temple-news.com VOL. 90 ISS. 26

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012 A WALK BACK, A WALK FORWARD

Adamant Activism

Registration tests SFS efforts to improve Added employees, a new director hope to increase financial service efficiency. MATTHEW HULMES ALEXIS SACHDEV The Temple News

ANGELO FICHERA TTN

A walkout in October 2011, when Dilworth Plaza was “occupied,” demonstrated a growing interest by Temple students in the international outcry known as the Occupy movement. Months later, a student branch flourishes on Main Campus.

Without a physical camp, Occupy Temple has maintained its presence on Main Campus. KATE KELLY The Temple News

O

ccupy Philadelphia once again setup a physical camp in the city this past weekend, this time in Independence Mall. The re-debut of a temporarily claimed territory highlighted the longevity of the Occupy movement, a series of actions that calls out issues of wealth disparity and educational inequalities, among others. “Friday marked our sixmonth anniversary, celebrating the progress we’ve made as a whole over the past six months, including the four months in which we did not physically occupy a space,” junior film major Steph Irwin said. “It was great to see comrades and familiar faces at the reoccupation, but to be honest, I haven’t stopped interacting with them since the physical eviction in November.” As Irwin notes, many physical sites of the movement were dismantled in recent months. The city’s first encampment was evicted in late November 2011, yet in-

OPINION DISCRIMINATORY LAW, p.5 DiCicco argues that the Pa. voter ID law discriminates against minorities, the elderly and students.

LIVING WORK OUT, p.7 The Temple News sits down with Paul Sheriff, a graphic design professor from Tyler making a documentary about his late sister’s gymnastics legacy.

A&E SPRING SWING, p.9 Lindy and Blues organizes Rittenhop, swing dancing sessions, in Rittenhouse Square every Sunday.

SPORTS ATOP THE PODIUM, p.18 The men’s gymnastics team won its first ECAC championship since 2008.

dividual spinoff groups like Occupy Temple maintain a stronghold on the campaigns they’ve started.

SPREADING ROOTS

The movement first started when activists gathered in September in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan to begin building a camp and a movement that would spread internationally. Directly adjacent to Wall Street, the activists were there to protest what they viewed as unjust economic practices in the government and in the private corporate sector. Creating systems that would sustain their inhabitation of the park, the activists planned to be there indefinitely. The name of their movement, Occupy Wall Street, quickly became a 2011 buzz term. As the occupation in the park grew, tension built between protesters and New York City police. On Oct. 1, 2011, approximately 800 people were arrested during a march on the Brooklyn Bridge. Several Temple law students were present for the incident, some of them serving as legal ob-

servers for the National Law- tents and tables. Del Gandio, yer’s Guild. who wrote several essays and Strategic and Organiza- spoke on national television tional Communication profes- about the Occupy movement, sor Jason Del Gandio, Ph.D., began volunteering with the said this event was crucial media team forming at the for the Occupy movement to Philadelphia occupation. spread. “I would straddle the line “ T h e between orfirst couple of ganizer and weeks, as we public intelall know, [the lectual,” Del movement] Gandio said. was pretty “I was exsmall,” Del tremely imGandio said. pressed and “It didn’t reextremely ally have much excited about of an impact what was ocand then there curring. It rewere mass arally felt like a rests on the moment was Brooklyn occurring and Bridge and I just wanted Ethan Jury / to be part of that’s when the member, occupy temple whole thing that moment.” took off and L a s t got national media attention week, the Sociological Orand from that point forward ganization of Undergraduate it really took on a life of its Leadership organized an interown.” disciplinary panel discussion Activists in Philadelphia on the Occupy movement. quickly planned their own Panel members included occupation, and on Oct. 6, professors from a variety of 2011, convened in the plaza at City Hall and began to erect OCCUPY PAGE 3

“In a lot of postencampment cities now you see a lot of functional working groups having grown out from that.”

For the past few years, students have voiced their dissatisfaction with the Office of Student Financial Services and its resources. However, last semester, the office hired additional officers and will bring in a new director. Last semester, The Temple News detailed the stress and frustration students experienced when interacting with the office during class registration periods [“Financial Services hold up registration,” Oct. 31, 2011]. Jodi Laufgraben, vice provost for academic affairs and assessment, said in October that SFS is aware of the student dissatisfaction, and assured the student body that a series of meetings were underway to streamline issues

within SFS. In addition to streamlining these issues and helping students become more aware of the holds on their accounts, a university-wide search for a new director of SFS ended last week. Current director Jim F. Morris plans to retire, and will be replaced by Craig Fennell, former executive director of student financial assistance at Arizona State University. Fennell will begin fulfilling his position this week. One of the main problems students encountered was account holds during registration. Last semester, SFS put approximately 8,000 accounts on hold, down from the 9,700 holds from Spring 2011. This semester, Laufgraben said that although she didn’t have any of the statistics on-hand, the numbers are comparable. “There aren’t any unusual spikes there,” Laufgraben said. “We do know that because of the economy, more students are needing financial assistance and coming to Student Financial Services raising

SFS PAGE 3

Small decrease in TSG election turnout A new ticket is ready to assume the TSG executive office next semester. AMELIA BRUST The Temple News The new Temple Student Government executive office, Temple Advocating for Progress, was announced the winner of this year’s TSG executive elections Wednesday, April 4. TSG Student Body President-elect David Lopez, TSG Vice President of External Affairs-elect Ofo Ezeugwu and TSG Vice President of Services-elect Julian Hamer appeared at the General Assembly meeting yesterday, April 9. TAP officers will re-

place the current TU Nation team after April 23. “We have already begun our transition phases,” Lopez said. “We’re getting briefed on exactly what our roles will be.” TAP is making appointments with university departments, including campus safety, student activities, Dean of Students Stephanie Ives, and residential life and housing. Lopez said TAP plans to meet with the President Ann Weaver Hart as soon as possible “to be there so we have a presence.” The team hopes to meet with residential life to discuss progress on the new dorm building at Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, as part of Temple’s 20/20 plan. Lopez cited concerns about

TSG PAGE 3

Dems., TSG call for ID expiration dates In response to the voter ID law, some want Owl Cards to don expiration dates. JOHN MORITZ The Temple News Temple Student Government is moving forward this week with a resolution calling on the university to equip new Owl Cards with expiration dates in order to better suit a recently passed voter identification law in Pennsylvania. Last week, TSG sent out letters to various university offices asking for an inquiry into how Temple could adopt expiration dates on all new Owl Cards so that they may be used as a valid form of voter identification as required by House Bill 934, which was passed in March.

NEWS DESK 215-204-7419

House Bill 934 is an amendment to the Pennsylvania Election Code of 1937, requiring voters to present a valid form of photo identification at the polls in order to vote. Without expiration dates, Owl Cards do not fit the legal requirement. The new law does not give a specific time for how long expiration dates have to last. Temple College Democrats, who oppose the law, first proposed the resolution to TSG on March 19. The resolution was unanimously passed a week later on March 26. TCD Membership Director Dylan Morpurgo, a sophomore political science major, called the bill “a solution without a problem,” citing that it could potentially disenfranchise thousands of voters come fall. “For numerous reasons

OWL CARD PAGE 2

MATT FLOCCO TTN

Dylan Morpugo is pushing for Owl Cards to have expiration dates, for use during elections. Temple College Democrats and Temple Student Government passed a resolution in support.

NEWS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

NEWS temple-news.com

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Political groups diverge on voter ID bill OWL CARD PAGE 1 we oppose this law,” Morpurgo said. “We are just trying to make it as easy as possible for students to vote.” Darin Bartholomew, vice president of the Temple University College Republicans, said his organization supports both the bill and the TSG resolution. “We think that it is definitely a bill that solves a real problem, voter fraud is a real issue, especially in the city of Philadelphia,” Bartholomew said. “We’re in support of the bill, but I’m also in support of making it work so that people can vote.” David Lopez, TSG student body president-elect and TCD president, said that TSG is contacting the university about adding expiration dates to the Owl Cards in order to get a jump on the new law. “We are making the motions to sit down and talk with people and discuss the possibility of putting expiration dates on IDs,” Lopez, a junior political science and philosophy major, said. The university does not have any specific plans for adding expiration dates to Owl Cards.

“Since the new law is to gather support in favor of repassed, we are looking into pealing the legislation, and the what options we have in put- two groups will be at Spring ting expiration dates on student Fling to help make voters aware IDs,” Eryn Jelesiewicz, director of new procedures. of university communications, TUCR plans on taking a said. different stance promoting the Lopez, however, said the bill at Spring Fling. university al“It’s pretty ready has plans well said that to change Owl both sides are Cards this sumgoing to have mer and fall. something to do “We’re not with voter ID at asking them Spring Fling,” to change the Bartholomew cards just besaid. “Our focause of the excus is going to piration date,” be more on how Lopez said. easy it will be to “We are just David Lopez / get ID, how you asking them to president, temple need ID already college democrats for a number of add the expiration date on the things.” cards they are Of the four changing.” state-related schools in PennThe Diamond Dollar office sylvania, only the University of did not respond for comment at Pittsburgh has expiration dates the time of press. on student identification cards. Both TCD and TUCR have John Moritz can be reached at plans to bring awareness of the john.moritz@temple.edu. bill at the annual Spring Fling. Morpurgo said that TCD has been working with the American Civil Liberties Union

“We’re just asking [Temple] to add the expiration date on the cards they are changing.”

TIMOTHY VALSHSTEIN TTN

Dylan Morpugo, membership director of Temple College Democrats, debated college republicans at a recent event. The two organizations disagree on the voter ID law, which has prompted Morpugo to help push for Owl Cards to bear expiration dates.

TAP calls for restructuring of student government TSG PAGE 1

ABI REIMOLD TTN file photo

Temple Advocating Progress won the TSG executive election. The ticket beat opponent RUN TEMPLE last week.

food options and the availability of housing with the new building, as well as requests from students for “the possibility of gender neutral housing” or “gender neutral bathrooms.” Lopez said TAP will not make many executive decisions this semester. “We’re really going to fix TSG toward the beginning of next semester…over the course of the summer, I want to make sure all the people in TSG understand their roles,” Lopez said. TAP has said it wants to restructure student government and increase awareness of the organization on campus. “We want to make sure we can get as many people there as possible,” Lopez said. “Talk to a lot of freshmen, go to residence halls, [student organization]

meetings…We don’t want to take a particular focus, we want to focus on it all.” Lopez estimated his team spent just under $1,000 on the campaign. RUN TEMPLE, TAP’s opposition, declined to disclose its campaign spending. While TSG does not give money to candidates, it has a budget of $2,500 for the election, which can go toward advertising, room reservations and giveaways, TSG Elections Commissioner Shanee Satchell said via email. Candidates must raise their own funds. “They can do this through donations, their  own pockets, etc.,” she said, adding that TSG sets a spending cap for campaigns at $1,000 for executive tickets and $300 for General Assembly positions. These caps include donations.

The caps are compared to the estimated $10 to $30 spent by General Assembly director candidates for fliers, Satchell said. This year’s voter turnout slightly decreased from last year’s executive election. A total of 2,647 votes were cast this year, compared to the 2,759 last year. “I am a little surprised,” Lopez said. “It also kind of shows just how apathetic student [organizations] are to TSG, or how much they don’t know about it.” Freshmen Kristen Dunlap and Sarah Szwydko said they only voted because members of TSG were handing out fliers in front of the TECH Center on election day. “I had no idea that we even had it,” Dunlap, a biology major, said. “I only talked to one

person, and he was nice, so it was, like ‘OK.’” “I didn’t even know they had [Twitter and Facebook accounts],” Szwydko, an actuarial science major, said. Cindy Nguyen, a junior political science major, said she heard about the election from an email sent by TSG. Nguyen said she voted so “that the people that I voted for will do, you know, what the students want.” She said increased fliers and campus events, in addition to emails, could improve students’ awareness of TSG. “Some people just don’t read [emails]. They just delete it from their mailbox,” she said. Amelia Brust can be reached at abrust@temple.edu.

Studio hopes to target vacant lots, urban farming Urban Apps and Maps seeks to enagage college and high school students. AMELIA BRUST The Temple News From Fox School of Business’s Design Challenge, the university’s Urban Apps and Maps Studio has garnered ideas for transforming vacant lots into urban farms, creating a North Broad Street Association, and a “community connector” among students, residents and businesses. Temple’s Urban Apps and Maps Studio will begin designing its first mobile applications. With $700,000 in Economic Development Administration and National Science Foundation grants, the project is about to start software development. “We have three or four tangible ideas that came out,” Youngjin Yoo, head of the EDA grant for the project, said. “[The] farming ideas are getting a lot of traction.” Temple took a set of potential application ideas to the

Code Across America: Phila“There can be many differdelphia’s Civic Hackathon in ent apps along the way,” Yoo February. said. “The difference between “[Hackers] usually respond apps and conventional programs to challenges,” Yoo, a manage- is that conventional programs ment informations systems pro- are a lot more complicated and fessor, said. large in scope, whereas the curParticipating hackers and rent mobile app usually does programmers just one thing ultimately deand one thing veloped an well.” application “A lot of prototype for the faculty... connecting urcome from traban farmers ditional softwith residents ware developand business ment-kind of owners. mentality,” Yoo “It ended added. up being a fairApplicaly boring protions will need cess…it wasn’t to be able to even a mobile Hamil Pearsall / help users find assistant professor, geography un-owned, arapp,” he said. and urban studies able He credempty its part of this lots, to “adopt a problem to the lot” and to find lack of specificity in the design products sold from those lots. challenge. A second competi“You need farming knowltion, with a direct focus on ur- edge, and then you need monban farming, is being planned ey,” Yoo said. “Simply because for Fall 2012. Yoo cited a major it’s empty, you can’t just walk challenge for the studios with into somebody else’s lot.” developing applications to perThe Urban Apps and Maps form the most important func- team consists of eight faculty, tions. two graduate students and one

“We would produce a series of apps that... would fall under the broader theme of urban agriculture.”

consultant administrator, all of who span various university departments. The project is shared between Fox and the geography and urban studies department within the College of Liberal Arts. Currently, Urban Apps and Maps does not fall under a degree program, however Yoo said his team is working with faculty to make course credits available for participating students. Team member Hamil Pearsall, assistant professor of geography and urban studies, said the goal is to “formally” involve students in the studio. “We realize that the first step should be to go to urban farmers in Philadelphia,” Pearsall said. “The idea is that we would produce a series of apps that could be useful for a variety of purposes that would fall under the broader theme of urban agriculture.” For the moment, the project is concentrating on using land and engaging growers with businesses just in the North Philadelphia neighborhood. “We haven’t yet spoken to specific homeowners,” Pearsall said. Pearsall described the aim

of these farms is to benefit business owners and residents alike. “Ideally, it would make improvements in their lives,” he said. Urban Apps and Maps plans to begin hiring students to develop the software in April and May. Students need a programming and mobile app development background, as well as an understanding of maps and databases, Yoo said. To bring in high school students during the summer, the project is working with Building Information Technology Skills, a North Philadelphia organization directed by department of geography and urban studies chair Michele Masucci, as well as Hopeworks ‘N Camden, which provides technology training to Camden high school students. The project is waiting word on a grant from the Knight Foundation, which would go toward educating high school students chosen to work on the program. Yoo confirmed the studios’ website is due for completion within a month. “Hopefully by the end of summer we’ll have a real app,”

Yoo said. Meanwhile, Urban Apps and Maps is conducting negotiations with corporations and start-up accelerators. Yoo mentioned his team is attempting to form “international relationships,” in an effort to make the studio an enterprising venture. “I think what we will have is something like a crowd-funding model,” he said. Yoo hopes the project will link Temple-area businesses and residents while drawing in people from Center City. Amelia Brust can be reached at abrust@temple.edu.

CORRECTIONS

The Temple News strives to be a newspaper of record by printing factually correct and balanced articles. 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 Brian Dzenis at editor@templenews.com or 215.204.6737.

NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

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Senior Occupiers plan to continue efforts OCCUPY PAGE 1 schools and disciplines, including economics, journalism, political science, business and African-American studies. “It was probably the most interesting panel I’ve ever been to, but that was mostly because the audience and panel yelled at each other,” senior sociology major Beth Cozzolino said. “One of the things that we talked about was whether or not we were going to vote for [President Barack] Obama in 2012 and whether or not we needed to. That was something that people were really passionate about.”

TEMPLE INVOLVEMENT

Del Gandio was not the only member of the Temple community who took an interest in Occupy Wall Street. Many Temple students took the subway down to City Hall to see the occupation and learn more about the movement. Freshman secondary education major Walter Smolarek was one such student who decided to get involved. He noted that in the early days of Occupy Philadelphia, activists hoped to work alongside the city to achieve change. “In the first few weeks of Occupy, there were a lot of people who thought that the police could be won over to the side of the movement or that Mayor [Michael] Nutter was our ally,” Smolarek said. “As the brutal police repression of Occupy demonstrations across the country continued and as Nutter quickly changed his tune when the coordinated evictions of Occupy camps started, people began to better understand the roles that these institutions play in society.” By Nov. 30, 2011, the Philadelphia occupation was dismantled by police. “For the most part the encampments have all been evicted, which was a development I welcomed,” senior political science major Ethan Jury said. “While the encampments themselves were important on a symbolic and experiential level of

bringing a number of different people together within a collective statement, I think that, to a certain extent, they were a misdirection of energy. In a lot of post-encampment cities now you see a lot of functional working groups having grown out from that, doing more important, actual progressive work like foreclosure resistance, anti-police brutality organizing, reclaiming vacant lots and providing free education.” One such working group was established on campus last semester was Jury’s, Occupy Temple.

Del Gandio said that the actions are all leading up to May 1, which is International Workers Day. He said that this is a national day of action for the Occupy movement. Critics of Occupy saw the end of the physical occupation as the end of the movement and have said that the protesters made no impact on the current economic system. Smolarek believes that the movement has already served an important purpose. “The most important achievement of the Occupy movement is that it opened TENACIOUS up new political GROUP space for peoThe Main ple to organize Campus-based and fight back group continues against ecoto arrange and nomic and soparticipate in cial injustice,” various actions Smolarek said. relating to what Walter Smolarek / “Before Occumember, occupy temple they describe py, there was no as issues plagumass people’s ing society. response to the Students meet once a week to capitalist economic crisis. Now discuss political, social, educa- the momentum is with ordinary tional and economic issues. people who want to resist the Del Gandio said this type attacks that are being carried of work, while not as visible as out every day by Wall Street the physical occupation of City bankers and CEOs, whether it’s Hall, is crucial to the movement. foreclosures, budget cuts, un“The large majority of employment, et cetera.” work that goes into every social Without the encampment, movement goes unseen and un- Philadelphia activists are chalnoticed. So for instance, one of lenged to re-imagine the structhe reasons that Occupy was this ture and direction of the movebig phenomenon was because ment. there was a public presence in “I think the biggest chalall these cities around the coun- lenge going forward is develtry,” Del Gandio said. “Obvi- oping more disciplined and efously [Occupy’s] peak was in fective organization,” Smolarek late fall, early winter, right be- said. “There’s a tremendous fore all the encampments were amount of support for the Ocbroken up across the country. cupy movement, and we need Now it’s more organizing and to develop structures, strategies strategizing in terms of what to and tactics that encourage supdo in the future. But the future is porters to become active particiactually upon us now. In April, pants.” here in Philadelphia, there are Students involved with Ocactions planned every week, cupy Temple said they are comsometimes multiple actions per mitted to continuing the work week.”

“We need to develop structures, strategies and tactics that encourage supporters to become active participants.”

KATE McCANN / CHRIS MONTGOMERY TTN file photos

(Top) Temple students protest at City Hall during the early days of Occupy Philadelphia. (Bottom) Occupy Temple students walk through Main Campus for an education rally in March. that was started back in September in New York City. “I plan to be present at all actions that I can and to engage in dialogue about the various ills we suffer as a society and how we can organize to rise up and overcome them,” Jury said. Smolarek echoed this sentiment.

“I plan on continuing and deepening my involvement, especially when it comes to organizing on Temple’s campus,” Smolarek said. “Temple students face massive debt, crippling budget cuts and tuition hikes, and an undemocratic administration that’s unresponsive to the needs of students and the

community. If we organize and commit ourselves to making change, we can radically reshape the world we live in.” Kate Kelly can be reached at katekelly@temple.edu.

Communication emphasized in SFS improvements SFS PAGE 1

AMANDA SHAFFERN TTN

Students sit in the office of Student Financial Services. The office has hired additional personnel and a new director, who will start this week. concerns about their ability to pay, but we would not say that there’s been an unusual spike in the number of holds.” “Holds go up because students have past balances that need to be paid,” Kimberly Taylor-Benns, associate director of SFS, said. “One of the things we want to do from a customer service perspective is to make sure a student is not acquiring more charges in debt that they can’t handle or pay past the past

debt.” “So the hold is just a trigger to get [students] to come talk to us and say, how can we resolve this, is there more aid, more funding, whatever the issue might be,” Taylor-Benns added. Freshman musical performance major Marcus Grant said that last semester when he went to SFS to discuss a hold on his account, his experience was frustrating and unhelpful. “[SFS] was kind of mean

about it,” Grant said. “I know there’s a lot people who have a lot of issues to take care of. All I needed was five minutes from them to tell me what I needed to do and I would do it.” Grant said that the process wasn’t as streamlined as he hoped. SFS employees sent him to several offices to get the answer he needed, he said. “It took me like a week to know what I needed to do,” he said. “I was getting differ-

ent information from different people…and it was just a rough situation.” Grant pays for a portion of tuition, and the difference is supplemented through loans. He said he’s not looking forward to the point when he has to go back. “If I have to [go back to SFS], I know what to expect,” Grant said. “I would plan to just block out my day for financial aid.” To aid with the huge influx of students each week, SFS also changed its hours last semester. The office now closes early on Fridays at 1 p.m. for processing. However, Taylor-Benns said that there are better times for students to come to the office, especially earlier in the summer before the fall semester. “Instead of waiting for that August rush, come into the office early, all summer,” she said. “We’re there and we’re working, but then in August is when everything picks up…so if there’s a way to communicate that the earlier the better, then you can resolve the issues earlier.” Looking to the 2012-13 academic year, SFS said it was looking to make great improvements now, especially in terms of communication. Taylor-Benns and Lauf-

graben agreed that they are trying to better communicate the financial aid process through Self-Service Banner, as well as help students to better understand the information provided to them. “We just want to demystify it for students because I know it’s hard to grasp…so we just want to make sure that [they] understand it,” Laufgraben said. Junior environmental studies major Susie Hockman said while SFS has been communicating holds on her account well, the office has still been frustrating. About a month and a half ago, Hockman said she went to the office dealing with a loan she took out with a different organization. “I met with [SFS] numerous times, but they kept delaying the time it would be distributed and they messed up the amount of the loan,” Hockman said. “Pretty much every experience has been frustrating and a long wait,” Hockman added. “I’ve left wanting to break down in tears and feeling belittled.” Hockman recounted one instance with an SFS employee, during which she asked him if he had a phone, as she had called several times but he hadn’t answered.

“He said, ‘Oh, I must have had my headphones in and not heard it ring,’” she said. Despite the improved communication on the office’s part, students still have reservations about how simple the process will actually be. “I think they should rate the actual problem [students] have, and that would get a lot of people out the door quicker,” Grant said. “Maybe they could be a little more professional,” Hockman said. “We’re a student body, we’re not mathematicians. We need help, we need financial aid. Finances are a hard thing to deal with. I think they could just be helpful, less careless and more respectful to more parents.” The SFS office remains hopeful that the new director and the office’s new initiatives will further improve the next academic year. Matthew Hulmes and Alexis Sachdev can be reached at news@temple-news.com.

FOR THIS WEEK’S TEMPLE STUDENT GOVERNMENT COVERAGE, VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

OPINION

A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Brian Dzenis, Editor-in-Chief Valerie Rubinksy, Managing Editor Angelo Fichera, News Editor Kierra Bussey, Opinion Editor Cara Stefchak, Chief Copy Editor

Becky Kerner, Web Editor Kate McCann, Photography Editor Abi Reimold, Asst. Photography Editor Lucas Ballasy, Designer Cory Popp, Designer Ana Tamaccio, Designer Joey Pasko, Designer David Hamme, Advertising Manager Tatiana Bowie, Business Manager Sarah Kelly, Billing Manager

Alexis Sachdev, Living Editor Kara Savidge, A&E Editor Connor Showalter, Sports Editor Luis Rodriguez, Multimedia Editor Sean Carlin, Asst. News Editor Joey Cranney, Asst. Sports Editor Saba Aregai, Asst. Multimedia Editor Lauren Hertzler, Copy Editor Alexandra Olivier, Copy Editor

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

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. Visit us online at temple-news.com. Send submissions to letters@temple-news.com. The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

EDITORIALS

O

Voting Woes

n March 14, Pennsylvania became the 16th state to require voters to show photo identification at the polls. The new law requires voters to produce a Pennsylvania driver’s license or another form of government-issued photo identification. The state will accept college IDs or personal care home IDs so long as they are current and include an expiration date. This new legislation came in order to prevent voter fraud. However, “Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a particular policy agenda…claims of voter fraud should be carefully tested before they become the basis for action,” as cited in a policy brief on voter fraud by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. The Temple News recognizes that this new law possesses many problems for eligible voters. Some argue that this controversial law is an attempt to disenfranchise and discourage minority and elderly voters. However, the same way

Struggling Services

S

tudent Financial Services has some of the most important responsibilities of any office in the university, yet still struggles to perform some of its most basic duties. On Nov. 1, The Temple News reported that approximately 8,000 students had their accounts on hold, meaning they could not register for courses until their balance with the university was paid. It was also reported that SFS has become aware of students’ frustration. “We are very, very aware that we are not providing a level of service the students expect, need or deserve,” Jodi Levine Laufgraben, the vice provost for academics and assessment, told The Temple News in November 2011. Meetings were conducted, three people were added to SFS’ staff and processes were supposed to be streamlined. Fast forward to the present and students still are not getting the level of service they expect, need or deserve, as Matthew Hulmes and Alexis Sachdev report in [Registration tests SFS efforts to improve] p. 1.

The Temple News thinks the voter ID law is a nuisance to student voters. that campaigns were funded to register new voters in the 2008 elections, should be the same way that campaigns are funded to ensure all eligible voters are properly equipped with the necessary and appropriate identification to cast their vote in the 2012 elections. The Temple News supports the Temple Student Government’s initiative toward creating new Owl Cards that comply with the expiration date requirement stated by the state voter ID law as reported in “Dems., TSG call for ID expiration dates” on p. 1 by John Moritz. If the intentions of the voter ID law are not meant to be discriminatory, then proposed legislation to ease the complications of obtaining a proper ID need to be created immediately. Obviously, we don’t support voter fraud, but The Temple News does not see voter fraud as either a serious threat. It’s clear that this law does more harm than good and we’ll support campus initiatives that will ease the effects of this law and make it easier for students to vote.

The Temple News recognizes the flaws of SFS, but encourages students to be proactive. Some of the anecdotes reported from students indicate that things are more of the same with students being tangled in red tape, having their accounts mismanaged and leaving the office with their problems unsolved and with questions unanswered. Students should not leave any office, classroom or any area of the university feeling belittled. The inefficiency of SFS continues to be unacceptable. New director Craig Fennell has some serious challenges ahead of him with improving SFS’ communication with students, the office’s professionalism and its ability to smartly manage the accounts of approximately 35,000 students. While it is easy to turn SFS into a punching bag, students need to be proactive when it comes to managing their individual accounts. Handle issues immediately, visit the offices when they’re not operating during peak hours and don’t wait for SFS to place a hold on your account before acting on an issue. It’s becoming more evident that students can’t rely on SFS to seamlessly resolve their issues.

JOEY PASKO TTN

PHOTO COMMENT

AMANDA SHAFFEN TTN

Participants create their own shirts to be hung at Health Education and Awareness Resource Team’s Clothes line for GLBT and its support against domestic violence on Thursday, April 5.

POLLING PEOPLE Last week on temple-news.com, we asked: Do you feel like Sodexo gauges its food prices?

72% 11%

Yes and something should be done about it so students receive fair prices.

I opt to shop at local grocery stores.

4%

How will you celebrate Spring Fling?

Yes, but that’s expected since it’s a business.

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? I’m not really aware of the prices. I just swipe and go.

*Out of 47 votes

CITY VIEW

Facebook privacy policy

The following bar graph demonstrates the word count of Facebook’s privacy policy during the last five years.

NOTABLE QUOTEABLE “Fact: Exposure to dubstep for any period of time decreases your overall well-being, 10 out of 10 people who aren’t rolling on Molly agree.”

13%

NEXT WEEK’S POLL

CARA STEFCHAK Page 17

Source: The New York Times Illustration Lucas Ballasy

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COMMENTARY

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

PAGE 5

Privacy is non-existent within social media

S

CORYANDAR GILVARY

Gilvary argues that a Facebook profile is an extension of a student’s public presentation regardless of privacy settings.

ome government agencies, such as the Maryland Department of Corrections, and universities are now asking applicants to log on to Facebook during an interview. Viewing an applicant’s Facebook is regarded as an invasion of privacy by some and perfectly acceptable by others. Understanding the limits of Facebook is important to our social-networking-obsessed generation. Governmental agencies and universities have begun to seek out potential employees via social media to view how they represent themselves on social-networking websites. The Maryland Department of Corrections actually eliminated seven applicants based on their Facebook profile. To employers, access to someone’s Facebook is like a version of a personality test, but more personal. Companies could weed out potentially dangerous applicants by assessing what they post online. However, many people believe that someone’s online profile is completely private and personal,

and therefore has no business in the interview process. On the other hand, people believe Facebook is a public forum and should be treated as such. Yet, many fail to realize that what the average person posts on Facebook is not exactly diary entries. Diaries are discrete personal entries of one’s life as opposed to Facebook, which is there for any of your “friends” to see. Even though Melissa Goemann of the Maryland ACLU argues that, “A person can treat it like a diary,” this is only feasible if your page is kept completely private to everyone except yourself. One factor that makes social networking a little less public is changing your privacy settings. If you become completely private only your “friends” can see your page. However, Facebook privacy settings, for example, aren’t as easy to navigate as it may seem. To manage your privacy on Facebook, you will need to navigate through 50 settings with more than 170 options, the New York Times reported in “Facebook Privacy: A Bewei-

ldering Tangle of Options.” In addition, Facebook’s privacy statements in 2005 contained a word count of 1,004 words, whereas in 2010 its word count increased to 5,830 words. So if you think you have Facebook’s privacy settings figured out, think again. Realistically, even if your page is private to only friends chances are they are just as impersonal as if an employee were to view your account. According to the Economist, the average person has 120 friends on Facebook. On average, men only communicate with seven of those friends, while women with 10. This means that there are about 110 of your Facebook friends who you do not even talk to. These tend to be your extended family, people you met once at a party and your ex that you may occasionally stalk. Now imagine you are in a room with all of your Facebook friends and you are given a microphone, and whatever you said would be the same as a status update. That doesn’t exactly seem very private. If we were to relate Facebook to an offline setting it would be less of a

small coffee date with close friends and more of a house party with many vaguely familiar faces. The privacy setting of “friends only” is not private anymore. How you act in such a large group of people would be public enough that future employers would want to know this about you. Facebook, despite appearing personal, has become so large that it is now a public forum. When applying for any opportunity you should be aware that your public behavior will be a factor. Facebook is now an easy way for companies to view this behavior. Making sure pictures from parties and statuses bad mouthing authority are not on your page is the first step in creating a clean public image for yourself. Just remember next time you post a status that every random person you have ever added could read it and that includes employers. Coryandar Gilvary can be reached at coryandar.gilary@temple.edu.

Inflation should not come at the expense of students

I

TARA TOMASKO

Tomasko argues that while Sodexo operates as a business, its food prices should be more reasonable to accommodate students.

f you lived in a dorm freshman year you were required to choose a meal plan. Moving forward, you can understand why many students opt out of a meal plan after being released from this obligation. While I am not a freshman living on Main Campus, I still have the 30-block meal plan and receive criticism from friends. As they raise valid points about the quality of Sodexo food and the prices, I find myself wondering why I, and other students, continue to purchase meal plans. Meal plans are marketed as being a frugal way to eat, but I find that hard to believe. The money that we spend on a meal plan does not balance the amount of quality or quantity of food we receive. For the majority of meal periods students receive $7.20 to spend on food.

This is a real deal at an all you can eat setting like Johnson and Hardwick cafeteria, but when it comes to the Student Center it can be a real rip off. If a student purchases a combination meal it may be justified, but when you want to buy a drink, fruit cup, and a salad you go over the limit because a fruit cup is priced so highly. Single items like milk, fruit, chips or salads are overpriced. Instead of being subjected to the overpriced food items, take advantage of the more realistically priced items outside the SAC at the food trucks. For example, at Eddie’s food truck you can purchase a cheeseburger, fries and a can of soda for $4.50 or two slices of plain pizza and a can of soda for $4, yet meal plans are suppose to save students’ money. Perhaps the most inefficient

part of the meal plan is that unused meals don’t roll over to the next week. This is a real problem for freshman and students who do not have the block meal plans. With a regular meal plan you receive a certain amount of meals per week and if you do not use them up by the end of the week they are gone for good. Ideally students should not be penalized for not using all of their daily meal swipes. Money is far too precious to go to waste. I understand that after long hours spent in the TECH Center the last thing most students want to do is cook and having a meal plan is probably the most convenient way to take care of hunger cravings, but if you do the math it’s better off going around the overpriced meal plans that Sodexo offers. Maybe it’s a reflection of our society as a whole, that we are always on the go

and it’s easier for someone else to make our food, but it should not be at an excessive price. While Sodexo is a business and it’s their priority to make a profit off of the food they sell, should it be at the student’s expense? Instead of marketing meal plans as the frugal way to eat, it would be better if Sodexo stressed the importance of convenience. Ultimately it’s up to the students on how they are going to spend their money on food, but because I need to start becoming more financially savvy I’m not going to renew my meal plan next year. Tara Tomasko can be reached at tara.tomasko@temple.edu.

Pa. voter ID law unfairly targets minorities

O

EMILY DICICCO

DiCicco argues that the Pennsylvania voter ID law is as discriminatory as past voting restrictions against minorities.

n your mark, get set, go! First, hurtle through a narrow ball of fire. Faster. Next, spell your mother’s maiden name – backwards. Next, stand on one foot, rub your stomach, and pat your head at the same time. Finished?  Now you can cast your vote. If you think that completing an obstacle course to cast a vote is ridiculous, you’re not alone. However, throughout history, the United States has put multiple barriers in the way of casting a ballot. Previously, literacy tests, and poll taxes served as a disincentive to vote. Currently, the recently passed Pennsylvania voter identification law quiets the voting voice of the lower class, young and elderly. In March 2012, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives approved House Bill 934, with a 104-88 vote. The law requires all voters to present photo identification at all voting polls. If a voter is without ID, they may cast a ballot if they present election officials with an acceptable ID within six days. The voter ID law emphasizes how history repeats itself. This nation has a long history of vot-

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

ing deterrents. During the late 1800s, Southern states implemented poll taxes and literacy taxes to restrict the votes of African-Americans.   The voter ID law will cause the same restrictions. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, approximately 12 percent  of the country’s eligible voters  may not have a government-issued photo ID, with an even higher percentage for students, seniors and minorities. Because the law states that IDs must have an expiration date, many college students’ ID cards are unacceptable. Under this law, a Temple Owl Card is unacceptable.   Pennsylvania college students aren’t the only ones in this situation. Similar issues are occurring across the U.S. After Texas state legislators cut student IDs from the list of acceptable voter identifications last May, some college students were left without proper identification.  Not only are students hurt by this legislation, but the elderly are also targeted.  According to political science professor Carol Jenkins, these are the most obviously targeted group. “Many no longer drive, and

TORY LIPSITZ

JUNIOR

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Would you suggest Temple implement a smoke-free campus?

“I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t have an objection to having smoke-free areas. It’s their freedom to smoke, and they should be able to do it if they want.”

their lack of mobility restricts them for traveling to state offices, standing in line, filling out the paperwork et cetera to get the ID,” Jenkins said. “The African-American elderly will be particularly impacted, since many migrated from the  South and cannot produce a birth certificate.  Older people vote in high numbers, so this bill will suppress the voter turnout.” Supporters of the bill, mostly republicans, have claimed that it will solve “voter fraud.”   However, there is essentially no fraud to solve. According to 2006 Brennan Center for Justice, voter fraud happens approximately 0.0009 percent of the time. Additionally, the study found “no documented trend of individuals voting multiple times, voting as someone else, or voting despite knowing that they are ineligible”. The Brennan Center for Justice also addressed whether such photo ID policies deter voter fraud, “The only misconduct that photo ID addresses is the kind of voter fraud that happens as infrequently as death by lightning.” In reality, the “problem” that the voter ID law is solving is the democratic vote.

AMBER ABERCROMBIE “No, I don’t think so, because smoking is a stress reliever. I know a lot of people who need a cigarette to get through their day, and who would freak out if they weren’t able to have one.”

Currently, republicans have initiated voting ID bills in 32 states. The Brennan Center for Justice reports that the states with new voting laws make up 185 electoral votes or two-thirds of the necessary total to win the presidency. Within the Brennan Center for Justice’s Policy Brief, the deputy director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program, Lawrence Norden, labeled the laws as “a state-based assault on voting.” Across the country, democrats, civil liberties groups, labor unions,  the American Civil Liberties Union  and the National Advancement for the Advancement of Colored People are challenging these bills.           Unfortunately, until these groups meet success, ID checks at ballots will take place during upcoming elections. Hopefully, these groups will manage to secure proper identification so that we don’t lose their voice as we did in past generations.

SOMEONE ELSE’S OPINION “Grown children are delaying marriage and children of their own. For them, the American dream is as irrelevant to today’s reality as a black-andwhite sitcom is to today’s TV shows… The situation has been decades in the making. It’s the by-product of wage stagnation and misguided corporate policies. Entry-level jobs, usually grabbed by the young, have increasingly been exported overseas.”

Inquirer Editorial, on

philly.com in “Young adults can’t pay bills without jobs”

“My daughter just ended her lesson on Africa in World Geography. She studied many African nations such as Darfur, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of these nations have children who are taken from their homes and are forced into a kill-or-be-killed child soldier reality. There are child soldiers in parts of Mexico, South America, the Middle East and Asian countries...How could we teach our children about the violence that exists in their world and tell them this movie is too violent to see?”

Renee Samantha, Letter to the Editor on time.com in “Children Are Already Exposed to Violence Worse Than ‘The Hunger Games”

“The new frontier of contraception is all about men. Of course, it makes more sense to take the bullets out of the gun than to wear a bulletproof vest — and with current options, women are playing Russian roulette.”

Arielle Pardes, on thedp. com in “A birth control pill for men?”

Emily DiCicco can be reached at emily.dicicco@temple.edu.

FRESHMAN

BRIAN MALONE

THEATER

SOPHOMORE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

“I don’t think smoking should be banned. I really don’t think it bothers that many people.”

AMANDA SHAFFEN TTN

OPINION DESK 215-204-9540

LETTERS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

COMMUNITY

PAGE 6

on the

WORD WEB...

temple-news.com

Unedited for content.

Lyric Toole says on “Mixed opinions surround the motivation of Florida teen’s death” on April 3, 2012 at 10:41 p.m. I truly agree with everything said here. This is exactly what I thought, and said to a friend of mine. Not only is the media getting out of control (I am African American), I believe my brothers and sisters are getting out of hand as well. Our focus is more on race than it is justice. It almost feels as though folks were waiting in the wings for the right situation (racial prejudice) to brew, thus taking to the streets… when in fact all we are doing is putting down an entire community in Sanford for the actions of Zimmerman and the Sanford Police Department. I know there are a lot of people who will shoot down my comment, but I am not getting the mindset of where so-called civil rights leaders want us to go. Trayvon Martin should be here today, but because he isn’t Zimmerman should be punished…as was Shawn Tyson who called two white British Tourist “Crackers” before killing them in cold blood. We also can’t forget Lemaricus Davidson, who tortured and killed Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom. Robert says on “Sexual identity measures diversity” on April 4, 2012 at 10:04 a.m. As long as we are segregating ourselves, can we do religion? Maybe we can do wealth too. Or how about blood type? How about ethnic background? Allergies? On our quest for special treatment and group-identity based policies I think it would be a good idea to start tattooing this identification on students – I think the forearm is the traditional place. If it works for the student population maybe we can extend this to the population as a whole. If anyone objects we can just ask why they are so uncomfortable about embracing their own diversity. Lee says on “Trayvon Martin case exposes hypocrisy of ‘free speech’” on April 4, 2012 at 7:25 a.m. died a martyr? He smashed Martin’s head into the concrete. He had been suspended from school 3 times in the last couple months leading to his death. He should not have been shot and probably was targeted because of his skin color… but that doesn’t mean he’s completely innocent. Have you seen this kid’s twitter account? Bigotry is alive and well?? We have a bi-racial president…which means a majority voted him in… and BTW I’ve been to frat parties too and nobody stopped (or barely noticed) when I came in…and I had to sneak in too because only guys are charged…it’s pissy but not what I would call discrimination. Being gay is totally hard, but has nothing to do with Trayvon. I’m not saying I think Martin is innocent in anything, but I do believe he was assaulted by Trayvon and you augmenting Trayvon’s status to martyr-like is ridiculous.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR RE: “Explore other parts of the city should NID pass” Dear Editor: Complaining about paying to better areas you complain about that you’ll only live in for an inconsequential amount of time is one of the most blatant and egregiously ignorant arguments from a clear vantage point of entitlement and privilege. Matt Petrillo stated in a March 19 opinion article that he wants “a contiguous border” between the Temple area and North Philly under the premise of avoiding an unnecessary tax hike, as if one doesn’t already effectively exist through the high cost of real estate in proximity to Temple and security checkpoints placed all around Temple’s perimeter, but what this shows is his, and many others likewise, complete lack of empathy and supposed “investment” in the community. Students didn’t make the mess? This is for all intents and purposes somewhat true, but if Temple students want to come to North Philly, and claim to be residents, whether they live in a gentrified neighborhood around all of Temple’s amenities or away from Temple’s land-grabbing in a genuinely harsher neighborhood surrounded by real North Philly residents, and not other students, they should view these problems as their own to help resolve for the benefit of all people who call Philadelphia home, and not just bemoan these issues from a clear and distinct distance and distaste for the area and its people. Further, if Petrillo had done his research, he would have found that even though the North Central Neighborhood Improvement District is a response by city officials to answer a community outcry about how Temple students treat their neighborhoods, residents are also wary of the NCNID, fearing that absent landlords and contractors will have control of the area, as the board is made up solely of landlords and contractors, and only landowners are allowed to

Dear Editor, For many of us, the public library will always be synonymous with books. The books drew us to the library in the first place, helped us discover new worlds - beyond our day-to-day experiences. Libraries continue to embody that same spirit of search and discovery, but in a manner that has been transformed as dramatically as the way we generate, share and consume information. They make this new digital era available to all Americans. In Chicago and Miami, for example, an innovative space at the main public library called YOUmedia lets any teen with a city library card have in-house access to computers plus video and audio recording equipment to create their own content. In a world where information is increasingly available, learning to analyze it, create it and make it your own is a valued skill. For many teens, the library may be the only place they can get online and be connected to the digital world. They are in good company. One-third of Americans – mostly older, rural and or poor – lack broadband access at home and can’t participate fully in contemporary life, much less in the $8 trillion global Internet-enabled economy. Imagine the difficulty of finding work today without access to the Internet – especially when 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies only accept online applications. According to a University of Washington study, in 2009 an estimated 30 million people used public library resources as part of their job search, with half of them filling out applications or

vote on the issue. Residents are opposed to the NCNID because of many of the same reasons students are. So, yes, if your grievances are the same as Petrillo’s, leave North Philly. But don’t just leave to go to another section of the city: leave it entirely. South Philly areas are no less destitute and no less crimeridden, unless you happen to live in the chintzy areas like East Passyunk, near Center City, and by Broad Street. All in all, Petrillo’s article is a pathetic attempt to absolve students from any responsibility to the surrounding community. He even so explicitly states, as almost a subconscious affirmation of his own entitlement and desire to be a separate entity in North Philly that “we don’t want to pay any more and we don’t have to.” What does he care? He is graduating this year and will never live in North Philly again, by choice. He is a selective resident of North Philly, which is a privilege real residents don’t have. Being a selective resident of your city in any form or part only propagates the issues facing the urban poor. If we as university students are to close the gap between “us” and “them” we need to recognize privilege where privilege exists, and being a college student of any rank that is able to choose to live in and leave an area as he or she pleases is a privilege many will never have. It is unbecoming for a major university, its students, and its newspaper, to continue to promote thinly-veiled contempt for North Philadelphia and its residents.

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

COMMUNITY COVERAGE

North Philadelphia finds affordable food scarce Tylib Williams said that more food banks and state aid should be offered to North Philadelphians who lack adequate food. CONNOR SHOWALTER The Temple News North Philadelphia native, Tylib Williams, said there is an inadequate supply of affordable food in the city and that he sees “a lot of money” being wasted. “I see McDonald’s throw out fries every day,” Williams said. “Burger King does the same thing with their burgers and homeless pick them out of the trash, but they’re fresh burgers, why wouldn’t they?” This year approximately 30 percent of Philadelphians, including Williams, will receive food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to the Coalition Against Hunger. The SNAP program helps low-income people buy groceries including cold foods, coffee and other items that are from a list of unprepared foods. Williams, a self-proclaimed rapper, who goes by the moniker, “Word Processor,” said the amount of food stamps that he receives is sometimes not enough due to inflation in supermarkets. “Back in the day you would go in the store with $5 and you would come out with 12 items,” Williams said. “Now you’re going in there and all you can get is a gallon of milk because that’s how much it costs now.”

A HIV patient of 30 years, Williams said low-income cancer patients do not have the means to obtain a proper nutrition with the food available. “We get food, but we don’t get the right food,” Williams said. “You can only spend what you can afford.” Another issue that Williams has with obtaining food is in regards to distribution centers. Williams said that he has experienced receiving food items from government agencies and non profit organizations that are not in quality condition. “I don’t think that is right, [agencies] just don’t care how they deliver the food to you,” Williams said. “We see all the rotten lettuce leftover, you know that stuff should be just as fresh as yours. I’m not saying that we’re not thankful, but some things are made to be thankful for.” Currently a household of four people is eligible for SNAP food stamps, if they meet a monthly income limit of $2,980 or less before taxes. Williams said that other North Philadelphians could use help paying for food and that the city should create more food banks as well as provide additional food stamps in the future. Connor Showalter can be reached at connor.showalter@temple.edu.

Sincerely, Geoffrey Volcovici, Class of 2013 Christina Warner, Class of 2012

submitting resumes. Beyond providing access, librarians are helping Americans navigate the digital landscape. Classes focus on everything from how to operate an e-reader to how to publish your own eBook. Libraries in Alaska, Oklahoma and other states are adding video conferencing capabilities. Some libraries will even connect you with a digital mentor to strengthen your skills. The Knight, MacArthur and Gates foundations support public libraries because they help people acquire the skills to become lifelong learners, compete in the global economy and provide the knowledge to participate in civic life. Libraries are a good investment. Yet some communities are cutting library budgets, forcing reductions in service just when Americans most need to deepen the digital and information skills that libraries foster. This National Library Week, rediscover your library, as a portal to other worlds – and your own community. It’s no longer a place where you go to learn about someone else’s past, but to create your own future. Sincerely, Paula Ellis, Vice President for Strategic Initi tives, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Deborah Jacobs, Director, Global Libraries Pro gram, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Julia Stasch, Vice President of US Programs, MacArthur Foundation

CONNOR SHOWALTER TTN

Tylib Williams stands outside of the Rite Aid Pharmacy, located adjacent to Main Campus on the 900 block of North Broad Street. Williams said that the amount of food stamps he receives is not adequate due to the high inflation in food prices in stores today.

Find Multimedia Online Visit temple-news.com/ multimedia to view an interview with the winning Temple Student Government Ticket: TAP.

LIVING temple-news.com

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

PAGE 7

Going for gold Tyler professor Paul Sheriff is producing a documentary addressing the loss of his family that highlights his sister’s gymnastics career. JOSEPH SCHAEFER The Temple News

U

ntil I started this project I was not even able to talk to my wife about the accident,” Paul Sheriff said. Forty-seven years after losing his sister, mother and father in a plane crash, Sheriff, a graphic design professor at Tyler School of Art, is revealing his life story to all in a documentary he is working on called “WorkOut.” “If I don’t talk about it, it is going to be buried away forever,” he said. “WorkOut” is based on the gymnastic career of his sister, Hali Sheriff, who died in a plane crash with coach and mother, Virginia Sheriff and father, the Rev. Hal Sheriff. Expected to compete in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Hali’s career came to an end when the small airplane piloted by her father crashed while returning from a gymnastics exhibition in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1966. Sheriff was 10 years old at the time of the crash. “It would forever change the way I looked at life and the way I live in the present,” he said. “I am aware the whole game can change at a drop of the hat.” Sheriff trained with his older sister in Blue Mound Gymnastics Club, a gymnastics team started by their mother, Ginny, in a gym attached to Blue Mound United Methodist where their father preached, in Blue Mound, Ill. “Within four years of my mom creating the team, Blue Mound became the best Amateur Athletic Union team in the country, all because of Hali,” Sheriff said. Hali would work out three hours a day, six times a week, Sheriff said. At 14-years-old, Hali was arguably the best female gymnast in the world. Months before Hali died, she performed several times in England. After seeing her skill, the English presented Hali’s mother with a plaque that had the inscription, “Thanks for bringing us Hali, the finest women’s gymnast we have ever seen.” “It took 10 years for the world to get up to her level in gymnastics,” Sheriff said of his sister’s skill at such a young age. By contrast, it took 47 years for Sheriff to feel comfortable sharing his story. The project began

in Fall 2007 as a sabbatical research project. “The documentary is a way for me to work out what feelings had been repressed for so long,” Sheriff said. “While focusing on the sport of gymnastics and the achievements of my sister and mother, I hope to be able to understand the twists and turns in my own life.” Sequences of interviews will be juxtaposed with vintage images, gathered historical text and metaphorical images, which will conjure past emotions and allow viewers to become a part of Sheriff’s journey. The documentary also addresses athletic competition as a philosophy of life, with its effects on the individual athlete. “The intent of the film is to find some commonality shared by us all when addressing the past and honoring is inescapable presence in our daily lives,” Sheriff said. Temple has donated approximately $14,000 for the film through grants from the dean and stipends for the sabbatical research project. Despite donations from other personal donors and Temple, Sheriff is still seeking funds to finish production. Film and media arts professor Eran Preis, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1984, and Allan Barber have been involved in the origins of the project and have given consultation on the project. The collaborative relationship will continue through all phases of the production: the narrative, principal photography, editing and revision. Depending on funding, the group hopes to finish the project in 2012. Upon completion, Sheriff and his collaborators will enter the film in film festivals and entertain other appropriate venues. The trailer, which was completed in 2011, is currently hosted on the film’s website. “I hope the documentary will be able to raise money so I can start a scholarship in my sister’s name for women gymnasts,” Sheriff said. When asked about the goals of “WorkOut,” Sheriff said, “I just want to get the story out there that has been repressed all along.” Joseph Schaefer can be reached at joseph.schaefer@temple.edu.

MICHELLE GISH TTN

Paul Sheriff, a professor in Tyler School of Art, is producing “WorkOut,” a documentary telling the story of his family’s tragic death and his sister’s legacy as one of the greatest gymnasts in the U.S.

Department, city observe National Public Health Week April 2 marked the beginning of the 17th annual National Public Health Week, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of healthy habits.

Courtesy National Public Health Week

FLIPPING THE BIRD

The Temple News looks at the new live red hawk feed, run by Computer Services.

LIVING DESK 215-204-7418

Monday, April 2 marked the beginning of a weeklong celebration for National Public Health Week recognized by public health majors. In 1995, former President Bill Clinton dedicated the first full week of April to NPHW in an effort to raise awareness to issues that affect the nation’s health, including violence and disease. Each year since, the American Public Health Association has organized national events to focus on such issues during the week. “National Public Health Week is a time to unite around a critical public health issue and focus our collective energy on the singular goal of helping people live longer, happier, healthier lives,” according to its website. This year, NPHW’s theme was “A Healthier America Begins Today: Join the Movement.” According to NPHS’s website, “This year, with the recent release of the National Prevention Strategy, we will address the issue

of prevention and wellness to ensure that faculty to local Philadelphians. Events like all is being done to improve our nation’s the communicable diseases student and parhealth. Uniting around this year’s theme ent workshops were geared toward kinder...we can work to encourage more Ameri- garten through eighth graders students to incans and their communities form them on how to prevent to take preventive measures the spread of germs through to help improve their lives. proper hygiene practices. Little steps can lead to big Temple students also led sevchanges.” eral workshops for students Different organizations and parents of the Fairmount incorporated this theme with Boys and Girls club regarding the goal of educating those sexual health. working in the public health “It’s important to get out field, as well as the general into the community and talk public. Public health is the to the public, especially the study of preventing disyounger ones,” Brittany Fritz, ease and promoting health a junior public health major through organized efforts and and peer educator with the informed choices of society. Health Education Awareness NPHW events in PhilaResource Team said. “The Brittany Fritz / delphia were held at the John earlier you are more informed junior public health major F. Street Community Center about sexual abuse, STDs and on 1102 Poplar St. and the Fairmount Boys the difference between what is and isn’t a and Girls Club. Temple public health stu- healthy relationship, the hope is that better dents worked as facilitators for the events choices will then be made.” held in the city. “Also, speaking in urban communities

“It’s important to get out into the community and talk to the public, especially the younger ones.”

Attendance ranged from students and

PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW

For National Public Health Week, TTN speaks with Rosa Riley, a public health graduate student.

NEXT WEEK

ALEXANDRA OLIVIER The Temple News

NPHW PAGE 8

100 YEARS OF AMBLER The Temple News debuts its coverage on the Ambler campus’ 100-year celebration, and discusses the future of the campus.

LIVING@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

LIVING

PAGE 8

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Health improvement week concludes NPHW PAGE 7 where there is higher risk for STDs,” Fritz added. “The public health field is so broad so ESG and “We hope to change that statistic and lower the NPHW helps you talk to people who are in the amount of cases where teenagers are field and helps narrow down what contracting STDs.” you want to do after college,” Hinson “You can better protect the inadded. “It is important to have these dividual by protecting the communitypes of events on or around college ty,” Lauren Hinson, a junior public campuses because we definitely need health major said. “If you protect the more people in the field.” public first you reduce risk for the With the combined efforts of individual like wearing your seatESG, HEART and NPHW both orbelt, which is a public health law. ganizations stress the importance Prevention leads to protection.” to make healthier choices and live Hinson is a recent inductee of long, fulfilling lives. One audience the national health education honorthat ESG, HEART and NPHW aim to ary society Eta Sigma Gamma. The reach is college students, since they Alpha Omicron chapter is active are more prone to not making healthy on Main Campus and held its Eta choices while in school, which thereSigma Gamma Month in March as fore makes themselves more suscepa way to kick off NPHW. tible to contracting diseases. ESG events included a group “College students don’t eat right, fitness day, a health fair where stusome of them aren’t using HEART dents could network with individuto get tested or even buy condoms als already in the business and a so colleges can become like almost a program during which a nonprofit hot bed for STDs and whatnot,” Fritz organization led the discussion on Lauren Hinson / said. “It is important for organizasexual abuse and prevention. junior public health major tions like ESG, HEART and NPHW Though its events were not cento hold these events because reaching tral to NPHW’s theme, there were the audience is what public health is many events that held true to the cause of public all about.” health, which is to educate the public of preventative measures. Alexandra Olivier can be reached at “The goal of ESG month is to bring awarealexandra.olivier@temple.edu. ness to the organization as well as educate on different preventative measures for sexual health and other general health awareness,” Hinson said.

“It is important to have these types of events on or around college campuses because we definitely need more people in the field.”

Courtesy Philaplace.org

The John F. Street Community Center hosted the National Public Health Week events in Philadelphia last week, which included sexual health workshops for kindergarten through eighth grade students.

ALEXIS SACHDEV Living Editor Aside from working as the Resident Coordinator in 1940 residence hall, Rosa Riley also works at the Student Center Barnes and Noble and was once an intern with the Health Education Awareness Resource Team. If she’s not at one of her jobs, she’s running down Liacouras Walk or through the Student Center coordinating the next event on Main Campus. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Temple in 2009 in public health, Riley is back with the Cherry and White, working toward her master’s in public health, social and behavioral science. She’s participated in National Public Health Week in the past, and declared a strong interest in preventative methods, rather than reactionary methods to health. The Temple News sat down with Riley at the close of National Public Health Week to discuss her interest in public health and the importance of raising a national consciousness to public health. The Temple News: What did you participate in last week with National Public Health Week? Rosa Riley: Honestly, this week went by so quickly for me, absolutely nothing. I did my daily Tweeting – my obnoxious Tweeting – about public health facts that people should do to help protect themselves.

Courtesy Rosa Riley

TTN: Have you participated in the past? RR: Yes. Back in undergrad when I was a part of Eta Sigma Gamma, which is the public health honorary, I participated in public health week, and did things like bake sales and programs about public health and what that means. And just little fun stuff, short quick bursts of information that people can use. So some of the things I Tweeted this week were about washing your hands. Like hand sanitizer is great, you can use it up to six times before you have to wash your hands. You’re actually supposed to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” when you wash your hands so you get the appropriate amount of time to kill the bacteria on your hands. TTN: Why are you a public health major? RR: So undergrad I started off [with] biology. I had it all in my head, I wanted to be a pediatrician. I got here and I hated biology, absolutely hated it. Between labs and dissections, I hated it. And I took two public health classes, I took food and nutrition and human sexuality…and absolutely fell in love. That was it for me. I changed my major, started taking the classes and it’s just the best thing ever.

ROSA RILEY

TTN: What attracts you to the public health degree and field? RR: I think when I thought when I was younger that I wanted to become a doctor, I thought it was because I wanted to make people healthy. But it’s really about keeping people healthy. And that’s essentially what public health is all about, it’s about keeping people healthy and keeping them away from negative health outcomes. So, you know, the ultimate health outcome is death, and we’re all going to die at some point. But you backtrack a little further, and you prevent the diseases that lead people on the road to essentially death. For me, my passionate thing is sexual health and get-

ting people to make smart decisions about condom use, about disease transmission and all of that stuff. Because STDs and sexually transmitted infections are some of the most preventable things, and it’s literally a two second decision [to put on a condom]. It’s just that easy, no more no less. I think for me it’s about helping populations, and it’s a larger impact than just seeing patients one at a time in a doctor’s setting. It’s fulfilling, and it makes it so people don’t have to see their doctors. If you’re healthy, you don’t have all these preventable health outcomes like heart disease and high cholesterol, even diabetes to a certain extent. TTN: Why is it so important for us to observe National Public Health Week and become aware of these negative health outcomes? RR: I think that public health is about sustaining the health of everyone. So there’s a quote, “health is a global issue, and when one of us is unhealthy, we’re all unhealthy.” And so, we allow infectious diseases like malaria to grow unchecked in warmer climates. It’s literally less than 72 hours for whatever that is to be on our shores. Our world has grown so much smaller through commerce and traveling and technology, so it’s about making sure that we’re all well. Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And so if you stop people from getting illnesses…then later on they won’t need to have three triple-bypass surgeries, they won’t need angioplasties, they won’t need these extraordinary measures to keep them alive. Especially for things that you can control, like cigarette smoking. Cigarettes are the big thing. My father had a stroke when I was in eighth grade. The first thing the doctor said to him was, “You need to stop smoking. You have to.” But, he said, “Doctor, I’m going to tell you right now, I’m not going to stop smoking.” It’s about providing the information so people can make those healthy decisions to get them on the path to becoming healthier. TTN: Why do you think our nation is so unhealthy? RR: I think we enjoy what we derive pleasure out of. So you know, it doesn’t always feel good to wake up and go to the gym. It doesn’t always feel good to go running. It doesn’t always feel good to choose vegetables instead of candy. I think part of it is that we don’t value health in the way that we should. I think it’s partially policy, I think our country doesn’t value health. I think the reason we’re having this debate about healthcare – why we should or should not have national health insurance – is because we don’t value health. We view health as a commodity, not as a right. I think we value life in terms of staying alive and sustaining life, but I don’t think it’s necessarily about the quality of that life. We’re very focused on keeping people alive, but we’re not very focused on making sure the quality of that life is OK. Alexis Sachdev can be reached at asachdev@temple.edu.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT temple-news.com

Spring into Swing

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

PAGE 9

Swing dancers gather in Rittenhouse Square on Sundays for a swing dancing session organized by Lindy and Blues. MAURA FILOROMO The Temple News

A

crowd gathers in the middle of Rittenhouse Square – some dancing, others watching and some dressed in 1920s attire. A band from New Orleans plays swing music. No, this is not a vortex into the past – it’s still 2012 – but walk into Rittenhouse Square on a Sunday and it is like walking back in time. Every Sunday, swing dancers gather for “Rittenhop,” from noon to 2 p.m., weather permitting. The event is free and open to anyone and includes live music on occasion, including Tuba Skinny from New Orleans, who played on April 1. “Rittenhop” is sponsored by Lindy and Blues, a volunteer-based swing dance organization. Carsie Blanton is one of LaB’s founders. She began dancing in 2005 in Eugene, Ore. In 2007, she moved to Philadelphia and started attending

dances held on Thursday nights. “It was a sort of small dance, and it was for lindy hop,” Blanton said. “I was always into blues dancing, so myself and three other people in Philly who were into that kind of dancing decided to start LaB so that we could teach and practice both kinds of dancing.” LaB offers lessons and dances every Tuesday at the Ethical Society Building at 1901 Rittenhouse Square. The lessons rotate every other week between lindy hop and blues instruction. Admission to both the dance and lesson cost $5. The lessons begin at 8 p.m., followed by a dance at 9 p.m. There are drop-in lessons, which are suited for beginners, and progressive lessons for more advanced dancers. Entrepreneurship major Graham Hunter said he started dancing approximately 10 years ago while he was a freshman at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. At one of the school’s club festivals, he saw there was a swing dance club. He started going to their lessons once a week and was hooked. He

RITTENHOP PAGE 13

ILLUSTRATION ANA TAMACCIO

First farm fest celebrates eating local The first Philadelphia Farm Festival was held in the Convention Center to highlight the importance of local, sustainable foods. rector of Fair Food, said she wanted to take the premise of “Local Buyer, Local Grower” Tomatoes, corn, carrots, and open it to the public, not just peas, strawberries, watermel- commercial buyers. “[Karlen] wanted to take on, apples and peaches – May it to the next level,” event orthrough October, farmer’s marganizer Marilyn Anthony said. kets across Philadelphia offer “It’s about broadening peoples’ these fresh, local choices. minds about eating locally – it’s For many Philadelphians, not just fruits and vegetables in these fruits and vegetables are the summer.”         the only local foods they have The outcome of the “next access to. However, there are level” was a five-hour event thousands of more fresh, local open to the general public from options beyond the standard 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by fruits and vegetables, many of the Buyer’s Reception, similar which were on display at the to “Local Buyer, Local Growfirst Philadelphia Farm and er” and strictly for farmers and Food Fest on Sunday, April 1. businesses. When entering the The festival, held at the fest, attendees were greeted Pennsylvania Convention Center, showcased these local op- with an eco-friendly bag for free tions, featuring more than 100 goodies and some initial food vendors, including local and samples from Whole Foods and organic farmers, producers, Chipotle.            While the Convention businesses and nonprofit instituCenter may not have the usual tions. The fest is the first of its look of a farmer’s kind in Philamarket with its delphia and was warehouse-like ata collaboration mosphere, on Sunbetween Fair day, bustling with Food and the exhibitors marketPennsylvania ing, foodies samAssociation for pling and children Sustainable Agrunning around, it riculture. had all the smells Inspiration and sensations of for the fest came a local shopping from a similar market and just as event hosted by many items to try. Fair Food. For At the festiMarilyn Anthony / farm festival the past seven organizer val, John and Kiyears, “Local ra’s offered gourBuyer, Local Grower” has been met truffles, SOLEA showcased an event for buyers to meet with safe cleaning products without local farmers. Anne Karlen, di-

EMILY DICICCO The Temple News

PSYCHADELIC SWAGGER

Mountjoy proudly boasts this self-proclaimed genre, and encourages listeners to attend their live shows.

A&E DESK 215-204-7418

CHRIS MONTGOMERY TTN

Dave Garretson of Beechwood Orchards arranges apples at the first Philadelphia Farm Festival. bleach and Wild Flour Bakery featured hearty breads. In addition to these novelties, traditional regional options, such as the East Goshen’s Farmer’s Market were at the Fest. Exhibitors were available to discuss their product and answer questions.   Donna Levitsky owns Shellbark Hollow Farms in West Chester with her brother,

where they produce and sell goat cheese. She’s no stranger to farmer’s markets, as she said she began participating in a market in the East Goshen Township Park last year. She said the market includes approximately 35 vendors, and that she relies on the market for fresh supplies for her business. “It’s very important that people buy locally and support

AMERICAN SERIES

The “American Pie” series captures the student experience and culminates with “American Reunion.”

the farmers,” Levitsky said. “It was very important for us to have a market near us because eating local is right around the corner from coming to East Goshen Market. Laura Yaghoobian, of Wild Flour Bakery, emphasized the economic aspect of eating locally. “Sustainability and supporting the local economy –

NEXT WEEK

“It’s about broadening people’s minds about eating locally – it’s not just fruits and vegetables in the summer.”

when times are tough, when you’re struggling to get jobs, when you’re buying food from local locations, you’re helping them and your local economy,” Yaghoobian said. In addition to the exhibitors, several educational workshops, for both children and adults, were conducted. One child-friendly event was the “ABC’s of Beekeeping”, in

FARMFEST PAGE 13 SKATE SPACE

The Franklin’s Paine Foundation is working to make room for skateboarders in forgotten spaces.

ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 10

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Eats & Cheats

Pretzels become newfound love CAITLIN WEIGEL

Columnist Caitlin Weigel explores a passion for iconic soft pretzels.

I

don’t consider myself a soft pretzel-lover. I’m never going to list it under “interests” on any socialmedia profile. In an ice-breaker game, I will never claim it as my favorite food. Should my life take a dramatic turn and I end up on death row, it won’t be included in my final meal. I’m never going to ask for one for my birthday, or develop a craving for them that demands immediate attention. Soft pretzels are pretty neutral territory. There is no passion in our relationship, just co-

existence. Yet, in recent weeks I’ve found myself mysteriously drawn to them. I’m still not drooling over them, proclaiming my love to people on the streets and ripping open my shirt to reveal a full-chest pretzel tattoo. But I’ll find myself at Frankford Hall for happy hour and, noticing that it’s just $1 more, ordering a hot Bavarian soft pretzel to accompany my half-liter of beer with a name I can’t pronounce. Or, I’ll skim the brunch menu at Green Eggs Café in Northern Liberties and be drawn to the Philadelphia-

CAITLIN WEIGEL TTN

Columnist Caitlin Weigel finds a simpler alternative to making homemade, hand-twisted pretzels – the pretzel roll. She recommends pretzels from Frankford Hall and Green Eggs Cafe.

Artists share Philly, common connections Fear of Music KEVIN STAIRIKER

Columnist Kevin Stairiker explores the similarities between two Phillyconnected artists – the Roots and Bruce Springsteen.

A

couple weeks back, Bruce Springsteen celebrated the release of his newest album, “Wrecking Ball,” with a grand, week-long stint on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The week ranged from tributes by far-ranging entities like John Legend and Elvis Costello, to the Boss himself gracing the studio audience with some tunes old and new. One of the most enthralling moments came at the end of the week, naturally, when Springsteen, the E Street Band, Tom Morello and the legendary Roots crew jammed, dismantled and rebuilt the “E Street Shuffle” from the ground up. It was one of the more exciting moments that any late night show has featured in a long, long time. Watching the camera cut from a joyous looking Questlove to an even happier Springsteen made me stumble upon a strange hypothesis: The Roots are the Bruce Springsteen of hip-hop. Before I get too far into this theory, there are obviously some holes that need to be filled. Springsteen has reached the summit of music, in terms of active artists, when it comes to sales and popularity. When the guy goes out on tour, whether

with the E Street Band or solo, it will sell out – it’s long been a guarantee. The Roots aren’t playing giant stadiums and they probably never will. But they don’t need stadiums to get a crowd moving. Springsteen, unlike the Roots, also gets a bad reputation for being “music that my parents listened to,” and that’s only about half right. In the audience at one Springsteen show I attended in 2009, the ratio of people older than 50 to those younger than 50 was not as high of a divide as one might think. The Roots are at the opposite of the spectrum as critical darlings that have had two out of 11 studio albums go gold. “Born in the USA” went diamond. But the similarities make themselves apparent with a little bit of digging. Both Springsteen and Roots drum major Questlove are noted music nerds, and have been known to often drop their knowledge at shows. Springsteen recently played at the Apollo and subsequently paid tribute to soul luminaries such as Wilson Pickett and Sam and Dave, and then brought the songs on tour with him. As for the Roots crew, it’s not a real show unless some majorly impressive covers are unknowingly cropped on the audience, and sometimes it’s taken up a notch by featuring the original artist that did the track. And here’s the crux of it: Both groups are not afraid to take chances whatsoever. The Roots were somehow able to release a concept album about death based off of a character from a Sufjan Stevens song a few months ago, which was seemingly buoyed purely by the collective good will they’ve drummed up since their formation as the Square Roots in 1989. It’s glorious. Springsteen just released the aforementioned “Wrecking Ball,” which, among other things, features an Irish stomp, a song ending with a continuous Curtis Mayfield-sample, and yes, a song featuring a rapper.

It’s similarly glorious. With age, the Roots, established 1989, and Springsteen and the E Street Band, established 1972, have become increasingly experimental, testing their rabid fans and not allowing themselves to fall into the trap of irrelevance like some of their peers. Both groups should have peaked by now but neither of them have slowed down in the slightest – it’s inspiring. As much as this is music nerdery at its most heinous, it’s always interesting to think about. You could draw similarly thin lines between nearly anybody – Thin Lizzy and Young Jeezy – Johnny Cash and Nas – Vampire Weekend and Big L. Both groups are such long-worshipped pillars of their genres that it seems almost illogical to think that one day they won’t be there. As I re-watched that “E Street Shuffle” video, it looked like the Roots were having the time of their lives jamming with the E Street Band, and the feeling appeared mutual. It’s moments like these that remind me that something like this would be totally illogical even a decade ago and that the lines between genres are still in a rapid free fall. Now I shall eagerly anticipate the Roots utilizing the riff from “Adam Raised a Cain,” or maybe Springsteen featuring Black Thought on his next 2DopeBoyz mixtape.

FIVE COUNTRY SONGS:

“In Germany Before The War” - Randy Newman “Holiday In Cambodia” - Dead Kennedys “Postcards From Italy” - Beirut “Big in Japan” - Tom Waits “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” - Kanye West Kevin Stairiker can be reached at kevin.stairiker@temple.edu.

style eggs benedict featuring a poached egg topped with béarnaise sauce on a slice of pork and a cream-cheese laden pretzel roll. Even while cruising through Annenberg, if a friend stops to buy a pretzel, I’ll mindlessly do the same, not even realizing what I’m doing until it’s halfway digested. Now, dear reader, comes the hard part – not in a physically difficult way or a mentally challenging way, but in a kind of emotional, existential kind of way: How much longer can I claim to be neutral toward soft pretzels if I continue to eat them like a fiend? Last week I consumed three soft pretzels – yes, three – in a mere five days. When did I become the Philadelphia ambassador to Pretzelville? Should I take this reflective moment as a wake-up call and try to maintain my neutral pretzel stance? But that would require me to give up all soft-pretzel eating and do I really want that? On the other hand, those sound like the words of a pretzel lover. Who am I? What have I become? Do I embrace this new development in my personality? So many questions, dear reader, and so few answers. My heart feels as though it has just come back from a spinning class, where it was yelled at to increase speed and tension on a tiny heart-sized spinning machine, and it forgot to grab a

towel and a water bottle before class began. It’s a heartbreaking level of stress and drama. But as we know from every sitcom ever made in the history of the planet Earth, the best way to confront any issue that you want resolved within a tidy, 22-minute period is to face it head on. In this case, that meant making soft pretzels. Though I had toured an Amish pretzel factory a decade ago, I did not quite feel up to attempting the dough-twisting part of pretzel-making. I could have easily gone to Auntie Anne’s and observed for a few hours, taking notes and watching the pretzel pro’s wristwork but I’m not interested in getting a restraining order taken out against me – maybe that would have been the fatal mistake that led me to death row. You know what’s way easier than pretzel twists? Pretzel rolls. Which are just shaped like little rocks. Or a pair of rolled up socks. Or a small, partially deflated balloon. Anything small and spherical, really. Bread-making is a little more involved than the Ramenloving cook may be used to, but it’s still a fairly simple process and a good project for a lazy Sunday, or a lethargic Tuesday. The end result? I’ve upgraded my relationship status with the soft pretzel. I’m still not penning any pretzel poems, but the relationship has clearly

entered a friendlier realm and the internal turmoil has ceased. I can now order a soft pretzel with a clear conscience, knowing I am not betraying my former self. For those also looking to get friendlier with the soft pretzel, you’ve come to the right city. As I mentioned before Frankford Hall at Girard and Frankford avenues has some killer soft pretzels with a spicy mustard dipping sauce that will make your eyes water. Green Eggs Café at Second Street and Fairmount Avenue does brunch right with their Philly-style eggs benedict. For a more classic pretzel, I recommend participating in the Philly Pretzel Ride. Starting every Tuesday night at 11:50 p.m., bikers cycle from the Art Museum to South Philly to enjoy hot soft pretzels at Center City Pretzel Co. They’re dirt cheap – the change in the bottom of your backpack should be enough to buy at least one or two – and the fact that you worked to get there and it’s the middle of the night makes them even more delicious.

THE TING TINGS FRIDAY, APRIL 13 NOON FREE WORLD CAFÉ LIVE 3025 WALNUT ST. WORLDCAFELIVE.COM

this group’s name refers to. Perhaps Kaiser, the German word for “emperor?” Or Kaiser rolls? The city in Missouri? A card game? Whether these guys are the gods of sandwich breads or just enjoy cryptic band names, there should be no confusion regarding their banging British punk sound. The five-piece set from Leeds, England was formed in 1996, but didn’t release its first album, “Employment,” until 2005. Its hit songs include “I Predict a Riot,” which made No. 36 on the Top 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever, and “Oh My God,” which hit No. 6 on UK top charts. The group released two more albums, “Yours Truly, Angry Mob” in 2007 and “Off with Their Heads” in 2008, before taking a three-year hiatus. Last June, Kaiser Chiefs released its fourth studio album, “The Future is Medieval,” and its fifth, technically a North American re-release of “The Future is Medieval,” “Revolution Without Me,” in March. The Chiefs have a history of infectiously head-bopping, toe-stopping shows, complete with crowd surfing and sweaty Britons. So whatever gets you down there – the sweaty boys, the great music or both – seeing this pop-punk legend from

across the pond for only $25 should be illegal.

The British are coming, the British are coming. The Ting Tings – the duo from Manchester, England – formed in 2007. A year later, “That’s Not My Name” shot straight to No. 1 on UK top charts. “Shut Up and Let Me Go” achieved similar success, hit No. 6, was featured in an iPod commercial and on “Gossip Girl.” Spiky-haired Jules de Martino and his platinum-andheavy-lidded counterpart Katie White come to town for two shows this weekend. The first, at World Café Live, will be free and tickets are currently available at WXPN’s website, xpn. org. If you miss the free set, you can listen to the live stream on NPR or attend the second show at the Trocadero at 8 p.m.

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Caitlin Weigel can be reached at c.weigel@temple.edu.

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Last year, “Travel + Leisure” magazine rated Philly the second-dirtiest city in the U.S. With detached weaves and empty Church’s Chicken boxes tumbling through the streets, it’s no wonder Philadelphia came in second only to New Orleans. But that doesn’t mean we’re not trying to clean up our image. Join the Streets Department for its fifth annual Philly Spring Cleanup as a volunteer at one of the effort’s many locations throughout the city. Last year, more than 12,000 volunteers cleaned more than 1,000 blocks of trash, recycling, tires, graffiti and recreation centers. All you’ll need is a pair of closed toe shoes and a bagged lunch – and a sense of community and can-do attitude, of course, to clean up our beloved Philthydelphia. -Alexis Sachdev

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 11

‘American Reunion’ waxes nostalgia I MATTHEW FLOCCO

The gang is back for the same old comedy with a nostalgic twist.

n film, what is American? Hollywood creates sweeping portrayals of America that range from sacrificial valor in films like “The Patriot” to discomforting tragedy in films like “American Beauty.” Then there’s the “American Pie” film series. Created in 1999 by Adam Herz, the original film launched the outrageous franchise, including three sequels and four spinoffs. The most recent installment, “American Reunion,” follows the story of the original characters as they prepare for their 13-

year high school reunion. The film pays homage to the original in full, awarding its fans all the old quirks, including Stilfer’s colorful but limited vocabulary, Oz’s good looks but not-sogood moves and Jim’s gratuitous amounts of nudity that put softcore porn to shame. While “American Reunion” did have the audience at the Pearl Theater whooping with laughter at a screening last Thursday, April 5, its poignant nostalgia outweighs its comedy. There is nothing more iconic than Jim’s awkward pep talks about sex

with his father, a true American and the changing of friendships. experience. “It made me feel the need to For the first time, however, value the time with my friends,” Jim offers his own father advice. senior anthropology major KrysThe true beauty of the film comes tal Jones said at the screening. from two realizations: The first is Other audience members that getting advice from parents did not receive the film as warmwill never stop, no matter one’s ly. But whether the students enage. The second is that parents joyed the film or not, there was are human. They once partied, no better place to screen it than drank, smoked, danced and yes, the Pearl. The song on which had raunchy, banging sex. Like the franchise title is based was it or not, many of them still do written in Philadelphia and first any and all of these performed at things. Temple. The franchise Don Mcis about growing Clean, who up through the wrote it, told eyes of sex, the New York and it explores Times in Noeverything revember 2011 volving around that he persex that many formed it while feel every day. opening for Angst-filled Laura Nyro. questions like One can“when will I not discuss the lose my virginfilms without ity?” or “why addressing this is everyone Ian Fleming / iconic anthem. Penn State energy engineering One else having website, sex?” or “when appropriately is ‘too old’ for sex?” some- titled understandingamericanpie. times define us, and are ex- com, cites historian David Halplored with the perfect bal- berstam’s book “The Fifties” in ance of comedy and heart in order to interpret the complicatthe films. ed lyrics. Beyond sex, the film “In that era of general good tackles issues like the loss will and expanding affluence, of loved ones, the fear of not few Americans doubted the esbeing successful, the dread sential goodness of their soof not having friends, the ciety,” Halberstam said in his questioning of relationships, book. “After all, it was reflected

“The film is American, because it [teaches us] that you can always seek to improve your present condition.”

back at them not only by contemporary books and magazines, but even more powerfully and with even greater influence in the new family sitcoms on television. They were optimistic about the future.” Though its balls-out – no pun intended – vulgar humor may paint a poor American portrait, the film gives college students, including senior Penn State energy engineering major Ian Fleming, this similar optimism. “The film is American, because it [teaches us] that you can always seek to improve your present condition,” Fleming said. While seniors like Fleming were only 9- or 10-years-old when “American Pie” was first released, some got teary eyed as they recalled that time in the best way possible. They sang along to the ‘90s music played at the end of the film. From the Verve Pipe to Blink-182, these songs define a generation that is moving onto the next phase of their lives. That is what “American Pie” is all about. As the characters reunite for the reunion at the film’s conclusion, Semisonic’s “Closing Time” plays in the background. All are reminded that “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Matt Flocco can be reached at matthew.flocco@temple.edu.

Courtesy Universal Pictures

“American Reunion,” the final installment of the American Pie series, stars Eugene Levy and Jason Biggs (above), and other members of the original “American Pie” movies. “American Reunion” came out in theaters April 5.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Mountjoy TIMOTHY VALSHTEIN TTN

JENELLE JANCI THE TEMPLE NEWS While some bands cringe at the thought of labeling themselves, Mountjoy has adopted their genre, “psychedelic swagger,” with pride. Comprised of Victor Gennaro on guitar and vocals, Bob Szafranski on bass guitar, Ryan Farber on drums and Cameron Sima on guitar, Mountjoy is becoming a presence in the South Philadelphia and Northern Liberties music scene. Gennaro, Szafranksi, and Farber are all Temple alumni. Mountjoy’s progression to its current lineup has been interesting, and began when Gennaro’s previous band, under the same name, disbanded. He knew Farber from a project called the JLE’s, short for the Joyful Little Erections. Gennaro and Farber connected with Sima who was in the Robotrippers, and completed their lineup by adding Szafranski, who they found on Craigslist a little more than a year ago. Mountjoy’s members are

dabbling in the arts by more than one route. Szafranksi works with the BodyFields Performance Collective and Farber has a dubstep project. Mountjoy is currently working on its second album, which has yet to be named. The band released two songs – both recorded in one day – in the beginning of March on their Bandcamp page, available through a name-your-price option to encourage people to attend their live shows. “We’re trying to get people to come to our shows and have fun,” Szafranski said. “We’d rather do that than have a million people listen to our music and never come to our shows.” The band undoubtedly thrives off of their live performances. Mountjoy has played at Johnny Brenda’s, Kung Fu Necktie, Station Bar & Grill and frequents at El Bar. Mountjoy is currently working with Flash Mob Productions and the upand-coming label Onthedownbeat Records. Other bands on the label include the Lawsuits, Los Hombres and Rebecca Way

and the Lesbians. teacher named Philippe. He said The Temple News: Who/ to “absolve yourself of being what are some of the band’s creative or original.” Because prominent influences? once you’re no longer worried Bob Szafranksi: I read about being creative or original, a great quote from John Paul you will just be free to let the Jones of Led Zeppelin that said, things that naturally come out of “I can play the name game here you happen. So you don’t have and list all the people I like lis- to worry about “this doesn’t tening to, but sound like someeverything influthing” or “this ences me. If I’m does sounds like in the grocery something.” Play store and hear a what you love, horrible, horrible and no one’s gosong, I put that ing to be like, in my brain un“Oh, they’re a der the category Velvet Underof ‘Don’t Do ground ripoff,” That.’” they’ll just be We play like, “That guy whatever we feel loves playing like playing. I Victor Gennaro / guitar and vocals guitar.” think we’re inRyan Farfluenced by everything we lis- ber: But, imitation is also the ten to. One day that might be most sincere form of flattery. the growlers, another day that BS: Which is why we do might be the Beatles, one day covers. that might be the Velvet UnderTTN: How would you deground. scribe your audience? Victor Gennaro: I went to VG: Our core group that school for acting at Temple, and comes out are always trying there was this awesome drama to dance and trying to have a

“Play what you love, and no one’s going to be like, ‘Oh, they’re a Velvet Underground ripoff.’”

EDIBLE BOOK FESTIVAL South Philadelphia and the Painted Bride Art Center sponsored the 2nd Annual Edible Book Festival, which catered to a wide age group interested in food and literary fun. (Top) Amanda DiAmico made lemon bars to represent the walls in the book, “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The line dug out of the dish represents the line the woman in the room created as she went insane in the book. (Middle) Al Brown created a Kosher book using Matzah bread, binded by celery and food coloring. (Bottom) Val Kramsen, who created the Edible Book Festival, introduced each artist and their edible literature.

LARA STRAYER TTN

laugh. I think you can tell it’s someone there to see us because they’re holding a bottle of whiskey and asking you if you want to take a shot with them. Our friends are just trying to be as open to everyone as possible. BS: They’re trying to have as much fun as we’re having on stage. Some bands, people will come out and just stand there and watch them and kind of be respectful. We try to get the crowd to have fun and dance with us. It’s always fun when someone new comes, and finds out it’s okay to be a little stupid. VG: Sometimes I think rock and roll music is kind of getting a boring vibe, compared to other media outlets. There are so many things going on, it’s like, why would you want to spend five dollars to get into this bar when you can spend five dollars to get into that bar? And the reason is, you have to show them that you’re better than YouTube. BS: Except for our video on YouTube, because that’s better than YouTube. VG: It’s a paradox.

TTN: Where’s your favorite place to play? BS: I think my favorite place to play was Bookspace – a place just North of Girard [Avenue] on Frankford [Avenue]. It’s a bookstore warehouse that has a trapeze [and] a bunch of cars. VG: We literally ended a set once with me jumping off of a piano onto a trapeze, swinging around. BS: It was always crazy. VG: We were younger then. TTN: What’s the story behind the band’s name? VG: Mountjoy is actually a prison in Ireland. My last band had a kid from Ireland in it. Mountjoy prison is the only prison in western civilization where you can be sent for life in solitary confinement. It has got a huge history of mental illness and people killing themselves and crazy things, and when I was 19, I thought that was really punk rock. Jenelle Janci can be reached at jenelle.janci@temple.edu.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

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Festival highlights local Swing dancers take to square FARMFEST PAGE 9

which the Beekeepers Guild discussed their passion for bees. Adult workshops included “Tasty Small Grains,” which discussed grain production in the Northeast region. Approximately 1,000 tickets were sold for the festival, and attendees came from across the Philadelphia region, each with an individual reason to check out the Fest. South Philly native David Lewis said he came out to finally start eating healthy. “I wanted to eat better and I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what’s local,” Lewis said. Celis Ray, of North Philly, said she came to the festival for gardening help. She left with some snap pea seeds, and added that the festival workers were very helpful and that he’d found what he was looking for. “I wanted to see exactly what they had,” Ray said. “I’m growing my garden this year so I wanted to see if there were any tips or anything like that, that I could use.        While there were many reasons for individuals to attend, most left the event with

more than just filled stomachs and sustainable goods, but also left with a better understanding of local eating. Organizers designed the event with this type of education in mind. “Over time, it will change attitudes and perception of eating locally and raise awareness of a new movement where people chose local eating more often,” Karlen said. “We hope to offer education so that people think more about what they eat.” Anne Karlen / Looking to fair food director the future, organizers plan for Philadelphia Food and Farm to be an annual event. That gives attendees a year to check out and further explore all the local venders they tried at the festival. “Year one, you learn the ropes - we’re planning on it being bigger and better next year,” Anthony said.

RITTENHOP PAGE 9

“Over time, it will change attitudes and perception of eating locally and raise awareness.”

said he “hasn’t missed a week of Dance Society and University dancing since then.” of Pennsylvania’s graduate club Hunter said Rittenhop’s UPtown Swing. main purpose is to encourage Lents said she likes the others to come to LaB and try variety of skill levels and age swing dancing, while dancing range of participants at LaB’s outdoors is a plus. dances. “It’s beautiful to dance in “You really experience the park,” Hunter said. “It’s a what it’s like to dance socially,” smaller group, so it’s more so- she said. “There’s the aspect of cial. It’s intimate, but also more social dancing, which is I dance public, so it has that dichoto- with you and we have a great my.” time, and then you move on to For Blanton and Hunter, the next person. It’s almost like one of the initial attractions to speed dating – there is the opswing dancing tion for dancing was the music. or conversation.” Hunter said the Hunter said historical aspect one of the reawas also intrigusons people are ing. drawn to swing “Lindy is dancing is its “ellike the father of ement of good, swing dances – clean fun.” all swing dances Hunter addderive from ed that not everyHannah Lents / junior one who comes that,” Hunter anthropology major said. enjoys dancing. When Hunt“Once you er came to Temple approximate- come and experience it, you’re ly four years ago he founded a either that type of person or swing dance club, which prac- not,” Hunter said. ticed once a week in Mitten Others are immediately Hall. The first lesson held had hooked. more than 100 attendees. “They come and they’re Junior anthropology major like ‘oh my God these are my Hannah Lents was a member people,’” Hunter said. “I don’t of the club during her freshman have many friends who aren’t year. She said she found out dancers and my friends who about the club in a way similar weren’t dancers became dancto how Hunter did at Creighton. ers.” “I was walking around at Hunter said people should Welcome Week and saw the not let intimidation stop them swing dance club,” Lents said. from trying swing, and added She said that she had done that the mentality at LaB is “evpartner dancing and swing danc- eryone was a beginner once.” ing a little bit in high school. If someone is a bit curious “It was a great way to re- or wants to pursue this type of lieve stress,” she added. dancing, he said to attend a few As the semester continued, of the Tuesday lessons or come less people started to come and on Sundays. He also recomthe group eventually dwindled mends finding a person to pracdown to a core of approximate- tice with. ly 10 dancers. Some of the same “The goal of dancing is to people involved in the club are have fun – the best thing to do is now involved with LaB. Even- put on a big smile and be territually it became too hard to sus- ble but awesome,” Hunter said. tain the club and meet require- “I would even say the point is ments Student Activities asks of to make the other person have student organizations, so Hunter fun.” said he invited people to attend “When your goal is to make LaB. the other person have fun, it’s Swing dancing may seem a virtuous circle,” he added. as if it is a pastime, but there is a “Some of my favorite people to thriving community in the city. dance with aren’t the best dancHunter said the swing dance ers – my favorite are the ones scene in Philadelphia is made that are laughing and having a up of approximately 1,000 great time.” people. There are several other Maura Filoromo can be reached organizations in the area inat maura.filoromo@temple.edu. cluding the Philadelphia Swing

“It’s almost like speed dating – there is the option for dancing or conversation.”

Emily DiCicco can be reached at emily.dicicco@temple.edu.

CHRIS MONTGOMERY TTN

(Top) Beechwood Orchards brought its harvest from Biglerville, Pa. (Bottom) Attendees gather at the Convention Center.

MAURA FILOROMO TTN

A couple dances in Rittenhouse Square on Sunday, April 1, as part of Rittenhop, sponsored by Lindy and Blues.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

LIVING

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

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Green Council fosters Introvert columnist favors alone time, collaboration with rejects peers’ pity green organizations GREEN SPACE

sity. Green Council’s work is incredibly vital because it affects Temple in a very important way. SRB promotes environmental and ethical business around Main Campus and has been promoting green business through conventions, gatherings and actions throughout the last few years. This week, SRB is actually hosting conferences relating to better and greener business practices. SEA has been heavily involved with pushing the university’s involvement in Recyclemania during the last few years. Additionally, the group has been on the frontline in advocating for more sustainable food services in the university’s Sodexo dining halls. SEA also helps inform students regarding environmental politics. Perhaps most notably, Students for Environmental Action has served as a hub for environmental volunteer opportunities and “green” connections. Temple Outdoor Club promotes outdoor activities on and off Main Campus. Philly Eco Kids seek to help promote environmental education. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Geological Society are both campus chapters of national organizations related to fields with “green” interests. Other peripheral non-club groups including Temple Community Against Mountaintop Removal and Occupy Temple engage in environmental activism, along with the university’s more broadly political and community service oriented groups. However, the Green Council organizations have served as pinnacles in the campus environmentalist movement for years. The promotion of green space on campus not only helps promote the morale of current students, but it helps combat the image of Main Campus as a bleak and lifeless campus. Temple’s campus certainly lacks the same “green” appeal that many rural and private colleges have. Students interested in environmentalism should consider getting a taste with Green Council’s upcoming “Earth Day Extravaganza,” and parley that into continued dedication to a Green Council organization relevant to their interests.

“Green Council has honed in on the week immediately preceeding Earth Day as its key engagement opportunity.”

Joe Hoey can be reached at joe.hoey@temple.edu. Full disclosure: Joe Hoey is a member of Students for Environmental Action.

SEEN AND HEARD

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tudent organizations and the students they target often see the much ballyhooed annual Main Campus extravaganza that is Spring Fling in very different terms. Student organizations enthusiastically JOE HOEY embrace Spring Fling as an opportunity to engage students and Columnist Joe possibly bolster supHoey discusses port and raise money. the umbrella Students see it as an organization, all-day celebration of skipped classes and the Green debauchery. Given this Council, and dynamic, I thought I’d its far-reaching take some time to highefforts on Main light the work being done Campus. by campus environmental clubs. Te m ple’s environmentally conscious clubs have organized under an umbrella organization as the Green Council. Green Council may sound like the kind of organization that a Glenn Beck or an Alex Jones may accuse of trying to destroy our campus, but they really do great work. The student organizations connected to Green Council are campus staples like Students for Environmental Action, Temple Community Gardens, Students for Responsible Business, Temple Outdoor Club, Philly Eco Kids, Geological Society and the Temple chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as Temple Student Government. According to the Green Council, the goal of the organization is to “foster collaboration among the sustainability-related organizations” and to organize campus-wide green and sustainability oriented events. Green Council and its member organizations have been working to promote environmental sustainability all year long. However, Green Council has honed in on the week immediately preceding Earth Day as its key engagement opportunity. The umbrella group will host a “green scavenger hunt.” Dubbed “Earth Day Extravaganza,” the event will take place tomorrow, April 11, from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Students will go to different green locations on campus to receive stamps. At each location, activities and giveaways will occur. Students who visit three of four locations will be eligible to enter for a raffle for a free iPad. The goal of the event is to help raise awareness of the green locations around Main Campus and to help create a new green location as part of the event. All of this effort will go toward eliminating Temple’s image as a concrete jungle. Green Council and its member organizations have put in considerable work to help forward a fresh, new, clean and green image of the univer-

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recently had a conversation with an acquaintance, during which I was told, “I always feel bad when I see people eating lunch alone.” When I asked why, he explained that he saw it as an indication of social awkwardness. VICTORIA MARCHIONY In his mind, that person was solitary because Columnist they had to be, due most likely to a lack of Victoria friends or Marchiony an inabilargues that ity to acintroverts are quire any. not socially A s someone awkward, but actually prefer who consisbeing alone. tently finds herself eating solo, I found this ridiculous and was shocked when others affirmed this impression. After all, looking around any given food vendor on Main Campus, be it a truck, Johnson and Hardwick cafeteria or the Student Center, there are often equal numbers of lone diners as there are pairs and groups. Since there seems to be a disconnect between those who are comfortable eating alone and those who fear it like the plague, I want to clear a few things up, using myself as the primary example. I consider myself socially lazy – most days, I would rather spend 45 minutes having lunch and reading my email, writing a poem or watching “The Daily Show” than trying to catch up on as many details of my friends’ lives as can be squeezed into a short meal. When I do put in the effort to arrange lunch dates, it’s only ever with one person at a time. For the most part, my friends don’t know each other, and you won’t find me at a table with a group of 10 people talking about that party we all went to together. If one person isn’t available or bails, I don’t have six backups to fill my table. The primary barrier to hanging out with friends is that everyone is insanely busy. Even when I was part of a “group” back in high school, and for a brief period as a college freshman, I hated trying to coordinate a time to get together

between everyone’s basketball practices, math tutoring sessions and shifts at the Home Depot. I always find myself frustrated by how restricting it is to define my schedule around other people’s lives. When I do schedule time to see people, what we do and when depends on a variety of factors including my level of tiredness – including how far into my menstrual cycle I am – and how much work I’ve saved for the last minute before its due date. If the perfect storm of sociability has not conspired to get me together with someone, I will end up eating alone. But there’s no need to feel bad for me. Other than laziness, I’m comfortable lunching by myself due to my “type” as defined by the Myers’ Briggs personality test. The test is called MBTI, and it determines, among other things, how you are in relationships or teams. One of the components categorizes an individual as either an “E” for extrovert or an “I” for introvert. The two groups are defined by how they “recharge their batteries,” or what type of activity gives them energy. Extroverts refuel by engaging with other people, while introverts need time alone to center themselves. Note: This isn’t to say that introverts hate people, it’s just that they don’t necessarily want to be around others 100 percent of the time. In much the same way that colonists liked to barge into undeveloped places and take it upon themselves to “save the savages,” and insisted on passing harsh judgment on a lifestyle that they simply didn’t understand, Extroverts often look at us introverts and assume we’re having some sort of crisis. When I eat a meal by myself I treat it like me time, and feel content just relaxing, people watching and mellowing out. Contrary to an outsider’s impression, I am not twiddling my thumbs and thinking about how sad I am to be socially incompetent and have no friends to eat with. If I’m alone, I’m actually cool with it, and so are the hordes of other single-diners near me. On behalf of introverts, socially lazy people and lone eaters everywhere on Main Campus, I implore you to save your pity – we’re doing fine. Just finish getting napkins for the 42 people sitting at your table and enjoy yourself.

“I always find myself frustrated by how restricting it is to define my schedule around other people’s lives.”

Victoria Marchiony can be reached at vmarchiony@temple.edu.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Meeting parents proves vital to relationship

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WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

pring has finally sprung, and the birds and the bees are humming and buzzing about. But you guys already know about the birds and the bees, right? It’s no lie that spring is the time for ALEXIS SACHDEV budding and blossoming love. After shedding the layers from Columnist Alexis our winter hibernation, mating season is Sachdev discusses upon us once again. the importance of But before you and making a great your doe-eyed cutie impression on a run off to neck in the lover’s parents. woods, there’s that nagging talk you two are bound to have. OK, there are a couple tough questions you two should definitely be asking each other, but I’m talking about the parents. There are five little words I gush to my mom every so often: “Mommy, I met a boy.” The next four hours or four days, depending how long I’m home, are devoted to her asking every single question about said boy. The worst – and perhaps most annoying – question she poses is when she’ll get to meet him. I abruptly end the conversation with “Mom, it’s too soon,” and change the discourse to focus

on school or my internship hunt. I struggle with Meet the Parents Day. Hell, I struggle with Meet My Best Friend Day. It’s not that I don’t think my friends and family will adore Lover Boy as much as I do, but it’s just a highstress situation for me. I always wondered how soon is too soon, and I’ve come to assume that my family will do more to embarrass me than flatter me. And it’s even worse when I meet his parents. The bottom line is that Meet the Parents Day is vital to the relationship. If the parents hate you, you’re done, kiddo. While I wish I could say there’s an exact science to meeting the parents, the only absolute in the equation is that the situation won’t be perfect, and you have to come to terms with that. OK, she might not spill your grandmother’s ashes everywhere, but your leading lady will probably say something unintentionally inappropriate, or you’ll get too drunk to calm your nerves – or both. You just have to accept – as I’m trying to do myself – that you can’t control the meeting. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your likeability. This way, you will only be judged on your personality, and not on your knowledge of the difference between salad and dinner forks.

Lover Boy and I walked through the door, he and my mom seemed to get along amicably enough. But by the time dinner was on the table and the wine was poured, the conversation dropped off a cliff. I talk a lot, and especially about my parents. Much of the time it’s about how crazy they are, but they’re quite fascinating people. Lover Boy probably should have mentally catalogued those conversations to pull out as his last resort during the dreadful encounter. So pay attention to what the apple of your eye is saying. If she mentions in passing that her father used to play football, ask him about his favorite team. Maybe Lover Boy’s mom owns a flower shop. Bring her some flowers as an instant conversation starter. The meeting is, after all, an interview to continue dating their son or daughter. Don’t walk into that interview uninformed.

“So here I am on the kitchen floor, reeking of dog pee and slobber, meekly saying ‘Hi.’”

DO YOUR RESEARCH

My mom insisted that I bring one of my nowformer suitors home for dinner one week. When

THE FIRST IMPRESSION

The first impression, much to many people’s dismay, is the most important. Before you even shake Mr. Smith’s hand, he’s judging you. Guys, make sure that your shirt is tucked in, your boxers aren’t showing and you’re wearing clean shoes. A clean shave never hurts, either. To my ladies, make sure the girls are tucked away. There’s nothing creepier than catching your boyfriend’s uncle checking out your rack. Actually, it’s best to just make sure you’re more con-

servative than provocative everywhere. By all means, display your personal style. Sure, you want the Smiths to see you as you truly are, but it’s never a bad idea to smooth out those rough edges.

DON’T COME EMPTY-HANDED

This should already be engrained in your consciousness as a common social grace, but just in case it hasn’t, I’ll reiterate. It’s nothing short of rude to show up to someone’s house without a small gift. A bottle of wine, a small plant or chocolate will suffice. But be sure to ask your honey before you bring anything to avoid allergies or anything of the sort.

KEEP YOUR COOL

When I was meeting my first boyfriend’s parents back in high school, his dog, Daphne, knocked me down and peed on my leg before I even shook Debbie’s hand. Daphne then proceeded to lick my entire face. So here I am on their kitchen floor, reeking of dog pee and slobber, meekly saying “Hi” to his parents as mortification creeps up on me. Looking back on it, this might be why I’m a cat person, now. Daphne taught me an important lesson that day: Murphy’s Law always reigns supreme. But whatever comes at you, keep a smile on your face and let it roll off. Nobody wants their son to date a diva. Except maybe Jay-Z’s mom. Alexis Sachdev can be reached at asachdev@temple.edu.

Illustration Joey Pasko

Are You The Next Editor in Chief of The Temple News? The Temple News, Temple University’s award-winning student newspaper, is looking for an editor in chief for the 2012-13 academic year. Candidates must be currently enrolled, matriculated Temple University students who, if chosen as editor, will be registered for at least nine (9) hours of undergraduate course work or five (5) hours of graduate work during their entire term of office. A good candidate should demonstrate strong leadership ability and proven managerial skills with prior experience in publications. A candidate’s experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of newspaper publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor. Contact Student Media Program Director John Di Carlo at john.dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain an application. Candidates should submit a completed copy of the proposal packet, two letters of recommendation, a current resume and a number of writing samples to the Office of Student Media in Room 304 of the Student Center Applications are due Monday, April 16.

LIVING

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Hawks nest among Owls

The Real World: North Philly CARA STEFCHAK

Guest columnist Cara Stefchak describes the various types of roommates one may encounter when moving into a new house.

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Courtesy Computer Services

(Above) The mother and father red hawks incubate their eggs above Beasely’s Walk. (Below) Cherry, the mother hawk, peers into a window from the nest she’s built atop an air conditioning vent. Computer Services installed a camera to stream a live feed of the red hawks.

Bird Watching Use the QR code to the left on your Web-enabled mobile device to view watch the live stream of the newest addition to Main Campus: red hawks

temple-news.com/QR

If you don’t have a smartphone, visit: http://sites.temple.edu/ redtail.

Are You The Next Templar Editor? Templar, Temple University’s award-winning yearbook, is looking for its editor for the 2012-13 academic year. Candidates must be currently enrolled, matriculated Temple University students who, if chosen as editor, will be registered for at least nine hours of course work during their entire term of office. A good candidate should demonstrate leadership ability and proven managerial skills, with prior experience in publications. A candidate’s experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of yearbook publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor. Candidates should submit a completed copy of a proposal packet, two letters of recommendation, a current resume and a number of layout, design and writing samples to John Di Carlo, Student Media Program Director, in Room 304 of the Student Center. Please send an email to john. dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain a proposal packet. Candidates will be interviewed by the Temple University Publications Board. Applications are due Monday, April 16.

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y life went to hell with the alleged theft of a $7 container of cashews. Yes, people actually pay $7 for cashews, but let’s not get too far off point, this column isn’t about people’s negative life choices. The downward spiral of my off-campus living situation either began with the disappearance of Rolling Rocks or vanishing eggs and apples. Actually, it was probably the weed stench creeping down the hallway to my room, or the constant doorbell ringing of boyfriend after boyfriend. No, no wait, I got it – it was the dubstep. Fact: Exposure to dubstep for any period of time decreases your overall well-being, 10 out of 10 people who aren’t rolling on Molly agree. My housemate grievances are nothing out of the ordinary. If my middle school self learned anything from her reality television binges it was that when the time came to coexist with others, confrontations would arise. But unlike the cast of “The Real World” or “Jersey Shore,” my housemate battles have not resulted in domestic dispute charges, furniture throwing, hair pulling or fist fighting – at least not yet. But I’m keeping the popcorn and FlipCam ready for the day I get front-row seats to when one of us snaps. But I don’t even know if you can compare the response patterns of the Jersey Shore’s cast of guidos and guidettes with Cara Stefchak’s real-life cast of indie-esque chicks and their flannel-wearing boyfriends. I mean, maybe if someone cut my perfectly tamed straight bangs while I was sleeping I might retaliate and bleach their Urban Outfitter apparel or break one of the three record players in my house, just as I’m sure Snooki would rip up some sequin party tops and snap some house music CDs if anyone messed with her perfect poof. When the going gets fi-

nancially tough, the tough get housemates. That much I expected. But no one ever briefed me on where the tough go when the housemates themselves get tough to live with. This is the time of year when many students are apartment searching, signing into leases and fantasizing in Facebook threads with their future housemates about how good all the Johnson and Hardwick cafeteria plates will look in their kitchen-to-be. No matter how confident people feel in who they’ve chosen to live with, everything will change after move-in day. The following is a compilation of types of roommates that college students may encounter during their years of shared housing.

THE KLEPTOMANIAC

This character more often than not will also double as the token compulsive liar in the house. Food will go missing, clothes will be “borrowed,” beer supplies will dwindle, and if anyone questions this housemate, they will become completely offended that you dare suggest they might be behind the vanishing goods. As I mentioned before, my house got hit hard by the klepto, who has yet to be identified. There were very angsty words exchanged in a way-too-long and hostile Facebook thread I lost interest in halfway through about missing cashews. The cashew culprit still remains at large. Hide your kids, hide your wife.

THE LOVEBIRDS

Realizing a housemate has plans to let their honey overstay his or her welcome can be exhausting. They’ll occupy the entire kitchen cooking elaborate date-night meals. They’ll occupy the living room for couch cuddle-seshes, curled up for hours giggling at rom-coms. They’ll occupy the fridge with their food and the hallway with their bike. They’ll occupy the shower for sexy time. They’ll occupy the front door steps, ringing and ringing the doorbell relentlessly to get in. It’ll all get really old, really fast. I’m not talking about the “few nights a week” stay-over status, I’m talking about the “let me make you breakfast in the morning and send you off to school like we’re married and I’ll be here waiting with lunch for you when your class is done” status. It’s even worse if you’ve got an emotionally unstable couple on your hands playing house, unless you’re into listening to the whole, “let’s start drunk fighting at midnight and forget we share a house with four other people who may not want to hear about how rude you were to me tonight.” There are some pros to living with the couple: handyman on duty 24/7. Also, the more

unhealthy the couple, the more secure one can feel about his or her own relationship. There are tons of nights where, as I lay in bed listening to the live Jerry Springer episode playing out above my head I think, “Hey, at least I’m not involved in that train wreck.”

THE FOUR-LEGGED ROOMMATE

When students move out of residential housing, many adopt in a furry companion, or in Temple’s case, many pick up one of the 10 cats that they encounter on their walk home and claim it as their own. Or in my case, the animals claim your house as their own. Enter: mice. But un-welcomed rodents aside, living with a domestic pet can be nice and sub-in for the pet you’re missing from home, just as long as the housemate who brought in the animal cares for the animal. Before we moved in, one of my housemates expressed interest in getting a puppy that she planned to keep in her closetsized room. The message contained pro-puppy propaganda of adorable pictures. No matter how cute they were, all I could think about was how hard I would want to punt that dog – think Baxter in “Anchorman” – when its yappy puppy barks would interrupt my studying. So while the puppy idea never actualized, a bunny one did. My Flemish giant rabbit Pancake shacks up in my bedroom, rent free. And while he doesn’t come equipped with a bark feature, he has been known to jump on anything and everything, usually resulting in loud, sporadic crashes in the middle of the night, which isn’t the most appealing for my roommate next door. Luckily for me, Pancake’s presence is too cute to protest. He stays.

the overflowing trashcan you left full, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t want any of this trash you left laying around the kitchen along with this stack of dishes.” The notes will be cleverly written to appear like your housemate cares about your well-being, but really the hidden message takes on a slightly more harsh “stop being disgusting” tone.

THE PRIVILEGED ONLY CHILD

The only child will have no boundaries. They’ll never have heard of knocking on a door before entering, and probably have very limited knowledge in cooking, cleaning or anything that requires them to lift a finger. You’ll feel good about yourself that you’ve managed to acquire more life skills than someone else without really trying, but good luck leaving them to do any chore in the house up to a normal person’s standards.

THE GHOST

The only way you know the ghost exists is by the fact that his or her food supply is slowly dwindling. You run into them once a month and exchange “hellos,” but have zero idea what that person does on a dayto-day basis or where they’ve been staying all week. They’ll stop back at base camp to pickup more clothes and shower. The only way I know my invisible roommate has stopped in is from the pot smell that overwhelms me when I open the front door. It let’s me know she’s alive. While my housemate experiences have been mellow compared to the roommate smacktalk I sometimes eavesdrop in on when on Main Campus, it hasn’t been flawless. I can’t wait for the day when I won’t have to fight for fridge space, the day when I can watch television in my underwear without someone’s boyfriend walking though the house and the day when a full-detailed report about a missing container of nuts won’t fill up my Facebook inbox. And remember, there are these magical places called onebedroom apartments for those looking to regain their sanity.

“There are tons of nights where as I lay in bed listening to the live Jerry Springer episode above my head I think, ‘Hey, at least I’m not involved in that train wreck.’”

THE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE NOTE WRITER

I’ve been both a giver and receiver of the “stop being so goddamn lazy and do something productive in this house” passive-aggressive fridge notes. In our housemate honeymoon period, the notes took on a kinder tone, beginning with “please” or “dear housemates” and ending in “thank you.” Now, they begin with “[insert vulgarity here],” and end with “[insert vulgarity here].” The notes will be waiting on the fridge first thing as you stumble downstairs postparty. “Before I finish cleaning the bathroom and emptying

Cara Stefchak can be reached at cara.stefchak@temple.edu.

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Rowing finds inner pace

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Hypnosis aids pitcher Sophomore pitcher Brooklin White looks to fix mentality. IBRAHIM JACOBS The Temple News

Courtesy Ellie Oken

The women’s varsity eight hoists the first place trophy after winning its final heat in San Diego.

ROWING PAGE 20 said. “There’s a lot of energy on this team and I wish I were a freshman to repeat everything because I think the program is going to take off significantly in the next couple years.” Read said mental preparation propelled the boat to the historic victory, despite a technical malfunction with the squad’s cox box. The device used by Oken, who is the boat’s coxswain, did not work prior to the start of the race, which hindered her ability to communicate to the boat’s rowers during the race. Oken realized the cox box wasn’t working, but the team didn’t have time to replace the equipment. “It took extra commitment and extra focus during the race and that can upset a crew and mess up an entire race,” Wasserleben said. “So it was really cool to get done everything that we needed to without having [the cox box].” The teammates agreed that

the boat relied on chemistry to overcome the technical issue and pull out the win in their event. “You can put the eight fastest girls in the lineup, but it might not work because no one is fighting for each other,” O’Sullivan said. “I think this team is actually fighting, not just for our coach, but for everyone in the boat so I think that’s an extra thing we have against other crews.” “We’re so well connected to each other that everything matters and we want to do well for each other and I think it’s a big part of race outcome,” Wasserleben said. “If everyone is fighting each other in a boat, you’re not going to do as well, if everyone is backing each other up because that’s what you need.” The squad is looking to carry its momentum into the Knecht Cup held in Pennsauken, N.J. on April 14 to 15, which will serve as a preview for the A-10 championships. “Pretty much all the

schools that will be at the A-10s will be [at the Knecht Cup],” O’Sullivan said. “[It’s] so exciting, maybe we’ll get some redemption from last year because we didn’t do too hot.” Last season the Owls finished in seventh place as a team at the A-10 championships, while the team had its best finish since 1998 at the 2010 championships when Temple tied Saint Joseph’s for third place in the field. In the previous meet, the Owls’ lightweight varsity eight captured the program’s firstever Top 10 ranking after finishing second at the 30th Memorial Murphy Cup on March 24 in Pennsauken. The Owls’ silver medalist squad composed of freshmen Laura Turner, Gina Inverso, Kate Turner, Caroline Slusarczyk, sophomores Lauren Kidd, Kelsey Joniec and Mary Kate Louge, senior Sarah Jennings and Oken. Connor Showalter can be reached at connor.showalter@temple.edu.

MTV reality star and professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, Olympic swimmer Dara Torres and Owls’ sophomore pitcher Brooklin White have more in common besides being able to call California home. The trio have all visited and been impacted by the same man, George Pratt, Ph.D., a California-based hypnotherapist. But White didn’t visit Pratt simply for the celebrity connection and proximity to home. Her father made the suggestion after the pitcher struggled in her first season with the team, surrendering 15 home runs in 14 appearances in addition to posting an 8.06 ERA. White’s biggest problem is the mental aspect of the game, she said. “[My father] knew that I was frustrated,” White said. “I was trying my hardest and wasn’t getting it. [Pratt] helped me relax and not take everything so seriously.” With a clear head, White has returned for her sophomore season. She posted a team-leading ERA of 2.44 after her first 10 appearances in addition to surrendering seven homeruns in 57.1 innings pitched. “She changed so much this year, she is a lot more confident,” senior third baseman Rachel Knable said. “She came in as a freshmen and she did OK, but was very shaky. This year she is definitely our top pitcher.” However, it was not a complete turnaround for White,

who began to show signs of re- ethic is very, very good.” turning to her old ways in the White, a Californian repast two weeks. cruit, came to Temple for “She has been a little in- “something different” and she consistent,” coach Joe DiPi- has already won the respect etro said. “She started off really of her teammates and coaches well but lately she hasn’t been with her demeanor and attitude. as sharp. She is her own worst “All of the girls like enemy and her own worst crit- [White] because they see how ic. She wants everything to be hard she works,” DiPietro said. perfect and it is just not realis- “She is not an excuse person… tic and it gets her in a little bit she is a people person. The of trouble.” girls tell everybody that she has White is second on the ‘Cali Swag’ because she has a team with an ERA of 3.28 and little swagger about her, which has been given the opportunity is good. I like that in my playto pitch a team-high 102.1 in- ers.” nings, 30 more than fifth-year While the total impact senior Capri Catalano. of the Pratt is yet to be deterWhere White has strug- mined, White desires more out gled, has been in homeruns sur- of her season than just a strong rendered, a team start. leading 18. “I want to “You think stay strong menso much stuff tally and work my on the mound,” hardest and hopeWhite said. “You fully get good recan think, ‘I don’t sults,” White said. want this to hap“I am going to pen’ or, ‘I don’t be confident and want that to haphopefully lead the pen’ or, ‘What is team to A-10’s.” going to happen DiPietro deBrooklin White / clined to name a if I do this?’ I just sophomore pitcher No. 1 pitcher in need to clear my head and take a the rotation and deep breath and focus on one said that he needed someone to pitch at a time. If I start think- step up to the task. But DiPietro ing about the batter or the in- said he hasn’t given up on one ning I lose control.” of his top talents yet. White has surrendered six “Even if she knows she homeruns in her past three ap- isn’t going to pitch, she gets uppearances, with two coming in set when she doesn’t,” DiPietro each game. said. “She is a competitor and I A bright spot for White like that about her, I just need has been her team-leading 57 results. This is a results driven strikeouts and her 10 wins are game. But she is too good of a fourth best in the Atlantic Ten pitcher and too good of a perConference. son to just write her off.” “I know she worked really Ibrahim Jacobs can be reached at hard in the offseason,” DiPietro ibrahim.jacobs@temple.edu. said. “It was obvious when she came back to school how much time she put in. She is all about making herself better. Her work

“I want to stay strong mentally and work my hardest and hopefully get good results.”

Outfielder sparks lineup Forward earns praise BASKETBALL PAGE 20

Jabair Khan remains patient at plate. JOHN MURROW The Temple News In his first year as a cocaptain for the Owls, senior outfielder Jabair Khan has not had the start to the 2012 season that he wanted offensively. Khan, a native of West Chester, Pa., is currently batting .252 with eight doubles and 10 RBIs. With a slow start at the plate, Khan has boosted the Owls with strong defense in the outfield. “This year has definitely been my best defensive year,” Khan said. “The offense will come, but defense is something you can control on your own with hard work.” For Khan, coming to Temple was an easy choice because it was a great opportunity and was close to home. “I knew a few guys on the team and I wanted to be in Philadelphia,” Khan said. “I really enjoy being here.” Not only was Khan recruited by former Temple baseball coach Rob Valli, but he was also recruited by current first year coach Ryan Wheeler in 2008. At the time, Wheeler recruited Khan to join Richmond University. “I wanted to go to a larger school and Richmond was a smaller school,” Khan said. Just like many of his other teammates, Khan has a few superstitions when it comes to the game of baseball. “When I am hitting well, I will usually let the beard go,” Khan said. “I also always use a batting sleeve. When I am hitting well, I won’t change that arm sleeve unless I get cold at the plate.” Ever since Khan joined the Owls in 2009, senior infielder and pitcher Steve Nikorak has spent the past four years on the

PAUL KLEIN TTN

Senior outfielder Jabair Khan provides a reliable bat for the Owls. He is currently hitting .252 with 10 RBIs in 31 games. baseball team beside Khan. “[Khan] and I have been very great friends,” Nikorak said. “We have worked out together and hung out together.” Nikorak describes Khan as a strong leader, who inspires those around him to get better and work harder. “He is a fireball who brings a spark to the rest of the team,” Nikorak added. “[Khan] is an easy kind of leader who guys can easily relate to,” Wheeler said. “While other guys can get emotional, [Khan] keeps an even keel and leads by example that way.” In regards to Khan, Wheeler said he is not worried at all. “He has had a slow start but he is starting to come on and beginning to break out for us offensively,” Wheeler said. “[Khan] has had a great year defensively,” Wheeler added. “In baseball, it all evens out eventually.”

Wheeler describes Khan as not much of a confrontational leader. “He talks to players on the side and behind the scenes,” Wheeler said. Wheeler defines Khan as a top leader and a player he can trust on the field. “[Khan] never does the wrong thing in any situation,” Wheeler said. For the rest of the season, Khan hopes to go to the Atlantic Ten Conference championship game and win the tournament for the Owls. Along with keeping up his strong defense he has provided this season, Khan hopes to continue to find his bat. “His offense is improving and is sparking the rest of the team,” Wheeler said. John Murrow can be reached at john.murrow@temple.edu.

big dance when South Florida used a stifling defense to send Temple back home after a stellar regular season. With that in the rear view mirror, Hollis-Jefferson said he feels he needs to work on some things in the gym during the offseason to kick his game into another gear. “I don’t think he ever shies away from the game,” Dunphy said. “He loves the game, I think he loves his teammates, he loves competition. My sense is he will shoot hundreds and hundreds of jump shots every day.” Hollis-Jefferson’s brother, Rondae Jefferson, is a junior who is coming off leading the Chester Clippers to an undefeated season and the PIAA state championship. “I’m very proud of him,” Hollis-Jefferson said of his younger brother. “He told me he was going to win more championships than me in high school.” “Right now, he’s got it,” Hollis-Jefferson, who won one state title in high school, added. “I can’t tell him anything.” Hollis-Jefferson’s brother is already generating interest from many Division I schools, including Temple. The brothers are about the same size, but Hollis-Jefferson acknowledges there may be more differences than similarities. “I like to watch him play, but I don’t think I do the same things he does,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “He’s like the big guard – flashy, Magic Johnson-type passes and stuff. … He gets more vocal but, also, he tries to lead by example as well.” Hollis-Jefferson and company hope to lead the Owls to its fifth-consecutive NCAA tournament berth in the final season as a member of the

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Junior forward Rahlir Hollis Jefferson started 31 games and averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest last season. A-10. Dunphy said Hollis-Jefferson has the experience and leadership to guide the rest of the squad and make the decisions in critical moments of a game. “We need him to be on the court, especially at crunch time because you can rely on him defensively,” Dunphy said. “You can rely on him to be in the right position. Now, what we have to rely on is great decision-making and improving ball-handling for [HollisJefferson] because our team is going to need that.” While Hollis-Jefferson may not be the most talkative player and steers away from the spotlight as much as he can, he lets his play on the court speak for itself.

“I’m not very vocal,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “I can be sometimes with my teammates, just telling them to keep their heads up. But, I’m more of a ‘show ‘em’ kind of guy. I just let go out there and lead by example.” Dunphy said he expects good things to come with Hollis-Jefferson taking on more responsibility. “I hope he improves in every aspect of the game, because we need him,” Dunphy said. “He’s going to be a stalwart for us next year, not that he hasn’t been a stalwart already. He’s been a good player you can really count on.” Bud Weaver can be reached at bud.weaver@temple.edu.

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TUESDAY, APRIL10, 2012

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Collins leads squad to NCAAs career at Temple, he was anyTuroff said that Collins thing but a leader. Now in his was elected by his teammates, fifth year at Temple, he head- not by coach selection, because lines a senior class that will they respect his work ethic, have six gymnasts graduate at spirit, consistency and leaderthe end of the semester. ship that he provides. Collins “When [Collins] came however, gives himself far less in as a freshmen he just did accolades. what everybody else told him “It is easy to be a leader to do and went with the flow,” on a team where there are a lot senior Adam Alof other leaders,” Rokh said. “Now Collins said. “It he has his own is easy when the thing that he does team gets along so and helps lead well and has a lot other people. It of leaders outside was just a great of our ‘captain’ growing up protitles.” cess.” Collins will Although not take credit for Collins did not leading the team compete as a to national comMatt Martin / senior petition. freshman, he was gymnast named the 2010 “Collins can Most Improved Gymnast of do whatever he wants,” Martin the Year by the Eastern In- said. “If he wants to have a futercollegiate Gymnastics ture in gymnastics he will and League, an ECAC affiliate. In if he chooses to go on to other his final year with the team, things he will excel as well. his teammates vocalized their It is all about his work ethic. respect for Collins by electing [Collins] is one of the hardest him team co-captain. workers I have ever met and it “[Collins] has been one is up to him.” of the best captains and best Ibrahim Jacobs can be reached at friends that I have ever met,” ibrahim.jacobs@temple.edu. senior gymnast Matt Martin said. “It has been a blessing to have him. He gives everything to the team.”

“[Collins] has been one of the best captains and best friends that I have ever met.”

PAUL KLEIN TTN

Graduate Blake Collins placed third in the horizontal bars.

Brown ready to fulfill role BROWN PAGE 20

PAUL KLEIN TTN

Junior running back Matt Brown, previously No. 22, wears No. 2 during a spring practice at Edberg-Olson Hall. But when asked about playing behind Pierce last season at spring practice last week, Brown opened up about his frustrations, which he said he felt “all the time.” “It’s just what you have to deal with when you have a player as good as [Pierce] was in front of you,” Brown said. “But I took my beating, I worked through it and now it’s my turn.” Brown rushed for 947 yards and six touchdowns last season as the backup running back. Pierce gained 1518 yards and scored 27 touchdowns, breaking every Temple rushing record along the way, and is now projected to be an earlyround pick the NFL Draft on April 26. With Pierce’s departure, coach Steve Addazio said Brown is “unquestionably” the Owls’ new starter. “I want to see [Brown] keep competing and keep doing right, on and off the field,” Addazio said. “Everything’s earned and nothing’s given. Right now he’s earned the right to be called the starter, and if he doesn’t handle that well, that

will absolutely be taken away.” Brown will head an inexperienced backfield that includes two redshirt freshmen, a junior-college transfer and a converted quarterback. Sophomore Kenneth Harper had the most carries last year of any returning backup, with 33 attempts in 13 games. Addazio said sophomore Jalen Fitzpatrick, who played quarterback in high school and is listed as a wide receiver, could see time as a hybrid between a tailback and an inside wide receiver. Redshirt freshmen Spencer Reid and Hassan Dixon and senior transfer Darius Johnson will also compete for carries, with Reid likely taking the third spot behind Brown and Harper. “I think we’ve seen great progress by Harper, Reid and Fitzpatrick,” Addazio said. “I’m really pleased with it. I like where that’s headed a lot.” “I just think it’s great when you have playmakers, more than one playmaker, and you’re going to utilize everybody,” Addazio added. “We have a bunch of tailbacks, guys that are playing that hybrid tailback

and inside receiver position, so that’ll give us the opportunity to really spread the field and hold the defense accountable.” Addazio said the offense, which ran the ball the fifth most in the country last year, will likely be more balanced this season as redshirt-sophmore quarterback Chris Coyer has gained experience as the starter. Addazio will run the spread with Coyer, who ran for 608 yards last year, but said Brown could get 20-30 carries a game. “It depends, but sure, it could happen for sure,” Addazio said. “There were games where [Brown had 20 carries] last year. It certainly could happen, but I would suggest to you that we’ll be a little more balanced with the carries. The quarterback will carry the ball this year more. When you sort that all through, I don’t know what the ratio will be, but it probably won’t be as heavily skewed.” “I would take 60 [carries] if we wanted to, whatever it takes to win the game,” Brown added. “If I had to run the ball on every single play, I’d run the ball on every single play. If we pass it every play, I’m going to block on every play. Whatever it takes to win that game, I’m going to have to do.” Coyer said that Brown’s explosiveness isn’t merely reflected by how he runs the ball. He is one of the most energetic leaders on the team. “As a player, [Brown’s] incredibly versatile and explosive. The guy has one of the quickest first steps I’ve ever seen,” Coyer said. “As far as a teammate, he really brings such an energy to the huddle and the field. It’s a competitive edge that makes him really fun to play with and it really uplifts the entire team.” “I’m just out there in my world,” Brown added. “The field is like my playground. To me, it’s all fun and the love of the game.” Now, after three years of being second to Pierce, Brown finds himself as the starting running back of a Big East football team. “I’m too excited,” Brown said. “I have never been this excited in my life. I’m ready to make it happen.” Joey Cranney can be reached at joseph.cranney@temple.edu.

Two all-arounders place at ECACs

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Entering the Eastern College Athletic Conference, senior all-arounder Chris Mooney had not performed on the vault or floor exercise since the March 10 meet at Navy due to an ankle injury. For the past several weeks, Mooney said he worked around the injury to prepare for the conference championships. On Friday, April 6, Mooney was not only able to compete in all six events in the all around, but he placed second overall. Mooney said it was a challenge to hold back in practices in order to allow his ankle to heal in time for the ECAC championship meet. “It was tough because you see your teammates working out and you want to work out with them really bad,” Mooney said. “It’s hard to control that and you want to practice. It’s nerve-wracking not preparing for a meet and going and competing, especially at the biggest one.” The Freeland, Md. native was the meet’s allaround runner up with a season-best total of 85.300 points trailing Navy’s senior Andrew Faulk by .700 points. His performance helped the Owls finish with a program-best team score as the Owls won the conference title and earned a spot in the NCAA championships on April 20 to 21 at Oklahoma University. Mooney qualified for rings and vault individual event finals on Saturday, April 7, but decided to scratch his entry in the vault to rest his ankle for the NCAA championships. He placed seventh in the rings. “I was thrilled with the team to win the ECACs at home for the first time since I’ve been on the team,” Mooney said. “It’s my senior year and I couldn’t ask anything more than that. This is an incredible experience.” Senior Adam Al-Rokh placed fourth in the allaround competition with a total score of 83.000 points. -Connor Showalter

Familiar face returns to offensive coaching staff New offensive coordinator Ryan Day spreads the field. COLIN TANSITS The Temple News For the Temple offense this upcoming season, the name of the game will be diversity. As the Owls transition into their second season under coach Steve Addazio, his spread offense philosophy will become heavily implemented in the 2012 season. “We didn’t really get into [the offense] that far last season, and in terms of the spread option component, which we’ll be way beyond that now,” Addazio said. “We want to have the most diverse offense that we can have.” This past February, Ryan Day rejoined the Owls’ coaching staff as the new offensive coordinator. Day previously coached the wide receivers during the 2006 season. The former quarterback at New Hampshire University (1997-2001), who recently was PAUL KLEIN TTN the wide receivers coach at BosRedshirt-sophomore quarterback Chris Coyer prepares to ton College for five seasons, take more snaps behind center for the Owls in the fall. brings added experience and knowledge to the spread offense mixed in every now and then. had more than 30 receptions. system. With redshirt-sophomore Temple’s young athletic Before coaching at Boston quarterback Chris Coyer man- team makes a great fit for this College, Day coached at Florida ning the offense for his second spread offense style. in 2005 as offensive graduate year, the offense will be more Day said that players such assistant alongside coach Urban balanced, Addazio said. as freshman wide receiver Jalen Meyer and Addazio, who was “We’re going to put more Fitzpatrick are growing into the the offensive coordinator. on [Coyer],” Addazio said. wide receiver-running back hyDay said that for this up- “Now we’re going to be more brid that the spread offense crecoming season, the offense is wide open and more flexible in ates. going to be multiterms of spreading As the Owls look to spread dimensional. the field.” the field more for this upcoming “What we’re As the Owls season, the team will mix the going to try to do look to spread the old with the new. is find the best field, Day said “[Fans] will still see closed way to get our there isn’t one main formations and remnants of a best players in a target through the year ago, that’s not going to situation to be sucair. leave us,” Addazio said. “But cessful, however Although ju- [fans] will also see new addithat might be on nior running back tions here.” a weekly basis,” Matt Brown will be So with a year of experiDay said. leading the offense, ence in the spread offense and Day said he both Addazio and a new offensive coordinator on wants to have the Day agree on the staff, Temple’s offense is growoffense force opof ing into its own. Steve Addazio / coach philosophy posing teams to spreading the ball. have to match up against TemColin Tansits can be reached at As Florida’s assistant head ple’s many different plays and coach in their national champicolin.tansits@temple.edu. formations, with different play- onship campaign during 2008, er groupings. Addazio’s offense spread the That means a move away ball. Four players in that offrom what Temple fans are used fense had more than 600 rushto seeing: a heavy dose of run ing yards, while three players plays, with a play-action pass

“We’re going to be more wide open and more flexible in terms of spreading the field.”

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BRINGING IT HOME

TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012

Brown prepares for role as starter Matt Brown anticipates picking up more carries. JOEY CRANNEY Assistant Sports Editor

on the horizontal bar with a score of 14.100. “I wasn’t really worried about placing, I just wanted to do a good routine,” Collins said. “I knew it was my last time at McGonigle [Hall] so it’s a great feeling. It’s a good feeling to end on a positive note and the fact that we brought the cup back. That is what is really important, that we won as a team.” When Collins began his

Matt Brown ran 52 yards untouched. He exploded up the middle and dashed his way to a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a blowout 42-14 win against Army on Nov. 19, 2011, in typical form for the elusive junior running back, who finished with 133 yards and two touchdowns in that game. On the next drive, thenjunior running back Bernard Pierce broke a 49-yard score of his own, one-upping Brown on his way to 157 yards and three touchdowns on the day. Pierce’s performance perfectly summarized the agony that was Brown’s season last year, who, despite averaging more yards per carry and playing in more games, would always be second fiddle to the National Football Leaguebound Pierce. “The competition is good,” Brown told The Temple News after the Army game. “It brings out the best in us.”

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The men’s gymnastics team captures the ECAC championship title for the first time in four years. The Owls stand on the podium with the championship trophy on Friday, April 6, at McGonigle Hall. Temple set a new program record for total team points with 347.400.

The Owls set a new team record en route to gold at ECACs. IBRAHIM JACOBS The Temple News

H

ad it not been for a peanut allergy, nobody on Temple’s roster would know who graduate gymnast Blake Collins was. After planning on attend-

ing the Naval Academy, Collins was turned down. It was at this point that he contacted coach Fred Turoff and went down a different path. “[Collins] is a very nice success story,” Turoff said. “He was a walk-on as a freshman and he couldn’t make the team. He actually wanted to go to the Naval Academy but got rejected due to a peanut allergy. He contacted me in June [2008] and asked to be on the team.” Collins is one of the few

members on the team that was a part of the club in 2008 when Temple last took home the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. However, the Columbia, Md. native redshirted the season and was forced to watch from the sidelines. Entering team competition on Friday, April 6, Collins had a goal to help No. 10 Temple win as a competing member. “We did not want to put it up higher than it was,” Collins

said. “It’s a championship, but we just needed to treat it like any other meet.” Under Collins’ leadership, the Owls did just that. Posting a team score of 347.400, the Owls won the ECAC title, broke a school record for team points scored and earned their team a spot in the NCAA championships. Collins’ performance also qualified him for Top 10 individual competition on Saturday, April 7, in which he placed third

Hollis-Jefferson reflects on roots The Owls will rely on the junior forward to pick up the offense. BUD WEAVER The Temple News In the city of Chester, Pa., basketball is a way of life. From the early development on the playgrounds and in the Biddy League on the hardwood, the game becomes ingrained into a player and stays forever. Chester has garnered a reputation for developing professional talent, such as Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson and Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans of the National Basketball Association. Owls’ junior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson shares their Chester roots. “You start at a very young age at basketball in Chester … 5, 6, 7 [years old],” Hollis-Jefferson said. “We have the Biddy League, and that’s where your parents just want you to go out and do something positive, and basketball is the main thing people stick with in our city. That’s what we do.” Between his junior and senior years at Chester, Hollis-Jefferson went from a role player to the leader of a program that is woven into the Pennsylvania history books. “In high school, we had a senior-driven team where we had at least three or four other scorers and all I had to do was

play defense and score sometimes, whereas once I became a senior, I had the ball more and I had to make more decisions,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “Now, it’s kind of the same, but we still have scorers here and I’m going to have to score more – I don’t know if I’m gonna have to score as much as high school. But, it’s not that different.” With three of the starting five set to graduate from a Temple squad that was nationally ranked in the regular season, Hollis-Jefferson will be called on to do exactly that: become one of the leaders for the Owls next year. Along with teammates Khalif Wyatt, Scootie Randall and T.J. DiLeo all returning for their senior seasons as well, Hollis-Jefferson said the Owls will still have enough scoring power. “I think I can step into that role and everyone can follow by example,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “[My teammates and I] are all good friends, we’re pretty close like brothers. They know that I’m not that vocal, but I’ve worked hard so if I can go out there and show how hard I’ve worked then maybe they’ll follow.” Last season Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a regular in the starting lineup and contributed as a facilitator for guards Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez. “He’s a fabulous individual,” coach Fran Dunphy said.

The Owls hope to build on a San Diego Crew Classic victory. CONNOR SHOWALTER Sports Editor

PAUL KLEIN TTN

Junior Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson hails from Chester, Pa. “He’s as good a human being as I’ve had a chance to coach. His first thought is always about his teammates, so he’s probably known more for his defensive capabilities than his offense.” Dunphy said he hopes to see a transformation in the 6-foot 6-inch junior during the offseason. “We’re going to need him to be more of a scorer [next] year for obvious reasons because we’re losing some very

FOOTBALL p.19 The Owls plan to run a spread offense with the return of offensive coordinator Ryan Day.

SPORTS DESK 215-204-9537

Women’s rowing makes history

good scoring from our team,” Dunphy said. “But, he also has to maintain that high level of defensive reliability that he has. We’re going to ask him to make plays more than he’s ever made in the past.” In the Atlantic Ten Conference tournament, the Owls were bounced in the first round by Massachusetts, then also suffered the same fate in the

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Women’s rowing is setting new standards for its program this season. Coming off its first-ever victory at the San Diego Crew Classic on Sunday, April 1, the varsity eight is committed to improve and help the team have a chance to claim its first Atlantic Ten Conference title at the league championships on May 5. First-year coach Jason Read called the regatta the “spring Super Bowl of rowing” as it featured nationally ranked rowing teams. The varsity eight team won its race in open water and defeated No. 8 University of California, Berkeley for the first time in program history by 4.06 seconds in the varisty eight, while also finishing ahead of respectable teams from the University of British Columbia and No. 3 (t) University of California at Los Angeles. To qualify for their event’s final, the Owls’ varsity eight placed first in their trial heat on March 31, outpacing Califor-

nia by 3.84 seconds and finishing ahead of Union B.C., who took third. “Our expectations going in were to have two good races as we build toward the A-10 championships and they were successful in doing that,” Read said. “Not only were they successful in doing that, but they worked very well together as a unit and that manifested itself into a lot of boat speed.” Read, who is currently training for the London Olympic trials in June, alongside assistant coach Joe Spencer, said the varsity eight pulled out the win due its execution of a “strong technical” race. “They were tough. They didn’t have the lead off of the start,” Read said. “They just stuck to the race plan, dug deep and they went really hard in front of about 15,000 people.” The varsity eight, composed of freshman Ellie Oken, sophomores Victoria Joye and Jackie Lees and juniors Claudia Loeber, Brittany Adell, Joanna Sutor, Jeanine Lees, Paige O’Sullivan, is led by lone senior Taylor Wasserleben. The Willow Grove, Pa. native said it was the most memorable race of her career. “A lot of things are different with our new coach and it’s a good different,” Wasserleben

ROWING PAGE 18

BASEBALL

FOOTBALL

p.18 Senior outfielder and captain Jabair Khan has started all 31 games this season.

NEXT WEEK The Owls will hold thier annual Cherry and White scrimmage at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, April 14.

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