LIVING The owner of a reimagined thrift store near Main Campus hopes her new approach will allow it to succeed.
temple-news.com VOL. 91 ISS. 9
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2012
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Bri Bosak argues presidential candidates on both sides need to rely less on lies to sway voters.
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Coffeehouse loses steam after first year Owner of Mugshots said bad business has caused her to focus on other shops. LAURA ORDONEZ The Temple News Jason Mercado, the only barista at Mugshots Coffeehouse on the 1500 block of Cecil B. Moore Avenue, continues to serve freshly-brewed coffee and baked goods even as the coffee shop is up for sale on Craigslist for $65,000. The coffeehouse was opened in October 2011 in the lobby of the Beech Interplex
Design yet to start on libary Officials said construction will begin late this year or early next year. DOMINIQUE JOHNSON The Temple News Construction for a 21stcentury library is in the beginning stages with the recent closure of the Student Pavilion, which is scheduled to be demolished in May 2013. The Board of Trustees approved a $17.5 million budget in March for the design of the new library. Funding for the construction of the project will consist of $140 million from the state, including $90 million in annual capital grants and $50 million from bond debt, officials said in the spring. “We have about 60 days of contract development to finalize,” James Creedon, senior vice president for construction, facilities and management, said.
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student residences as a local alternative to Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and 7-Eleven. A year later, Mugshots’ owner Angela Vendetti decided it was time to hand over the keys. “This coffee shop has been slow,” Vendetti said. “It’s not making the sales it is supposed to be making.” Vendetti said she will focus more on Mugshots’ other two locations, in Brewerytown and Fairmount, given that she said the stores are more profitable and employ more people. “I cannot allow the Cecil B. Moore [Avenue] location to drag down the financial stability of these two other coffee shops,”
Vendetti said. “I don’t have the energy or the time to develop it, it needs a new operator that can invest himself in it.” Mercado attributed the business slowdown to its minimal presence on campus and the confusion brought by its location in a dormitory setting. “Some people may not know we are open to the public,” Mercado said. “Many people have asked if the coffee shop is only open for dorm students.” Vendetti said she has received two serious inquiries about her Craigslist’s post. While one of the interested buyers intends to convert the busi-
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Mugshots Coffeehouse on Cecil B. Moore Avenue appeared on Craigslist recently. Its owner intends to sell the shop due to poor performance.| ANDREW THAYER TTN
Cain pitches plan to Temple Former presidential candidate talks about the American Dream, jobs on Main Campus. ALI WATKINS The Temple News Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain brought his College Truth Tour to Mitten Hall Friday, Oct. 19, to talk politics, the economy and Godfather’s Pizza with a crowd of approximately 200. Advertised as a non-partisan event, the tour has stopped at 19 other campuses across the country, and gives the former pizza business CEO a platform to speak candidly to students about the challenges facing the nation and, more specifically, his 9-9-9 tax plan. “A lot of people ask, ‘Why do you call it a Truth Tour?’ Well, the answer is very simple,” Cain said as he took the stage. “There are a lot of lies out there. And we want to make sure that you heard the truth about the American Dream, and the truth about your American Dream.” Stressing values of hard work, flexibility and persistence, Cain used his own business background with Pillsbury and Godfather’s Pizza as testament to the value of determination. Cain also stressed how difficult the current economic
downturn has made it for college graduates to secure jobs, and urged the crowd that change is needed. “This economy is stagnant and if we don’t get this economy growing, you might end up running in to the same barrier that the graduates last spring ran into,” Cain said. “Fifty percent of college grads last spring can’t find jobs.” To fix this economic problem, he said, complete restructuring of the tax code is necessary. “You hear the word ‘reform’ the tax code. That hasn’t happened in decades. When you hear politicians say ‘reform’ tax code, that’s code for: ‘We’re not going to do anything different from what we’ve always done.’ We need to replace the tax code,” Cain said, leading in to his much-anticipated description of the 9-9-9 tax plan. The tax plan, which received thunderous applause from the audience, was largely the foundation for Cain’s campaign, and would include a restructured tax plan of 9 percent personal income tax, 9 percent corporate tax and 9 percent na-
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Unnamed donation establishes LGBTadvocacy scholarship. CINDY STANSBURY The Temple News
and community affairs committee, in conjunction with Campus Safety Services Capt. Eileen Bradley and CSS External Relations Coordinator Monica Hankins, created this program to address complaints in the community. “I meet with local residents that have been here for years and they complain about Temple students and their parties, the trash they leave, and how they don’t take care of the property,” Torres said. “We are trying to do something for them to see that Temple University does a lot.” Nearly 20 student organizations have expressed interest in the program, including the National Society of Collegiate
Students involved with LGBT advocacy on Main Campus are now eligible to receive financial rewards for their efforts following the launch of a scholarship targeting students who are active in the LGBT community. The MarcDavid LGBTQ Scholarship is worth $5,000 that will be awarded to one student who displays leadership and advocacy in the LGBT community. Financial need will also be considered for the award. The scholarship was made possible by an anonymous donation. Assistant Vice Provost for Student Affairs Andrea Seiss explained the process of developing the scholarship, which was announced during National Coming Out Week. “The Office of Institutional Advancement brought it to us and said that they had somebody who wanted to donate money to this and we collaborated with them,” Seiss said. “Our goal was to have it out by the fall so that it could be ready for the spring.” “I was very excited when I heard that somebody wanted to do this,” Seiss said, with noticeable enthusiasm. LGBT advocate and professor of speech communication Scott Gratson said he is excited as well, and that the scholarship is a great way to emphasize the work that students do toward LGBT inclusion. “I am thrilled about this new scholarship,” Gratson said. “I think that the chance for Temple to have the good efforts and activism of one of our students recognized in this manner is not only a statement as to what Temple could become, but also
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Former presidential candidate Herman Cain speaks to attendees at his Truth Tour on Oct. 19.| SAM LEVINE TTN
Groups to clean streets, block by block Adopt-a-block is set to launch on Oct. 27 and will mandate monthly cleanings. LAURA DETTER The Temple News
Temple Student Government’s Adopt-a-Block program will launch Oct. 27. The program seeks to build relationships between students and local residents. | NICKEE PLAKSEN TTN
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$5,000 award for LGBT advocacy
Anthony Torres has a plan to help build the relationship between Temple students and local residents. Starting on Oct. 27, Torres’ new program called Adopt-aBlock will assign student organizations to a specific block in the community, for which the organization is mandated to clean at least once a month. Torres, Temple Student Government director of the local
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