Issue 25

Page 1

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 VOL. 95 ISS. 25

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. NFL DRAFT

Reddick poised to be NFL first-round pick Former defensive lineman Haason Reddick was a walk-on when he came to Temple in 2012. By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor

JENNY KERRIGAN FILE PHOTO Student Body President Aron Cowen (center), listens while a candidate talks during the Temple Student Government debate last year.

Separation of powers a source of conflict in TSG The two branches have clashed over defining Parliament’s role. By JULIE CHRISTIE News Editor

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s Temple Student Government approaches the end of its first semester with a new legislative body, one topic has become a sticking point among its members, the campaigns running for next year, and the student body — How independent is Parliament, and is it able to function effectively? When Aron Cowen, the current student body president, took office last May, his administration

began creating a legislative branch, with the goal of better representing the views of the student body. The 37-seat Parliament held its first meeting in January. Since then, it has passed resolutions on topics like recovery housing and the university administration’s stance on becoming a sanctuary campus for undocumented students. Parliament then began to push for more independence from the Executive Branch, which had been closely guiding the new branch in its opening months. Discord grew when representatives began to see that guidance as oversight and the branches as less than separate. The Temple News spent the last three weeks examining the relationship between Parliament and the Executive Branch after learn-

ing of the tension between the two branches. This involved interviews with members of each branch, and reviewing documents The Temple News obtained. The debate about the separation of powers in TSG focuses on what its constitution does and does not allow. This is what we know: Parliament has been struggling with the Executive Branch denying them privileges to speak to the media and administrators. The tension grew when Cowen participated in a Parliament meeting on March 20, during the debate portion of proposing the resolutions. Both branches are working on

TSG BRANCHES | PAGE 3

Haason Reddick thought he was going to be a “regular college student” when he got accepted to Temple. Injuries ended his junior and senior seasons at Haddon Heights High School in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, limiting the highlight reel he could show college coaches. After some prodding from his father and a call to family friend and Temple’s former defensive backs coach Francis Brown, Reddick walked onto the team in 2012.

Five years later, Reddick is poised to be a first-round pick in this month’s NFL draft. “I came so far,” Reddick said at Temple’s Pro Day in March. “Literally from the bottom. Two injuries in high school … to walking on, being overlooked, to finally getting my chance to play football again. Now I’m being able to go play in the NFL. That’s just amazing.” CBSSports.com ranks Reddick as the top outside linebacker in the draft and the 13th-best prospect overall. He is a consensus first-round pick in several mock drafts. Three Temple players have been drafted in the first round of past NFL drafts. Offensive lineman John Rienstra

REDDICK | PAGE 16

GENEVA HEFFERNAN/THE TEMPLE NEWS Former defensive lineman Haason Reddick holds the American Athletic Conference Championship trophy after the Owls’ victory against Navy on Dec. 3.

MORE ABOUT TSG Voting for next year’s representatives begins. PAGE 2 The Editorial Board sounds off on friction between branches. PAGE 4

Conveying repressed emotions through film A master’s of film and media arts alumna’s film debuted on Netflix on March 15. By EMILY SCOTT Features Editor When Heidi Saman finished graduate school, she was nervous. Her anxiety partially had to do with entering the workforce at the beginning of the 2008 recession — one of the largest declines in economic activity since the Great Depression. But it also had to do with being a first-generation American. “I was so worried that I wasn’t going to be employable,” said Saman, whose parents are from Egypt. “I really felt like I couldn’t pursue filmmaking immediately, and I felt like I had to be

an employed person that would make my parents happy.” Saman, a 2007 master’s of film and media arts alumna, directed, wrote and produced “Namour,” a film that discusses the concept of feeling stuck through the perspective of an Egyptian-American named Steven, who works in Los Angeles as a valet driver. It premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2016 and made its Netflix debut on March 15. “Namour” also received assistance from Array, an organization that produces films by women of color and helps get them into theaters and on viewing platforms. It was started by Ava DuVernay, a filmmaker known for “13th,” a Netflix documentary about mass incarceration in the U.S. The collective helped get her film on Netflix and shown in cities across the U.S., including at a West Philadel-

FILM | PAGE 14

RAMA KABA FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Two young girls use computers to do homework at The Free Library of Philadelphia’s branch on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 24th Street. The Free Library is the programming and managing partner for Read by 4th, a citywide literacy initiative.

Helping to fix a broken ‘pipeline’

The College of Education is working with organizations to improve local education. By GRACE SHALLOW Deputy Features Editor At 2 years old, Kayla Hoskinson sat on her couch reading a Dr. Seuss book. Her mother marveled at her daughter’s ability, calling her a “ge-

nius child,” Hoskinson said. But the whole time she was holding the book upside-down. “I had read these Dr. Seuss books so much with my mother that I had them memorized,” said Hoskinson, the children’s librarian at The Free Library of Philadelphia’s branch on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 24th Street. “Sitting down and reading a book just builds your world.” The Free Library of Philadelphia is the programming and managing partner for the Read by 4th campaign, with more than 90

participating organizations aiming to increase the number of Philadelphia students reading at grade level when they enter fourth grade. Less than half of Philadelphia fourth graders currently read at their grade level, Philly.com reported in February. Temple is one of five universities partnering with the initiative. Kristina Najera, an assistant dean in the College of Education, said Read by 4th encouraged Temple to get accredited for the Knowl-

EDUCATION | PAGE 12

NEWS | PAGES 2-3, 6

OPINION | PAGES 4-5

FEATURES | PAGES 7-14

SPORTS | PAGES 15-18

The emergency drill on Thursday is the first of many drills to happen while students are on campus. Read more on Page 3.

Our columnist argues that President Donald Trump should not cut Pell Grants, which help low-income students. Read more on Page 4.

The Colored Girls Museum in Germantown aims to celebrate the everyday experiences of Black women. Read more on Page 7.

Former Temple pitcher Matt Hockenberry is trying to move his way up the Phillies’ farm system. Read more on Page 18.


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