The Temple News

THE TEMPLE NEWS TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2022

VOL 101 ISSUE 1

temple-news.com | @thetemplenews

EXCESS TRASH OFF CAMPUS

News, Page 8 The Temple News’ Opinion Editor argues Temple University should strengthen efforts to reduce waste from students living off campus NEWS, Page 3 Temple Student Government hosts a town hall on campus safety.

ALL IN GOOD FUN, Page 19 Our crossword puzzle and word search is back!

More on Page 21

The Temple News

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

Lawrence Ukenye Editor-in-Chief Julia Merola Print Managing Editor Fallon Roth Digital Managing Editor Megan Phillips Chief Print Copy Editor Kayla Maguire Chief Digital Copy Editor

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

Maddie Sterner News Editor Jocelyn Hockaday Assistant News Editor Devon Russell Assistant News Editor Sarah Fresca Opinion Editor Molly Fiske Assistant Opinion Editor Laura Miller Features Editor Mariyum Rizwan Features Editor Nick Gangewere Sports Editor Javon Edmonds Assistant Sports Editor Samuel O’Neal Assistant Sports Editor Chris Duong Sports Social Media Manager

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

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

Maggie Fitzgerald Director of Audience Engagement Emily Lewis Public Engagement Coordinator Taylor Hargraves Audience Engagement Editor Sara Wexler Audience Engagement Editor Erika Monn Photography Editor Earl Kufen Photography Editor Nicole Aquino Multimedia Editor Nate Pullano Multimedia Editor Joelle Pacheco Print Design Editor Allyson Tharp Graphic Design Editor Isabella Medina Web Editor Rachel Townsend Data Editor Olivia Hall Podcast Editor Rose Mastrangelo Advertising Manager Mattew Eaton Advertising Manager Kurt Nolasco Business Manager

Follow us @TheTempleNews

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

ON THE COVER Pile of trash on Carlisle Street.

EARL KUFEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Contacts Visit us online at temple-news.com News Desk 215.204.7419 Email section staff news@temple-news.com letters@temple-news.com features@temple-news.com intersection@temple-news.com sports@temple-news.com The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

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

The Temple News

TSG

NEWS

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EARL KUFEN/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Gianni Quattrochi and Jennifer Griffin stand next to each other.

TSG holds town hall with new VP of public safety The town hall covered the restructuring of TSG and campus safety updates.

BY MADDIE STERNER News Editor Temple Student Government held their first in-person town hall on Monday with Jennifer Griffin, the newly-appointed vice president for public safety, to discuss various campus safety initiatives.

The town hall, held in the Student Center, was meant to serve as a forum for Student Body President Gianni Quattrocchi and Griffin to answer student questions, discuss campus safety, upcoming events and to debut Griffin’s role, which was adapted from former

Campus Safety Services director Charles Leone.

Griffin also talked about the university’s programs for landlords including the off-campus residence safety program, which verifies landlords as a safe location to rent if they meet certain safety standards like lighting, cameras and locks. Landlords can also apply for a grant program where Temple will give them $2,500 to provide security improvements.

“We’re asking landlords to become good partners with us and if they have all of these kinds of safety checklists, the university will then have a list to say ‘Okay, these are the five locations’ or ‘These are however many locations that have good lighting, they have locks, they

have cameras, they follow best practices for our students, we feel confident they are providing good residence for you,’” Griffin said.

Griffin also sits on the university’s Task Force on Violence Reduction, comprised of students, parents, faculty and staff, which will be releasing recommendations to better engage the Temple community.

“There’s a whole list of recommendations that they’ll be coming back with to talk about ways that public safety can do better and then also how we can engage students, faculty and staff,” Griffin said.

Griffin will also hold further discussions with parents about campus safety.

On April 6 and April 29 parents met

with university officials to discuss campus safety updates, including increased police patrols and the new RAVE guardian app.

Additionally, 21CP Solutions, a group of professionals evaluating campus safety, will be surveying Temple students about their view on campus safety.

“We need you to be a partner with us, we need to hear your input, we need to know how you’re feeling on campus because we see it from a totally different perspective,” Griffin said. madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner

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NEWS

The Temple News

Temple community speaks on Biden’s debt plans Temple students and faculty share their responses to Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan.

BY MADDIE STERNER News Editor After President Joe Biden announced at a press conference on Aug. 24 that his administration would be forgiving federal student loans disbursed before June 30, Temple University, professors and students discuss shared how Biden’s plan will impact Temple’s student body.

Biden’s proposal will forgive $10,000 of loan debt for individuals making $125,000 or less and households making $250,000 or less and an additional $10,000 for students who qualify for the Pell Grant.

“With more than 30% of Temple’s Class of 2026 receiving a Pell Grant, that mission continues to ring true today, and President Biden’s announcement of a student loan debt relief plan will play an important role for eligible students and alumni in higher education affordability,” wrote Stephen Orbanek, a university spokesperson, in an email to The Temple News.

Temple currently has 7,600 students, during the 2021-22 year, who have received the Pell Grant as a part of their financial aid, WHYY reported.

“Removing $10,000 of debt from those borrowers is going to drop their monthly payment by over $100 over the next ten years,” said Wayne Williams, an accounting professor. “It will also improve their debt-to-income ratio.”

Angelina Makhoul supports Biden’s proposal, which aims to help up to 43 million borrowers.

“It’s an awesome plan because college is a lot of money and I feel like they prey on the students in any way that they can,” said Makhoul, a senior neuroscience major.

The Board of Trustees increased tuition by 3.9 percent for the 2022-23 academic year after increasing it by 2.5 percent in the 2021-22 academic year. The two years prior to that Temple froze tui-

ISSAC SCHIEN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS President Biden accounted on Friday that the department of education will forgive student loans debt for borrowers who make under $125,000 year.

tion during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, Temple invested more than $110 million in financial aid for students. The Fly-in-Four program, which incentivizes students to graduate on time, reduced Temple student debt’s by $2.4 million between 2013 and 2016.

Additionally, Temple offers webinars on student financial aid.

Temple students graduate with a median federal loan of $24,437. Nationally, student loan borrowers owe an average of $36,510 to the federal government, according to the Education Data Initiative, a group that collects data on the United States education system “$10,000 is a lot of money, but most people have loans that are much larger

than that and I don’t think that necessarily covers an enough amount,” said Reeya Shah, a sophomore undeclared major.

Biden also extended the federal moratorium on student loan repayments until January 2023, marking the fourth time he extended the pause.

“This will be the seventh time, since the Trump Administration started it in 2020, that student borrowers will not have to pay back their student loans as a result of the pandemic,” Williams added.

However, Williams wants students to remember that interest rates on their loans will resume after the moratorium has ended and that forgiven loans may have an impact on their taxes.

Currently the interest rates for un-

dergraduate students are 4.99 percent and can increase to 7.54 percent for graduate students, Williams said.

The rates for undergraduate and graduate students are on a fixed interest rate of 4.99 percent and 7.54 percent, according to Federal Student Aid. Additionally, canceled loans will not count as taxable income for federal taxes.

In Pennsylvania, student loan forgiveness may become taxable.

“Reliving that debt is significant in terms of increasing the barrier to financial health of the borrowers,” Williams said.

madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner

The Temple News

NEWS

BEAT

TSG shares goals for fall Temple Student Government’s top goal is increasing student engagement across organizations

BY MADDIE STERNER News Editor After winning an uncontested election last year Student Body President Gianni Quattrocchi and Vice President Akshitha Ag will be focusing on increasing student engagement, hosting programming during Sexual Assault Awareness Week among other objectives for the Fall 2022 semester.

ENGAGEMENT TSG plans to host more in-person events and engage students through social media.

“Hopefully as we move towards more in-person events, I think that will be a really great way to kind of buildup on these collaborations,” said Zoe Karukas, the Chief of Staff for Temple United.

Only 183 students voted in last year’s election, which Quattrocchi owes to a lack of executive campaigns, a trend seen in the three most recent Temple Student Government presidential elections.

However, to combat the lack of participation, Quattrocchi and Ag will promote, advertise and market the upcoming executive team election to increase voter turnout. They also plan on having contested elections by promoting the election on social media.

“The biggest reason that people haven’t voted in not just this past election but, also in Brad Smutek’s election and Quinn Litsinger’s election is because they were the only people running and there’s no point in voting if there’s only one candidate,” Quattrocchi said.

GOVERNANCE TSG also lacked participation in their legislative body considering only four resolutions were passed during the 2021-22 academic year.

They created a Legislative Advisory Committee in place of Parliament for the 2022-23 academic year. This committee will research if a legislative body is possible for the 2023-24 academic year.

Following the dissolution of parliament last spring, former TSG president Bradley Smutek and his executive team drafted a provisional constitution for the 2022-23 academ-

ic year, which includes changes to the election committee and making their Allocations Committee a separate department.

The allocations committee, which is the committee that approves or denies organizations’ requests for funds, was previously under the student body president’s oversight. In the provisional constitution the allocations committee is now an independent branch within TSG. TSG plans to write a more permanent constitution and give it to the executive team for the 2023-24 academic year.

ADVOCACY TSG will be hosting a Sexual Assault Awareness Week during October and will be partnering with the Wellness Resource Center.

It is also Quattrocchi’s goal to renew the “It’s On Us” initiative at Temple University, which advocates for sexual assault prevention programs across college campuses.

“A few years ago, it lapsed, in terms of, there are a few requirements that need to be met,” Quattrocchi said. “It is my goal by the time I leave office we will have renewed our pledge for It’s On Us.” Quattrocchi would like to see TSG become more interconnected within student life and among organizations, to assist with student engagement.

“That starts with increased communication between students and TSG, increased engagement between TSG and university administration and offices so we can communicate that back to the students and ensuring that students know of all the opportunities and venues to participate,” Quattrocchi said.

TSG has also been collaborating with Temple Athletics to promote the upcoming schedules for teams throughout the athletic department and to increase student interest in sporting events. They hope to bring student engagement back to a pre-pandemic level.

“We want to be a much more integrated part of the student experience that we have ever been,” Quattrocchi said. madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner

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OPINION

PAGE 7

EDITORIAL

Make

college

Last Wednesday, the White House announced its plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans. Individuals earning less than $125,000, or $250,000 for married couples, will be eligible to apply for relief because the plan is targeted toward people with lower or middle incomes.

The Editorial Board commends the Biden administration for beginning to follow through with its campaign promise, even though Biden’s presidential campaign promised full student loan debt forgiveness for those earning less than $125,000. We acknowledge that this is only the first step toward college accessibility in a country where tuition rates are increasing and college enrollment is decreasing.

Forgiveness is only applicable to loans taken out before June 30, so any loan dispersed past that date will not be eligible for relief.

While the White House is also planning to cut monthly undergraduate loan payments in half and mend the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, current and future students will need student loan relief, too, if college is not made more affordable.

The Editorial Board urges both the federal and Pennsylvania state government to increase state funding for public colleges to increase accessibility to higher education for everyone.

Since 1980, the cost of fouryear colleges has nearly tripled, but federal loan support has remained stagnant, making college increasingly less affordable to lowand middle-income people and contributing to a drop in enrollment, according to a 2021 report

by College Board.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring 2020, nationwide undergraduate

affordable

enrollment decreased by 9.4 percent. Additionally, Temple projected undergraduate enrollment will decrease by 1,500 students in 2022-23 fiscal year. The university partly attributes the recent 3.9 percent tuition hike to the decrease in enrollment, as Temple’s revenue is expected to decrease by $11.2 million.

However, funding from the Pennsylvania state government has remained the same since the 2019-2020 fiscal year at $158.2 million.

Temple University President Jason Wingard urged the government to make college more affordable with more funding for college to remain a relevant part of young Americans’ lives.

Although the new student loan forgiveness plan is a good first step, increased funding is necessary to allow everyone to receive higher education.

The Temple News

EDUCATION

Professors, update grades on Canvas

A student argues that professors in TUPortal.

In 2017, Canvas received an overwhelmmust update grades instead of ing number of positive responses, and it made leaving students calculate them.

BY MOLLY FISKE Assistant Opinion Editor

T

emple adopted Canvas, a learning management system, as its primary grading system in 2017, but many professors still do not input grades on this platform because they find it too confusing to work with.

Although the platform has a 64 percent overall rating on eLearning Industry, a content platform that caters towards online educators, many professors left poor reviews, claiming it’s too confusing to use or link with external programs.

Students are frustrated about cross-checking Canvas with other LMSs to access their grades because it takes too long and can be inaccurate as some grades sync to Canvas and others don’t.

Now that the Fall 2022 semester is here, professors must input updated grades into Canvas that accurately represent a student’s current grade instead of neglecting the site and forcing them to calculate it themselves. Often, grade inconsistencies take away from students feeling in control of their academic standing.

Other LMSs are helpful in learning and managing classes, but the grades don’t appear the same in Canvas, especially if a student retakes an assignment. For example, if a student can retake an assignment for an unlimited amount of times, McGraw Hill Connect often keeps the first attempt as the final grade, while Canvas accepts the new attempt hours later.

The discrepancies between Canvas and other LMSs force some students to resort to calculating their grades via Excel, an unnecessary extra task.

Typically, different assignments carry different weights for the final grade. If a student doesn’t accurately enter their grades or consider weight scales on Excel, they could make an error, skewing what their actual grade is. This can cause stress, as a student will remain uncertain of their final grade until it’s published

tracking grades easier throughout the semester because students could visually see them.

However, professors do not always use Canvas properly.

“It becomes really confusing because now we have to look at three different things for our grades and then calculate everything for the class and it’s too much,” said Saaty Raj, a junior international business major. “More than half of our class didn’t know if we were passing or failing.”

Professors and students should be more aware of the issue and its importance, said Elizabeth Gordon, an accounting professor.

“It’s really important for students to know where they are in the course,” Gordon said.

“Sometimes faculty thinks, ‘Oh, well, it’s just this class,’ or they don’t realize how big of an issue it is.”

If students don’t know they are failing a course, they may not know to reach out for help or improve their study habits. By accurately updating grades, students will feel more respected and less stressed “Financial management professors don’t post anything on the Canvas page, and we have to keep track of everything on platforms like McGraw Hill or Pearson,” said Arina Faktor, a junior international business major.

Taking time to update the grades in a timely manner can help keep students on track by constantly reminding them of where they stand academically.

Professors must realize the consequences of not updating grades in Canvas because students may not understand that they have an unsatisfactory score until it is too late. Maintaining an accurate reflection of grades helps students stay in control over their academics and feel more respected by their professors. molly.fiske@temple.edu

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BEAT

OPINION

The Temple News

Move-out dumpsters won’t help reduce litter A student argues that Temple must develop a sustainable plan to combat waste off-campus.

BY SARAH FRESCA Opinion Editor For at least three years, Temple University has placed special event move-out dumpsters on streets where students heavily populate areas off campus to prevent trash pileups from those moving out of off-campus housing.

Although the dumpsters help reduce move-out waste, they’re not a sustainable solution for litter near Main Campus because they’re only available for short periods over the summer. For years, local residents have experienced environmental injustices from students leaving waste in their neighborhood.

While campus waste management includes a comprehensive system for maintaining Temple’s grounds, off-campus cleaning is left to the Philadelphia Sanitation Department, which isn’t equipped to manage excessive waste from students.

The university has a responsibility to keep North Philadelphia clean because many students live in the area temporarily, yet leave a trail of waste and disrespect for long-term residents.

Temple must coordinate university-wide sustainable waste management with neighborhood residents to assess and implement clean-up initiatives and continuously require students learn and practice proper waste management.

“I’ve been cleaning for 20 years, and it’s like it’s getting worse,” said Judith Robinson, a neighborhood resident, chairperson for the 32nd Democratic Ward Registered Community Organization and director of Susquehanna Clean Up/Pick Up, Inc. Beyond the move-out dumpsters, Temple’s off-campus waste management efforts include student and employee volunteer efforts and a partnership with One Day At a Time, a community-based organization. Temple has also collaborated with Philadelphia to send additional trash trucks during move-out week, said Ken Kaiser, Tem-

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

ple’s senior vice president and chief operating officer.

Temple’s Office of Sustainability runs many programs to combat litter, like Eco Reps, an educational program encouraging sustainable action on campus, but they are not required throughout the university.

Temple’s off-campus waste management efforts may be effective short term, but the trash will persist on neighborhood blocks until long-term, sustainable practices are adopted. Temporary solutions are not an option, and the university can only build a trusting relationship with the community if it holds continuous conversations between local residents and students about waste management.

“There’s so many ways that universities can really be agents of positive change, but it really requires strategic thinking, working with schools and community groups,” said Christina Rosan, a geography and urban studies professor. “There’s a lot of efforts to improve at Temple, but there’s a lot of rebuilding trust that has to happen.”

Community members are the most affected by the trash and an increase in bugs and rodents, so they de-

serve to have a primary voice in how to improve waste management and Temple must collaborate with them.

The university should expand its trash trucks off-campus to pick up trash left by students living in the neighborhood, Robinson said.

“It needs to be a comprehensive sanitation program,” Robinson said.

“The whole city is a filthy mess, so the students come here, see how nasty the city is and how we allow them to do things and they just get on along with it until someone tells them.”

Students moving to North Philadelphia and littering is an example of environmental racism, because they are adding to pollution in a neighborhood of color.

“The idea that you come into a Black and Brown neighborhood, and you think that somehow trash is okay or being a bad citizen is okay really is about environmental justice and respect for people,” Rosan said.

Asking students to participate in at least one Office of Sustainability event, like Stories of Sustainability, every semester as a graduation requirement would educate more students about their off-campus impact.

“A lot of students just think it’s not really their problem,” said Caroline Merrill, a senior environmental engineering major. “When we’re moving into a community that wasn’t even designed for students to be here in the first place, it’s our responsibility to keep it clean for people who still do live here.”

Temple will be implementing a program to urge landlords to help with their resident’s trash disposal later in the Fall semester, Kaiser said. For landlords to receive certain designations, they must provide trash receptacles and be responsible for their resident’s waste.

Temple’s temporary solutions for waste management off-campus will allow excess litter to persist until continuous conversations and community collaboration are emphasized in the university’s efforts. By developing a strategic “action plan,” as Robinson suggested, Temple can become a better neighbor. niae noraciorat. sarah.frasca@temple.edu @sarahhfrasca

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Reclaiming my individuality with long-distance

A student describes how her long-distance relationship helped nurture her individualism.

BY SARAH FRASCA Opinion Editor I didn’t want to get into a serious relationship before college, assuming it would be doomed by distance, but love doesn’t wait for convenience. I started dating my boyfriend Nick in June 2020, and after spending nearly every day together for over a year, we transitioned to a long-distance relationship at the start of last school year.

As sophomores finally able to experience college while global lockdown restrictions loosened, he left for Penn State University Park, and I moved a couple of blocks off Temple’s Main Campus. We had to settle with seeing each other less than once a month. Any excitement I had for college was overshadowed by the looming dread of our separation.

At that point, I was overly dependent on Nick. I associated my happiness with the time we spent together and confused my own identity with my role as a girlfriend. I was constantly worried about what he was doing when we spent some time apart, forgetting we should live two different lives.

I spent the summer leading up to our college move-in crying in his arms instead of appreciating our time together. I was too scared to live without him beside me, worried I couldn’t do it.

After roughly a week of endless tears and nausea, I worked enough emotion out of my system and was finally able to calm down. As loneliness naturally faded into normalcy, I focused more on my grades, spent more time with my friends and eased the spam of texts I sent Nick every day. I slowly noticed I was making more time to put myself together and grab a coffee before class. I was keeping my room cleaner and making dinner at night. Ultimately, I was finding motivation in the independence of college.

Then, a couple of months into the Fall 2021 semester, I was hit with a sudden realization — I was totally fine.

I maintained a 4.0 GPA, my social

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

life and college finances. I still spent some days feeling alone, but I was genuinely doing well.

My dependency was obvious to me throughout our relationship, but I refused to accept it, as I didn’t want to change anything. After spending time alone, I reflected on our summer and finally recognized I was risking our relationship’s health by adding stress to both of us.

We found new ways to pursue a healthier relationship. We connected with each other every day with at least a few texts and put less pressure on each other to be perfect partners because we were both dealing with the stress of distance dating, which isn’t easy for either of us.

I began rebuilding my sense of identity through doing things I loved and exploring my passions, slowing down to spend time with myself and learning to love the little things unique to me.

On my own, I am a passionate, dramatic and empathetic woman. I center my lifestyle around loving animals, the planet and people. I know how to stand up for myself and hate admitting when I’m wrong. I’m a cat person with a type A personality. I feel the need to do everything myself, with a false notion of needing to prove myself. I love breathing in fresh air surrounded by woods, swimming in the ocean and hugging the people most important to me. Good or bad, I can recognize the pieces of myself that uniquely connect to build my individual personhood.

Being in a relationship doesn’t take away from my individuality. We’re two very different people soulfully bound together. He respects and loves my eccentricities, as I do his. He’s a dog person, fascinated by ancient relics and is incredibly musically inclined. In fact, our individualism continuously inspires us to strengthen our relationship.

I feel content with myself, and we still maintain and grow our love. I was able to reclaim my identity and strengthen my relationship with the same distance I feared would destroy both. I found my worth within myself, and it allowed me to embrace my healthiest, happiest self and relationship. sarah.frasca@temple.edu @sarahhfrasca

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

Making change in Philadelphia with journalism A student describes how a character from “The Hate You Give” inspired him to write for his city.

BY CHRIS FRAZIER For The Temple News

In 2017, I moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Raleigh, North Carolina. My mom described the move as an “opportunity for a fresh start.”

While I initially welcomed this fresh start, moving away separated me from seeing my city grow into a safe place full of opportunities for my family.

I read the book “The Hate You Give”

by Angie Thomas around this time.

The main character’s father, Maverick, empowered me because he wanted to help change his dangerous community, which was something I wanted to do in Philadelphia. His determination to see a better environment became a source of inspiration for me to pursue my dream of helping my city through journalism.

Like Maverick, I grew up in a poor household and became numb to the sound of gunfire. He inspired me to use my own perspective to add to the conversation that would support change.

Since I was a child, I understood a tragic reality: my city is great, but it’s held down by the effects of redlining.

This discriminatory practice, which denies services to low-income neighborhoods of color, plays a role in the current wealth gap, contributing to impoverished communities.

I’ve seen poverty through the endless hours my mom worked as an emergency dispatcher. I always woke up too late or went to sleep too early to see her, and sometimes went five full days without speaking to her.

The shootings during the day and the sirens at night taught me about Philadelphia’s violence, reminding me that the worst can happen at anytime. This reality is why my brother carried “protection” and why I was constantly paranoid of every bystander.

In “The Hate You Give,” Maverick understands this reality. When gang

ALYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

members shot at Maverick’s home because he was protecting two people they were looking for, his family took cover and he fired back, reminding me of unpredictable environments in Philadelphia.

Despite Philadelphia’s issues, my love for its culture grew. Philadelphians share a family-like bond that reminds me I shouldn’t give up.

But even with this adoration, the longer I lived in Raleigh, the more my dream of changing Philadelphia seemed to become a distant fairy tale because my new home brought different experiences and opportunities.

Philadelphia was beginning to fade from memory, but when I began preparing for college, I realized I wanted to spend the next four years in my home city and serve my community.

Maverick served his community

through his store, where he offered jobs to those who needed them. However, his wife and brother were concerned by his decision to stay in the neighborhood because they believed remaining in an area filled with gang violence limited his family’s safety and overall quality of life.

I see his decision as a strength. I reflect Maverick’s character in my stubbornness, admiration for my roots and persistence in improving my city. He symbolizes hope and inspires me to raise awareness of Philadelphia’s shortcomings and history.

I want my dream to become a reality through journalism. Using my experiences, I write about the true Philadelphian experience: the decaying neighborhoods I pass through during car rides, the sleepless nights I’ve faced due to shootings and police sirens and the paranoia I face in each hour of the day,

I want to grab my community’s attention by telling stories they can empathize with and producing solutions-based journalism that investigates not only the role of redlining but other factors that contribute to the city’s environment.

I want people to see my stories like how my mom saw moving: an “opportunity” for our city to have a “fresh start” with neighborhoods whose fates aren’t decided by redlining, and Philadelphians who are able to live rather than just survive.

Maverick inspired me to work for my dream — a Philadelphia where “the city of brotherly love” isn’t a form of irony. c.frazier@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

STUDENT LIFE

Find time for self-care in your schedule this Fall A student argues that students should prioritize self-care when dealing with stress.

BY ALEXIS BRAY For The Temple News Temple University students started their Fall 2022 semester on Aug. 22, and for some students, moving away from home and taking on new responsibilities, like classes, internships and finances, can entail a plethora of stress.

College students’ mental health has consistently declined in recent years.

More than 60 percent of college students meet criteria for one or more mental health problems, up nearly 50 percent from 2013, according to a March 2022 study in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

In addition, more than half of students have higher stress levels this year than they did in 2021, according to the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Students should set aside time in their schedules for self-care to help nurture their mental, physical and emotional well-being to help fight against stress.

Self-care efforts help reduce stress and mental unwellness that contribute to students’ poor academic performance, social withdrawal and overall decrease in motivation and energy.

Stress affects all systems of the body, but self-care can help to combat symptoms according to the American Psychological Association.

Making time for self-care can be difficult for students with busy schedules, but it can be both a fun and productive experience.

Self-care is anything that promotes a student’s wellness, and even small efforts of those activities, like taking a 15-minute walk, journaling or meditating, can mitigate stress and improve mental and physical well-being.

When students ignore their mental, physical and emotional health, they enter survival mode, which doesn’t allow

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

them to fully thrive in life, said Heidi Hutman, a psychological studies in education professor.

“Students tend to put self-care last,” Hutman said. “When you’re a student, you want to build practices that are going to let you have a happy life.”

There is a misconception that selfcare is an elaborate process, which can deter students from prioritizing it, but it doesn’t have to be a weekend at a spa or dropping hundreds on shopping, Hutman said.

Some students may neglect making time for self-care because they are busy with college commitments, but when they do practice it, they can free more time in their schedules in the long run, according to Southern New Hampshire University. Caring for yourself gives their bodies and minds the chance to reset and recharge, boosting their produc-

tivity when they work, allowing them to get their responsibilities done faster and make more time for themselves.

“Having needs is not being needy, it’s not being selfish — it’s having needs,” Hutman said.

Grace Yanaitis makes time for selfcare through taking breaks, engaging in physical activity and time management.

“I step away, go for a walk around my apartment or go get a glass of water,” said Yanaitis, a sophomore fine arts major. “I just get away from the environment for a little bit.”

Stepping away from a stress-inducing situation is a method of self-care that helps the brain refresh and have more energy, productivity and ability to focus, according to Cornell University.

The best way for Sophie Chen, a sophomore computer science major, to manage her mental health is by being

physically active and using time management in the library on campus to prevent culminative stress around her schoolwork.

“If I don’t take care of my mental health, I can’t really get anything else done,” Chen said.

Stress can feel like a never-ending cycle, but it’s much easier to manage when using healthy coping mechanisms like watching comfort shows, creating a schedule to follow for time management or taking a walk at the end of the day in a self-care routine.

Self-care is not a selfish act and taking care of oneself is one of the best things to do for all aspects of health.

There is science supporting self-care, but it shouldn’t take science to know that self-care is necessary. alexis.bray@temple.edu

PAGE 12

FEATURES

The Temple News

RESEARCH

Professor named Global Fulbright Scholar Sherri Hope Culver will conduct research on children’s media as a Global Fulbright Scholar.

BY NATALIE KERR For The Temple News

E

very time Sherri Hope Culver records her podcast, “Kids Talk Media,”she feels enlightened and reinvigorated by conversations with her sources about how media impacts their lives. Sources who have gappy teeth and can’t sit still, because they’re no more than 13 years old.

Culver, a media studies and production professor researching children’s media and media literacy became a 2022-23 Fulbright Global Scholar – a distinction only awarded to 16 professors – which will allow her to expand her research overseas. Culver will spend a month each in Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom speaking to children’s media industry professionals and developing a certificate in children’s media for undergraduate students at the Klein College of Media and Communication.

“Having the opportunity to bring it back into a classroom sort of brings it full circle, instead of me just going and doing something for me,” Culver said.

“I really love the idea that I’m going to come back and share this with folks.”

Culver submitted her 40-page application for the Fulbright Global Scholar program in September 2021 because she felt that although children’s media is a huge market, communication schools don’t teach enough about how children’s interests influence decisions in the media industry and drive revenue, she said.

“This really seemed like this is the exact right proposal,” Culver said. “I really felt strongly that it would be great for Temple, it would be great for students, it would be great for me, it would be great for Fulbright, it would really just be a wonderful project.”

Culver will conduct her research in

Temple University Professor Sherri Hope Culver becomes a Fullbright Global Scholar with research involving children’s media in foreign countries. | THE TEMPLE NEWS / EARL KUFEN

Fall 2022 and Summer 2023 and hopes to publish journal articles while abroad on topics related to being a leader in children’s media development, including best practices for creating media tailored to children.

Teaching children and parents to critically assess the media their children consume is important for identifying content that is age-appropriate and serving children’s best interests, said Jessica Castonguay, an advertising and public relations professor.

Research like Culver’s helps illuminate how industry professionals are creating children’s media, especially as kids begin to use new platforms and technology, Castonguay said.

“With [Culver], it’s really nice to be able to work with her, because she has that insight into the industry,” Castonguay said.

When Culver originally began working in media, she wasn’t focused on children’s media because she wasn’t aware that any careers in the field were available. But during her time as a general manager for WYBE-TV in Philadelphia, she began to see more oppor-

tunities to create content for kids and families.

Culver attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned her master’s in public culture around children’s media in 2006. Soon after, she was offered a teaching job at Temple and became a consultant on developing children’s programming for Universal Kids, a Public Broadcasting Service program.

“A lot of these pieces started to coalesce into something where I started to be asked to do more consulting, I had an opportunity to talk about it, and much more in many more of my classes,” Culver said. “Slowly but surely, the industry was changing.”

Adina Munin, a senior media studies and production major, was impressed but not surprised to hear that Culver had earned the Fulbright, she said. Munin took Culver’s Media & Children class in the Spring 2022 semester and attended a study-away program in Los Angeles with Culver during the summer.

“She really just always kind of struck me as the kind of person that would never stop trying to continue to research and just continue to work in the field and to

learn more,” Munin said. “It didn’t surprise me that she was working very hard for this. She received it and she’s gonna go on to do great things.”

Kimberly Williams, chair of the Department of Anthropology and director of the Center for the Humanities, earned a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in 2015 and is now a Fulbright scholar alumni ambassador at Temple. Culver’s Global Fulbright Scholar award is especially important as it will allow her to build strong relationships in the countries she visits and to refine her research goals, Williams said.

“You have multiple trips and there’s a lot of responsibility for coordinating cohesiveness across what you’re doing for each of the trips and it’s more difficult to explain potentially what your research will be – it’s more complicated,” Williams said. “It’s an opportunity for an even richer research experience” Culver is excited to share her findings from her research locations and relay the information to her colleagues back in the United States.

“I want to share whatever it is that I learned, I’m eager to share with my colleagues at Temple and beyond that,” Culver said. natalie.kerr@temple.edu natliekerr

The Temple News

FEATURES

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RESEARCH

Professor’s robotics research funded by the NSF Philip Dames recieved funding from the National Science Foundation for robotics research

BY LAURA MILLER Features Editor After applying for the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program twice before, Philip Dames used the feedback he received to write his 15-page written research proposal for his third and final application. He had to wait nine months to learn if his research ideas were deemed fundable by robotics experts, a wait that felt especially long since it would be his last opportunity to apply.

In April 2022, Dames, an assistant mechanical engineering professor, was notified that he won a more than $550,000 monetary prize through the CAREER program to fund his research on robotic coordination. The CAREER award is open to newly-established-d professors who also incorporate research into their teaching.

Dames’ proposal was voted on by a panel of robotic experts who believed his proposal for the main two criteria of the award, including high intellectual merit and societal impact.

“Getting one of these awards often can mean the research community that you are a part of believes that you have good ideas, and they want to fund you for five years to do work,” Dames said.

Philip Dames applied for the National Science Foundation’s annual Faculty Early Career Development Program for the third time last July – an award that has an individual lifetime restriction of three applications.

The first part of Dames’ research will occur in the Temple Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where they will create computer simulations to study hypothetical scenarios and conducting literature review, Dames said.

Another component of Dames’ research uses statistical methods inspired

FILE / THE TEMPLE NEWS

by advanced sports analytics to calculate what characteristics or skills individual robots will add toward their team’s abilities.

Pujie Xin, a third-year mechanical engineering Ph.D. student, is helping Dames with the research on multi-robot systems by helping co-develop computer simulations and conducting literature review by studying and summarizing existing research.

“For a new Ph.D. student here, I’m able to get in touch with the frontier topics, which is listed by Dr. Dames, and then I’m able to select one of the most interesting topics and select one.” Xin said Due to the challenges researchers face with having robots outside of a controlled lab setting, Dames has not seen multi-robot coordination implemented in real-world situations, he said.

“When you’re outside in the real world, like there’s new stuff, there’s weird stuff, there’s weather, there’s different lighting conditions involved, all sorts of stuff that make it hard, and the robots have to understand what’s going

on and how that might affect them,” Dames said.

Over the course of the research, Dames wants to create mathematical and software tools to see robotic coordination happen outside a lab, he said.

“Hopefully during the course of working on this project, I’ll find ten more things that are really interesting, different directions I could go in, in the future,” Dames said. “That’s some of the fun and exciting things about research.”

John Helferty, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dames’ co-advisor of Temple Robotics, believes this award validates Dames’ work, knowledge and expertise and is happy to see him pursuing this area of research, he said.

“This area of autonomous coordination of multiple robotic platforms is really pushing the edge and I’m very happy to see that he’s right there,” Helferty said. “Temple’s very fortunate to have him for this area.”

Dames hopes that he can test his research outside and with actual robots

but will have to see how the computer simulation research goes first, he said.

“Toward the end of the project, once we have some new research strategies, we would like to do some hardware testing with actual robots,” Dames said. laura.miller0007@temple.edu @Miller18Laura

LIVE Philly in

NUDISTS RIDING TO MAKE A CHANGE Civilians gathered at Lemon Hill Philadelphia to ride bikes naked for a cause.

BY ERIKA MONN Photo Editor People gathered together in Lemon Hill to ride their bikes naked in order to express their beliefs, regarding body positivity and environmental sustainability.

The Philly Naked Bike Ride is an event that emphasizes accepting and celebrating all different types of bodies

and promoting cycling in an effort to be more environmentally sustainable.

While riding their bikes naked, participants feel as though they can openly be themselves. The bike riders also hope to make others feel more comfortable within their own bodies by showing them what the natural naked body looks like.

“The whole point of the World Naked Bike Ride is to desexualize nudity,” said Maria Lily an organizer of the event. “There are many naturists and nudists present so we come together to promote the normalcy of human bodies and what they actually should look like.”

In addition, The Philly Naked Bike Ride promotes environmental sustainability by encouraging people to ride their bikes as a main source of transportation.

“We promote cycling infrastructure, not using as much fossil fuel for transportation, mass transit, and pedestrian safety, these are all causes that I am very vocal about,” said Wesley Noonan-Sessa an organizer of the event.

This event has given people the chance to make connections with likeminded individuals, and has become a yearly tradition for some of the attendees. their resident’s trash disposal later in

the Fall semester, Kaiser said. For landlords to receive certain designations, they must provide trash receptacles and be responsible for their resident’s waste.

Temple’s temporary solutions for waste management off-campus will allow excess litter to persist until continuous conversations and community collaboration are emphasized in the university’s efforts. By developing a strategic “action plan,” as Robinson suggested, Temple can become a better neighbor. niae noraciorat.

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FEATURES

The Temple News

FOOD

Professor creates cooking tutorials for students Judith Litvin creates cooking videos for busy medical students on her YouTube channel.

BY MARIYUM RIZWAN Features Editor Judith Litvin starts work at 5 a.m. and sometimes does not come home until 7 p.m. after teaching all day.

She understands her medical students face similar schedules, so she started a cooking YouTube channel to share quick and easy recipes for students with long days like her.

“I come home late sometimes and in 20 minutes I can cook a meal, so why not share that with the students so that they can do it as opposed to eating out a lot and, you know, just buying prepared foods from the supermarket or whatever,” Litvin, a biomedical and data science professor, said.

Litvin launched her YouTube channel, “Persephone’s Kitchen” in March 2022, where she posts videos of her cooking quick and healthy recipes from her home kitchen for a target audience of busy people like her students. She seeks to give them opportunities to still eat a well-balanced meal that can be prepared in a short amount of time, even after a long day of studying or working.

Litvin’s process is done solely by her and her husband; while Litvin prepares the recipes, her husband films, edits and uploads her content.

The goal of Litvin’s videos is to teach students the importance of eating healthily through the quick and easy recipes she brings.

“Especially since I teach in the medical school, the stress level is very high, and students have a tendency of allowing their health to kind of get put on the side burner,” Litvin said. “So this would be one way that they can not only pay attention to what they’re eating, eat nutritious food, stay healthy — nutritious food can be tasty — but they can also use that time to de-stress.”

Having her videos posted on YouTube means that viewers can watch Litvin’s videos whenever they please and

PERSEPHONE’S KITCHEN / YOUTUBE

for the reason most convenient to them.

Chloe Cohen, a first- year dental student, was drawn to Litvin because of their shared interest in food science.

Cohen began watching Litvin’s cooking videos after she was recommended by Litvin to try a salmon and rice recipe.

“You can tell she’s very passionate about what she does,” said Cohen. “She knows the ingredients as a food scientist, as a professional and as a food lover. She knows about nutrients and what it does to your body.”

Litvin incorporates science, like chemistry, into her cooking, but tries to keep the videos lighthearted, she said.

“Sometimes I do impart this kind of information to students if I think they’re interested, but not always,” Litvin said.

“In cooking, it’s supposed to be fun.”

Ivana Kohut does not consider herself to be culinarily-skilled but enjoys Litvin’s videos because they offer her access to meals she can make quickly.

“The videos were actually something that was very much, I guess, within my

capabilities of doing,” Kohut, a fourth- en, especially students who have just year medical student, said. “I appreciated left home or those who take out a lot.” it because especially with how busy clinic mariyum.rizwan@temple.edu can get, it can be hard to make, I guess, @mariyumraina like wholesome meals outside of just frozen foods.”

Kohut has cooked two meals from Litvin’s YouTube, including her “Quick & Delicious Smashburgers” and “Quick and Delicious Banana Fritters” recipes, she said.

“I really think that Dr. Litvin’s channel is a beautiful example of the Temple family,” Kohut said. “You can’t get more personal, I think, than helping someone prepare a meal or preparing a meal with someone.”

Litvin plans to continue posting videos throughout the school year, and hopes her videos allow students to learn how to regulate their nutritional intake and become more familiar with cooking meals in the kitchen, she said.

“My goal is to make them more comfortable to be independent in a kitchen,” Litvin said. “Some people, you know, have never been in the kitch-

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The Temple News

Stan Drayton is ready to help the Owls improve

After 28 years, Stan Drayton is set to make his head coaching debut Friday Sept. 2 at Duke in Durham.

BY JAVON EDMONDS Assistant Sports Editor

When Temple travels to play Duke University on Sept. 2 for its 2022 season opener, it’ll be the start of the Stan Drayton era.

Last December, Drayton left his post as running backs coach and associate head coach at the University of Texas to serve as Temple’s head football coach. Athletic director Arthur Johnson felt the need to replace former coach Rod Carey, who led the Owls to a 12-20 record in three seasons at Temple.

If Temple plans to recover and compete for conference championships again, the program will need Drayton’s experience from coaching at Power 5 and NFL programs to help the program improve.

Drayton’s has emphasized Temple’s classic “Temple TUFF” mantra since being hired, which factored heavily into which players were awarded single-digit jerseys.

“Turn on the film and Temple TUFF shows up in your actions,” Drayton said in his introductory presser in December.

“We’ll try to impose our will through the run game and an attacking style of defense. Temple TUFF shows up in your execution of getting degrees.”

Since the 2009 season, Temple has awarded single-digit jerseys awarded by both players and coaches in a fashion similar to how team captains are selected around the country. However, in Drayton’s first season as head coach, he left the decision solely to his coaching staff as they believed the team had forgotten what the honor meant.

“When we talk in terms of single digits, we’re talking about the best of the best,” Drayton said. “We’re talking about guys who are doing the right things on and off the football field.”

With conferences realigning, the regional structure of college football is disappearing. Name, Image and Likeness deals are taking the country by storm and the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) could potentially separate from the NCAA in the coming years.

Temple will need Drayton’s experiences from coaching at Power 5 programs and in the NFL to help Temple compete in the future. They can make long-term progress by recruiting underrated high school players and transfers to Temple based on the idea that they can help players improve. “[Temple] has to be the fit for them,” Drayton said. “There’s a certain type of makeup of a person that’s going to survive this culture.”

So far, Drayton and his staff have awarded the 2022 single-digit jerseys to six players: graduate offensive linemen Adam Klein and Isaac Moore, redshirt senior wide receiver and Georgia Tech transfer Adonicas Sanders, redshirt sophomore linebacker Jordan Magee,

Temple University Football coach Stan Drayton discusses the upcoming season with the press at a press conference on August 22nd at Edberg Olson Hall.

sophomore defensive end Darian Varner and redshirt freshman cornerback Jalen McMurray.

Klein and Moore, four-time letterwinners, have been mainstays on Temple’s offensive line and are the only remaining players from the staff of former head coach Geoff Collins. As the products of three different coaching staffs, the two offer a unique perspective on the Drayton era thus far.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Moore said. “When we got here in 2018, there was already a solid background and backbone of toughness, then we saw a drop-off.”

Moore attributed the decline to the 2018 departure of Ed Foley, former special teams coordinator, tight ends coach, and associate head coach who spent 11 years at Temple. Now, with Drayton at the helm, Moore is excited for the future of Temple’s program.

Temple’s future is certain to include McMurray, a freshman single-digit player that is now expected to be one of Temple’s top performers and leaders for the Owls for years to come.

McMurray was named the top cornerback on the depth chart on Monday, proving he has been single-digit worthy during training camp. McMurray earned this distinction through vocal leadership in the locker room, a quality which senior cornerbacks and cornerbacks coach Jules Monitar helped him develop, McMurray said.

“They give a safe spot where I feel comfortable opening up,” McMurray said. “They trusted me to do my job as well as I trusted them to do their jobs.”

Drayton has said he can’t accomplish everything he wants to in 2022, but he believes the season must set a foundation for the future of his program. One that will be without the Kleins and Moores of the locker room and led by the McMurrays.

With camaraderie growing between players and coaches alike, a united Temple football program is on the horizon, beginning a culture that Drayton expects to lead to wins. javon.edmonds@temple.edu javonedmonds45

The Temple News

SPORTS

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Owls’ new transfers bring much needed depth Temple football is hoping to receive strong contributions from new transfers on both sides of the ball.

BY SAM O’NEAL Assistant Sports Editor Last season, the Owls’ bench lacked depth in multiple positions on both offense and defense. This year, they addressed the problem through their new transfers, said head coach Stan Drayton.

Temple University football added multiple transfers this offseason, including players from larger conferences like the Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.

Here are four players to keep an eye on that could make an immediate impact for Temple this season.

ADONICAS SANDERS Sanders, a redshirt-senior wide receiver, spent three seasons at Georgia Tech before joining the Owls on April 22. After his first fall camp with the team, Sanders was awarded a single digit number, given to players that demonstrate great ability as a player and leader.

During the 2020 season, Sanders racked up 223 receiving yards on 17 receptions in 11 games. In 2021, he registered a career-best 362 yards on 29 receptions in 12 games for the Yellow Jackets.

After Sanders, the wide receiver depth chart remains undecided for the Owls. Sanders will serve as Temple’s clear cut top receiver, giving the Owls a much-needed reliable target out wide.

“Anything they are looking for, I can do it,” Sanders said. “Whether it is speed, route running, blocking or anything, I am a receiver that can get anything done so whatever [Drayton] has in store for me, I’ll be ready for it.”

JAKARI NORWOOD Norwood, a redshirt-junior running back, spent the last four seasons at the University of Illinois before transferring to Temple on May 1. Despite joining the Owls after spring camp, Norwood has impressed offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf and will be in the mix for touches right away.

Temple University Football has an impressive class of transfer students, coaches plan to improve skills.

THE TEMPLE NEWS / EARL KUFEN

During his tenure with the Fighting Illini, Norwood appeared in 19 games and rushed for 244 rushing yards, averaging five yards per carry. In 2021, Norwood had his best season, accumulating 120 yards on 27 attempts, playing in nine games.

Norwood will compete with redshirt-sophomore Edward Saydee and fellow transfer Darvon Hubbard for time at running back to start the season. It’s possible that Temple maintains a running back by committee in the backfield, but Langsdorf has said if one player separates himself from the rest, the team will not be afraid to use a feature back.

“We love the type of player [Norwood] is,” Drayton said. “He brings a lot of versatility by catching the ball out of the backfield, he’s tough on contact and he has that fifth gear.”

DARVON HUBBARD Hubbard, a redshirt-sophomore

running back, joined the Owls on Jan. 26 after spending the previous two seasons at Texas A&M University. Hubbard is a physical back who specializes in picking up yards after contact.

In his senior year of high school, Hubbard rushed for more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage on 118 touches with 11 touchdowns. Hubbard enrolled at Texas A&M as a recruit, but only had three carries during his two seasons.

Both Hubbard and Norwood will have the chance to take control of the running back room, but together they will allow the Owls to expand their playbook, Langsdorf said.

“The guys that we added are all a little different,” Langsdorf added. “When it comes to their shape and size, they are different types of players, but it is a good thing for us to have some variety back there.”

DOMINICK HILL

Hill, a sophomore cornerback, spent his freshman season at the University of South Carolina before transferring to Temple on Jan. 28. At six feet and 200 pounds, Hill is one of the bigger corners on the Owls’ roster, recording two solo tackles and four assisted tackles in 2021.

Hill joins a cornerback room that includes redshirt-senior Keyshawn Paul and graduate student Cameron Ruiz, who were both regular starters for the Owls last season. Hill could see time as a slot corner, but cornerbacks coach Jules Montinar believes the Owls have multiple players who could rotate in and out.

“We are very pleased with what we have seen from [Hill],” Montinar said.

“He’s come in and really meshed well with our guys, brings a great attitude with him every day, he runs well so we are really excited to see what he can do this season.” samuel.oneal@temple.edu samueloneal43 samueloneal43

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The Temple News

STAFF PICKS Nick Gangewere Head Sports Editor

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What you need to know for Temple vs. Duke Temple University football opens their season at Duke on Sept. 2 in a battle of new coaching staffs.

BY NICK GANGEWERE Sports Editor Temple hired head football coach Stan Drayton on Dec. 15, 2021, with the intent of implementing a new culture, centered around imposing his team’s will on both sides of the ball.

Seven months into his leadership of the program, Drayton has begun to create a new identity to Temple football through practice rituals and the staff hires he has made.

Let’s get into everything readers should know entering Temple’s season opener against Duke on Sept. 2.

TEMPLE OFFENSIVE UPGRADES Last season, Temple finished last in the American Athletic Conference in both points scored and rushing yards.

Through key hires like offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, though, Temple’s offense could see players utilized in unique ways.

“We’re trying to fit some things to our personnel that we have discovered might be a playmaker,” Langsdorf said.

“We have a plan as to what we want to accomplish.”

Three notable offensive transfers for the Owls were redshirt-senior wide receiver Adonicas Sanders from Georgia Tech, running backs redshirt-sophomore Darvon Hubbard from Texas A&M and redshirt-junior Jakari Norwood from Illinois.

Transfer players alone won’t be the difference, but the gadget plays and schemes in which they are utilized. A standard approach from Temple may not work with their current roster, so a unique offense could lead to more scoring opportunities overall.

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback D’Wan Mathis’ running ability could also be an asset but in ways different from the 2021 season. Mathis scrambled

ALLYSON THARP/ THE TEMPLE NEWS

for positive yards last year only when the pocket collapsed, but with designed runs and an impactful RPO game, he can be an even greater piece to the offensive puzzle.

FIRST-TIME HEAD COACHES Drayton and Duke football head coach Mike Elko are serving as head coaches for the first time in their careers.

Elko became Duke’s 22nd head coach five days prior to Drayton’s hire in December.

“There’s not a lot of information out there about either side,” said Elko at a press conference. “Everybody is trying to get as much information as they can behind the scenes to try to be as ready as possible.”

Elko is known for coaching topranked defenses around the country, whether it be at Notre Dame, Wake Forest or Bowling Green. He is taking over a Duke team that only won three games last season, the same amount as Temple.

“Defensively we know they are an aggressive style of play,” Drayton said.

“They play hard, they swarm to the football, and we got to be on point.”

Both staffs have entirely new top coordinators with Duke offensive coordinator Kevin Johns coming from the University of Memphis, and Temple’s Langsdorf hailing from the University of Colorado.

Drayton, meanwhile, specializes on the offensive side of the ball, most specifically the running back position.

With Preston Brown, Temple’s former director of player personnel, moving to running backs coach, the ground game should see a rejuvenated approach, relying on many different looks to attack opponents.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM DUKE Duke football finished last in FBS football in total defense, placing 130th out of 130 teams without a single win in the ACC last season.

Yet this year, with four starters returning on the offensive line, and redshirt-junior defensive tackle DeWayne Carter Jr. returning on the defensive

line, a stronger presence up front could prove to be vital for the Blue Devils.

Sophomore quarterback Riley Leonard will be under center having passed for 381 yards and rushed for another 173 last season. He loses main target redshirt-senior Jake Bobo to UCLA, but senior Jalon Calhoun returns having caught 56 balls for 718 yards last season.

“He’s cool under pressure, he delivers an accurate football,” Drayton said about Leonard. “They got a read offense at times, he’s not afraid to run the football.”

On defense, the secondary production should increase with graduate student Iowa State transfer Datrone Young plugging the hole as a starting cornerback. The linebackers in the 4-2-5 should be decent as well with returners in Shaka Heyward and Dorian Mausi. nicholas.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16

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The Temple News

Who will start at QB by the end of the season?

First-year head coach Stan Drayton has named redshirt-sophomore D’Wan Mathis as Temple’s starting quarterback, but will Mathis keep the job?

D’Wan Mathis and Quincy Patterson practiving together. THE TEMPLE NEWS/ FILE

BY RHYMIR VAUGHN For The Temple News First-year Temple football head coach Stan Drayton named redshirt-sophomore D’Wan Mathis as the starting quarterback to begin the 2022 season on Aug. 25. However, by season’s end, redshirt-junior transfer Quincy Patterson will be the starting quarterback for the Temple Owls.

Before spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder, Patterson was 7-0 as North Dakota State University starter during the 2021 season. Then-sophomore Cam Miller stepped in for Patterson and led the Bison to an FCS National Championship victory, prompting Patterson’s transfer.

Patterson is physically gifted, listed as 6 feet 3 inches tall and 235 pounds.

Last season’s starting Temple quarterback D’Wan Mathis is listed at 6’6’’ and 210 pounds. At NDSU Patterson’s teammates called him “Baby DK Metcalf,” after the Seahawks’ 6’4” 235-pound Pro Bowl wide receiver. Both quarterbacks possess above-average arm strength, but Patterson’s weight allows him to provide more power than finesse in the run game.

Given his size, Patterson can be an asset as a dual-threat quarterback in new offensive coordinator Danny Langs-

dorf’s system. Throughout his career, Patterson has displayed the ability to use his legs, rushing for 660 yards and seven touchdowns in just seven games at NDSU. Patterson’s arm strength and running abilities should provide Temple multiple options offensively with quarterback runs, quick passing concepts, lots of play action and run-pass options.

Patterson also has some familiarity with the coaching staff as he spent two seasons with Temple’s pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach Jafar Williams at Virginia Tech University prior to his stint at North Dakota State University. While with the Hokies, Patterson amassed 692 total yards and seven touchdowns.

Patterson has been praised for his work ethic and leadership in the past with Miller tweeting that Patterson’s work ethic “rubs off on everyone,” and Drayton calling him a “natural leader.”

Patterson has the potential to have a positive impact on Temple. His physical skills, relationships, work ethic and leadership are the qualities that coaches search for in starting quarterbacks, especially first-year coaches like Drayton that are looking to get off to a good start.

BY SEAN MCMENAMIN For The Temple News Mathis, Temple’s starter in 2021, is a lock to fend off Patterson and remain the starting quarterback by season’s end.

Mathis started all seven games that he played in 2021 and, as evidenced by Drayton’s announcement on Thursday, Patterson hasn’t done enough to remove Mathis from that post. It’s like the old combat sports adage to be the champ, you have to beat the champ.

With Drayton now in charge of the offense, Mathis will have more freedom to use his legs and not have to adapt to broken plays as often as last season.

Mathis was sacked 16 times in seven games due to constant pressure being sent against the run, preventing play action.

Mathis was recruited to play for the University of Georgia, an SEC powerhouse, but during his one year at the program he only played in three games due to the talented quarterback room that featured players like Jake Fromm and Stetson Bennett.

The current redshirt-sophomore threw for 1,223 yards and six touchdowns while posting a 118.2 passer rating in 2021.

With a renewed emphasis on the

running game and the return of offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan, Mathis will be under less pressure to win games with his arm. Temple will be able to run the ball more and set up play action passes and RPOs for Mathis, allowing the quarterback to use both his arm strength and legs against sleeping defenses.

Since he redshirted his true freshman season and in 2020, the NCAA granted athletes an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mathis has four seasons of eligibility left.

He will be in the building for a while, so there’s no reason for Drayton to hand the keys to anyone until they definitively dethrone Mathis.

The Temple News

PAGE 27

Temple’s Oliver found his path through the water Temple University senior rower Adam Oliver has his eyes set on

BY NICK GANGEWERE Sports Editor When Temple rowing head coach Brian Perkins headed to Great Britain for the Henley Royal Regatta in 2018, he was expecting to meet a quiet high school junior who had little knowledge as to what he wanted to do in life. Oliver was presumably a young rower who simply loved the sport but had little sense of direction, according to the coaches Perkins had reached out to.

Perkins had spoken with Temple senior rower Adam Oliver and his parents in the weeks prior, but it was not until he reached Europe that the coach could really see the potential in Oliver.

“We made a really good connection with Adam and his father,” Perkins said.

Hailing from LVS Ascot in England, Oliver found a true love of the sport early on in primary school.

And when his coaches saw how much talent he possessed, he eventually moved on to become a member of the Tideway Scullers, a group he is still a part of today.

Oliver recently rowed at the U23 Crew World Championships, representing his home country of Great Britain. The World Championships took place in Varese, Italy this year, and Oliver rowed as a debutant double scull alongside Joseph Adamson.

Oliver’s double scull finished 12th overall out of over 20 teams at the event, a feat he was proud of, but not entirely satisfied with, Oliver said.

Oliver took little time to rest during this offseason, transitioning straight from the Temple rowing season to training with the Great Britain national team. During the season Oliver had to put in extra work to receive a position on his country’s 83-person squad.

In order for him to participate in

Temple university crew rower Adam Oliver represented Great Britain at the Crew World Championships. | COURTESY / TEMPLE ATHELTICS

the tryouts, Oliver did three different timed tests in America that were all sent to the Great Britain national team coach Anna Liddell. After the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, where Oliver’s boat placed second, he flew directly back to Great Britain.

“We went through a process of selection to see who is faster, and I came out just making it in sculling,” said Oliver. “It was a dream come true.”

Oliver was not named a captain for the 2022-2023 season after a team vote, but still has the most important role on the boat, Perkins said.

With the skill to row at the fourth and sixth positions and the power to pull from the eighth position, Oliver is an asset from anywhere in the boat. And when

he speaks up, his teammates listen, Perkins said.

“We all dial into what he is saying,” said sophomore rower Rares Nechita. “He knows how winning boats should feel. He just leads by example.”

American rowing is focused on a team-based approach in which eight men all work together to move the boat as quickly as possible, making the adjustment difficult for Oliver. Oliver had to adapt to the trust component, learning how to synchronize his stroke with teammates, working together as a unit and not as individuals. Yet as time went on, the trust in his teammates evolved into true bonds.

“I knew literally no one when I came in, but everyone was so welcoming,” Oliver said. “The team became my new family,”

When he’s back rowing in Great Britain, Oliver is focused solely on his own stroke, allowing him to become the best allaround rower on Temple’s team, Perkins said.

As for the future, Oliver is an Anthropology major that remains without a true sense of what he wants to do. Yet one thing is for sure, with the 2024 Paris Olympics looming, Oliver has what it takes to make a future out of the sport. The rower could turn his passion into a career, a thought that perplexes Oliver to this day.

“I have to see where life takes me, see where I’m at that time,” Oliver said. nicholas.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16

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