cat, the rainbow cat with the poptart, and Lady Gaga in the “Telephone” music video with the spiked bra and the Diet Coke cans in her hair. ”

SERENITY GONZALEZ

Sophomore, theater major | she/her

“ I work at a haunted house, I’m a ghostly fapper. They do our hair and makeup, so I’m going to go out right after work! ”

and assists professors with technical issues.

Before Temple relocates to Terra Hall, they must renovate the space, Cavenagh said. The university is fxing the building’s broken locks, modernizing the technology and addressing existing problems in the building while formulating a plan for the new space.

“I think I’m ready for us to be in a new space,” said Kai Batholomew, a foor assistant at TUCC. “It’ll be a nice, new building that’s Temple-owned, and there’s more of a streamlined process for things getting fxed. There’s not the middleman we have to deal with.”

Despite their excitement, Bartholomew feels that the transition process has been slower than anticipated. They attribute this to the size diference between the buildings, which has been a hurdle in university planning.

“I’m glad the space is going to be used,” Cavenagh said. “It’s going to be used by college students that are using areas made for drawing, for drawing. They’re going to use the flm suites for flm.”

samuel.carr@temple.edu

ABBY HENDRIXSON

Junior, human resources management major | she/her

“ A cheetah, a Victoria’s Secret angel, and me and my best friend are going to be Miss Spink and Miss Forcible from Coraline ”

JAMES GIANGREGORIO

Sophomore, flm major | he/him

“ I haven’t planned a Halloween costume, and I probably won’t. ”

FOOTBALL

SPORTS Temple to adjust to NCAA transfer portal rules

The NCAA’s new singular transfer portal window gives Temple a challenge to tackle.

BY COLIN SCHOFIELD Co-Sports Editor

The NCAA ofcially adopted new transfer portal rules on Oct. 7, including moving to just one transfer window from Jan. 2-16, 2026. The change is expected to provide stability and make retention easier in college football.

However, the single transfer window will also limit programs, making it hard to fll their rosters, said general manager Clayton Barnes.

The transfer portal frst started in 2018 to manage players who wanted to transfer schools. A player can request to join and the school has two days to fulfll that request. Typically, players enter when the season fnishes in December or in April after programs’ spring camp.

The transfer portal was crucial to building Temple’s current team. When Temple hired head coach K.C. Keeler in December 2024, he brought Barnes with him to lead the Owls’ recruiting eforts. Together, they used both transfer windows to replenish the roster using the portal, which gave them the fexibility to improve the team and retain players from the previous coaching staf.

The portal was open for 20 days in December. During this time Keeler and Barnes focused on continuity while also strengthening key positions before spring camp.

The pair had a sense of which positions needed reinforcements after spring camp and went to the portal again when it was open for another 10 days in April. Some of the players they got in the second window have become strong ofensive contributors this season.

Moving forward, Temple and the rest of college football won’t be able to fnd gems in the spring. Programs are now doing what they can to prepare for this change.

“There’s going to be positives and there’s going to be negatives,” Barnes

said. “I’m sure it’s not going to be the last change. I think it’s an ever-changing landscape that we just have to be prepared to adapt and adjust as things go on because it’s all unprecedented.”

The number of players who entered the transfer portal soared when Name, Image and Likeness was introduced in 2021, allowing players to earn compensation from branding. It became a popular way for players to test their market value before eventually picking the highest bidder. It has been under scrutiny since, with athletic departments searching for a way to control the chaos.

In the past, players had two chances to explore their portal options. In 2024, athletes had from Dec. 9-28 to enter the portal, then again from April 16-25. This caused roster turnover for several programs, with some players testing their luck in both windows.

Implementing one window will be benefcial to both players and coaches across college football, as the new rules

give teams more security. Players will no longer be able to bounce around diferent schools in a matter of months. It also makes Keeler and Barnes’ jobs easier to convince players to stay, with just one opening to fnd a new home.

“The biggest thing is hopefully it’ll provide a little bit more stability for us once we start spring semester,” said athletic director Arthur Johnson. “We’ll know who is not in the transfer portal, at that point, will most likely be coming back, so you don’t have to negotiate twice, which is important for everybody.”

However, these new rules also come with a fair share of challenges. The window opens during winter break, making it difcult for coaches to bring possible players on campus visits. The timing also makes it stressful for new transfers to relocate and enroll in classes before the spring semester begins.

“I would not have proposed it this way,” Keeler said. “I just don’t know

who’s working on campus from Dec. 26 to Jan. 2. I guess I’m going to be. But I don’t know who else is going to be.”

All of the FBS is adjusting to the changes at the same time. The Owls are prepared to make the necessary adjustments and feel they have the staf needed to turn these changes into advantages.

“How we’ve built a scouting department is similar to the pro-style model and similar to some of the Power 4’s as far as college scouting,” Barnes said. “We’re going to be very thorough, probably among the most thorough at our level. We feel really confdent with our organization that we’re gonna be able to hit our marks when it comes to bringing guys in. So, we feel no matter what cards are put in front of us, we have the staf in place to handle that.”

colin.schofeld@temple.edu @ColinSchofeld9

The Temple News

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple Football’s defense tackling UTSA running back Robert Henry Jr. on Oct. 4.

MEN’S SOCCER

Dauzier makes the most of his time with the Owls

Goalkeeper Diego Dauzier takes advantage of his time with the Owls despite split playing time.

BY SIENNA CONAGHAN Co-Sports Editor

Diego Dauzier faced an impossible task as he stood in the box during Temple’s game against then No. 25 Dayton on Aug. 28. It was Dauzier’s second collegiate game, but fear never crossed his mind while he was on the pitch.

Dauzier stepped into action in the 27th minute, stopping a Dayton shot that was hurling toward the bottom left of the net. Dauzier swatted fve more shots that night, keeping the Flyers of the scoreboard.

It marked the frst clean sheet of his career, but instead of being happy about the accomplishment, all he felt was disappointment that the game ended in a scoreless draw. Even though Dauzier was proud of himself, his team didn’t win and that was what mattered.

“I really wanted to win the game. I thought we had a chance to win it,” Dauzier said. “I mean, for me personally, I think I was happy with my performance, but I’m not really that happy unless the team wins. I can have 100 saves in a game and not let a goal up. But, if we’re not winning games, for me that’s the most important.”

Soccer has always been Dauzier’s passion. He discovered the sport through his father, who used to play. He also felt culturally connected to the sport, as his mother is from Argentina. He picked up the sport when he was just fve years old and joined his frst team a year later.

Dauzier never had to question if he made the right choice picking soccer, but he did question which position to pursue. He was originally a striker but dipped his toe into goalkeeping during his frst ever game when his coach simply asked, ‘Does anyone want to go in goal?’

Dauzier accepted the ofer and while he enjoyed scoring, he realized he had a skill defending the goal. He decided to focus solely on being a goalkeeper at just nine years old.

The Montclair, New Jersey native, hasn’t been confned to the northeast region. Instead of staying at Seton Hall Prep for his junior year of high school, he went to Huesca, Spain to play for the club Escuela de Fútbol Huesca.

At EF Huesca, Dauzier developed his soccer knowledge and learned to process moments in the game better as he thought about the sport in a tactical sense. This skill, along with knowing the English style, where strength and physicality control the game, allowed him to hone the little things.

“When we talk about technical goalkeepers, we usually think about diving. We usually think about the big saves,” said goalkeeper coach Rich Kessler. “While he can do that. He does all the tight little technical things really brilliantly, the footwork, the timing, those things he does really well.”

Dauzier’s spent his frst season at Temple on the sidelines, learning from veteran goalkeepers Andrew Kempe and Flannan Riley. The two graduated

last spring and Dauzier fnally had his chance, which he took full advantage of.

Dauzier got the start for Temple’s season-opener against St. John’s on Aug. 21, recording four saves. However, he was back on the sidelines the next game when goalkeeper Preston Neal rotated into the cage.

Dauzier has started seven games, while Neal has started six times this season. Even when Neal is the one on the feld, Dauzier is consistent every game. He sets his mindset as if he’s going to play and stays focused the entire time.

“It’s defnitely tough. But, it’s important that you look at an overall season,” Dauzier said. “Sometimes the coaches have to make a decision. And no matter what the coach’s decision is, you got to think about, what can you do personally and what can you do to help the team? So if it was me getting picked or him getting picked it doesn’t matter, because you have to work.”

Dauzier constantly pours into Neal as well as the rest of his teammates.

He’s also stepped into a leadership role, thanks to his increased communication, which Kessler feels is Dauzier’s biggest growth from just the beginning of the season. Being the last line of defense allows him to see everything on the feld and talk to his teammates during games.

“If I make a mistake, I always have someone that’s there behind me,” said defender Jayden Jackson. “A voice behind me, which is Diego, telling me, ‘OK, next play. Go get it, the next one’ and just tell me to keep going, which I think is very positive and actually instills confdence within me as a player and probably does with other people as well.”

Dauzier puts his team ahead of himself during games, doing what needs to be done to help the Owls fnd success.

“I want to be someone that my team loves, but the other team hates,” Dauzier said. “I try to get in the other team’s heads. I want to be someone that is a bit of a force we reckon with.”

sienna.conaghan@temple.edu @Sienna_Paige2

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Goalkeeper Diego Dauzier prepares to throw the ball in against St. John’s on Aug. 21.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Bitterwolf quickly fnds footing in Philadelphia

Valentina Bitterwolf has been one of Temple’s bright spots during a challenging season.

BY FAIYAAD KAMAL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter

Valentina Bitterwolf was seven years old when she was introduced to soccer. She went to her friend’s game in her hometown, Frankfurt am Main, Germany and she was compelled to play herself. After the game, Bitterwolf met her friend’s coach, who asked her to join the team right away.

Bitterwolf spent the next fve years playing with the boys as a pastime until she joined a girls’ club when she was 12. Soccer was an emotional outlet for Bitterwolf, a childhood pleasure that evolved into passion. She’s now using her dedication for the sport to help the Owls in her freshmen year.

“Soccer was always something that brought a lot of joy into my life,” Bitterwolf said. “I think the fact that it’s a team sport made it even more appealing because you share so many experiences with other players.”

Bitterwolf also played tennis but juggling both became too much to handle. She focused solely on soccer and her love for it continued to grow, fueling her development as a player. She eventually realized she could play at a higher level and connected with Wagner & Woolf, a sports recruitment agency. Interested universities contacted her and she ultimately found a school that stood out.

She developed a relationship with Temple’s coaching staf, who made it too tempting to pass up the opportunity to play in Philadelphia.

“I had a lot of ofers from Texas schools and from Arizona, my mom is from Mexico so they wanted to please me with the fact I could be near her,” Bitterwolf said. “But I had good calls with the coaches from Temple. Also, Philly was a very convincing place to play.”

The decision was simple, but crossing continents meant more than just a change of scenery. Bitterwolf had to adjust to a diferent playstyle in the United States. In Germany, soccer relies on tac-

tical strategy, while the American game demands more athleticism and speed.

However, adapting to life in Philadelphia hasn’t been a struggle at all. She quickly got used to the culture in the U.S. and so far, the thought of going back home hasn’t crossed her mind.

“I don’t miss Germany at all, that’s proof of how comfortable I feel here,” Bitterwolf said. “Just in terms of the culture, Americans are very open to everything and everyone. They’re quite funny and open-minded, so it made it very easy for me to adjust here.”

The comfort Bitterwolf had with the transition to another country has helped her ability on the pitch. It did not take long for her to get accustomed to the diferent playstyles, earning her a role right away.

Head coach Chris Shaw trusted the midfelder with a spot in the starting lineup and she has logged 1,290 minutes this season. Her three goals are tied for the most on the team and she has been just as efective in getting her teammates

involved. She leads the Owls in assists with fve, which is sixth in the American Conference.

While Bitterwolf is seeing individual success, the Owls have struggled to take fight, with just three wins this season. Most of Temple’s 18 underclassmen having been thrusted into sizeable roles — including Bitterwolf, who has embraced the challenge and provided the Owls with a glimmer of hope.

“Val covers more ground than anyone else, the kid just runs for 90 minutes, non-stop,” Shaw said. “She was also sick [against Rice] and still worked her socks of.”

Her impact extends beyond the stat sheet. Bitterwolf understands that she has ascended into one of the program cornerstones, inspiring her to put an emphasis on leadership.

Those around her feel the impact of her leadership. Forward Shari Atkins fnds Bitterwolf as someone constantly fnding ways to lift others up. Despite being in the middle of a poor

season, Bitterwolf took it upon herself to change the tone. She brought inspirational quotes for everyone to hang on their lockers, a gesture that boosted team morale, Atkins said.

“Little things like that just change the culture in the locker room, which this team really appreciates,” Atkins said.

The Owls may seldom reach the win column, but they haven’t gone down without a fght; one goal has decided seven of their losses. Temple’s gradual improvement has given Bitterwolf faith for the future. Her ambition brings hope to the program as they look to build momentum for the next season with just three games remaining.

“I want to get into the tournament with this team and I’m confdent we will,” Bitterwolf said. “I’m here with the mindset of playing professionally after my college career. It won’t be easy, but with hard work and patience, nothing is impossible.”

faiyaad.kamal@temple.edu

BRIAN NELSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Midfelder Valentina Bitterwolf runs towards the ball against Lincoln on Sep. 21.

WELLNESS EXAMS BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING

CONTRACEPTION BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING

CONTRACEPTION SEX EDUCATION SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY

ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH WELLNESS EXAMS BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION

CARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION CARE

EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION SEX EDUCATION SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE

BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY

CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY

SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH WELLNESS EXAMS BIRTH CONTROL

AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION BIRTH CONTROL

AFFIRMING CARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION SEX EDUCATION

WELLNESS EXAMS BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION CARE GENDER AFFIRMING

CONTRACEPTION BIRTH CONTROL ABORTION