4.8 FINAL PRINT

THE TEMPLE NEWS

MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE Thirty thousand students, one frequent problem. Shedding light on campus struggles.

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, Page 4-5 The Philadelphia Inquirer shut down its Temple-backed community desk.

READ MORE ON PAGES M1-M19

OPINION, Page 8 A student argues for her peers to resist the urge to wager on sporting events.

VOL 103 // ISSUE 14 TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

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The Temple News

THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

Samuel O’Neal Editor-in-Chief Sidney Rochnik Managing Editor Claire Zeffer Managing Editor Anna Augustine Co-Chief Copy Editor Valeria Uribe Co-Chief Copy Editor Evelyn Blower News Editor Kylie Sokoloff Assistant News Editor McCaillaigh Rouse Opinion Editor Bradley McEntee Assistant Opinion Editor Bayleh Alexander Features Editor Mike Nonnemaker Assistant Features Editor Jadon George Features Staff Writer Ryan Mack Sports Editor Colin Schofield Assistant Sports Editor Sienna Conaghan Assistant Sports Editor Leah Duffy Investigative Reporter Kennedy Brown Investigative Reporter Julia Anderson Director of Audience Engagement Oliver Economidis Public Engagement Coordinator Isabella Farrow Audience Engagement Editor Rai Ganesan Audience Engagement Editor Jack Larson Co-Photo Editor Jared Tatz Co-Photo Editor Noel Chacko Staff Photographer Kajsa Morse Multimedia Editor Ava Campbell Assistant Multimedia Editor Lyndsey Griswold Print Design Editor Juan Colon Graphic Design Editor Ava Fitzgerald Data Editor Pablo Rouco Podcast Editor Cara Kishter Newsletter Editor Nadia Bodnari Web Editor Lolade Kola-Adewuyi Advertising Manager Matthew Eaton Advertising Manager Daivik Bewtra Business Manager

Follow us @TheTempleNews

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 reflective 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 reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

ON THE COVER With funding from the Solutions Journalism Network, The Temple News presents The Mental Health Initiative.

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

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

CORRECTIONS Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible.

Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Samuel O’Neal at editor@temple-news.com.

The Temple News

NEWS

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ADMINISTRATION

Temple inaugurates Fry, announces largest gift John Fry shared his goals for development, fundraising and community engagement.

BY ANNA AUGUSTINE Co-Chief Copy Editor

J

ohn Fry was officially inaugurated as Temple’s 15th president during an Investiture Ceremony at the Temple Performing Arts Center Friday. Speakers at the event included Mayor Cherelle Parker, Board of Trustees Chair Mitchell Morgan, Faculty Senate President Shohreh Amini and Student Body President Ray Epstein.

Fry also announced a $27.5 million donation, the largest single donation to Temple, from philanthropists Sidney and Caroline Kimmel at the event. The Klein College of Media and Communication and Center for Cinematic and Performing Arts’ new home at Broad Street and Polett Walk will be named the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication in honor of the donation.

“Temple is the embodiment of diversity and inclusivity,” wrote Sidney Kimmel in a message Fry read during his remarks. “No matter who you are or where you are from, Temple is opportunity, a launching pad for those with drive who are willing to work hard.”

Fry delivered a 30-minute speech outlining his vision for the university.

He began his remarks by asserting Temple’s dedication to creating affordable education for people of all backgrounds. Fry described the university’s commitment to inclusivity and providing a place for all to research and innovate.

He then spoke of the recent tensions between higher education institutions and the federal government, sharing his commitment to continuing to support all members of the Temple community through unprecedented executive actions targeting universities across the country.

“We need to be unequivocal in our support of all members of our com-

OLIVER LOIS ECONOMIDIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS President John Fry at his Investiture Ceremony in the Temple Performing Arts Center April 4.

munity," Fry said. “Whatever your race, religion, background, gender, identity and expression or country of origin and residence, you have a place here at Temple.”

Since Fry took office at Temple in November, President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and made attempts at dissolving the Department of Education, as well as repealing Biden administration amendments to Title IX laws that protected students’ expressions of gender identity. His administration has also revoked more than 300 student visas, including one Temple student’s, and slashed research budgets nationwide.

Temple administration has shared its commitment to continuing its DEI programs and extension of identity-based protections to its students. Fry has continually emphasized that the university will do all that it lawfully can to safeguard its international students. The university is also committed to maintaining its status as a prominent research institution.

Fry then began to detail his plans for Temple’s development, including ongoing construction projects like Paley Hall

and Klein and CPCA’s new building. He spoke of designs to create a new greenspace quad adjacent to the Bell Tower, a plan that has been in place since the university announced its “Verdant Temple” directive in 2015.

During his tenure, Fry has three directives for Temple, which he detailed during his speech. First, he gave a commitment to supporting students and ensuring that they graduate by providing them with academic and financial support. He referenced Temple’s recent work with the University Innovation Alliance, a national organization aimed at improving student success.

His second directive is focused on engaging in discovery, innovation and creativity at Temple. He hopes Temple will be able to join the Association of American Universities, a coalition of 71 of the nation’s top research institutions.

Temple administration’s final initiative is to reestablish Temple as a “place-based” university, which means strengthening the university’s relationship with the North Philadelphia community. He spoke of the importance of community-oriented programs at Temple like the Community Gateway and

Temple Future Scholars.

Fry shared hopes of developing an “Innovation Corridor” along Broad Street by connecting Temple’s Health Sciences, Main and Center City campuses. He included the Terra Hall acquisition and the Klein and CPCA building as part of these plans.

After discussing ongoing developments, Fry delivered his plans to announce a new fundraising directive as a part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The campaign will run until 2036 in hopes of bolstering Fry’s plans for expansion and furthering of educational programs.

“Once our alumni and other friends discover what Temple is becoming and the impact that it is having on its students, the city and the world, I believe they will rally to support our university with unprecedented amounts of time, talent and treasure,” Fry said.

Read the full story at temple-news.com annaaugustine@temple.edu

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NEWS

The Temple News

COMMUNITY

Inquirer’s Temple-backed community desk ends

The desk was formed in 2022 and was staffed by eight reporters, all of whom lost their jobs.

BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor Five years after a Temple audit suggested The Philadelphia Inquirer increase its civic engagement, the paper announced it is dissolving its communities and engagement desk.

The dissolution included the dismissal of ten newsroom staffers, sparking questions about the future of the largest Philadelphia news publisher’s community-based journalism.

Following backlash to a 2020 article from the Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Buildings matter, too,” and as part of the Inquirer’s Inq4All initiative, the Inquirer created the desk in 2022 to address lapses in diverse stories that the Inquirer previously had not covered.

However, the desk’s dissolution was a business decision to save money, wrote Inquirer CEO Lisa Hughes to the paper’s staff.

“There are certain competencies and skills that people can specialize in that focus on engagement work, but it would be valuable to sprinkle those across the news organization to make them more of an essential work component of the news organization,” said Andrea Wenzel, a journalism professor at Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication. “Just so they can’t be so easily excised from things when the budget gets tight.”

Klein’s 2020 audit dove into the Inquirer’s diversity and inclusion efforts to supplement the paper’s efforts toward committing to both a diverse newsroom and inclusive coverage.

Wenzel and Bryan Monroe, a former Klein professor who passed in 2021, led the audit. Multiple other Klein professors also contributed to the interview and research process of the report.

The report found that the Inquirer featured white people in 58% of its coverage, compared to 26.4% of Black individuals, 3.3% of Hispanic people and 1.6% of Asian people. Men accounted

JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Philadelphia Inquirer closed its Communities and Engagement desk March 21.

for 77.9% of people featured in stories, out of the surveyed stories that included 10,193 people. When Black people were featured in a piece, 53% of the Inquirer’s coverage was about sports and 23% in news — compared to when white people were featured, who were equally represented between news and sports in 31% of the Inquirer’s coverage.

The report also found that out of 225 Inquirer’s employees, 42.7% were white men and 31.6% were white women, meaning 74% of the Inquirer employees were white in August 2020. Black women represented 6.7% of the staff, and Black men at 4.9%. Their sports desk was entirely male at the time, and no people of color were on their 10-person investigations team.

In 2020, white people made up about 36% of Philadelphia’s population, and Black people made up about 40%.

About 52% of Philadelphia are female, with around 48% as male, according to

the U.S. Census Bureau.

The audit recommended creating inclusive sourcing practices, increasing workplace equity and the integration of community engagement. The Inquirer’s community desk was launched about a year after the report’s release. At its launch, four reporters and a coverage editor worked with community leaders and members to continually produce community-based stories and underrepresented community content.

“Journalism represents the people, so if you have those in power in front of you with a pen or microphone or video camera or cell phone, what are the questions they are interested in,” said Christopher Malo, a former Temple professor and an interviewer for the audit. “All journalism should go back to the human element of things.”

Members of the communities and engagement desk published multiple different pieces covering underreported

topics affecting communities, neighborhoods and people that had previously received little media attention.

Lynette Hazelton wrote about the Holmesburg prison experiments and their lasting effect. In the 1950s, a dermatologist began experiments on imprisoned individuals using hallucinogenic drugs or painful procedures — a program that lasted 23 years, ending only after the Tuskegee Study reports came out in 1972 and after Philadelphia banned medical testing two years later.

Another article was about a group of Black women who sew reusable period pads to send to women in Africa and the Caribbean. The period pad piece, written by Valerie Russ from the communities and engagement desk, boosted the sewing group’s popularity, earning the organization a new sewing machine, fabric and dozens of interested volunteers.

The desk’s articles were not un-

NEWS

The Temple News

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JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Members of the Klein College of Media and Communication led an audit that resulted in the creation of the now-defunct Communities and Engagement desk.

der a paywall, making them free to all non-subscribers. Typically, the Inquirer utilizes a metered paywall, which measures the amount of times a user reads a section of the paper and blocks articles after a certain quota.

Inquirer reporters and editors received an email notifying them 10 jobs would be eliminated and offered buyout packages to the eliminated positions on March 21. Four out of the eight people on the communities desk were journalists of color, the Philadelphia Tribune reported.

Inquirer Editor and Senior Vice President Gabriel Escobar met with members of the National Association of Black Journalists’ Philadelphia chapter and the Society of Professional Journalists’ Keystone Pro chapter on April 2.

Attendees of the meeting criticized the decision, claiming the move would undermine trust in the city’s most underserved communities, the Philadelphia Tribune reported.

Escobar called the desk an “experi-

ment” for the Inquirer at its peak operation.

“When I look at how the paper is managed, and I know that there are certain fights that I have been fighting with this particular news organization almost my entire career, it feels like no matter who owns it, this is just how it’s going to be,” said Denise Clay-Murray, the president of Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Pro chapter. “That’s not fair to the citizens of Philadelphia and to the folks in the tri-state area, because they expect better from you.”

Clay-Murray, alongside P. Kenneth Burns, the president of the SPJ New Jersey chapter and a NABJ-Philly member, presented a joint letter to Escobar at the April 2 meeting. Escobar confirmed that the end of the desk was not linked to the Trump administration’s recent moves to target diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the public and private sector.

The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia, a coalition supporting journalists

and staff from the Inquirer and other Philadelphia news outlets, also released a statement condemning the desk’s dissolution.

The Inquirer is owned by the Lenfest Institute, a non-profit that invests in local Philadelphia news. Klein Dean David Boardman served as Lenfest’s chairman when the Inquirer asked Temple to conduct an audit. Malo and Wenzel attribute Temple’s audit to Boardman’s involvement with Lenfest, alongside Temple’s journalism department prioritizing community and diversity-focused learning and reporting in its curriculum.

Wenzel currently teaches ethnic and alternative news at Temple Rome, and Malo was the director of Philadelphia Neighborhoods, the capstone course for journalism majors where students report and write stories serving different communities around Philadelphia that tend to go under-reported.

“I think after as much pomp and circumstance the Inquirer did when showcasing all their commitments to change

and value particular communities, the desk wasn’t even absorbed into anything else,” Malo said. “There’s a significant loss to that.”

Malo, Wenzel and Clay-Murray each chose to not speculate on possible explanations on why the desk was dissolved, but warned of future ramifications to community-based journalism.

“After Wednesday’s meeting, my question to them became, ‘Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to be as much a part of Philadelphia as you do Cherry Hill or any of these after places,’” Clay-Murray said. “And if you don’t, then take Philadelphia off your title, call yourself the something-else Inquirer, because it’s obvious that you’re not necessarily trying to do the job for Philadelphians.” evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower

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NEWS

The Temple News

EDUCATION

How Temple could be impacted by ED dissolution A recent directive to dismantle the ED could lead to impacted student services and aid.

BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor Nearly two weeks after the Department of Education filed a 50% worker reduction and reopened Title IX investigations into several universities, many colleges, including Temple, are navigating the new challenges higher education faces.

“The current higher education landscape remains complex and challenging, and I know that impacts all of us in significant ways, personally and professionally,” wrote President John Fry in a letter to the Temple community on March 21. “Recent executive actions threaten to substantially impact universities like Temple across the country. Enforcement actions have been initiated against individual institutions.”

The Department of Education handles student services like the civil rights and discrimination complaints office, special education funds, school improvement programs, Pell Grant distribution and research. More than 2,000 ED staff lost their jobs after the March 21 directive.

Eliminating or curtailing the ED will “erode the quality and experience of education for those who are enrolled,” at a time “of high prices, economic instability and deep insecurity across the workforce,” wrote Temple’s Hope Center for Student Basic Needs in a statement March 20.

Temple, after finalizing an investigation with the ED’s Office of Civil Rights in December with no wrongdoing found, received a letter in March stating that the university was once again under investigation for alleged antisemitic discrimination and harassment, The Temple News reported.

The Office of Civil Rights is another office most affected by the cuts, with at least 240 of its 568-person staff facing layoffs, NPR reported. The OCR’s Phil-

JOSH PERO / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs released a statement on the directive to dismantle the Department of Education.

adelphia outpost, housed in the historic Wanamaker Building in Center City, also closed last month, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The ED’s distribution of funds and grants includes a large number of students at Temple who currently receive Pell Grants. As of Fall 2023, 31% of Temple undergraduate students receive Pell Grants. Thirty-eight percent of the Class of 2027 are Pell Grant recipients. That number jumped to 46% in the Class of 2028.

At least 320 staff members of the Office of Federal Student Aid in the ED have been laid off, according to FSA. Some of the former staff helped to manage the federal student loan portfolio or maintain FSA’s online servers for applying for loans — an issue some Temple students already faced earlier this school year.

President Donald Trump and his administration threatened and began cuts in research and funding to other universities. Some students had previously voiced concerns about pursuing a future in education, either in joining the work-

force or as their experience in the higher education system, The Temple News reported.

“For students right now, on the ground, [the ED is] saying that student loans are not going to be affected or that Pell Grants are going to keep being distributed – I frankly just don’t know what that means, there’s this illusion [in government],” said Anne Lundquist, director of Temple’s Hope Center. “It takes people to do things – but if those people aren’t doing it, they won’t be as responsive [because of the cuts]. You won’t be able to call a number and get a person.”

The Hope Center, which is based at Temple but includes leaders from across the nation, works to conduct and create policy recommendations to help students meet their basic needs. Its 202324 survey report of students’ basic needs at 91 institutions found that Pell Grant recipients already experience food and housing insecurity at a higher rate than non-Pell Grant students.

Mark Huelsman, director of policy and advocacy at the Hope Center, urged the community to both look at each in-

dividual executive statement or action on their own terms, but also as part of a collective effort to cut public services and benefits.

The ED distributes specific programs that meet some of Hope Center’s criteria, like the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program, a grant to institutions whose students are low-income parents and are eligible for Pell Grants. In 2023, 264 universities and colleges received financial support from the ED. “Eliminating all of that is going to have a huge impact in a very short term way of literally getting people money, but in a long term way as well,” Huelsman said. “[The ED’s programs] make sure that [Temple is] living up to their potential, actually improving people’s existences, and making higher education what it’s meant to do – that’s before you get into all the civil rights stuff. That’s why we put that statement out." evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower

OPINION

The Temple News

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EDITORIAL

STUDENT LIFE

Course selections

Embrace wrinkles of time

Priority registration for undergraduate students for the Fall 2025 semester began on March 31, but as students began to select their schedule, many faced a common issue with the availability of courses.

Students select their classes based on their DARS audit, an online platform that assesses students’ progress toward their degree. Students in the university’s Fly in 4 program are required to visit an academic advisor each semester, which can be unreliable due to high demand and lack of availability.

As students’ academic careers advance, registering for classes may become more stressful. They may face challenges while rushing to register for major requirements, like writing intensives or introductory seminars, which often have limited class sizes or are not offered.

Temple’s student body deserves greater clarity on course offerings, academic planning and changes to their degree requirements. The Editorial Board urges Temple’s department chairs and academic advisors to better their communications with students about these changes to ease their anxieties during registration.

Due to limited class selections, students may face scheduling conflicts for other on-campus commitments, jobs or university activities. A third of Temple’s professors are adjunct and only teach on a semester-to-semester basis, BillyPenn reported. This means courses are offered based on the adjunct faculty’s semester availability.

Before semester registration, students often create academic plans to ensure their academic goals are met in an efficient and timely manner. However, due

to miscommunication on when courses are offered or certain requirements, students often find themselves in an academic limbo.

Before enrollment begins, department staff should ensure that the courses advertised to students are available. When there are any drastic changes to course availability, advisors should be provided with up-to-date information and plans for student success.

It’s in the hands of academic advisors to be confident and reliable about the information they are relaying to students. With constantly shifting schedules and unpredictable course offerings, the job of academic advisors has another layer of difficulty.

Students deserve a smooth and stress-free registration process. It is the responsibility of advisors and university staff to ensure they have adequate resources and transparent communication so they do not feel blindsided come registration time.

Students already face countless other burdens in their time at college. Temple must ensure that students receive a stress-free and reliable registration process.

A student encourages their peers to embrace skin maturation instead of turning to anti-aging products.

BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor

I

n 2024, much of the year’s most popular art dabbled in the conflict of aging.

Famous musicians like Charli XCX and Tyler, the Creator released their most recent albums, each flirting with the world-ending anxiety of embracing adulthood. Actress Demi Moore starred in the body horror film “The Substance,” which is very upfront with its commentary on the unreachable standards for the mature female body.

Albums like “BRAT” and “Chromakopia” preach that growing older comes with unique challenges, but it’s more bearable to dance through the pain than to ignore it. “The Substance” advocates for something similar — to finally end the cultural war on the aging body.

As the time grows closer for my peers to enter adulthood, there is an inescapable desire to hold onto youthfulness. People start seeking products to minimize wrinkles, or supplements to thwart the effects of dwindling collagen. But aging is a natural process that catches up with everyone eventually, and it’s pointless to try and stop it. Aging is something we should embrace warmly, as it leaves us with the markers of a life well-lived.

The idea of thwarting the physical manifestation of age is not a new phenomenon. The FDA approved Botox to improve the appearance of wrinkles in 2002, and it has been the cultural standard for celebrities and women everywhere ever since.

Nearly two decades later, the culture has stubbornly remained in the same place. But in the age of social media and the suffocating attention economy, anti-aging is more accessible than ever.

Each day I scroll on TikTok, I’m plagued by ads for products like wrinkle-free straws and anti-aging pillows. From sleeping to sipping, there’s a never-ending manhunt to identify and eradicate things contributing to aging.

As much as seeking new gadgets may help slow maturation, the cause of wrinkles is the

gradual loss of collagen, which makes up approximately 70% of the skin’s structure, according to UCLA Health.

Trends like collagen banking have started to make their rounds on the internet to avoid this. It involves collagen supplements and collagen-infused skincare to avoid the protein’s gradual depletion before it starts, usually between the ages of 25 and 30.

Although it would be easy to snag these products, it’s simply not worth it. These new inventions are just ploys to prey on preexisting insecurities. The beauty industry had a revenue of $570 billion in 2023 and it’s projected to keep growing, Forbes reported.

As I begin my 20s, I constantly think I have to get the ball rolling on making my skin more firm, or slathering on eye creams to halt the development of fine lines. But as I dwell on it, I realize that the labor of committing to a lifelong aesthetic is not valuable.

The crevices that form on your smile lines are reminders of laughter and the moments of love that make us who we are. Maturing and aging are nothing without the smiles, frowns and anger that occur concomitantly with life.

Looking in the mirror and seeing the physical reminders of these moments should be a treasure: the ultimate reward.

The smoker lines that people avoid are tattooed memories of sharing cigarettes with friends while dancing down a city street.

They’re the imprint of sharing a soda with someone you love at a diner.

Forehead lines form from facial expressions, both positive and negative. They come from smiles and frowns: the embodiment of the laughter and tragedies that got us to where we are.

But we’re stuck in the constant fear of judgment that these traits feel like a punishment for inaction rather than a gift. I hope we start to embrace this power and see the beauty of age for what it truly is – a badge of experience and endearment. bradley.mcentee@temple.edu

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OPINION

The Temple News

COMMENTARY

The growing “madness” of online sports betting A student argues that students should avoid sports betting due to its addictive nature.

BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor The NCAA Division I basketball tournament, or March Madness, began on March 16, and sports fans and students across the country watched all month long to see which team landed on top.

Not only are students watching for the love of the game, but a new level of excitement has become popular amongst the sports world: gambling.

Sports betting among college-age students is common, with nearly 60% having bet on sports, and 4% doing so daily. Additionally, due to increased risk behavior, almost 6% reported losing more than $500 in a single day, according to a May 2023 survey by the NCAA. Mobile sports betting allows fans to place a wager on the success of a team, player or event during a game. Sports betting has shifted sports culture by fueling new forms of entertainment and financial troubles. Sports are no longer about the love of the game, they’re about hitting a parlay or the bettor’s biggest win.

College-aged students should recognize the danger of sports betting and avoid sports betting apps. Sports betting, especially mobile sports betting, can lead to students struggling financially and potentially developing an addiction.

Sports Betting is legal in the state of Pennsylvania, whether in person or mobile. Apps can be downloaded from any device’s app store, making betting accessible.

Retail sports betting became legal in Pennsylvania in 2017, and onlinesports betting began in 2019. Since then, many viewers are joining the new trend of betting on games.

Sports betting has always been a phenomenon but has gained popularity and accessibility since the 2017 legalization, said George Diemer, a sports economist and professor in the School

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

“Before that Supreme Court ruling, it choked off all internet sports wagering,” Diemer said. “There were still some ways of doing it, on the internet and online, but it was very difficult. Our companies are becoming more legal.”

A cause of students’ affinity for sports betting may be the accessibility of mobile apps and the offer of “free” money or cash rewards. Finances are tight for most college students, rent, tuition and groceries are expensive and easy money can be very useful — betting apps know this.

Sports betting apps often have advertisements paid for during televised games or as ads on other apps. This creates a newfound sports experience that many are not used to and turns shared enjoyment into an individualized experience.

Despite the accessibility and enjoyment these apps offer, they can also increase the risks of addiction or financial loss. Students should avoid while mobile sports wagering, as it can significantly

impact them and their finances.

David Chase occasionally sports wagers for fun, but believes it may negatively impact other college students and their financial situations.

“I’ve known people, like 21 or 22 years old, who are putting thousands of dollars on games,” said Chase, a junior communication studies major. “And that’s not an ideal way to try to make money, especially at our age with limited resources and money that we probably all have.”

Gambling addiction is a recognized mental disorder and can become an issue for younger individuals. The typical age range for college students is ages 18-22, meaning that most students don’t have a fully formed prefrontal cortex — the decision-making part of the brain. This makes taking more significant risks.

Sports wagering may seem harmless because of its gamelike nature, but that makes it so dangerous and appealing. It’s in the best interest of students not to use these addictive and gamified apps.

Thilo Kunkel, a professor at the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospital-

ity Management, believes that although sports betting can increase fan bases and activity toward sporting events, it can also have negative effects.

“There’s been numerous instances when people bet the house and lose the house,” Kunkel said. So particularly for younger consumers, those addictive characteristics of sports betting can be extremely detrimental to their financial future.”

Sports betting has monetized fan culture and capitalizes on what previously was a shared human experience.

It’s time for fans to consider whether there is a monetary value or if enjoying sports is simply about the love of the game. mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Relearning to step forward after my ACL injury A student reflects on a leg injury that caused her to postpone her first semester.

BY MARIA LOMBANA For The Temple News I was seven years old when “Monsters University” first hit theaters, and it quickly became my favorite movie. I watched it at my local cinema the summer before third grade to celebrate my friend’s birthday. I already loved its popular predecessor, Monsters Inc., so I was thrilled to see what the prequel story had to offer.

From that day on, I rewatched it endlessly at home.

The school pride, the lively campus atmosphere and the idea of making lifelong friends made me dream of my college experience. I even vowed to myself that I would watch it on my first night at college.

But when that day finally came, I wasn’t in a dorm meeting new people.

I was at home, bedridden on crutches, watching the college experience I desired unfold from a distance.

I tore my ACL playing volleyball just before my freshman year and had to delay my college start for surgery, breaking the promise of new beginnings. Suddenly, my favorite movie became a painful reminder of what could have been.

The aftermath felt like everything had gone wrong, as if I was being punished for something I didn’t understand.

I had just finished the most academically challenging semester of my life; I pushed myself harder than ever, only for my life to change two weeks after my high school graduation.

Recovery was brutal. I couldn’t move and was forced to stay in bed for weeks, feeling like I was rotting away and losing years of my life.

All of my previous hobbies — walking my dogs, exercising or running errands — were suddenly impossible. Even the idle things that once relaxed me, like knitting or reading, felt meaningless and I found no interest in them. For the first time, I wasn’t sure what would come

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

next.

Before my injury, I daydreamed about my first semester: decorating my dorm like a Pinterest board, joining the volleyball club, going to football games.

More than anything, I couldn’t wait to figure out who I was in this new chapter.

Instead, I was learning how to walk again. My world shrank to slow, careful movements and physical therapy exercises. Reshifting my focus on the mechanics involved in taking a single step forward.

Watching my friends start college made it even harder. I scrolled through move-in day photos, seeing the life I had planned play out without me. It wasn’t just mourning the memories I missed. It was grieving the version of myself that never got to exist.

And then there was “Monsters University.”

This movie symbolized what college meant to me: a fresh start, an adventure.

I pictured myself laughing at the same scenes with a new understanding because I’d finally be living it. But I couldn’t

find comfort in it during my worst moments of recovery. It felt like looking into a life that should’ve been mine.

As of last December, I didn’t know how to move forward. The woven strands of collagen fibers that made up my ACL were gone, and the muscles I’d worked so hard to train atrophied.

But the rest of me was still here, unscathed. My other leg that bore the load for months, my arms and feet that steadied every step. And my brain, which fueled my ambitions and athletic drive, was still mine. I was different, but I wasn’t gone.

Coming to college this January felt like the fresh start I needed. Most freshmen had already spent a semester settling in and creating memories. I kept thinking about the version of me that would’ve arrived in August, but I wasn’t her. But I was here now, and that had to mean something.

I joined clubs I cared about, built strong friendships and started physical therapy, slowly progressing to more intense workouts at the gym. Bit by bit, I

was rebuilding myself and finally experiencing the moments I had missed.

I may have arrived later than planned, but I was finally beginning to feel like I could be myself again.

A few weeks ago, I made myself sweat at the gym for the first time in months. For the first time since my injury, I felt strong again.

I don’t know if I’ll ever play volleyball again, or when I’ll stop feeling like I missed out on something. But I do know that I’m finding my way back to myself. And I know that one day, I’ll watch “Monsters University” again, not with sadness or as a reminder of what I lost, but as proof of how far I’ve come. maria.lombano@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

“Poison drips through”: Revering the Roy siblings A student reflects on their love for HBO’s “Succession” and how it helped them feel less alone.

My best friend first pitched “Succession” to me as something parallel to a reality competition show.

“It’s basically just a competition for who can flop

BY BRADLEY the hardest,” she MCENTEE said.

Assistant Opinion I put off Editor watching the show for a while.

It’s been in my cultural purview since its premiere in 2018, as my friends constantly nudged me to watch it.

They incessantly reiterated that it was the best television show and that I would undoubtedly enjoy it.

I finally tuned in during the spring of 2023. The series finale was set to air within the next couple of weeks, so I made it my mission to binge-watch the show to watch the final episode in real time.

From the first episode, I was hooked.

Oftentimes in shows about business moguls, the characters feel distant from the human experience.

They’re too calculated, lacking in emotion or exhibit near-demonic levels of greed.

But from the show’s first introduction to Kendall Roy, drumming away in the back of a black car service to his rap music, I knew something special was on the way.

The show follows the children of disgruntled billionaire Logan Roy as he grooms them to overtake his media company, Waystar Royco. The plot has it all, complete with hijinks and family drama. The relationship between the three main siblings, Roman, Shiv and Kendall, drew me to the show.

“Succession” is intoxicating. After the first episode, I voraciously con-

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

sumed the rest. I watched with undivided attention as Kendall’s vote of no confidence against his father failed and as he committed vehicular manslaughter at the end of season one.

I felt the stab in my heart as Shiv was continuously spat out by her father and as Roman fought for even the slightest bit of attention from the patriarch.

Whereas many characters in the business genre of TV lack human qualities, the Roy siblings bleed humanity in every episode. Even if each of them is contentious in their way, there’s a tenderness to each of them that appeals to humanity’s deepest insecurities.

The show offered me something beyond the story of moguls. It told the story of actual people guarded so fiercely behind buttoned vests and tightly bound neck ties.

Kendall is petulantly obsessive, letting his desire to helm Waystar poison him from the inside out. Shiv is fractured beyond repair: a victim of her family’s misogyny that ultimate-

ly drove her to be one of the show’s coldest characters. Roman is a degenerate, constantly acting as the resident clown in search of the next wave of sexual indecency.

Like Kendall, I often bury myself deep in my work. I become so entrenched in writing and the creative process that sometimes it feels better to turn a cold shoulder to people I love. Like Roman, I find a sick pleasure in the art of egotism because it allows me to completely escape from the shattered person I am under the surface.

But I regularly feel most like Shiv.

She’s callous, always on a never-ending course to self-destruction. Her propensity for anger, yet deep desire for meaningful affection, felt attuned to the constant internal battle I find myself entangled in.

In the end, they all lose. The Waystar dynasty was gifted to Tom Wambsgans, Shiv’s inept and desperate husband. The media empire Kendall tried so hard to obtain fell through his fingers, and Shiv is locked in her

tumultuous marriage because she would rather kneel to Tom than give up proximity to power.

The Roy siblings were consumed by despair until it seemed like their redemption was an impossibility. Their anguished relationship with their father poisoned them until there was nothing left.

The show is nearly two years past its finale, but I still find myself thinking about the Roy siblings daily. Like all tragic characters, they reveal a universal truth about humanity that many people refuse to admit: pain can crystallize until you become wretched.

The Roys’ fatal flaws live inside me, but the show’s raw depiction of their humanity makes me feel far less alone. The Roy siblings are reflections of the innate flaws of humanity, the ones that live within us all at one point or another. They live within all of us in varying capacities, and there’s a special relief in that fact. bradley.mcentee@temple.edu

ALL IN GOOD FUN

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Self-Care Word Search

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Psyche Trivia Crossword ACROSS 3. 95% of all decisions happen in this part of the mind.

7. There are ____ billion neurons in the brain.

9. The brain’s texture and consistency is similar to this food.

11. In this famous experiment, participants were randomly assigned as guards or prisoners.

12. This bodily fucntion can temporarily shrink the brain.

Exercise Reading Meditation Painting Yoga Journaling

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TO BE Looking for something to do? Here are some upcoming local North Philly events.

Hiking Gardening Affirmations Rest Baking Massage

DOWN 1. Short term memory can only store this many pieces of information for 20 seconds.

2. The ____ test examines emotions and personality using inkblots.

4. The Myers-Briggs personality trait assessment has this many possible combinations.

5. Bibb Latane and John Darley

Peach Pit & Briston Maroney at The Met TUESDAY, MAY 20 | 7 P.M.

developed the concept of the ___ effect.

6. The brain itself cannot feel this.

8. The average human attention span is actually shorter compared to this animal.

10. Acquiring knowledge through thought, experience and the senses.

Music & Storytelling Workshop TUESDAY, APRIL 15 | 8 P.M.

Online

858 North Broad Street

Peach Pit and Briston Maroney’s Long Hair, Long Life Tour takes place at The Met this May.

Join Henry Hwu, Aqyila and Sam Newton for a free online workshop on visual identity and music-driven stroytelling, hosted by Canon Creator Lab and Socality.

Secrets of Seeing: Dogs

STEM Saturday

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UNTIL SUNDAY, APRIL 27

Hosted by the London Drawing Group, painter Joshua Armitage teaches the art of sketching and painting dogs during this online pay-what-you-can class.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 | 11 A.M. - 1:30 P.M. Hosted at the Columbia North YMCA, K-8 students are invited to collaborate on various hands-on STEM activities with friends and family.

LIVE Philly in

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Festival attendees posed with and took pictures of the cherry blossom trees.

Philly flowers in pink at Cherry Blossom Festival Fairmount Park Horticulture Japan America Society of Greater Phil- culture to Philadelphia.”

Center hosted annual Subaru adelphia. “Part is that it signifies new In collaboration with Shofuso JapCherry Blossom Festival. life, it signifies hope in a world that’s in anese Cultural Center, JASGP’s Sakura

BY JACK LARSON Co-Photo Editor

T

he pounding sound of taiko drums echoed throughout the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center Saturday as drummer Yoko Nakahashi sat at the front of the Sakura Main Stage, framed by the weekend’s headliner: Philly’s pink and white cherry blossom trees.

“There is so much meaning behind the cherry blossoms,” said Matthew Wilson, president and dean of Temple Japan Campus and board member of the

turmoil. I can’t think of a better way to bring everybody together than to really celebrate the beauty of nature through cherry blossoms.”

Crowds flocked to the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5 and 6 to celebrate the brief bloom of the park’s cherry blossom trees before their delicate petals fall away.

“You can experience Japan while you are here,” said Kazumi Teune, the executive director of JASGP. “The Cherry Blossom Festival is a true labor of love between myself and my fellow board members and each year, we are overjoyed in bringing a taste of our beautiful

Festival offered weekend-long events including live music, sushi samurai classes and an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. Vendors lined the park’s walkways and food trucks served many different Asian cuisines.

“It’s a once-a-year kind of thing,” said Brandon Pun, a Philadelphia resident and festival attendee. “Once we saw the festivities, we decided to come stay, enjoy, see the sights, kinda get a sense of the community in Philadelphia.”

From the smell of egg rolls and the taste of ube-flavored ice cream to the sounds of mahjong and gomoku tables, the festival extends beyond a visual ex-

perience. Eastern Asian influences fluttered around the park like the falling cherry blossom petals.

These symbolic cherry blossom trees only come to full fruition for two weeks of the year. The beauty of their fleeting nature serves as a reason to come together in celebration of Japanese culture, promising cultural health and welcoming spring.

“It really means a lot to build bridges and to bring cultures together,” Wilson said. “Mutual respect, excitement, understanding and just this newness and hope. I really truly think that bringing this together in spring as we move forward is just an ideal and perfect timing.” jack.larson@temple.edu

From top to bottom:

From top to bottom:

Vendors lined the park walkways to sell various Eastern-Asian inspired items.

Food trucks and tents stationed around the park to serve up various Eastern Asian cuisines.

Crowds flocked to the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival on April 5 and 6 to celebrate the brief bloom of the park’s cherry blossom trees.

Taiko drummer Yoko Nakahashi performs with her group for the festival crowd Saturday evening.

Many festival attendees enjoyed games of mahjong and gomoku.

Temple University Japan Campus hands out fans and promotes their study abroad program.

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

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T L H A E I NI H L T

2025

Letter from the Editor

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very time I walk by the That’s why The Temple News Bell Tower on Temple’s spent the last several months campus, I remember putting together a staff-wide the scene on Dec. 6, 2021 -- my special issue to report on the freshman year. Temple had lost mental health challenges faced five students during the semester, by Temple students and those in multiple of those students to gun the community. This initiative is violence near campus. the result of months of rigorous The day after the vigil, stureporting and conversations. The dents at Temple were expected project began last year when The to keep moving forward, told to Temple News received a grant “keep their head up” like nothing from the Solutions Journalism had happened. Emails from uniNetwork as part of its Student versity leaders told us that they Media Challenge. That grant were thinking about us. helped fund the research, reportI remember the day vividly. ing, staffing and print costs to I had always dreamed of going create the initiative. away for college and I had finally With more than a dozen accomplished that dream. Then stories, this initiative sheds light five of my peers, fellow students on the mental health struggles with dreams and aspirations of student athletes, international and families that loved them, students, how faculty members were dead. I never met any of are trained to be on the front the five students that lost their lines of the mental health crisis, lives during the Fall of 2021 but I what Temple is doing, how stucouldn’t just keep moving fordents cope and so much more. ward like nothing had happened.

While this initiative isn’t Now a senior at Temple and going to single-handedly solve Editor-in-Chief of The Temple the overarching mental health News, I lived through the same problem among college students, experience yet again. The univer- hopefully it’s a step forward sity has lost a number of students toward that future. We hope this this semester, including one project is a beacon of hope, a who was tragically and senseresource and a way to let students lessly killed by another student. know that they aren’t alone.

Days later a student was stabbed At the end of the day, we’re more than a dozen times in a frat all we’ve got. house. This is not normal.

These senseless deaths and Sincerely, acts of violence firstly impact the Samuel O’Neal, families of the victims. But they Editor-in-Chief also affect those who never even met them.

Local resources Suicide and Crisis Hotline 988 Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services healthymindsphilly.org | 1101 Market Street, Suite 700 Confidential self-screening along with online tools and accessible resources.

NET Centers (215) 408-4987 | 1007 West Lehigh Avenue Substance use treatment support.

Black Men Heal blackmenheal.org Provides quality therapy for men of color. The first eight sessions are free.

Domestic Violence Hotline (866) 723-3014

Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting (267) 603-7126 | 1315 Spruce Street, 2nd floor Counseling center for Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs).

Homeless Outreach Hotline (215) 232-1984

William Way Community Center (215) 732-2220 | 1315 Spruce Street Outreach center for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Philly Hope Line (833) 745-4673 Confidential hotline for school-age students, sponsored by The Uplift Center for Grieving Children.

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

NEWS

M3

Survey assesses Class of 2029 trends Temple’s resource hubs track increased diverstiy, needs and mental health concerns.

BY KYLIE SOKOLOFF Assistant News Editor

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national survey released in February revealed growing concern for mental health and basic needs insecurity among incoming college students — trends Temple’s student services are watching closely as it prepares to support the incoming Class of 2029.

The survey, conducted by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program, collected responses from 24,367 incoming students across 55 colleges and universities between April 14 and Oct. 10, 2024. Findings pointed to significant increases in emotional distress, alongside a growing number of first-generation students and students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Temple’s support systems, like Tuttleman Counseling Services and the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, monitor trends through both national surveys and their own research and work to adjust resources in response.

Tuttleman is aware of and tracking the latest survey from CIRP. “I think students are coming to campus with more history of mental health challenges,” said Mark Denys, associate vice provost for health and well-being.

“It’s helping us limit the stigma associated with mental health, but at the same time, students may need more services than we can provide as our demand is always increasing.”

Tuttleman’s Wellness Resource Center conducts biennial surveys with similar data points to CIRP, Denys said.

Temple also participates in the JED Campus program, which brings together schools across the country to develop strategic mental health initiatives and practices.

CIRP data showed that the emotional well-being of students varied significantly based on gender. While 42%

of men reported experiencing frequent or occasional depression, the number rose to 59% for women and 91% for nonbinary and genderqueer students.

Eighty-four percent of nonbinary and genderqueer students said they saw some or a very good chance of seeking mental health services in college. Sixty-three percent of women and 48% of men expected the same.

“Temple responses [to surveys] are fairly more positive than most, but understanding the gaps and where we can fine-tune our services matters,” Denys said.

To stay attuned to ongoing trends, Temple’s student health and well-being team — including the Wellness Resource Center and Student Health Services — meet bi-monthly to share trends observed on campus and nationwide through resources like the American Council on Education’s newsletters.

Temple has invested more heavily in student mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with its division of student health and well-being officially launching in January 2023 after a commitment of funds from the Provost’s office. Salaries and staff retention have improved significantly since then, Denys said.

Tuttleman has also focused on promoting accessibility and working to reduce wait times and barriers to services during the last two years. While it cannot provide long-term therapy for every student, the center helps students build sustainable care plans.

Temple’s Hope Center for Student Basic Needs also plays a crucial role in supporting students through research and targeted programming. In response to rising demand, the center has scaled up its efforts and continues to see increased utilization of its services, said Annette Ditolvo, basic needs senior program coordinator at the Hope Center.

“The more that we have un-traditional students coming to our university, even though I don’t love that term, we are really proud to be able to offer an accessible and affordable education,”

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS A survey revealed that incoming students are increasingly experiencing emotional stress in comparison to previous years.

Ditolvo said.

CIRP data highlighted the scale of financial insecurity among students.

Nearly 19% of respondents were classified as low-income, defined as having a family income of less than $60,000.

First-generation students made up 12% of the overall population and 35% of the low-income group.

Financial pressures disproportionately impacted students of color. While 56% of total respondents expressed some or major concern about paying for college, 81% of Hispanic or Latino students and nearly 70% of Black students reported similar worries.

The need for additional resources for diverse student populations has grown in the past decade at Temple and other institutions, said Stacy Priniski, senior evaluation associate at the Hope Center.

To prepare for future trends, the Hope Center uses its own Basic Needs survey, which annually collects a wide

range of data points, from internet access to food and clothing, to guide institutional planning.

“One thing I’m hearing from a lot of institutional policy makers right now is that as higher ed becomes more diverse, we need to shift our thinking,” Priniski said. “It’s not just about making students ‘college-ready,’ but about making colleges ‘student-ready.’ We need to think about who we’re recruiting and make changes accordingly.” kylie.sokoloff@temple.edu

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MENTAL HEALTH

NEWS

The Temple News

How Temple aids international students International students are offered support from the international affairs office.

BY KYLIE SOKOLOFF Assistant News Editor Amid the recent revocation of more than 300 visas without stated reasons announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of which led a Temple student to self-deport, and threats to Optional Practical Training, some international students on campus are facing uncertainty about their future in the United States.

Temple’s Office of International Student and Scholar Services is focusing on promoting its existing resources to provide support for the emotional toll these challenges bring, said director of International Student Affairs Leah Hetzell.

For many students, ISSS is primarily a resource to help students with applications for visas and work authorization, like the OPT program, which allows F-1 visa holders to work in the US for a limited time in a career related to their academic study. Beyond paperwork, ISSS connects students with cultural programs, legal guidance and therapists who speak their native languages.

“Not a lot [of policy] from the Trump administration has come out that is black and white,” Hetzell said.

“When we’re uncertain, we tend to spiral or create scenarios. In turn, I’ve seen that uncertainty and fear in some of our students. They’re wondering, ‘Is my experience in the US going to be what I thought it would be?’”

Student concerns about job security through the OPT program have increased as threats made to its continuation and restrictions on entry visas create additional barriers to program access.

The mental health challenges international students face have been rising for some time and recent policy uncertainties have exacerbated these concerns, Hetzell said.

“I think that an additional layer of support is necessary because interna-

JOSH PERO / THE TEMPLE NEWS International students share their mental health concerns amid policy changes.

tional students already face additional challenges while they are studying in the US,” Hetzell said. “If those challenges are growing, then we are going to have to grow and give as much time as we can to support them.”

ISSS infrastructure includes a biweekly newsletter for students, regular social media communications and direct partnerships with campus resources such as Tuttleman Counseling Services. The office promotes Tuttleman’s “Let’s Talk” program, in which counselors offer daily drop-in office hours to facilitate informal conversations with students.

Temple’s Care team also promotes community reporting and tracks student activity preventatively, including their swipe-ins to classes and residence halls and works with ISSS to assess student behavior indicative of mental instability following reported concerns.

Cultural programming is another key component of ISSS’ outreach. The office hosts coffee hours to foster student connections, group yoga sessions through Tuttleman and cultural teachins. ISSS invited an immigration lawyer to answer students’ questions about

travel restrictions and visa policies on April 4.

Though domestic students may not see ISSS’ impact, international students are receiving increased communication and support. Some students have found reassurance in these efforts.

Jessy Xu was nervous to return home to China over winter break after hearing rumors that returning to the US would be made more difficult, especially for those holding a Chinese passport.

Xu felt supported by ISSS’ increased email communications that advised students traveling during break to carry their original copies of their I-20 forms.

They also warned that electronically signed E-files, which became common during the pandemic, would not be sufficient proof of visa status at customs.

“As I was leaving the state, I realized that customs were taking longer than usual to process my information,” said Xu, a sophomore media studies and production and marketing double major. “They were checking my visa status thoroughly.”

Mario Coppola also dealt with concern about how immigration restrictions could impact his ability to find a

job after graduation should OPT face review.

“As an Italian student, I feel luckier than someone with Chinese or Russian citizenship, for example,” said Coppola, a senior marketing major. “It’s all about where you happen to come from, that’s a sad truth.”

ISSS helped Coppola navigate his OPT approval process and made his international student experience at Temple more manageable.

As immigration policies continue to shift, ISSS remains a support system for international students on campus, aiming to provide the resources needed to succeed academically and personally in the U.S. “We want students to come to us, and to make sure they’re aware of how to access these services that exist,” Hetzell said. “We have the resources, we have the staff, we have the programs.

Cultural connection and exchange will keep us going. That’s what we’re here to do, understand each other, listen and learn from each other.” kylie.sokoloff@temple.edu

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

NEWS

M5

Collaborative helps community health Funding is still in limbo for the community-focused disability and mental illness center.

BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor Temple’s Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, a program focused on mental health inclusion, could be affected by cuts to the Administration on Community Living in the federal Health and Human Services department.

The Collaborative works on research projects to promote community living and participation for people with serious mental illnesses, like chronic depression, schizophrenia, anxiety and other debilitating conditions. It also hosts a staff of researchers, interventionists and peer specialists.

Members of the department work with clients and other agencies to increase support to Philadelphians who struggle with mental health.

“Some of our core beliefs are that community participation is a medical necessity, meaning it’s not a byproduct of primary treatment, it should be the goal of treatment,” said Gretchen Snethen, associate director of the Collaborative. “We think that getting people out and involved in the things that they want to do, whether it’s playing pick-up basketball, or going to engage with a religious community, getting a job, going to school, you should receive the support to do those things.”

With departmental cuts across the board to multiple different federal agencies, the Collaborative is keeping an eye out for potential funding issues.

They’re directly funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, under the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The HHS gave layoff notices to at least 40% of the staff at the ACL, and many staffers were turned away at the

VICTORIA BEFUMO / THE TEMPLE NEWS TU Collaborative recently finished a project that helped parents with mental health conditions build better relationships with their families.

door of their workplace on April 1, NPR reported. The ACL will be reorganized and integrated into other HHS agencies, HHS announced in a press release March 27.

“The Department of Justice has come in as an oversight to make sure that these communities are coming up with a plan to deliver services in a way that are more ethical, community based, more in line with keeping people as active members of their community,” Snethen said. “With all of these changes, a lot of that goes away. These community mental health centers that we’ve always partnered with, what happens to them?”

The Collaborative recently finished a project that helped parents with mental health conditions engage in activities with their family to build better relationships with their children and family members. They also continually work on projects that help people use public transit or ride bicycles independently instead of relying on friends, families or third party agencies.

In some projects, researchers at the Collaborative can use Ecological Mo-

mentary Assessment tools to track and check in with the clients about their actions and mental status, and feed that information into their research.

Some of their main focuses since the COVID-19 pandemic are projects on loneliness and social isolation.

“We have an epidemic of loneliness happening, and if you have a psychiatric disability those levels are just higher,” said Brandon Snead, a recreational therapy instructor and former Collaborative employee. “You’ll see this in a lot of underserved communities. We might all be experiencing things like issues with our health because of being too sedentary, but when you look at pretty much any underserved community, that just gets bigger.”

The Collaborative partners with the Copeland Center, a peer-run training organization that trains peer support specialists. Having personal experience with mental health illnesses and disabilities is important to the Collaborative, Snethen said.

“Instead of targeting just behavioral health organizations, or just the people who have a diagnosis, [we’re] thinking

about, well, ‘Where are people going?’”

Snethen said. “‘Where do they want to engage, and are these spaces welcoming and inclusive where people can be successful?’ It’s kind of a complementary approach to not just ‘fixing’ the person, but directly supporting them.”

The Collaborative’s day-to-day work varies greatly between each staff member. Snethen and the team of researchers develop protocol and research tools to begin different projects, while other members, like peer specialist Maggie Kane, work directly with the community to improve quality of life. “[A client] has been afraid to cross the street, so we’ve been working slowly towards getting across the street to wherever we go,” Kane said. “I’ve been working with him, slowly showing him, walking in front of him, following the flashing light, keeping an eye out for cars. Lately he’s been able to do it, so that’s been really my favorite part, seeing him being able to do that. It just opened so many doors for him.” evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower

NEWS

M6

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

Tuttleman adapts after student criticism TCS changed its counseling services to accommodate as many students as possible.

BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor Tuttleman Counseling Services, the university’s main source of mental health support, has changed several of its programs to address direct concerns from students, including being waitlisted, difficulty accessing services when needing help and short operating hours.

“I hear it from students, I hear it from administrators, I hear it from a lot of people that TCS has really changed, that it feels much more accessible,” said Andrew Lee, director of Tuttleman Counseling Services. “I don’t get the complaint of, ‘I can’t see my counselor,’ ‘I haven’t been able to see somebody for six weeks,’ ‘I haven’t been able to see someone when I really wanted that,’ I haven’t heard that since we made that transition.”

Tuttleman previously utilized a system that created weeks-long waitlists to see a counselor. When Lee started as director in 2021, he changed the system to allow students to see a counselor on a short-term basis before referring them to outside services.

To serve all 30,000 students that attend Temple, TCS prioritizes serving students that don’t have the ability to seek outside support. If some students can easily access counseling, therapy or psychiatry outside of the university or if they require a more intensive treatment program, TCS’ case management team will support the transition from in-house to external service.

Tuttleman has also been consistently fully staffed with their counselors, psychiatrists and clinicians even after adding positions and more resources, Lee said. They were able to hire eight more counselors and open a center on

AVA CAMPBELL / THE TEMPLE NEWS Andrew Lee, director of Tuttleman Counseling Services, changed the system to allow students to see a counselor on a short-term basis.

the Health Sciences campus after receiving $1 million in 2023 to improve retention efforts, The Temple News reported. “[Provost Gregory Mandel] committed significant dollars to investing in specifically mental health resources, so we’ve been able to increase salaries and staff, which has helped us retain staff,” said Mark Denys, associate director of health and well-being. “We definitely had a big struggle with retention of staff, and now I think we have one person leaving at the end of this fiscal year, the first person in a year and a half, which is fantastic.”

Serious psychological distress affects 21% of college students, with 51.7% experiencing acute positive loneliness, according to a Fall 2022 American College Health Association study. Only about 37% of students sought mental health care while at college, according to a different March 2024 report from the U.S. News/Generation Lab. “I think having some kind of mental

health understanding when we’re looking at our students and what they’re probably not going to tell us, I think could be really important to us as instructors,” said Brandon Snead, a recreation therapy instructor. “Just to be aware of students who can’t give us a reason why they’re late, but us taking the perspective that maybe they’re really struggling.”

TCS’ programs extend from therapeutic yoga and meditation to a peerto-peer anonymous online support system called TogetherAll. TCS also offers “Let’s Talk” programs, or walk-in events at different campus locations with counselors that are informal, confidential consultations.

This semester, Let’s Talk is at the Wellness Resource Center on Mondays, the International Student Affairs Office on Tuesdays, the IDEAL office on Wednesdays and the DRS office on Fridays.

The group therapy programs offer options for students to work with other students and counselors through their

mental health struggles, like classes to cope with ADHD, queer and Black student support groups, a grief circle and relationship-based classes.

Tuttleman has around 40 clinical staff members from counselors to psychiatrists and urgent crisis counselors who work in rotations. Although some students who seek TCS’ support are referred elsewhere, the counseling process is not meant to be rigid — it exists to be able to support the needs of as many students as possible, Lee said.

“Pretty much any time that we’re open, students can come in and we have counselors available to speak with them, so that was something that was really important to me,” Lee said. “Students want to receive the help when they need the help, they don’t want to wait or have that gap in the support they need. That’s why we did everything we did.” evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

OPINION

M7

The dangerous allure of “Indie-Sleaze” A student acknowledges that the rise of recent aesthetics are negativly impacting their peers.

BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor

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his past summer, one album captured the attention of young Americans and shaped the cultural landscape: “BRAT,” by Charli xcx.

The release made waves in the music scene, sparking a revival of the early 2000s aesthetic known as “indie sleaze, which is characterized by a maximalist approach to clothes, makeup and overall design.”

Indie sleaze embraces a deliberately unpolished look of smudged makeup that mimics a slept-in effect. Many clothes are styled to obscure the silhouette, creating a gaunt and languid appearance.

While “BRAT” introduced the dance music that characterized summer 2024, its accompanying aesthetic bears an unsettling resemblance to past cultural trends, like heroin chic.

With the resurgence of the waifish aesthetic, many may fall into unhealthy eating behaviors in an attempt to mirror celebrities. Taking on these harmful habits and glorifying such aesthetics is unhealthy and can lead to long-term adverse effects.

Students must make conscious efforts to maintain healthy habits and stray away from mirroring harmful trends in modern culture.

In the past, heroin chic glorified a waif-thin figure, and a look that suggested being under the influence of drugs.

The fashion movement dominated the ‘90s and early 2000s, it blurred the line between high fashion and self-destruction and was popular amongst young people.

Indie sleaze revives an era when looking unhealthy wasn’t only accepted but celebrated. And much like its predecessor, the return of indie sleaze is fueled by the digital world.

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Social media platforms have turned indie sleaze from a niche revival into a full-fledged cultural movement. TikTok’s algorithm pushes hyper-specific content to users, amplifying the trend by showcasing fashion and photography references to early 2000s fashion icons like Kate Moss.

At the same time, this shift coincides with another major cultural movement — the rise of weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic. Originally developed to treat diabetes, these drugs have become a staple in Hollywood and across social platforms.

The use of these drugs has also skyrocketed throughout the United States.

In 2021, 2 million people in the U.S. took GLP-1s, more than three times as many as in 2019, according to a March 2024 study by the Pew Research Center.

Several celebrities have even come out directly admitting to the use of GLP-1. The trend of being thin is also noticeable throughout fashion.

Social media platforms reinforce the beauty standards and aesthetics that

are glorified by the indie sleaze trend.

These platforms expose users to an endless stream of curated images due to an individual’s interaction with specific content, according to WUSF, an NPR member station.

Algorithms ensure that once a user engages with content related to a particular aesthetic — whether it’s indie sleaze or thinspiration — they are flooded with more of it, reinforcing a cycle that can lead to unhealthy behaviors and comparisons.

Individuals who have negative associations with social media should seperate themselves from these platforms to preserve their well-being. Young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% saw improvement in their self-image in three weeks, according to a 2023 report by the American Psychological Association.

Students who may face mental health challenges should take advantage of the resources offered at Temple. Students can make an appointment with Tuttleman Counseling Services to speak

with a team of clinical specialists in the Eating and Body Image Concerns Unit.

Further, at Student Health Services, students can make an appointment with a nutrition counselor who can help them develop healthy relationships with food.

Younger generations are constantly exposed to unrealistic body expectations that highlight unhealthy standards. As a result, many may feel inadequate and face unhealthy relationships with their bodies and food.

For many, internet aesthetics and reality are intertwined. It’s difficult to have a life without media influence, so it’s vital for people to create boundaries between themselves and the internet. mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu

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OPINION

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

My recovery and “The Sound of Metal” A student reflects on how “The Sound of Metal” helped their mental health journey.

The first time I watched “The Sound of Metal” in 2021, I was on a strict diet of avocado toast, salads, eggs and fruit.

I was a dance major throughout high school, so

BY BRADLEY I was unusualMCENTEE Assistant Opinion ly masterful at picking apart my Editor visible flaws and comparing myself to others. Being in a dance studio for two to four hours a day meant I was constantly looking at myself in the mirror, analyzing the shape of my body, the arch of my back, the upward pull of my core and the straightness of my knees.

Throughout quarantine, I spend a lot of days staring at the wall, letting my thoughts run amok. While taking a Zoom dance class one day, years of pentup insecurities came crashing down and I had dedicated myself to starving within what seemed like minutes. There was no inciting incident; I just broke in an instant, like a hot glass getting cold water poured into it.

It was ultimately the result of years of insecurities and volatile internal dialogue that finally became too heavy in my chest to ignore.

My precision with what I ate was surgical. I went to bed with plans established for the next day, masterfully strategizing my exercise and caloric intake. My eating disorder slowly became one with my obsessive-compulsive disorder and was a necessity more than anything else.

After a few months, it became less about starving to be thin, but more about fears of contamination and food poisoning. I constantly saw videos on social media about the ingredients that would inevitably poison my gut or kill

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

the bacteria in my stomach.

I knew what I was doing was unhealthy and wrong, but I couldn’t seem to stop. Some days were better than others when I would drink a sugary coffee or expand my diet to include food I had never considered before.

But one day, I sat down to watch “The Sound of Metal” to distract myself from the obsessions that plagued me.

The movie follows a drummer named Ruben who goes deaf, but keeps playing the drums despite the damage it does to his hearing. He eventually joins a deaf community and learns ASL, but despite it all, he nearly decides to abandon all of his progress to get cochlear implants.

After being met with backlash from his deaf friends who contend that deafness is a culture, not an ailment, he decides against it. The final shot of the movie is the protagonist standing outside, he pulls his hearing aid out of his ear and revels in the silence of the world around him.

At its core, it’s about deafness, but broadly, it spoke to my frustrations. I

had a mental problem that I couldn’t seem to fix, and it decimated my personality. The days when I had glimmers of hope gave me the illusion of progress, but I would often slip back into my harmful habits the very next morning.

But from “The Sound of Metal,” I learned to take those negative days for what they are — just another day. I began to revel in those brief moments of silence from my vicious internal monologue. They became the patches of flowers in an otherwise wilted lawn that I was dancing on.

On the bad days that came, I would meditate on my negative feelings. In dialectical behavioral therapy, there’s an exercise where you view your painful thoughts as a balloon. Instead of trying to grab at the balloon’s string like a child, you’re encouraged to let it fly into the air. Some days, I tried to keep the balloons down on Earth with me, but with practice, I learned to release them.

When a good day came, I would celebrate it. Slowly but surely, good days became more frequent until the number

of good days far outweighed the bad.

I’ve considered myself “recovered” for nearly a year, but I know the eating disorder’s ugly head will peer around the corner soon enough. Bad days are inevitable, but they’re not signs of regression.

I’ve learned to ride the rough days the same way I did with the rare good ones. It’s a constant ebb and flow that can pull you under like a riptide, but it’s most important to ride the wave and stay upright no matter the direction of the pull.

Like Ruben made peace with deafness, I’ve made peace with my eating disorder, if such a thing is even possible.

I still have days where random anxieties creep up on me, but I’ve learned to let them pass and face the silence head-on. bradley.mcentee@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

M9

MENTAL HEALTH

Beware the dangers of doomscrolling Two students urge their peers to mitigate their high screen times to improve their mental health.

BY CLAIRE ZEFFER & VALERIA URIBE For The Temple News Rachel McCloskey estimates she spends about eight hours on her phone “doomscrolling” on apps like Instagram and TikTok. The experience often leaves her feeling unfulfilled, wishing she could channel her time and energy into more productive endeavors.

“I feel like I have so many goals and ambitions that I’m just not doing just because of time and energy and motivation,” said McCloskey, a senior journalism major. “And I just feel like, if I were to remove myself from social media and my phone a little bit more and focus on other things, I would actually get some of those things done.”

High screen time significantly affects students’ mental health and is closely linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression and stress, according to a February 2023 study by the National Center of Biotechnology Information.

Young adults between the ages of 16-24, on average, spend more than seven hours a day using their phones.

Although work, school and social lives make it unrealistic for students to step away from their screens, they should try to reduce their time spent on phones and social media to improve their well-being.

Excessive social media use impacts multiple areas of students’ lives, including their mental health, self-esteem, sleep habits and academic performance, said Dr. Andrew Lee, senior director of Tuttleman Counseling Services.

“I would argue that it’s really the adolescent, young adult period that is most impacted [by social media] because that’s a time where that social comparison is happening,” Lee said.

“You’re forming your views on yourself, you are forming your views on other people, how you fit in the matrix, so in that way I think [social media] has a significant impact at a very formative

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

time.”

While social media can temporarily boost dopamine levels through interactions, it can also trigger self-esteem issues.

Social media users are constantly exposed to curated content that showcases unattainable body types and unrealistic lifestyles. This can make users feel unhappy with their bodies and cause them to develop insecurities, according to the University of California, Davis Health.

“I feel like my phone knows when I’m feeling bad about something because then it will feed me content specifically for that,” McCloskey said.

Students must remind themselves that social media is often fabricated or only reflects the moments in someone’s life they want to share publicly. Comparison is unhealthy, and moving away from social media mitigates its impact on self-esteem.

Considerable screen time can also be a detriment to students’ sleep schedules and school performance. As indi-

viduals struggle to pull away from their phones, they may be sacrificing time for resting or engaging with academics.

Brooke Bales feels conflicted about social media and how it affects her productivity and focus.

“I always feel like I’m already struggling with discipline and procrastination,” said Bales, a senior communication studies major. “I want to get away from using [social media] because I know it’s just making the problems I already have so much worse.”

Individuals should reflect on what drives them to spend hours online and consider whether they do it because they want to or because it’s a method of distraction from their feelings or problems, Lee said.

Students can set healthy boundaries by establishing phone-free times, like before bed or in the morning, and setting goals to supplement screen time with other activities they enjoy, like hanging out with friends, reading or spending time outside.

Apps like “Forest” or “Stay-

Free-Screen” allow users to set screen time limits on social media platforms.

Another way to reduce screen time is by rearranging the phone’s home screen to make applications harder to access. If students have to browse through different tabs and folders to access social media apps, this gives them time to think about why they are going online, Lee said.

Social media and phone use can negatively affect students’ mental well-being and ability to manage their time. With a few simple changes, individuals can mitigate their phone use and reap the benefits of lessened screen time. claire.zeffer@temple.edu valeria.uribe@temple.edu

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OPINION

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

Temple, improve Tuttleman’s outreach A student urges for the improvement of Tuttleman Counseling Services’ resources.

BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor This semester, Temple has faced multiple challenges and tragedies that have impacted the people who make up the university community.

On Jan. 28, a student passed away during celebrations at City Hall following the Eagles’ NFC Championship win.

And on Feb. 7, another student was fatally shot on Carlisle Street near Oxford.

Two students were also arrested for impersonating United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in January. On April 2, the university announced that a student’s visa was revoked by the Secretary of State, causing further anxiety in the Temple community.

As students navigate these difficult times, Temple administration has responded by offering condolences, addressing concerns and reminding students that Tuttleman Counseling is available to those in need.

As Temple keeps referring students to Tuttleman during tumultuous times, the university must ensure that Tuttleman has the resources necessary to care for the entire student body without delays and make students aware of the mental health services available to them.

Students must juggle college responsibilities and other extenuating circumstances, so they should feel comfortable contacting Tuttleman Counseling. However, Tuttleman has only 16 full-time clinical staff members, one part-time and 12 current trainees for more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The number of clinical staff has decreased throughout the years, and Tuttleman may be unable to keep up with the student population. This imbalance can prevent students from receiving proper help, and long wait times or a lack of consistent care due to understaffing can discourage students from reaching out.

JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Quinn Doyle was referred to Tuttleman Counseling during her freshman year. Following a consultation, she was informed she would only be provided with three 30-minute sessions with a staff member, Doyle said.

“The services that people require in therapy or counseling are always going to be interwoven,” said Doyle, a junior public policy major. “[Patients] are going to bring up issues, old struggles, old traumas that are going to need to be addressed in that room while discussing current traumas, and that was something that they were not able to offer me because of their limited time and capacity.”

Temple’s funding for health and wellness went up 3.3% from 2023 to 2024, but Temple should prioritize mental health resources by continuing to increase funding for Tuttleman, which would allow for an increase in staffing.

Students shouldn’t let their concerns about individualized therapy discourage them from reaching out and accessing the services they need. Tuttleman offers a variety of other services students should be aware of, including psychiat-

ric services and consultation.

Dr. Andrew Lee, director of Tuttleman Counseling, says that although students may be aware of individual counseling services, they should also seek out the other services available.

“We have groups for things like social anxiety, we have anxiety classes, we have classes to deal with depression, we have interpersonal process groups to understand how you relate to others and how others relate to you,” Lee said.

Beyond Tuttleman’s core services, students also have access to group therapy, skill classes, therapeutic yoga and meditation programs designed to help manage stress and improve overall well-being.

Despite these offerings, many students still remain unaware of the full range of services due to unclear outreach efforts. Temple must provide as much information about the resources available to face the onslaught of university and national events.

Kayla Roumie says that although she was aware of Tuttleman Counseling, she wasn’t exactly sure of what they offered.

“I know there are signs in bathrooms about Tuttleman Counseling,” said Roumie, a senior environmental studies and English major, “I feel those signs in the restrooms are more so advertising that Tuttleman is there, less so about what they can offer.”

Tuttleman and Temple could increase outreach by putting up posters with QR codes linking to Tuttleman’s list of services. Further, Tuttleman counseling can work more with clubs across campus to create greater public awareness.

Mental health support should be a priority. While Tuttleman Counseling provides crucial resources, more can be done to ensure students know about and can access them. mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

FEATURES

M11

Comforts of consecration: Faith, work and feeling Faith leaders and scholars herents consistently say they abuse subuntangle faith’s impact on stances, contemplate suicide and face well-being and mental health. anxiety less than their peers. But reliBY JADON GEORGE Features Staff Writer

T

he Comforter, they said, comforted.

While congregations watched, the Holy Ghost would grip the pews: The formerly enslaved in the twilight of Reconstruction, European factory hands on their only day off.

Perhaps they’d shout and stomp or even collapse to a hallowed unconsciousness in the aisles. Or the Spirit just soothed them.

She was the Comforter. It wasn’t always a compliment.

Karl Marx called Europe’s kaleidoscopic Christian traditions “the opiate of the masses”: Soothing, but useless.

W.E.B. Du Bois described “the Frenzy” as the third leg of an expressive “slave religion” — a note of curious ambivalence or an ink-stained headshake, depending on the reader.

One interpretation of “The Frenzy” is that Du Bois feared religion’s influence could lead to a world where “people aren’t rising up, they aren’t making revolution, they aren’t fighting,” said Wake Forest historian Guy Emerson Mount, currently the Carter G. Woodson Fellow at the University of Virginia.

There’s another view, according to Vassar College historian Jonathan S. Kahn: “Slave religion’s” power to unite people in a common cause piqued Du Bois’s curiosity, even if he couldn’t fully inhabit its tenets.

Churches with histories of civil rights activism — including Church of the Advocate and Bright Hope Baptist — stand just steps from Temple’s Main Campus. Du Bois lived long enough for their work to inform his views.

But there’s something to be said for the comfort faith communities offer.

Decades of research have established clear links between religion and mental health, for better or worse: Ad-

gious groups’ policing of behavior can also lead to adverse mental health outcomes like higher rates of anxiety.

A 2008 study by Dr. Joanna Maselko — then a Temple researcher — even showed a link between leaving faith and mental health: Women experienced higher risks of depression and anxiety once they’d quit religion, Maselko found. Men didn’t.

“Women are simply more integrated into the social networks of their religious communities,” Maselko told Temple’s health sciences newsletter at the time. “When they stop attending religious services, they lose access to that network and all its potential benefits.”

Among those benefits are the stabilizing power of routine and community, said Temple Interfaith Council director Ariella Werden-Greenfield.

“That a community can be a resource for anyone is absolutely true,” Werden-Greenfield said. “When faith is a piece of community, I think the capacity for that community experience to amplify well-being is so very heightened.”

Temple’s Catholic Newman Center sits on Main Campus’s northern edge, less than a half-block north of the intersection of Broad and Diamond streets.

Catholics at Temple have long visited the Newman Center to worship, study and feast on Spag — campus-speak for a Thursday evening pasta dinner served to hungry students, staffers and community members from the hands of Newman Center volunteers.

Not every diner at Spag is a devout Catholic, but the food is free. And it’s helped make Newman a community all its own.

A chorus of healthcare administrators and experts, including former United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, point to social isolation as a root of physical and psychological maladies. Murthy even feared the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated a “loneliness

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple’s Catholic Newman Center on Broad Street near Diamond.

epidemic.” The Newman Center, in serving, could potentially be part of the solution.

“As humans, we like to give back to each other,” said Center coordinator Cameron Mann, a senior biology major.

“We like to help each other out.”

Yet faith might not be the perfect solution for everyone. For those whose deepest selves run afoul of their church’s interpretation of Scripture, full participation in the community might simply be impossible.

Victims of sexual abuse and other religious trauma likely wouldn’t find a return to the fold particularly useful.

And while members of Catholic and Protestant clergy alike often point to spiritual forces at work in mental health challenges, there are issues best solved by clinical solutions like therapy and medication, Mann said.

“For things like mental health,

where you seriously need medication, treatment — I would say it’s in our best interest to acknowledge that,” Mann said. In those instances, he added, it’s helpful to note, “We’re not, like, doctors or clinicians or anything of that sort.”

And the comforts of consecration, Werden-Greenfield noted, don’t necessarily lull believers away from taking action.

“Faith can give us the strength to align our life purpose with the greater good,” Werden-Greenfield said. jadon.george@temple.edu @jgeorgescribe

M12

MENTAL HEALTH

INVESTIGATION

The Temple News

Sensationalized media in North Central Media coverage of gun violence can perpeturate negative stereotyopes about an area.

BY CLAIRE ZEFFER & VALERIA URIBE For The Temple News

F

rom the moment Alyssa Prado first toured Temple, she was set on committing to the university. But as her freshman year of college drew near, her confidence in her selection wavered because of North Central’s lingering reputation as a dangerous area.

“Halfway through my senior year, I was a little iffy about [coming to Temple],” said Prado, a sophomore psychology major. “I was leaning more towards West Chester just because of safety, because I was kind of listening to everyone else being like, ‘Oh, well, Temple’s really unsafe.’”

Philadelphia has struggled with high rates of crime and gun violence, but sensationalized news coverage has played a direct role in stigmatizing North Central, a neighborhood rich with history, culture, families and hard-working individuals, as a crime-ridden danger zone.

The perception of North Philadelphia as an unsafe, uninhabitable neighborhood reflects a broader phenomenon that often vilifies urban, low-income and minority communities. This generalization can eclipse the neighborhood’s strengths and reinforce a negative self-perception for residents and incoming students.

Since arriving at Temple, Prado has yet to experience the dangers she was warned about in high school.

“Even being on campus specifically, I’ve never felt unsafe,” Prado said.

“Coming here, I definitely was at first a little nervous, but as long as you’re not stupid about it and as long as you’re not walking around at 3 a.m. by yourself, you’ll be fine.”

MEDIA COVERAGE OF GUN VIOLENCE Historically, citizens of North Central have felt that media outlet’s crime coverage is rooted in sensationalism and misrepresents the reality of their neighborhood. Residents of North Philadelphia, Lower Northeast Philadelphia and West Philadelphia have also shared that stories about their neighborhoods were too negative, according to a February 2023 study by the Center for Media Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

Crime is one of the most important topics for Philadelphians — and for Temple students — but crime coverage and word of mouth often don’t paint a comprehensive, fully accurate picture of a neighborhood, Prado said.

“I do think that being in Philly, you’re most likely to hear outside people who say stuff about Temple and Temple being unsafe, but I feel like that’s a lot of major cities, like New York, so it is frustrating to hear when people do say that,” Prado said.

Philadelphia is a diverse city, with nearly 64% of the population identifying as members of minority groups, according to the United States Census Bureau. These prevalent marginalized communities, like North Central, are more likely to be misrepresented by news reports, often receiving exclusively negative coverage that can perpetuate harmful stereotypes, according to an April 2023 study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

While overwhelmingly negative coverage impacts the mental health of the community, the violence itself can further compound these feelings and cause residents distress. In addition to the initial shock and sadness that gun-related incidents cause, the tragedies can have long-term effects on mental health. People who lose loved ones or experience a shooting can develop post-traumatic stress disorder, panic attacks and even suicidal thoughts.

Low-income areas, like Philadelphia, which has been dubbed by some

media outlets as “America’s poorest big city,” are also more prone to gun violence and crime. Even just living in areas with high rates of gun violence can cause individuals to become more anxious and suffer from chronic stress, according to HelpGuide, an independent non-profit organization specializing in mental health.

Gun violence already harms the community and their mental health, but extractive reporting and misrepresentation can make a difficult situation even worse.

GUN VIOLENCE STEADILY DECLINING Gun violence has been a long-standing issue in Philadelphia, but gun-related crimes spiked significantly across the city in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there were 281 incidents.

Neighborhoods in North Philadelphia were among the most affected.

Gun violence in Philadelphia experienced an uptick in 2020 following the pandemic, but has consistently declined in the years since. The city had its lowest violent crime rate of the last 10 years in 2024.

Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia — where most Temple students live — were among the neighborhoods with the most significant reduction in shootings between 2023 and 2024, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE Although news coverage that includes Temple is often plagued by violence, some students believe media outlets falsely represent how dangerous the area truly is by choosing to carry stories that highlight crime rather than positive things happening in the community.

Nigel Andrews came to Temple from St. Louis — another big city that carries a reputation of danger. But Andrews has still felt safe in both cities and feels that media representation can cause anxiety and make isolated incidents of violence seem more common than they really are.

“They say St. Louis is one of the most dangerous cities in the country,” said Andrews, a freshman environmental studies major. “It’s not, it’s all just statistics and people pulling stuff.”

In the age of rapid Internet and social media, information travels fast.

Swift news has its benefits, but it can also make individuals feel overwhelmed.

Frequent exposure to news, whether it comes from social media or traditional news outlets, can affect people’s mental health and lead to depression and anxiety disorders, according to the American Psychological Association. “[Violence] happens, but I think it’s overdone by the news,” Andrews said.

“If you look up Temple, it’ll come up with violence, but I don’t really think it’s a problem if you have any common sense.”

Despite the recent decrease in gun violence across the city, there have still been recent incidents close to Main Campus that raised concerns among students. Temple’s Department of Public Safety Daily Crime log has reported 11 incidents involving handguns between Feb. 3, and April 6.

This semester, a student was also killed in a gun violence incident involving another Temple student. A few days later, another student was stabbed multiple times but survived.

These incidents, coupled with the frequency of coverage and alerts, can make students and community members feel like they exist in a constant state of anxiety.

“I felt okay, but at the same time it’s still disturbing,” said Heberling, a freshman communication studies major. “It puts you a little on edge when all of that happens.”

This feeling can also be amplified when people feel they have no control or ability to improve the situations they are hearing about, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit dedicated to combating mental health stigma.

Abby Briglia typically gets local crime news from sources like the Citizen app, university TUalerts and Tem-

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH ple-related Instagram accounts. The influx of crime reporting can at times grow distressing, so taking a step back from social media is beneficial to her mental health, she said.

“I follow [The] Temple News, student safety, and a lot of that coming at you at once can be a little overwhelming, so I would just say for myself, I just kind of step away from it when [violence] happens,” said Briglia, a junior psychology major.

Similar to Briglia, other students find that stepping away from the constant news cycle and changing their perspective on violence while on campus can prevent the perception of violence from taking over.

Tara McElwain’s perception of gun violence has changed since moving to an area with higher rates of crime than her hometown.

“At this point, I don’t have the same reaction that I used to when I was younger and I would find out that like somebody had been shot, where I’m thinking about what it would be like to be that person, because it’s so much more frequent,” said McElwain, a junior sociology major. “I’ve kind of shut down that part of my brain so that I can keep functioning.”

COMMUNITY SERVICES Given gun violence’s impact on mental health in Philadelphia, an abundance of resources are available to support community members while navigating the environment.

The Central Division Victim Services at Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 16th Street offers counseling services to help victims of robbery, assault, burglary or other violent crimes who might be struggling with their mental health.

The CDVS also partners with the Victim Compensation Assistance Program to help victims get compensated for the money they spend due to a crime.

“It’s all about connecting and partnerships and knowing who’s who in your community, so that way you don’t have to try everything,” said Tijania Goodwin, community awareness and marketing coordinator for CDVS. “Everything is figure-outable.”

People of some demographics are more likely to experience gun violence.

INVESTIGATION Young people are more vulnerable to gun violence, especially between the ages of 14-25. A 14-year-old Black male in Philadelphia has a 1 in 8 chance of being injured or killed in an incident involving firearms before they turn 25, according to a November 2024 study by the University of Pennsylvania.

The CDSV implements initiatives like the PATH program to help with gun violence prevention. The CDSV partners with some schools and neighborhood advisors to connect with students, Goodwin said.

“Some students sign up for the program and what they do is they assist them with maybe, let’s say, getting a job or maybe applying for school, because this is for ages 14 to 24 so not only do we handle them while they’re in high school, but also post high school,” Goodwin said.

On campus, Temple opened The Community Gateway in fall 2023 to connect community members with resources about education, youth programs and health, hoping to decrease gun violence.

The Community Gateway offers in-person assistance and can guide people to access the information they need. Community members can also fill out an online form to get resources about mental health, job training and adult education.

Gun violence deeply affects the community in multiple areas, including its residents’ mental health.

While community outreach programs and initiatives can help, a number of students believe extractive reporting and misrepresentation can make a difficult situation even worse.

“I think in general, the more open of the dialogue that you have about things that are happening and the less of a distinct line you draw between [the surrounding community] and [Temple], the more beneficial it is,” McElwain said.

Bayleh Alexander, Evelyn Blower and Kennedy Brown contributed reporting. valeria.uribe@temple.edu claire.zeffer@temple.edu

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AVA FITZGERALD / THE TEMPLE NEWS

M14

FEATURES

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

Using marijuana for mental wellness Students and researchers weigh in on marijuana as a form of mental health management.

BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER Features Editor Nicole was never part of the stoner crowd in high school, but everything changed during her freshman year of college. What began as a rebellious puff — just an occasional joint to manage her stress — quickly turned into a daily ritual.

“I didn’t even realize by the time I was staying home every day just to get high,” said Nicole, a junior psychology major whose full identity is being shielded. “I was just like, ‘Oh, this is me being in college having a good time.’”

While cannabis remains illegal in Pennsylvania, recreational marijuana has been legalized in 24 states around the country, including neighboring states New Jersey and New York. Some students choose to continue smoking weed regardless of its legalization status as a method to combat stress and mental health struggles.

Chris Goldstein, a marijuana legalization advocate, columnist and former adjunct professor at Temple, prefaces conversations about using marijuana for mental health management beginning with its legal status. Anxiety about the ramifications of marijuana use can outweigh its benefits, he said.

“If [smokers] tried other things for their mental health but they find cannabis as a successful therapy, if they’re using it in an environment where they [can be placed] under arrest or losing their kids or their job, all of a sudden, there’s a huge problem with them accessing this therapy, and it really is an added stress to their mental health,” Goldstein said.

Goldstein taught a marijuana in the media course at Temple with professor Linn Washington in 2017, exploring topics like how cannabis gained certain stereotypes, the language used to describe weed and how the drug is por-

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Although marijuana is illegal in Pennsylvania many students utilize it as a way to combat mental health struggles.

trayed in the media.

Washington is especially passionate about disproving negative marijuana stereotypes that prevent people from using weed in a beneficial way.

“There’s been a negative mystique that has been put in place,” Washington said. “Propaganda that marijuana use immediately causes hard addiction to hard drugs and that kind of thing, and those have been disproved so many times.”

Goldstein posits that weed does not cause mental health conditions like depression or schizophrenia, as some past research has suggested. Instead, he says it can serve as a helpful tool, similar to antidepressants or ADHD medications.

Goldstein recommends smoking marijuana flower instead of vaping THC oil or consuming edibles to reap the most mental health benefits because the effects are an immediate and natural stress reliever, he said.

“A lot of people who are indoctrinated to be afraid of smoking and vaping are afraid of smoking vaping, and

they go to eat cannabis and they do not have the best experience,” Goldstein said. “Whereas they might have a better experience when they come to relieve conditions like anxiety if they use simple inhalation.”

Nicole’s depression reached a point where she was unsure whether it was the weed that caused her depression, or her depression that caused her to smoke weed.

But two years after using marijuana to the point where it was hurting her mental health more than helping her, Nicole has found a smoking balance that manages her stressors and doesn’t hold her back from attending class or social events.

“I try to be very careful to not let it get to a point where I’m not doing other things to smoke, because I think that’s what tends to cause depression and mental health issues,” Nicole said.

Through his research, Goldstein found that cannabis itself is not inherently dangerous — unlike alcohol or cigarettes, which are linked to cancer

and addiction. Instead, he points to the risks involved in modern processing methods, particularly in products like weed pens that can contain synthetic cannabinoids.

Washington makes sure to emphasize that overuse of any substance can have a negative impact. But when used in moderation, cannabis can be used as a helpful tool to combat mental health disorders.

“You can just have a mouse inhale the equivalent of a pound of marijuana and it’s gonna go crazy,” Washington said. “If you just give them the equivalent of a joint, the mouse will probably go in the corner and chill.” bayleh.alexander@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

M15

MENTAL HEALTH

How students treat digital depression People are learning the value of feel like if I log off for even a few days, I stepping away from their devices miss out on trend cycles and feel out of to find peace. the loop,” said Meredith Hunter, a seBY MIKE NONNEMAKER Assistant Features Editor For years, Remington Vaughan felt an irresistible urge to immediately check her Apple Watch every time it buzzed. Whether it was a text, breaking news or just a random alert, she couldn’t look away.

“I realized literally every single time I would get any kind of ping, I had to look at it,” said Vaughan, a sophomore communication studies and film and media arts double major. “It became like this kind of vice.”

For many young adults, the constant buzz of a phone can be a source of anxiety, self-esteem issues and a pressure to be constantly available. Through never-ending notifications, the curated perfection of social media feeds and the fear of missing out, smartphones have quietly ingrained themselves at the root of many people’s mental health. But even as these challenges grow, students like Vaughan are finding meaningful ways to reclaim their peace of mind.

Smartphones have become a seemingly inescapable part of daily life, an essential tool for communication and entertainment. But connectivity comes at a cost. Studies have shown that excessive screen time, particularly on social media platforms, can lead to increased stress, anxiety and even depression.

A July 2022 study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found a significant association between excessive cellphone use and negative effects on physical and mental wellbeing, while a March 2025 study by Talker Research showed 62% of Gen Z and millennial respondents feel in a constant state of worry. These findings suggest that the pressure to stay connected contributes to elevated stress among young adults.

“The internet moves so fast, and I

nior film and media arts major.

In the age of social media, fear of missing out, or FOMO, has become a defining characteristic of young adulthood. Constant notifications and the relentless stream of content create an environment where people feel the need to stay plugged in 24/7, worried they might miss a trending topic or an important update.

As the pressures of staying connected continue, many individuals have started taking proactive steps to reduce the impact of smartphones on their mental health. For Vaughan, the buzz of their Apple Watch eventually became too much to handle. She decided to give up the watch altogether and scale back on their phone usage after recognizing the toll it was taking.

“I gave up a lot of social media during the pandemic,” Vaughan said. “I gave up Snapchat, Twitter and TikTok – all the apps that I felt I couldn’t pull myself away from.”

Vaughan’s decision to disconnect from some of the most addictive social media platforms reflects a growing trend among young adults who are actively seeking ways to reduce their screen time.

The overwhelming feeling of always being “on” has led some students to reassess their relationship with technology. While it may be difficult to fully disconnect, taking breaks from social media has allowed some individuals to reclaim their mental space and focus on other aspects of life.

“I’ve tried taking up some different hobbies, and I’ve gotten into podcasts and audiobooks as a way to keep in the loop while not scrolling on Instagram or Twitter for hours,” Hunter said.

For others, the key to managing phone use lies in taking intentional breaks from technology. Tyshie Bailey, a security guard at the Howard Gittis Student Center, understands the pres-

JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple junior Brady Morgan plays hacky sack with his friends.

sure to stay connected.

Bailey found that periodically disconnecting helps ease some of the stress that comes with constant digital engagement.

“I actually go through a yearly internet detox,” Bailey said. “I do it for a month or at least try to do it for a month to remind myself that I don’t need it.”

Smartphones can have negative impacts, but people are taking action to regain control. Whether through healthy outlets, setting boundaries or internet detoxes, the Temple community is finding ways to navigate the impact technology has on their mental health.

In this digital age, some find that stepping away from technology can be as simple as spending time with loved

ones and embracing in-person interactions.

“There’s very much something about being around people, like hanging out with your family and being able to disconnect and fully immerse yourself in conversation with others,” Vaughan said. “I think that’s the best thing anyone can do to get away from their devices.” mike.nonnemaker@temple.edu

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The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

Practicing mindfulness during turmoil The United States’ political Turning to nature in times of anxiety climate has students reaching works for Tonguino, accrediting the refor mindfulness to curb anxiety. cent warmer weather as her healer.

BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER Features Editor Jana Walker has spent more than a decade helping people heal from panic disorders, depression and a variety of mental health challenges. With so many treatment options available, ranging from medications to different forms of therapy, narrowing down a universal healing method can be tricky.

Walker’s core advice to clients is simple: trust yourself.

“Once we’re given positive coping skills for ourselves and give ourselves grace, I think that it moves mountains,” said Walker, an adjunct professor in the College of Public Health and owner of Temple Warrior Fitness. “Because we let go of what we should be doing, to the reality of what we are doing, what we are capable of doing.”

Enabling her clients to trust themselves has been paramount in their healing process, Walker said. She aims to spread her message to anyone new to mindfulness, a meditation practice meant to bring attention to the present moment. Many Temple students have picked up therapeutic techniques like yoga, journaling and support groups to heal from extenuating personal and external circumstances.

Recent political turmoil — especially the rapid changes and executive orders currently coming out of Washington, D.C. — has added to the stress students face during their college years, The Temple News reported.

Sia Tonguino feels a sense of helplessness in the United States’ current political climate, but knows she can reach within to feel grounded. As the vice president of Temple’s chapter of Project HEAL, a student organization dedicated to eating disorder awareness and support, her hopelessness is often replaced with pride for all those she assists in their healing journeys.

“I can tell a difference from when I’m outside,” said Tonguino, a junior psychology major. “I’m feeling the sun and touching grass, and it definitely helps a little bit, even if the stress doesn’t completely go away. It just makes things feel okay at that moment.

For Tonguino and other students, reducing screen time is essential for safeguarding mental health. Zoe Kaiser, a member of Temple’s Luddite Club, is committed to reconnecting with herself and the world around her.

The organization is inspired by the 19th-century Luddite movement. But in modern terms, it advocates for a technology-free, simplified lifestyle. Kaiser and other members set aside time to gather sans smartphones to enjoy non-technology activities and converse about the impact their phones have. A recent hot topic has been polarizing political content and how it’s affecting them, Kaiser said.

Kaiser stresses the importance of recognizing unhealthy e-behaviors and making active changes to rectify habits to improve mental health outcomes.

She references a technique taught to her by one of the club’s founders, Biruk Watling: simply approach people in real life rather than online.

“The social experiment is to just say, ‘Hey, what’s up?’ And then start a conversation, a connection with somebody,” said Kaiser, a freshman journalism major. “Just keep your face upwards of the world around you, stay present in the moment.”

Creating boundaries to prevent mental health triggers spans a broad range of strategies, from utilizing nature’s resources to taking space away from technology and, in Walker’s case, avoiding watching the news.

During the pandemic, Walker realized the news had a major impact on her mental health.

“I could be in another room and I would hear [the news] and I would

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Strategies to create boundaries and prevent mental health triggers include meditation practices and taking breaks from technology and watching the news.

get anxious,” Walker said. “All I had to hear was the intro music, and I would get anxious. And I was like well, then there’s something wrong in there.”

Instead of forcing herself to endure the effects of a distressing news cycle, Walker acknowledged the trigger and set a clear boundary.

Walker strives to make that level of mindfulness an accessible tool for students who don’t have access to mental health support or have time in their schedules to join organizations.

She specializes in pranayama, a collection of breath regulation techniques.

Learning breath control is a skill that can be learned through YouTube and self-practice, and does not require a significant financial or time commitment, Walker said.

“If you can do those small increments, whether it’s 60 seconds of breath

work, if you’ve never done it before, I think when you feel the difference for yourself, it gives you the motivation and the hope that there’s more there for you,” Walker said. bayleh.alexander@temple.edu

The Temple News

MENTAL HEALTH

SPORTS

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TUWell provides aid to student-athletes

Dr. Stephany Coakley created TUWell to benefit studentathletes’ mental health.

BY SIENNA CONAGHAN Assistant Sports Editor

I

n 2017, former Temple Athletic Director Patrick Kraft made a significant hire to his department by bringing in Dr. Stephany Coakley as the senior associate athletic director for mental health, wellness and performance.

Coakley became the university’s first-ever full-time mental health specialist as Kraft and Temple began to take steps to prioritize student-athletes’ mental health.

Once Coakley got to campus, she got right to work by implementing new initiatives.

Coakley created TUWell, Temple Athletics’ mental health and wellness provider, which offers counseling services for student-athletes. She started as the only mental health-related member of the department, providing the resources for all 17 of Temple’s Division I teams. The staff has expanded in the eight years since her hiring to efficiently meet student-athletes’ needs.

“My goals for TUWell are to provide compassion and care,” Coakley said. “To be an exemplary mental health program for the NCAA and our conference, to also prioritize psychological safety so that we can build student-athlete resilience and well-being.”

Current Athletic Director Arthur Johnson met with Coakley before he was hired in 2021 and was pleased that Temple had a full-time mental health specialist inhouse. One of his only goals when he took the job was to continue providing the support Coakley needed for TUWell to flourish.

Coakley feels that Johnson has supported TUWell sufficiently and was especially helpful in providing every staff member in the athletic department with Mental Health First Aid training, she said.

“The Mental Health First Aid was very important,” Johnson said. “Because it does allow people who are around, if they see a change in someone, they can be able to respond or help or they know, ‘Hey, refer it to TUWell.’”

Coakley looked at the NCAA’s mental health best practices as a stepping stone while structuring TUWell. The practices

JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Dr. Stephanie Coakley created TUWell after becoming the first full-time mental health hire by Temple Athletics.

include having a mental health screening process for all student-athletes to get baseline information, an emergency process for any potential crises and ensuring every student-athlete has access to a mental health provider.

While those practices were a great place to start, Coakely had much more in mind. The NCAA began promoting wellness as a best practice in 2022 — but that’s something Coakley’s been implementing since the beginning. She went beyond that by providing wellness and mental performance services in addition to mental health services.

TUWell representatives speak to each of Temple’s athletic teams at the beginning of every year to inform the athletes who they are, what they do and how to access their services. For Temple’s Men’s Soccer midfielder Rocco Haeufgloeckner, one of the biggest struggles is knowing where to get help, so TUWell’s effort to make itself known eliminates that.

“It was tough actually because Temple provides a lot,” Haeufgloeckner said. “It’s very easy to get into different stuff, but I

think the first step is always the most difficult one.”

Coakley has expanded and evolved to better serve student-athletes throughout her time at Temple. She’s achieved more by hiring three more full-time workers to focus on mental health. The four-person staff divides the work by assigning specific teams to each person. They don’t exclusively aid their respective teams, but the system provides coaches with one specific person to reach out to if they need anything.

When Coakley created her staff, she wanted to ensure that any student-athlete seeking help would have someone they could be comfortable being vulnerable to.

Coakley emphasized that strong therapeutic alliances lead to better outcomes, so she does what she can to ensure that every client can form a connection.

On TUWell’s referral form, there are questions based on the student-athletes’ preferences of who they want to speak with most. If there isn’t a member of the staff that fits what the student-athlete is looking for, TUWell does what it can to find an ideal resource for the client.

“It’s very important to me to have a diverse clinical and medical performance staff,” Coakley said. “So that whether we are representative of the race that they’re from or not, that they feel comfortable working with a clinician. But at the end of the day, truly is if that person hears you, listens to you and can help you, because that’s the most important thing.”

Coakley is pleased with the mental health space TUWell has built but believes her accomplishments aren’t sufficient. She hopes to continue raising the bar for prioritizing mental health in student-athletes.

“We’d like to build out the mental performance space,” Coakley said. “Where we are now, really taking a deep dive into mental performance, how to train the mind to perform consistently at a high level, to take advantage of all these resources put together and allow that to allow you to have a big performance, consistently.”

Colin Schofield contributed to reporting. sienna.conaghan@temple.edu @Sienna_Paige2

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The Temple News

International athletes find a new home Rocco Haeufgloeckner uses soccer to find a home away from home.

BY COLIN SCHOFIELD Assistant Spors Editor Temple midfielder Rocco Haeufgloeckner’s life has always revolved around soccer.

The Kirchzell, Germany native spent most of his youth on the pitch and played on the U17 and U19 Bundesliga teams, one of the top leagues in Germany.

However, once he finished high school in Germany, he had to make a decision.

In 2022, Haeufgloeckner made the difficult choice of leaving his home country and moving to the United States to play soccer for Temple. He was in an entirely new place but still had his one constant that helped make Temple feel like home — soccer. “[Soccer] always helps, I can’t live without soccer,” Haeufgloeckner said. “I can’t imagine that one day I’m not gonna play soccer anymore. I step on the field and everything that is in my head, it just goes away. I just focus on soccer in that moment.

You make friends through soccer. All my childhood friends that I have, all my best friends throughout my life, all of them came through soccer.”

Now finishing up his third year on North Broad Street, Haeufgloeckner has become more accustomed to Temple and life in the United States. However, the adjustment wasn’t easy for him. But thanks to soccer, the resources Temple offers and his teammates, Haeufgloeckner found a new home.

Haeufgloeckner was one of 84 international student-athletes who competed on one of Temple’s varsity sports teams during the 2024-25 year. The strong international student-athlete base has led to increased support from the university’s athletic department.

“We get in front of every single team every year to talk about who we are, what we do and how to access our services,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Mental Health, Wellness and Performance Stephany Coakley. “And that’s the group that we highlight. I was an international student at Temple, so I have some awareness of what they experienced just being away from home, but then it’s a whole nother level being away from home and expected to perform in classroom and per-

KAYLA MCMONAGLE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Midfielder Rocco Haeufglockner throws the ball at a game Sept. 21.

form in their sport.”

Coakley was hired in 2017 as the first full-time mental health specialist in Temple Athletics’ history. She helped create TUWell, which offers mental health services like professionals student-athletes can talk to. She has grown her team since she was hired and now has three other full-time mental health staff members.

Multiple student-run organizations also work to help international student athletes with their mental health outside of the resources the athletic department offers.

Temple has its own chapter of Morgan’s Message, a program where student-athletes advocate for mental health through different initiatives. There is also an international student-athlete organization called the Global Owls, which was developed to help international student-athletes connect with each other and adjust to their surroundings.

Haeufgloeckner spent time with the organization but struggled to get involved with resources at first because he felt anxious about how to get involved.

“It was tough because Temple provides a lot and it’s very easy to get into different stuff,” Haeufgloeckner said. “But I think the first step is always the most difficult one. It

was tough to choose for myself which resource I should consider and take advantage of.”

Haeufgloeckner joined the men’s soccer program while it was filled with fellow international student-athletes. There were 10 other foreign student-athletes during Haeufgloeckner’s freshman season in 2022, which helped him feel more comfortable at Temple.

Bryan Green was hired as head coach before Haeufgloeckner’s sophomore season and he has continued to recruit student-athletes from different countries. The Owls rostered nine international student-athletes this past season, with six being underclassmen. With such a diverse roster, Green plans different activities to ensure his players feel comfortable in their new environment and with their teammates.

“We spend a lot of time just together,” Green said. “We have three meals a day together. We spend a lot of time talking not just about soccer or the season but just getting to know each other and then getting to know their teammates. I think all of it together helps them get comfortable and familiar.”

Haeufgloeckner has experienced the

transition of an international student-athlete now that he’s entering his final season donning the Cherry and White this upcoming fall. He hopes to use that experience to help his younger teammates adjust and assist them in finding their home away from home.

“I think that our team does a really great job of integrating new players,” Haeufgloeckner said. “That’s not just me. That’s everyone in the team that is very kind and helpful with those new players and every problem they have, they can always come to us and talk about it.” colin.schofield@temple.edu @ColinSchofield9

The Temple News

SPORTS

M19

MENTAL HEALTH

Diamond Gems shine through isolation Temple’s Diamond Gems experience the busiest part of its season while campus is empty.

BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor During Lauren Leiker’s first year with Temple Diamond Gems, she immediately entered the demanding realm of college dance. Despite being in the dance world for years, Leiker felt the pressure mount during the Universal Dance Association College Nationals, Temple’s most prominent competition.

The UDA Nationals took place from Jan. 17-19 in Orlando, Florida. But the busiest part of the season is during the fall semester when dancers have to attend two mandatory lift sessions in the morning and three night practices from 6-10 p.m. — all on top of their everyday schoolwork.

The rigorous circumstances caused Leiker to feel more anxiety around competing than she expected.

“In terms of the competition aspect, I knew what to expect,” Leiker said. “But it’s also just taken to another big level, especially with UDA competing against all those great athletes and dancers.”

While their peers return home for winter break in December, the Diamond Gems stay on campus to prepare for nationals. The team endures nine-hour practice days and can only return home for a week before being whisked away to finalize their routines.

Through the emotional and physical demands of the sport, the Diamond Gems find comfort in leaning on each other.

While the isolation leaves the squad lonely in the heat of their season, the bonds with their teammates carry them through tough times.

“Because we spend so much time together, we can tell when someone’s having an off day or something’s going on, even if they’re not expressing it,” said dancer Kaitlyn Zebro. “You can just kind of tell and so any single one of us is if something’s going on, we’re the first ones to go up to them. Be like, ‘You’ve got it. It’s okay. Breathe. You’re gonna get through the day.’”

While the team has formed strong bonds, coach Jennifer Keller has attempted

COURTESY / TEMPLE ATHLETICS

to help ease the pressure that comes from competing even more. Keller, the team’s coach since 2013, has developed a “student first” mindset. She has encouraged her team to tend to their academic needs if their school and athletic balance becomes too strenuous.

When a dancer’s schedule becomes too burdensome, Keller is the first to help her players succeed and adjust to their needs.

The dancers also find comfort in rehearsals or taking dance classes with their teammates. Whether it’s through an emotional contemporary number or an upbeat jazz choreography combination, the artistry of dance helps them cope with the stress of student athletics.

“I think using dance as therapy is one of the best things ever because it doesn’t only connect someone [through mirroring them],” said dancer Victoria Grimaldi. “It connects you on a deeper level with someone else that words can’t get across, or taking a medication won’t help in a different way that still makes you feel pretty good.”

Even though dance is a cathartic release for certain members, it can feel as if

the world is crashing down amid their season for others. The physical and emotional toll can begin to negatively affect their outlook on the sport when they rehearse for long hours in preparation for competitions.

In the moments when their love of dance may be squeezed out, the relationships with their teammates pull them right back in.

“Sometimes, we’ve reached that line where we’re like, ‘this is killing me. I don’t want to do it. I’m freaking out. It’s not my therapy anymore,’” Zebro said. “But then there’s like, that day happens, you come back in and there’s so many personalities so we have such a blast and we can make it so much fun and get work done at the same time that you come back in and you’re like, I was so dramatic. This is my therapy.”

Whether it’s during the heat of UDA preparation or the quieter part of the season in the spring semester, the Diamond Gems have an overwhelming workload.

Regardless of the intense pressure, the Diamond Gems keep themselves grounded through the love they have for their teammates. But most importantly, they learn to

find emotional relief through their expression of dance.

“You step into a different atmosphere when you get around the dance team because we all get that we’re all going through something separate,” Grimaldi said. “But it’s nice to have a closed space where it doesn’t have to matter for the few hours that we’re together, we’re in practice, because we could just focus on that.” bradley.mcentee@temple.edu.

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FEATURES

The Temple News

AROUND CAMPUS

The Tree of 40 Fruit planted in Tyler courtyard The tree will produce 40 varieties pletely different,” said Sasha Eisenman, of fruits through a grafting chair of Temple’s architecture and entechnique by Sam Van Aken. vironmental design program. “Grafting

BY STEVE JEFFRIES For The Temple News

G

rowing up on a dairy farm in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, Sam Van Aken has always incorporated the natural world into his art, developing a unique and varied portfolio that blends the scientific world with the creative.

As a multi-disciplinary artist, his latest project will live within the city that helped spark his interest in the arts.

“Philadelphia is like my home city,” Van Aken said. “Growing up in Douglassville, we were only an hour and change outside of Philly. I still remember seeing exhibitions at the art museum as a child that I think were incredibly important for me becoming an artist today.”

The latest in Van Aken’s series of living art pieces is the Tree of 40 Fruit, planted in the Tyler School of the Art and Architecture courtyard on March 14. The tree will produce 40 varieties of fruit, including apricots, peaches, almonds and several varieties of plums by June. Students will also be free to pick and consume any fruit the tree bears, PhillyVoice reported.

Van Aken, an associate professor at Syracuse University, has created and cared for more than 200 similar trees across the East Coast and Midwest. Not just visually stunning, each tree also supports multiple culturally significant subspecies and promotes food security.

Each tree is produced using a grafting technique, which joins two individual plants together, allowing them to grow as one. Van Aken was exposed to the horticultural technique through family members and other farmers growing up, but the practice dates back thousands of years. Today, grafting is critical for producing genetically identical strains of food crops.

“If you plant a Red Delicious apple seed, you could grow something com-

is essential for maintaining individual types of trees.”

The practice is used on an industrial scale to grow produce like apples, tomatoes, watermelon and nuts. Large-scale food production encourages genetic consistency instead of diversity.

“Especially in the food sector, we’ve lost a lot of interesting diversity in favor of what is most producible and what is most sellable,” said Luke Natale, a junior horticulture major. “It’s all become economic instead of unique and interesting and cultural.”

While the food industry uses grafting to preserve homogeneity, Van Aken saw an opportunity to use the practice to promote species diversity, especially when it comes to maintaining rare, historically significant strains. He researches varieties historically grown in the area to make sure they’ll be conducive to its environment.

Some of these tree varieties have remained genetically unaltered since before European colonization, while other strains were brought to the United States by settlers, Van Aken said.

“This became a real fascination for me because it combines pre-European history,” Van Aken said. “The irony of all this is that growing up, I thought there were red plums and blue plums. Now, I have hundreds of different varieties that I grow.”

Interspecies diversity is critical in protecting food crops from pests, diseases and climate change, Van Aken said.

Certain strains contain traits that allow them to better withstand unfavorable conditions within a diverse gene pool.

Some might be more adaptable to heat, while others are resistant to an invasive insect.

“Inevitably, some type of pest or pathogen will come along,” Natale said.

“When that happens, instead of losing everything, you may lose a little bit of something, but you have multiple other crops to rely on. And in time, maybe those plants can help build up resistance

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sam Van Aken’s tree of 40 fruit is planted in the courtyard of Tyler School of Art and Architecture.

to whatever is attacking them.”

If a population lacks diversity, it increases the risk of being wiped out completely by changing climate conditions or a new disease.

Desirable genetic traits, like drought or disease resistance, can be bred into a species’ gene pool through crossbreeding and genetic modification. Seed or gene banks are largely responsible for preserving unique samples of genetic material.

“When we need to breed disease-resistant strains, banks serve as the source for organic material,” Eisenman said.

Van Aken’s grafted trees act as “living gene banks,” each preserving 40 unique genetic identities and fruit. Van Aken describes the trees as metaphors for our synthesis of culture, represent-

ed physically by the different fruits and flowers, each with its own cultural legacy.

“I like that it is an artwork that evolves beyond my initial preconception,” Van Aken said. “Every year I show up to a tree, and it’s a different tree than it was last year when I was there.” steve.jeffries@temple.edu

The Temple News

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AROUND CAMPUS

“Kind of stupid”: Signal-gate bewilders Temple Cybersecurity experts on faculty The first idea for this article was that and students give their takes on someone, at some point, would say they Signalgate. weren’t sure what was wrong with sendBY JADON GEORGE Features Staff Writer Shane Leinhauser occasionally gets misdirected scam texts, mysterious messages of uncertain origin that prompt silence, or — at most — a confused, “Who’s this?”

But he’s never mistakenly been added to someone else’s group chat. And despite the strange messages Leinhauser does get, he says he’s not particularly concerned about his online safety.

“I don’t think of cybersecurity that often,” said Leinhauser, a junior biology and environmental science major. “I guess I just kind of assume it’s happening where it needs to happen.”

For United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and more than a dozen officials in the second Trump administration, “it” was apparently happening on a relatively famous commercial messaging app. The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, revealed in March that Hegseth had circulated detailed plans for airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi militia via a group text he was added to on Signal.

The revelations caused a sensation in Washington: Hearings with military advisors and spy chiefs, scheduled far in advance to discuss completely unrelated subjects, for days found themselves refocused on claims the Trump administration discusses government business through civilian channels — a longstanding no-no in the laws and rules governing the use of classified information. And the watchdog overseeing military officials and national secrets says it’s investigating Hegseth’s texting habits, specifically. It’s arguably the first incident in the new White House to hold the public’s attention for more than a day or two.

President Donald Trump hasn’t fired anyone in connection with what can only be called a breach. Even so, this particular incident boasts a moniker colored by the dust of 1972: “Signalgate.”

ing battle plans on Signal. It’s end-toend encrypted; hackers, in theory, can’t intercept and read messages sent on it.

And, anyway, even the most sensitive texts sent there can be set to vanish into an unreadable mush after a few seconds.

Then, a kindhearted expert in computer security would step in to enlighten this reporter, the breezy interlocutor — and the readers.

No one seemed to have much trouble figuring out the problem with Signal, in the eyes of national security experts.

It’s a consumer-facing texting app. Anyone can download it at no charge, which means just about anyone can end up in any conversation involving anyone they know — accidentally, as in Golberg’s case, or otherwise.

Sealing communications from watchful eavesdroppers and overbearing marketers is one thing. Playing keep away from a hostile foreign militia with the capacity to wound and kill American troops — quite another. The former is perfectly suited to Signal. The latter, not so much.

“Governments would have to deal with a very different set of threats than everyday people,” said Chiu C. Tan, an associate professor of computer and information science. “That’s why the government has special phones they use, special laptops. Most of us would never bother.”

Militaries and national security officials don’t tend to rely on app-store offerings to protect their conversations.

Instead, there’s a rigid set of rules and protocols designed to keep state secrets away from enemy eyes.

“It’s not simple,” said Vinodh Ganesan, the College of Science and Technology’s I.T. director and an instructor in a course that teaches the elements of encryption and cybersecurity. Transfers of classified information happen inside what’s known as a SCIF, he noted — a sensitive compartmented information facility.

“They still use technology behind the scenes, probably within the SCIF,”

VICTORIA BEFUMO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared military plans in a Signal groupchat.

Ganesan added. “But there are all these things to prevent the leak of information.”

Philosopher Jordan Shapiro now teaches Intellectual Heritage and is in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies program. But he did some work with the military in his younger years, and he’s familiar with the setup Ganesan referred to: It often resembles a boxy metal tent. It shrouds an interior room of a high-level official’s home. And it’s where those officeholders are supposed to go whenever they need to send or receive sensitive information.

Leinhauser believes officials in the first Trump administration knew what they were doing — even if he didn’t agree with them.

This time?

“Now, not only are they making decisions that I disagree with, but it makes

me think a lot of them are genuinely just really bad at their job,” Leinhauser said.

“I feel like I don’t sound very smart when I say this, but it makes me think some of them are just kind of stupid.” jadon@temple.edu @jgeorgescribe

FEATURES

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The Temple News

AROUND CAMPUS

Temple’s skateboarding scene at Cecil B. Moore On Cecil B. Moore, a community tips and bond through a shared love for tricks, but about being part of something bigger. of skaters gather to share advice the sport.

The scene is as much about commuIt’s a space where skaters of all backand their love for the sport.

BY MIKE NONNEMAKER Assistant Features Editor On warm evenings when the sun dips low over North Philadelphia, Henry Flynn grabs his board and heads to Cecil B. Moore, where friends gather to skate, swap stories and cheer each other on through scraped knees and missed tricks.

“When I come to Cecil, I know that there’s a pretty good chance I’m going to see at least two or three people I know,” said Flynn, a sophomore communications major. “It’s a lot about the feeling of togetherness, just enjoying skateboarding together as one.”

Skateboarding at Temple is not a hobby, but a culture that thrives in the heart of campus. For years, the skatepark at Cecil B. Moore Plaza has been the unofficial skateboarding hub for Temple students, where seasoned skaters and newcomers come together to exchange

V

nity as it is about the tricks. It’s a place where anyone, regardless of skill level, can find their rhythm on the board and connect with others who share the same passion.

Skaters of all backgrounds, skill levels and ages gather at the long-time skate spot. Sakai Kidd, a resident of the Philadelphia suburb Springfield, quickly found himself immersed in the culture after beginning to come to Cecil skatepark this year.

“I feel like the community is really strong and honestly, everybody here is willing to teach you how to skate,” Kidd said. “If you’re confused or anything, they’re always there to help.”

While Kidd has a strong circle of friends who skate at Paine’s Park near Center City, he’s drawn to Cecil B. Moore’s unique vibe. The camaraderie, along with the mix of students and Philly residents, gives Kidd a sense of belonging that makes him want to return every week. It’s not just about landing new

S E I C O

What do you do for self-care?

grounds, from different parts of the city, converge to share their love of the board and motivate one another.

“I’ve had some really beautiful experiences here,” Flynn said. “We keep each other in check. We congratulate each other when we land something we’ve been working on for a while. It’s just a really great place to come and exist.”

Skaters at Cecil B. Moore often set up obstacles to challenge themselves.

While the original ramps and barriers were removed by the school, the skaters did what they do best, using road barriers, metal pieces and granite steps to create their own makeshift features.

The granite steps’ texture and angle make them a popular spot. Skaters also go for big air as they launch off metal ramps and over road barriers, aiming for impressive ollies and flips that defy gravity. This DIY approach adds to the experience for skaters like Muhammad Davis, who’s not a Temple student, but comes to Cecil looking for a challenge.

mike.nonnemaker@temple.edu

SEBASTIAN KROLAK

GIANNA RAGOMO

Freshman film & media studies major | He/Him

Senior philosophy major | She/Her

“ I read the word of God. I just try to read my Bible. It brings me enough peace where I’m able to forget about whatever is worrying me at the moment. ”

MARLEY RUIZ Freshman sport & entertainment management major | She/Her

“ I like to build legos. ”

PHOTOS BY JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS

“I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie,” said Davis, a resident of Brewerytown. “I just like to throw my body off of s--t. If I get hurt, I get hurt.”

Despite the risks, high-flying skaters like Davis don’t mind putting their bodies on the line for the sake of improvement, a common mindset in the skating community.

The atmosphere is anything but competitive despite the potential for falls and embarrassing moments, Kidd said. Instead, skaters cheer each other on, throwing around advice and encouragement. This mix of risk and support is what draws so many to the spot, where no one is afraid to fail and everyone is investing in helping others succeed.

“I feel like everybody has their own style, and everybody’s accepting of each other’s styles,” Kidd said. “Even if you don’t know what to do or how to do certain tricks, there’s always someone willing to teach you something.”

“ I like to take a nice shower and then afterwards, I like to write.

I need to write out my thoughts and feelings to make sense of them. ” IGGY FORREST Freshman economics major | He/Him

“ I hang out with my friends, talk to my brothers and family about stuff and I play games when I’m bored. ”

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 19

FOOTBALL

Here’s who raised their stock at Temple’s pro day Temple held its Pro Day last week and a few players raised their stock from their showings.

BY COLIN SCHOFIELD Assistant Sports Editor

T

emple held its annual Pro Day on March 27, where 11 former players went through different physical and positional drills to showcase their skills. Scouts from nearly every NFL team were present as players hoped to turn heads and earn a shot at the biggest stage.

Pro Day was the best chance most of the players had to impress scouts as kicker Maddux Trujillo was the only Temple player who was invited to the NFL combine.

“It’s a blessing [to compete at Pro Day],” said safety Andres Keaton. “We all start with this dream to go to this level and to be able to make all this preparation throughout all of our years and come showcasing in front of these high level guys, it’s a blessing. Not everybody has the opportunity to do it.”

Here is a look at who may have increased their odds of getting picked by a team in the NFL Draft, which takes place from April 24-26.

MADDUX TRUJILLO Trujillo was far and away the day’s biggest winner. He entered the event with high expectations after a regular season that included a record-breaking 64-yard field goal. Trujillo showed off his powerful leg for field goals and kickoffs at Pro Day. Trujillo put forth the best possible performance in front of special teams coaches from across the league. He connected on all 16 of his kicks, including a 65-yard make which would be the second longest field goal in NFL history. He also worked on kickoffs after his field goal kicking session.

“I’m very much a perfectionist,” Trujillo said. “I want to make every field goal that was in front of me, plain and simple.

I’ve shown that I can hit from 64, so I wanted to hit from 65 today to show that

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Fromer wide receiver Dante Wright at Temple Football’s Pro Day March 27.

I have more. I think my 65-yarder had more to spare on it than just 65. I just want to show that I have that distance, but also I’m super accurate and consistent.”

Trujillo entered the day as the Temple player with the best chance at getting drafted and boosted his stock even more with his performance. He will focus on private and local workouts as he worked out for the Washington Commanders on April 3 and is slated to participate at the Atlanta Falcons local day on April 11.

DANTE WRIGHT Wright worked as the Owls’ top wide receiver during the season, finishing with 61 catches for 792 yards and six touchdowns. He had four games with at least 100 receiving yards, but injuries plagued his season down the stretch.

Wright is fairly undersized, standing at just 5 feet, 9 inches and 180 pounds, but put together an impressive performance in the physical drills.

He put up 16 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press despite being the third lightest participant. Wright also had the best vertical leap with 36.5 inches and recorded the fastest 40-yard dash, clocking in at 4.56 seconds. He showed off his reliable hands during his positional drills as well, which solidified him as one of the day’s winners.

DIWUN BLACK Black entered Pro Day as the Owls’ defensive player with the best chance to get drafted and showed the scouts in attendance why.

He measured as the tallest player there at 6 feet, 3 inches and weighed in at 246 pounds. Black demonstrated his athleticism with 18 bench press reps while running a 4.88 40-yard dash and leaping 10.6 inches on the broad jump, which was tied for the highest mark.

Black missed the first four games of last season for undisclosed reasons, but had a major impact on the field once he

returned. He racked up 23 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks while routinely beating the opposing offensive tackle to pressure the quarterback. With the physical tools Black has, a team could take a late-round flyer on him and he should find himself in a team’s training camp if he’s not drafted.

“My speed and size [are my biggest assets to a team,]” Black said. “To be 250 [pounds] and move how I move, I feel like will be very valuable to a team. I can come off the edge and power rush. The NFL is a big pass league, so for any team that I get picked to, I’m doing a great job with speed and explosiveness.” colin.schofield@temple.edu @ColinSchofield9

PAGE 20

SPORTS

The Temple News

GOLF

Naese finding stride on the green in final season Jake Naese has found his role seeing limited playing time during his ed his ability to compete at a high level. with the Owls during his senior sophomore and junior campaigns, Naese Naese’s recent performances are a has come into his own as a senior. He’s testament to his resilience. A pivotal season.

BY AMARNA MILNE For The Temple News Jake Naese’s passion for golf didn’t start on a high-school team or with a professional coach — it began in his backyard when he was 12 years old.

Growing up in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, Naese lived on a hole of the Royal Lakes golf course, where the game was always nearby. It was there, with his dad by his side, where he first picked up a club. What began as simple chipping and putting sessions on the green soon turned into something more.

“I played lots of other sports growing up, so I’ve always enjoyed being on teams,” Naese said. “But I enjoyed golf the most because even though I’m still part of a team, there is still that individual aspect to it.”

Though his path to collegiate golf wasn’t straightforward, it has been one of steady growth and improvement. After redshirting his freshman season and

CONTINUED FROM 21 GYMNASTICS “We knew that we had each other’s back,” Johnson said. “There was actually trust there. We actually made sure that we had fun. We were taking in the moment. And it really showed throughout the season that we were just getting better and better at each meet and we’re just seriously ready for next year.”

Head coach Hilary Steele plays a key role in helping her athletes build confidence — something that initially held the team back, Donabedian said.

Steele pairs upperclassmen with underclassmen in big-sister, little-sister roles to ensure younger gymnasts have strong mentors. The strategy puts the Owls one step ahead of the looming challenge of replacing four seniors and two graduate students graduating, leaving just one senior left and several pairs of big shoes to fill.

become one of Temple Golf’s best players this year, showing a new sense of confidence.

“The last three years, he’s played really well and this whole year, he’s done a great job,” said head coach Brian Quinn.

“He’s worked really hard on all aspects of his game. From an athletic standpoint, he’s starting to truly believe how good he actually can be. You can really see that he’s thinking, ‘Hey, I can do this at a high level.’”

Naese has shown improvement in his performances during multiple tournaments this season. He had a performance that left much to be desired at the Wexford Intercollegiate from Feb. 17-18.

He posted rounds of 74-80-74, finishing at +12, which put him in a tie for 51st place.

Naese’s play leveled out at the Dorado Beach Intercollegiate from Feb 2325. With rounds of 70-73-73, he finished the tournament even par at 216, tied for 35th place. While a move into the top 20 still eluded him, his ability to maintain steady play in all three rounds highlight-

moment came at the ECU Intercollegiate from March 17-18, where he delivered his best performance of the season. Despite a tough second round score of 79, he bounced back with a 70 on the final day to finish the tournament tied for 8th place out of 100.

“I think it’s just trusting your preparations,” Naese said. “That’s been the biggest thing helping me the last couple of tournaments, just knowing that I put in the work and then just trusting in what I’m doing. You’re gonna hit some bad shots, so short-term memory is important.”

Naese’s ability to trust his process has been his biggest game-changer, especially in high-stakes collegiate tournaments. While his overall skillset has evolved throughout his career, it’s his transformation off the tee that stands out most.

Naese’s teammate and roommate Ethan Whitney has witnessed this transformation firsthand during the past four years.

“He found some confidence this year

The team will be losing a large portion of its beam lineup with the main departure being Donabedian, who helped craft the culture of the program during her five years on North Broad Street. She capped her career off by being named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Specialist of the Year — the first gymnast in Temple history to claim the honor.

“I’m hoping that we can build that culture where [freshmen can] come in confidently and expect to compete,” Steele said. “So I think it’s important to know that a freshman should come in and expect to compete and not be afraid of that opportunity.”

Nikki Rengifo is one of the underclassmen who is expected to step into a bigger role next year. She joined the team after undergoing shoulder surgery for a gymnastics-related injury. Initially, Steele was nervous to have a freshman on the team who was recovering from surgery and wasn’t sure what she was

capable of.

However, Rengifo silenced all doubts when she began competing. She became a staple on the vault, competing in every match and scoring 9.700 or better seven times. Rengifo also contributed to the floor lineup, especially toward the end of the season. She performed on the floor in six of the final seven meets and recorded a career-high 9.850 during the conference championship. “[Rengifo] really stepped up on the vault,” Steele said. “And then when we were struggling a little bit on the floor, she ended up being consistent in both of those lineups.”

The experience that underclassmen like Rengifo and Johnson gained from this season gives them an advantage to take the reins in 2026. The team knows they need to enhance their confidence and focus on rigorous training this off-season to see improvement next year.

and kept rolling with it,” Whitney said.

“He was able to believe in himself more and he started getting better results. I’m very proud of how he’s stepped up this year, he’s playing a big part on the team right now. He’s a great teammate, always positive and always wanting to get better.

With the American Athletic Conference Championships on the horizon, Naese’s blend of experience and newfound skill makes him a serious competitor and his best performances may be ahead. He has firmly established his role on the team during the past three-anda-half years, becoming a reliable teammate both on and off the course.

“I want to be remembered as someone who worked hard every day, gave it their all and just was, most importantly, a good teammate,” Naese said. amarna.milne@temple.edu

The up-and-down season ultimately ended with a three-meet skid, but that didn’t stop the team from enjoying the journey. Steele reflected on the Owls’ final meet against Nebraska — she wasn’t disappointed by the loss, but proud of the energy her team brought to the arena.

“It was completely electric in the arena and it showed in their gymnastics,” Steele said. “It was just a great way for us to end our season, although we were so close to winning and that would have been the cherry on top. I think knowing we got our season high, the most important of the year for us, finished us in a good spot leading into next season.” bayleh.alexander@temple.edu

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PAGE 21

The Temple News

Despite opening the season with a five-meet losing streak, the Owls remain resilient and have optimism for the future.

BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER Features Editor

A

fter enduring a 1519 season in 2024, Temple entered the 2025 season with high hopes for a bounce-back year.

Those aspirations were quickly zapped as key performers went down with injuries. With upperclassmen sidelined, underclassmen stepped into the spotlight and had to shake off their nerves.

While the youth provided a spark, the mix of injuries snd inexperience resulted in Temple stumbling to a five-meet losing streak to start the season.

“Even though we practiced with our inner squads, it doesn’t really compare to being in the actual competitive environment,” said gymnast Brooke Donabedian.

“I feel like if we had practiced that more during practice, just putting ourselves in those way more

high-pressure scenarios, we could have had more of an outcome.”

The Owls finished the season with an 11-18 record but are proud of the wins they earned along the way. Despite the rough start, the team didn’t let the losses shake their morale. Temple bounced back with four straight victories after the early slump but finished the season losing four of its last six meets.

Kyrstin Johnson became one of the top storylines during the season after her viral floor routine to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us.’ The Talladega College transfer credits the team’s supportive environment as one of the best she’s ever experienced, even through the team’s rocky start.

GYMNASTICS | 20

WEATHERING

THE STORM

LILLIAN PRIETO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Brooke Donobedian competing at the EAGL Championships.