Vol. 100 Iss. 2

THE TEMPLE NEWS

AMBLER IN

SHAMBLES WHAT’S INSIDE Temple’s Ambler Campus remains severely damaged as students are set to make their return to in-person classes on Sept. 15.

Read more on Page 6.

LONGFORM, PAGE 12 Students discuss their reasons for not getting vaccinated.

FEATURES, PAGE 17

Food vendors bounce back after increased business.

VOL 100 // ISSUE 2 SEPT. 14, 2021

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

The Temple News

PAGE 2

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

Lawrence Ukenye Editor-in-Chief Amelia Winger Digital Managing Editor Jack Danz Print Managing Editor Dante Collinelli Chief Digital Copy Editor Natalie Kerr Chief Print Copy Editor Haajrah Gilani Assignments Editor Fallon Roth News Editor Micah Zimmerman Assistant News Editor Monica Constable Assistant News Editor Julia Merola Opinion Editor Kendra Franklin Essay Editor Samantha Sullivan Features Editor Mary Rose Leonard Assistant Features Editor Matthew Aquino Assistant Features Editor Isabella DiAmore Sports Editor Nick Gangewere Assistant Sports Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant Sports Editor Eden MacDougall Intersection Editor Emerson Marchese Longform Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Audience Engagement Editor Emily Lewis Asst. Engagement Editor Gracie Heim Web Editor Allie Ippolito Photography Editor Amber Ritson Assistant Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Allison Silibovsky Assistant Multimedia Editor Olivia Hall Podcast Editor Hanna Lipski Design Editor Carly Civello Assistant Design Editor Scarlett Catalfamo Advertising Manager Luke Smith Business Manager

Follow us @TheTempleNews

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

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

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

The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-inChief, Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Chief Copy Editors, 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 A gazebo from Temple Ambler’s arboretum is destroyed after a tornado that occurred on Sept. 1.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / 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

NEWS

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COVID-19

Contact Tracing Unit manages increase of cases A close contact is defined as being The contact tracing process has within six-feet of a COVID-19 positive been updated for fully vaccinated person for a cumulative total of 15 minstudents who are close contacts.

BY MADELINE GILLESPIE AND MONICA CONSTABLE For The Temple News

T

emple University’s Contact Tracing Unit amended its contact tracing process for fully vaccinated students. If a fully vaccinated student comes into close contact with someone with COVID-19 and remains asymptomatic, they are not recommended to quarantine, said Kara Reid, manager of Temple’s Contact Tracing Unit.

However, the unit still recommends getting tested two to three days after a close exposure.

The unit has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases recently because of in-person classes, activities outside of classes, nice weather encouraging students to gather outdoors and Labor Day celebrations, Reid said. Despite having more students on campus than during the summer, the unit isn’t experiencing a surge and is able to monitor all cases, conduct interviews and provide guidance to infected individuals.

There is no specific number that would indicate a surge, but it would consist of a “steep increase” in positivity rates and the number of positive cases, wrote Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services in an email to The Temple News. Temple has not seen either of these occur, Denys wrote.

In the first week of classes, there were 57 positive cases and a 1.67 percent positivity rate, in the second week of classes there were 79 positive cases and a 1.78 percent positivity rate. In the third week of school there were 55 positive cases and a 1.24 percent positivity rate, Denys wrote.

If students are not vaccinated and come into close contact with someone who tested positive, they will be monitored by contact tracers for their full quarantine period.

utes or more in a 24-hour period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The unit contacts and interviews any student that tests positive from a COVID-19 test administered on campus or uploads a positive test result from a test received off campus to the Patient Health Portal, Reid said.

There are an estimated 68 active COVID-19 cases at Temple as of Sept.

13, according to Temple’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Seren Palacio, a junior biology major, was contacted on Sept. 9 about a classmate who tested positive. She received an email almost immediately after she attended the class she shares with that student, notifying her of the result and what she would have to do, Palacio said.

“Because I’m vaccinated, they basically said, like, I’m low risk, I don’t have to quarantine,” Palacio said.

A tracer discusses the positive student’s medical history and symptoms, as well as where they may have been exposed to ensure the student has the treatment they need, Reid said. The unit then defines the person’s infectious period and tries to identify any close contacts they had during that time frame.

The unit had three full-time contact tracers, then they added another fulltime tracer on Sept. 13 and may add two students that would help part-time, Reid said on Sept. 10. This is a decrease from the nine full-time contact tracers in the Spring 2021 semester.

Temple will continue to maintain a contact tracing team as long as COVID-19 is present, Reid said.

“It’s going to get better,” Reid said.

“The more people that we have vaccinated, the more protection that we just have for a general community.” madeline.gillespie@temple.edu monica.constable@temple.edu @mconstable7

ALLIE IPPOLITO/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Kara Reid, manager of the Contact Tracing Unit, stands outside of Student and Employee Health Services on Broad Street near Cecil B. Moore on Feb. 24.

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NEWS

The Temple News

POLICE

Temple Police begins to change policy, practices TUPD will work to improve its equipment, transparency and mental health awareness.

final hiring decision, Leone said.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY The 21st Century report recommends police departments using community members to monitor police practices, social media and an up-todate web presence to remain transparent about police updates, Leone said.

TUPD will develop training that includes community members, who will provide input about community needs, Leone said.

TUPD is creating an optionally anonymous online tip line for people to report officer misconduct, Leone said. The department plans to use social media and other online communication methods to keep the community updated on its developments and programs.

BY MICAH ZIMMERMAN Assistant News Editor Temple University’s Police Department concluded a selfevaluation of its practices and policies in May, finding a need to improve the department’s mental health training, transparency with the community and equipment.

“It was all about looking at what we could do in the moment, but also at what policies we could address moving forward,” said Charles Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services.

TUPD evaluated itself using former President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing final report, said Joe Garcia, deputy chief of administration.

This task force was created to strengthen community policing and trust among law enforcement officers.

“We embrace our community, and we want our campus policing to do the same,” said Stephen Orbanek, a spokesperson for the university.

TUPD’s self-evaluation was one of eight actions Temple took in its antiracism initiative last September, The Temple News reported.

The initiative came after several fatal encounters with police officers that received national attention and sparked nationwide calls for police accountability, Leone said.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man from Minneapolis, Minnesota, was murdered while in police custody by former officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds, The New York Times reported.

Local residents were not included in the TUPD’s self-evaluation committee.

Valerie Harrison, vice president of public affairs, suggested the department improve its community policing by involving community members in department decisions and by publicly posting its policies. She also encouraged the department to evaluate its behavioral training, specifically implicit biases.

The department agrees there is

KAITLYN JEFFREY / THE TEMPLE NEWS Officer Savage, member of Temple Police, directs students and traffic waiting at the 12th Street crosswalk near Polett Walk on Aug. 30th.

room for improvement in its community policing, specifically by publicly disclosing its policies and future plans, Garcia said.

Here are some of the evaluation’s findings.

MENTAL HEALTH In her review of the evaluation, Harrison also suggested that the department improve mental health de-escalation skills.

“How do we deescalate situations involving people with mental health issues without racial bias or impulse?”

Harrison said.

The killing of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man who police fatally shot in front of his West Philadelphia home as he experienced a mental health crisis in October 2020, led to calls for reforming officer conduct during mental health-related incidents, WHYY reported.

TUPD has always required its officers to take basic training on psychologi-

cal awareness but has implemented additional mental-health awareness training for its officers, Leone said.

“We have training where we have to wear headphones and goggles that simulate what it’s like to have voices in your head and to simulate the variety of things that go on in the mind,” said Leone. “I had no idea what it was like, it was very insightful.”

TUPD is requiring all recruits to complete the Crisis Intervention Team training from the Philadelphia Police Department, which emphasizes training in violence prevention, community needs and de-escalation, Leone said.

As of Sept. 1, roughly 90 percent of TUPD officers have completed CIT training, Leone said.

TUPD also requires potential new hires to have their mental health assessed by a local psychologist. The psychologist discusses the assessments with TUPD’s human resources department before the department makes a

EQUIPMENT This year, TUPD equipped its officers with Axon body cameras.

An officer can tap the body cameras to start recording. The body camera records the previous 30 seconds of footage before the officer pushes on the camera.

This helps keep officers accountable in their recording, Leone said.

Officers are not required to always have their cameras on to keep from capturing footage the department deems unnecessary, like when driving, Leone said.

Camera footage from the body cameras are uploaded to Axon’s cloud storage program and is kept for a minimum of 75 days, after which the department’s body camera coordinator categorizes the footage and can delete footage, Leone said.

TUPD purchased additional tasers for its officers that turn on the officer’s body camera whenever they are pulled from the holsters, Leone said.

The department will present the results of the self-evaluation to the public once they’re reviewed by Harrison’s committee, who were happy with the measures upon initial review, but stressed a need for community accountability, Leone said. micah.zimmerman@temple.edu @micahvzimmerman

NEWS

The Temple News

PAGE 5

ADMINISTRATION

ADVERTISEMENT

Conduct Code enforces new free speech policy

The amendment to the conduct code will also address biased intimidation and harassment.

BY GRETA MILLER For The Temple News

Temple University implemented two new expansions to its Student Conduct Code regarding bias-related intimidation or harassment and protecting students’ First Amendment rights.

The review committee proposed and approved two bias-related recommendations in the 2020-21 academic year and are now being implemented this fall, wrote Stephanie Ives, the dean of students, in an email to The Temple News.

“Evolution in recognizing and addressing bias, racism, systemic oppression and privilege is ongoing and Temple is reflective of society’s efforts to wrestle with and address these issues,” Ives wrote.

The Student Conduct Code outlines bias-related intimidation or harassment, which includes verbal, physical or electronic threats to a person’s protected category, which includes age, color, disability, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sex including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status and genetic information.

Valerie Harrison, Temple’s vice president of public affairs, and Ives led the committee that passed the expansion last month, Ives wrote.

The committee reviewed other universities’ Student Conduct Codes, searched for limitations present in the current Student Conduct Code, reviewed case law and analyzed how the new expansion would affect students, Ives wrote.

Morgan Williams, a junior biology major at Temple, believes the university implemented two amendments that “contradict each other,” and that the expansions will muddle what is and isn’t considered bias-related intimidation, harassment or free speech.

“There’s a line you shouldn’t cross when it comes to certain things,” Williams said.

The university’s conduct board would

determine how to address individual cases where the lines are blurred between the biased intimidation and harassment code and free speech, Ives wrote.

The board would determine if the student’s behavior violates a provision in the Student Conduct Code and is categorized as being motivated by bias, Ives wrote. The board would then assess if the behavior could be considered harassment.

If the board finds that the behavior is considered harassment they will determine if there is evidence that the harassment was against someone of a protected category, Ives wrote. If it is found that the harassment is bias-related, the student would then face consequences.

With the assistance of the Office of Institutional Diversity Equity Advocacy and Leadership, students who violate this charge will be subject to educational and developmental sanctions, Ives wrote.

In terms of protecting students’ freedom of speech, Ives wrote that the bias-related intimidation and harassment charges are unlikely to stand alone and may be accompanied by another Student Conduct Code charge, like threats, harassment, intimidation or disorderly conduct.

This addition aligns with a June 5, 2020, tweet from the university addressing racist social media posts from current and incoming Temple students, The Temple News reported. The tweet acknowledges that “hateful speech that is antithetical to the university’s mission” is protected by the First Amendment and the Student Conduct Code.

Former Provost JoAnne Epps and former President Richard Englert passed last year’s recommendations that addressed hate speech, racism and bias which, along with the university’s $1 million anti-racism initiative, were created to give the university greater ability to respond to hate speech, The Temple News reported.

“Through education, we can help create better people in general,” said Allison Grosick, a sophomore secondary education major. greta.miller0001@temple.edu @gretamiller

ANNUAL NOTICE TO STUDENTS REGARDING EDUCATION RECORDS The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”) provides the following rights for students attending Temple University: a. The right of a student, with minor limitations, to inspect and review his or her education records; b. The right to request amendment of a student’s education records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights; c. The right, with certain exceptions, to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records; d. The right to withhold public disclosure of any or all items of so-called “Directory Information” by written notification to the Office of the Dean of Students within two weeks after publication of this notice. Under current University policy, the item “Directory Information” includes* a student’s name, street address, email address, confirmation of enrollment status (full-time/part-time), dates of attendance, degree received, awards received (e.g., Dean’s List), major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams; e. The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education concerning the alleged failure of Temple University to comply with the requirements of FERPA and of the implementing regulations.

The procedures for exercising the above rights are explained in “Temple University’s Policy Regarding Confidentiality of Student Records,” copies of which are available in the Office of the Dean of Students and on Temple’s website at http://policies.temple.edu/ferpa. Included in this policy is a description of the types and locations of educational records maintained by the University.

If you or your parents’ primary language is not English, upon your request, reasonable efforts will be made to provide you with a translated copy of this “Annual Notice,” as well with “Temple University’s Policy Regarding Confidentiality of Students Records”.

REAFFIRMING YOUR FERPA WAIVER All continuing students who have previously signed FERPA waivers are being asked to reaffirm them as soon as possible. In addition, those students who would like to execute a new waiver may do so by following these steps: Once logged into TUPortal: • • • • •

Click the “Self-Service Banner” link under the TUApplications menu Click the “Student” link Click the “FERPA Contacts” link, then click the FERPA contacts link After reading the informational text, click the “New Contact” link Enter the requested information and click the “Submit Changes” link

*In compliance with a 1997 federal statute designed to advance military recruiting, Temple may also release date of birth to the U.S. Department of Defense unless the student notifies Temple that he or she wishes this information withheld.

PAGE 6

NEWS

The Temple News

ON-CAMPUS

Temple Ambler Campus to reopen after damage The tornado severely damaged campus property while stranding students and faculty overnight.

BY MICAH ZIMMERMAN Assistant News Editor A tornado hit Temple University’s Ambler campus at 5:45 p.m. on Sept.

1, rendering serious damages to campus facilities and nature reserves while also stranding 27 students and faculty overnight on campus property. Ambler plans to resume all in-person classes on Wednesday.

“All but two of our 18 buildings got seriously damaged either by water, trees or wind,” said Vicki McGarvey, director of Temple Ambler Campus. “We are still assessing for sure, but I would guess we have tens of millions of dollars in damages.”

Temple administration plans to use only two of the buildings on campus, the Ambler Learning Center and Dixon Hall, for their return to in-person instruction. Classroom locations and sizes have not been changed but many administrative and faculty offices have been temporarily relocated to other buildings, McGarvey said.

The damage of the tornado is still being assessed, but renovations are expected to continue until the end of the school year, McGarvey said.

Ambler’s West Hall, the Hilda Justice Building, the Library Building and Bright Hall all sustained severe roof and water damages. Other buildings like the Ambler Learning Center and Dixon Hall suffered less damage and are able to be used as classrooms and offices starting on Sept. 15, McGarvey said.

Twenty-seven people, including state park ranger cadets and Ambler staff and students, spent the night in Ambler’s West Hall, which has dorm rooms in addition to offices, the night of the tornado, McGarvey said.

No one was injured, said Stephen Orbanek, a spokesperson for Temple.

“They sheltered in the hallway of the first floor of West Hall during the actual tornado, they were living there so they had food, water and mattresses

BETSY MANNING / COURTESY Temple Ambler’s campus has been damaged due to a tornado that struck on Sept. 1.

to sleep on,” McGarvey said.

After the tornado, the cadets were able to use their flashlights to direct traffic and guide students to West Hall, said James Wilmore, a bus driver taking Temple students to Ambler the night of the tornado.

“Driving back I was flabbergasted by the levels of water that were just flowing on the streets,” Wilmore said. “There were trees down and lines down, the cadets were great, they used their flashlights to guide us to safety through the trees because the power was down.”

The tornado produced winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour, and entered the campus from the south.

It “flattened and destroyed” the Temple Forest Observatory before heading north to damage the campus facilities, said Amy Freestone, associate professor of biology at Ambler.

The forest observatory allowed

students to get a hands-on approach in monitoring plant and animal life, Freestone said. The tornado leveled the observatory and destroyed a majority of the vegetation and killed some wildlife, Freestone said.

“You can’t quantify the damage to the land, some of the trees that were damaged were the only ones that we had,” McGarvey said. “Buildings are covered by insurance, but nature takes years to recover.”

Ambler’s Horticulture staff will adjust its teaching and plan for the observatory and treat it as a “disturbance lab” for students and researchers to observe how forest’s recover to natural disasters, Freestone said.

“We have had to adjust our outlook with this plot, we have really, really, excellent before-data and now since the tornado hit we will have to monitor how forest’s recover and observe things like

carbon levels,” Freestone said.

The campus library and archives received substantial water damage from the tornado, but campus librarians were able to recover most of the books and archives on Sept. 2, the day after the tornado, McGarvey said.

“The saddest part of this is the people who won’t see this campus for what it was before the tornado,” said Ben Snyder, greenhouse manager at Ambler.

“This was a beautiful old growth forest area, and some people will never get to see it.” micah.zimmerman@temple.edu @micahvzimmerman

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 7

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT: ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Significant water damage inside the library building at Temple Ambler is being repaired on Sept. 13.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS West Hall, a building on Temple Ambler’s campus, has been significantly damaged from a tornado that occurred on Sept. 1.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Part of West Hall’s roof has been ripped off due to a tornado from Sept. 1.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Amy Freestone, an associate professor of biology at the Ambler campus, stands in the recently destroyed research site at the Temple Forest Conservatory at Temple Ambler on Sept. 13.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Workers clean up the damage and debris inside of Bright Hall at Temple Ambler on Sept. 13.

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Bright Hall, a building on Temple Ambler’s campus, has been stripped down due to the damage from a tornado that occurred on Sept. 1.

OPINION

PAGE 8

EDITORIAL

The Temple News

POLITICS

Temple, clarify vaccine policy Abortion laws affect students On Aug. 13, Temple University announced it will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15, following the City of Philadelphia’s vaccination mandate for college campuses, The Temple News reported.

As part of the announcement, Temple outlined the potential consequences of failing to comply with the vaccine mandate, including suspension, expulsion or lost access to university buildings and housing.

However, there is still a lack of clarity regarding how Temple plans to enforce these sanctions, despite a followup announcement on Sept. 9.

The Editorial Board urges Temple to be more direct and transparent about the potential consequences for students who are not fully vaccinated by the Oct. 15 deadline because it allows students to make informed and thoughtful decisions regarding the vaccine. As the deadline approaches, students need updated information regarding the mandate that can be easily accessed, like published on Temple’s website.

The university’s deadline for students to receive the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was Sept. 10, and the deadline for the first dose of Moderna was Sept. 3. Students must get their second shot of these vaccines — or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine — by Oct. 1, The Temple News reported.

Students unable to receive the vaccine for religious or medical reasons must submit their exemption request forms by Sept. 17, wrote Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services, in an email sent to unvaccinated students on Sept. 9.

The Editorial Board asks Temple to clarify whether or not the university will allow non-compliant students to continue their education virtually, as offering that option could alter classroom structures and professors’ lesson plans.

Temple was among the last of local colleges to mandate vaccinations, with Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University requiring vaccines in April and Villanova University requiring vaccines in June, The Temple News reported.

Though all colleges in Philadelphia are mandating vaccines, their plans for students who fail to comply with the policy vary. While Jefferson’s vaccine policy for non-compliance may impact a student’s academic progression, Drexel offers online options for unvaccinated students.

Temple’s vaccination policy impacts the larger North Central community, including vaccinated students, community members, faculty and staff. Although some unvaccinated students may return home after losing access to on-campus buildings, others may seek housing in the neighborhoods surrounding campus, which could cause a spike in COVID-19 cases in North Central.

Some schools at Temple have sent follow-up emails to students with reminders about the mandate, but the Editorial Board believes there should be a university-wide notice that expands upon the Aug. 13 announcement. The new announcement should explain possible sanctions, qualifications for vaccine exemptions and how the academic year will proceed after Oct. 15.

In order to effectively encourage students to get vaccinated, Temple must lay out a detailed COVID-19 plan so students can determine the best course of action when getting the vaccine.

While the Editorial Board strongly encourages students to seek out vaccines if they are able, it recognizes the choice is up to each student. The university must therefore be completely transparent with the consequences of remaining unvaccinated.

A student argues that anti-abor- ing everyday citizens to profit off of their neightion laws will negatively impact bor’s private medical choices,” Alvarez said.

Pregnancies can disrupt a student’s colcollege students if passed.

O

n Sept. 1, Texas’ newest abortion ban went into effect, officially banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant, NPR reJULIA MEROLA ported.

Opinion Editor The law also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone who helps someone obtain an abortion. There are no exceptions for cases involving rape or incest.

These restrictions have a direct effect on college students, as 60 percent of abortion patients are women in their 20s, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that studies trends in abortions. In the aftermath of Texas’ decision, we must come together to fight for the abortion rights of college students.

Although abortion up to 24 weeks is still legal in Pennsylvania, our Republican senators, including State Sen. Doug Mastriano and State Sen. Stephanie Borowicz pose a threat to abortion rights. Students must help by protesting, calling their state legislators and donating to programs, like the National Network of Abortion Funds, that offer resources for those seeking abortions.

Those creating these laws are hypocritical as they use the phrase “my body my choice” to prohibit mask mandates even though it may jeopardize the health of others, said Lauren Berry, a junior English major.

“It’s just not about life, it’s about controlling women,” Berry said.

Students can help by educating each other about what self-managed abortions are, which are performed using abortion pills, in order to distance self-managed abortions from the image of coat hangers, said Jess Newman, an anthropolgy professor.

Learning about Texas’ law was frightening, said Elizabeth Alvarez, a religion professor.

“I was horrified, especially about deputiz-

lege experience, said Jediael Peterson, a senior global studies and anthropology major.

“It’s really hard to have a baby and manage college at the same time,” Peterson said.

Parenting students may have to work in addition to getting their college degree to take care of their child, according to Unplanned Pregnancy.

The average cost of having a baby in the United States is $10,808, according to Business Insider.

Among parenting students, 70 percent experience basic needs insecurity, and are more likely to report poor physical health, depression and higher stress, according to a March 2021 report from The Hope Center.

Some of the widespread misinformation surrounding abortions include abortions prevent people from having children later on and abortions through the pill are not medically safe for women, according to NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, an organization that advocates the right to abortion.

“There was intentional propaganda and misinformation about embryonic and fetal development and about the history of various theologies that led to centering abortion as this issue to rally a lot of people together,” Alvarez said.

Texas’ new restrictions functionally overturned Roe v. Wade, and there is now a strong possibility of overturning it nationally, PBS reported. Roe v. Wade is a U.S. Supreme Court decision from 1973 that protects the liberty of choosing to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. It challenged a Texas statute that criminalized abortions unless the person’s life was at stake.

By deciding not to block Texas’ new abortion restrictions, the U.S. Supreme Court showed they will not protect people getting abortions or their doctors.

On Sept. 9, the U.S. Justice Department sued the state of Texas, claiming Texas enacted the abortion restriction in defiance of the Constitution, NPR reported.

Now more than ever, everyone must fight for the right to abortions for all college students. julia.merola@temple.edu @juliaamerola

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

The transition from online to in person can be difficult A student shares their experience transitioning back to in-person learning after a year online.

Before my freshman year of college began, I was excited to come to Temple. I felt optimistic about this new chapter in my life being in a new environment outside my home state, WENDY GARCIA Maryland.

For The Temple Then the News COVID-19 pandemic hit, and those plans came to a halt. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t get the full college experience all four years. The best I could do was interact with students online.

I’m now in my sophomore year and I’m happy to finally be on campus and taking in-person classes, making friends and being more involved in campus activities.

Being in person, though exciting, is a huge adjustment. Re-learning how to socialize and feel comfortable around people after more than a year of learning virtually makes the transition from online to in-person difficult. However, the transition has been going smoother than I thought and I’m still optimistic about this semester.

In online classes, it was easier not worrying about how I looked because people couldn’t see me. Being in person makes me more self-conscious about how I present myself, because I’ve gotten used to putting less effort into my appearance and being alone.

The pandemic has been a time of exploration for how people express themselves. I hope people will be more open-minded about people’s appearances and what we deem acceptable in professional environments.

I’ve enjoyed the lack of judgment while I spend most of my time at home.

Being in academic and professional settings forces me to be more aware of my appearance, and it limits how I express myself based on society’s expectations of

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

a feminine-presenting person.

Last year, I requested a few accommodations and needed more leniency with deadlines because of my anxiety. There were many instances where I physically could not bring myself to complete assignments by their due dates because of anxiety flare-ups and needed flexibility from my professors, which I thankfully got.

This semester, I held back on asking for a couple of accommodations out of fear of negative responses. However, I was relieved to find that my professors are still understanding and willing to help me succeed in my classes.

Spring 2021 was particularly difficult for me as I usually completed assignments through short bursts of motivation especially since the workload for that semester was heavier than in Fall 2020. I lost count of the amount of extensions I requested in one of my classes, Sociology of

Popular Culture, because I was struggling to keep up with my other classes and had little motivation to do anything.

I feel nervous about how flexible my professors will actually be with class accommodations as we progress further into the semester, but the support my professors are currently offering eases my concern.

Although it’s still early in the semester, I haven’t been too successful in making friends due to my busy schedule and social anxiety holding me back from making plans to hang out with people. But I’m optimistic that as I get adjusted to my new routine, it’ll be easier to balance everything.

One of the main drawbacks of online classes is how difficult it is to make friends.

My most successful friendships are built off of mostly in-person interactions.

While I do my best in using social media to my advantage to connect with people of similar interests, it doesn’t feel the same.

Online, it’s easier for people to present their personalities differently but in person I’m able to get a better sense of what someone’s personality is like. I’ve also found the transition from an online connection to an in-person one is awkward, so laying the foundations of a friendship with inperson interactions makes it easier and more genuine for me.

Coming to campus made me feel more optimistic about the friends I could make, since it would be possible to meet up with people.

Despite the difficult transition to being in person, I am happy to start experiencing more of college life on campus. I’m hopeful that some of the lessons from the pandemic will carry on in making school more enjoyable for everyone. wendy.garcia@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

HEALTH

Mental health is real, and it isn’t selfish to talk about it A student argues that mental health struggles are real and should be talked about.

The day I was assigned this piece, I was depressed and spent most of the day crying from anxiety.

Walking through campus, I felt like a balloon about to pop. I wasn’t sure what made JENSEN me feel this way, but I KORNFEIND had a crippling sense For The Temple News of fear something was going to happen. I wanted to burst into a puddle of tears.

This feeling is not foreign to me, I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety for most of my teenage years.

Many people think it is rude to talk about mental health, because they believe you are being inconsiderate of the feelings of those around you. But talking about mental health will help break the stigma of it being selfish by acknowledging it and making those struggling feel more comfortable sharing their experiences.

Mental health issues that people like myself, my classmates and even professional athletes, like Simone Biles, deal with are not made up. Our emotions are real and need to be treated as such. There are many conversations we must have about mental health, especially now since September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

An estimated 51.5 million adults in the United States are suffering from a mental illness, according to a 2019 report from the National Institute of Mental Health. There were more than 44,834 deaths by suicide in the United States in 2020, The New York Times reported.

The number of those struggling with mental illness increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, 56.2 percent of young adults aged eighteen to twenty-four reported increased symptoms of anxiety and depression as a result of the pandemic, according to the The Kaiser Family Foundation.

Alexa Kotas, a freshman marketing major, has dealt with anxiety and depression since she was in eighth grade, she said.

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

“Anxiety and depression make me be in my head more than I would usually be,” Kotas said. “With depression it makes it difficult to get out of bed some days.”

When she talks about her mental health, people often dismiss or minimize her feelings because of beliefs that mental health struggles are fake, Kotas said.

Public stigmas, which involve negative attitudes toward mental illness, come from lack of understanding or fear about mental health, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Kotas feels like many people assume those with mental illnesses use it to seek attention, she said.

“People respond by saying I’m claiming to have anxiety and depression for attention or that I don’t have it at all,” Kotas added.

When Olympic gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team and individual allaround finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games because of mental health concerns, she showed the world that mental health struggles affect everyone

regardless of wealth or fame.

Biles said that she gave an outlet for athletes to speak up about their mental health and their well-being, the Associated Press reported.

“Simone Biles was managing her mental health,” wrote Kareem Johnson, a psychology professor, in an email to The Temple News.

“Making choices so that she could feel like she was at her best and living a life she can enjoy.”

Many people, myself included, feel isolated when it comes to mental health.

When a decorated Olympian says she feels the same way, it makes our struggles seem valued and acknowledged.

Stigmas associated with mental illness also cause people to feel as though they cannot seek professional help, according to the APA. It is important that we talk about mental health issues so we can eliminate the belief that they are a myth.

“We would benefit from more education around mental health and how to receive the right treatment,” said Mona Sarshar, a psychologist at the Tuttleman Counseling

Center. “Individuals with mental health issues can succeed in life and in their career with the right help.”

Disorders, like anxiety and depression, can be well hidden and we not may be aware that someone is suffering from mental illness the same way we know someone is suffering from a broken leg.

When helping a friend or loved one who is suffering from mental illness, it’s important to listen, Kotas said.

“We don’t know what’s going on in someone else’s mind,” Kotas said. “It’s for them to share and not for you to assume.”

In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month, we need to have open conversations about mental health so we can normalize it and make people feel comfortable asking for help. I know from my own personal experience, mental health is not a myth, the only way for people to know you are struggling is by talking. jensen.kornfeind@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

COMMUNITY

Learning North Philadelphia’s history contextualizes crime Students must recognize the historical reasons for violence in North Philadelphia neighborhoods.

The first question people ask me about attending Temple University isn’t about my major, but if I feel safe on and off campus. I try to explain that there JULIA MEROLA is crime, like any city, Opinion Editor and students are safe when they’re aware of their surroundings.

Temple’s Main Campus has a reputation for being unsafe, even though other nearby schools are located in areas with high crime rates.

Temple students must take responsibility for dismantling the stigma surrounding crime in North Philadelphia by listening to and having informed conversations with each other about the area’s history and how it became known as violent.

Temple students contribute the most to negative perceptions of the North Philadelphia community through exaggerating stories of the crime they’ve seen or experienced, said Bradley Gardener, a geography and urban studies professor.

“It gives students and people there a little chip on their shoulder, especially if you’ve experienced being robbed,” Gardener said.

As of Sept. 12, there have been 2,420 violent offenses in the 22nd police district this year, which encompases Temple’s Main Campus, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

There also have been 1,589 shooting victims in Philadelphia, 178 of the shooting victims occured in the 22nd police district in 2021 so far, according to the Office of the City Controller.

North Philadelphia faces neighborhood stigma, said Max Andrucki, a geography and urban education professor.

Neighborhood stigma explains that residents living in areas known for high crime, poverty, disorderly conduct and racial isolation embody

negative characteristics attributed to their communities, according to a 2015 study from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Community members often experience mistrust and suspicion in interactions with outsiders.

The average poverty rate of the four ZIP codes encompassing Main Campus—19121, 19122, 19132 and 19133 — is 41.3 percent, nearly two times higher than the 23.3 percent poverty rate for Philadelphia as a whole, according to data from the United States Census.

In 2019, life expectancy for men in the Poplar-Temple area was 69.4 years, while life expectancy for men in Center City East was 82 years, according to a 2019 report from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

Decades of discrimination against North Philadelphia affected 22-yearold community organzier Tyler Ray throughout his childhood, he said.

“When I was in school I used to lie to my friends and say ‘Oh yeah I live on Shelton Ave.’ just because I did not want to say I lived in North Philadelphia,” Ray said.

Ray’s views of North Philadelphia changed when he listened to conversations about the community’s history, he said.

North Philadelphia has a strong history of redlining, it’s important for students to learn about this as it’s a key component to North Philadelphia’s violence today, Ray said.

In 1937, Philadelphia’s Homeowners’ Loan Corporation refused to provide loans in neighborhoods with large populations of Black Americans, immigrants and Jewish people, including the neighborhood encompassing what is now Temple’s Main Campus, because they viewed these areas as financial risks, according to the Office of the City Controller.

“I’m not going to sit here and say North Philadelphia isn’t violent,” Ray said. “It is violent, but it’s important to know why it is.”

Philadelphia remains one of the most racially segregated cities in the nation because areas redlined in 1937 have limited access to educational opportunities and high rates of gun violence, according to

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

the Office of the City Controller.

Most views regarding North Philadelphia do not always reflect the realities of neighborhoods, but instead come from long-standing beliefs against urban areas, Andrucki said.

Between the 1940s and 1960s, populations of suburbs surrounding Philadelphia grew while white populations inside the city fell due to white flight, which occurs when white people move out of urban areas with significant minority populations and into suburban areas, according to Temple University Libraries.

When white flight occurred, perceptions of urban areas changed, they were labeled as lower class and crime ridden, according to Lumen Learning.

Students can help rebrand the perception of North Philadelphia by discussing the community’s history with peers. Through conversations, students gain insight into North Philadelphia’s history, which helps counter inaccurate and unfair representations of the neighborhood. julia.merola@temple.edu @juliaamerola

LONGFORM

STUDENT LIFE

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Franny Owoh, a sophomore business and dance major, stands in front of Mitten Hall on Liacouras Walk near Broad Street on Sept. 7.

Medical, religious factors hinder vaccinations Unvaccinated students explain the reasons they are choosing to forgo the COVID-19 vaccine.

BY EMERSON MARCHESE AND MATTHEW AQUINO For The Temple News

N

o matter how badly Elissa Batiuk wants to get the COVID-19 vaccine, her chronic Lyme disease may prevent her from doing so, because she is unaware of how the vaccine could impact her health.

“It’s at a point where I wouldn’t be able to live my life fully because it could spiral into a flare so bad that I would have to drop out of school, and there’s just so many unknowns,” said Batiuk, a junior psychology major.

Temple University announced on Aug. 13 that all students and faculty must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15, yet some

students may not meet that deadline for religious, medical or personal reasons.

Temple’s mandate followed the City of Philadelphia’s announcement that all healthcare workers, faculty and students of local colleges and universities must be vaccinated by Oct. 15, The Temple News reported. Medical and religious exemptions can be submitted to Temple by filling out an exemption form on the Patient Health Portal for evaluation by the university.

As of Sept. 3, 75 percent of Temple’s faculty and 87 percent of all students living in university housing have at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Temple’s COVID-19 tracker.

Local universities and institutions vary in the types of medical exemptions they accept, with some excusing only a few rare conditions while others require a note from the individual’s health-care provider, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

For Batiuk, just having a doctor’s note excusing her from certain medical

practices was not enough to get her an exemption from Temple, she said. She had to complete an exemption waiver, which her Lyme disease specialist and doctor had to verify before she could submit it to Temple.

Batiuk feels nervous because the university has not accepted her request yet.

“The tricky thing is that they didn’t really give a clear cut answer if I’m particularly exempt or not,” Batiuk said.

“They didn’t ever send me an email saying, yeah you’re exempt.”

Temple is going through several hundred exemption letters and vaccination records a day, wrote Stephen Orbanek, a spokesperson for the university in an email to The Temple News.

Batiuk has researched how getting the COVID-19 vaccine has impacted other people with Lyme disease, finding that other patients have suffered adverse reactions to their first doses because it caused their Lyme disease symptoms to flare, she said.

Lyme disease has been proven to cause weakened immune systems in some patients, according to the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center.

There is limited safety data on the use of the COVID-19 vaccination in individuals with an impaired immune system, according to the Center for Disease Control.

The lack of safety data makes it difficult for Batiuk to decide whether to get the vaccine, she said. Batiuk and her doctors are taking her case day by day to ensure she remains healthy and evaluating the research regarding Lyme disease and the COVID-19 vaccine regularly to see if one day she may be able to get vaccinated.

Even though Batiuk follows COVID-19 guidance, like double masking and getting tested, it’s still difficult to get involved in activities on campus because of her vaccination status.

Batiuk is thankful to be surrounded by friends who understand her condition, but also admitted it was upsetting

The Temple News

to see other people return to more normal life after getting the vaccine, while she felt she is still restricted.

“I know there’s definitely opportunities that I’m going to miss out on because of this,” Batiuk said. “I am a psychology major, and to get involved with some of the research and stuff I know you have to be vaccinated, and it’s just not clear for my condition.”

On Aug. 23, the United States Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for individuals 16 years and older, announcing that people who are eligible to receive the vaccine should feel confident that it is safe and effective, according to the FDA. The FDA granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 11, 2020, Moderna on Dec. 18, 2020, and Johnson & Johnson on Feb. 27. Emergency use authorizations allow the use of unapproved medical products in emergencies to help prevent life-threatening illnesses and in public health emergencies, according to the FDA. Franny Owoh, a sophomore business and dance major, is still hesitant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine despite the FDA’s approval, as she feels there is not enough research to certify their legitimacy, she said.

“For me there hasn’t been enough research over the understanding of COVID to really come up with a vaccine, and I don’t understand why society and the government are mandating it,” Owoh said.

There are potential side effects of receiving the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine, like headaches, chills and aching.

These side effects are normal and temporary, and prove that the vaccine is working properly, according to the CDC. Researchers at the FDA have conducted detailed clinical trials and analyses to prove the effectiveness of the vaccine, according to the FDA. In one clinical trial, the FDA administered the Pfizer vaccine to more than 20,000 people and concluded the vaccine was 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19.

As Temple’s Oct. 15 deadline creeps closer, Owoh is still deciding if she will get vaccinated.

“I have not fully decided on if I’m going to get it yet, even though Temple is making it required,” Owoh said. “I don’t really know exactly what to do. I just know that I don’t necessarily feel comfortable with the vaccine.”

Temple students who are not vaccinated by Oct. 15 will not be able to participate in in-person activities on campus, including group activities, gatherings and university-sponsored travel, The Temple News reported.

LONGFORM

PAGE 13

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS A student drops off their COVID-19 test in the Mitten Hall testing location, on Sept. 7.

75 percent of Temple’s faculty and 87 percent of all students living in university have at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Temple’s COVID-19 case tracker.

If students do not submit their vaccine exemption form by Sept. 17, or submit proof of vaccination by Oct. 15, they will lose access to all campus buildings, and their enrollment at Temple may be at risk for being canceled, wrote Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services, in an email to unvaccinated students on Sept. 9.

Owoh doesn’t feel like she’s being excluded from activities at Temple by being unvaccinated, because she wears a mask when she goes out and gets tested twice a week at Temple, she said.

Anya Tully, a senior health professions major, also feels as though she hasn’t been affected by her vaccination status despite not getting a shot and has yet to be left out from activities at Temple, she said.

Tully and her family decided to forgo the vaccine due to religious reasons.

She believes that taking the vaccine is a

sin in the Catholic Church, and that she has a right to follow her faith and her own beliefs.

“If I believe that withholding vaccinations is right morally, then I must do it,” wrote Tully in her exemption letter to the university. “I am exercising my right and free will to follow my moral conscience.”

Her mom and her faith taught her that it is sinful to put something in her body that is unnatural, and that God will protect her from harm’s way, Tully said.

Religious exemptions create a gray area for government and health officials as they try to balance the fine line between preventing the spread of COVID-19 while protecting individuals’ civil liberties and freedoms, NBC reported.

Tully explained in her exemption letter to the university that her First Amendment rights protect her from policies that violate her religious beliefs, which she believes should apply to her decision to not receive the vaccine.

Temple granted her a religious exemption, and she is allowed to continue attending in-person classes this semester as long as she gets tested for COVID-19 twice a week. However, as an aspiring physical therapist, her vaccination status and religious beliefs have affected her in

the professional world.

“I was offered a volunteer physical therapist aide position at Pennsylvania Hospital, which is a very big deal,” Tully said. “It would look great on my resume and everything, but unfortunately they won’t let me do it unless I’m vaccinated.”

Tully has dealt with many conflicting emotions about whether to get the vaccine before Temple’s Oct. 15 deadline. Because of its potential impact on her career, she has experienced anxiety about her choice not to get the vaccine, and she struggles with doubts about if this was the best decision for her.

Batiuk has no doubt that she would get the vaccine if she knew there were no complications for her own health, and wishes it was easier for her to deal with COVID-19.

“If I knew I could walk into a clinic right now and get the vaccine and not have to worry about any of the side effects or how my body will feel after and still be able to live the high quality life that I’m living now, oh my gosh, I’d get it in a heartbeat,” Batiuk said. emerson.marchese@temple.edu @emersonmttn matthew.aquino@temple.edu

LIVE Philly in

Market Macabre

of the

A place for the strange and unusual The friends of Laurel hill host their annual antique, oddities, and craft market.

BY AMBER RITSON, Assistant Photo Editor On Saturday, Sept. 11, the Friends of Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hills Cemeteries held their annual Market of Macabre, an antique, oddities and craft market at Laurel Hill Cemetery in North Philadelphia.

From noon to 5 p.m., event-goers were encouraged to embrace their strange and unusual sides as they shopped and strolled through the cemetery on Ridge Avenue near Cemetery Road.

Vendors sold a wide variety of items, from vintage Halloween decorations to witches’ hats, from stalls sprinkled among the graves.

Vallyn Murphy, a South Philadelphia resident, rode her bike to the market after learning about the event through her friends. While the market isn’t something she typically attends, she did want to buy a few items from vendors.

“I have some friends who really love Halloween,” Murphy said. “I’m kind of looking for some presents, maybe like little trinkets.”

The Friends of Laurel Hill Cemeteries held the market entirely virtually last year due to the pandemic and continued to host both an online

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS 49 Burning Condors, a local band, perform at the Market of the Macabre at Laurel Hill Cemetery on Sept. 11.

and in-person shopping component this year.

Organizers updated their online marketplace from last year’s event with a list of sellers from this year’s event. The online store was open Saturday through Sunday.

Sam Harris, a resident of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and the owner of Starling Witchcraft, a store that sells witch supplies and inspired witchcraft-inspired items, was a vendor for the first time this year.

“I saw that this was happening again like I needed to be here,” Harris said. “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to do something like this that I’ve wanted to have that personal connection with customers again.”

This year, local musicians entertained event-goers attending the market were entertained as they shopped and participated in free cemetery tours guided by event staff.

“We’re always looking to do new and innovative programming around the history of the cemetery and playing on the fact that we are a very special place in the history of Philadelphia,” said Mackenzie Knight-Fochs, the program manager for the Friends of Laurel Hill and West Laurel Hills Cemeteries said.

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT: AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Two attendees take a moment away from the crowds to experience other aspects of Laurel Hill Cemetery on Sept. 11.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Near the front gates of Laurel Hill Cemetery, a sign is seen to remind attendees to mask up while at the Market of the Macabre on Sept. 11.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS An attendee looks at vintage jewelry at the Market of the Macabre in Laurel Hill Cemetery on Sept 11.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Vendors set up their stand before the opening of the Market of the Macabre in Laurel Hill Cemetery on Sept. 11.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS A group of attendees look at handmade necklaces at the Market of the Macabre in Laurel Hill Cemetery on Sept. 11.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

HEALTH

Alumna opens city’s first psychedelic therapy clinic Hannah McLane opened the ciplinary Association for PsychedelSoundMind Center where they ic Studies, a nonprofit organization offer ketamine-assisted therapy. focused on educating the public regardBY NATE WILLISON For The Temple News

T

emple alumna Hannah McLane hopes to turn West Philadelphia into a hub of psychedelic healthcare and treatment.

McLane, a psychotherapist and advocate for the use of psychedelic medicine, launched SoundMind Center, a psychedelic healing, research and education facility on the corner of Spruce Street and Farragut, on Aug. 1. She chose West Philly because of the high amount of mental health issues and trauma that residents face, she said.

The center, which is the first psychedelic-assisted mental health clinic in the Philadelphia area, offers ketamine, a medication used primarily for anesthetics, prior to a session of psychotherapy to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, racebased trauma and other mental health issues, according to SoundMind’s website.

Since August 2021, SoundMind has trained more than 85 clinicians and raised over $22,000 for training BIPOC clinicians in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy procedures, McLane said.

After attending The Sleeping Octopus Assembly on Psychedelics, 2018, McLane was introduced to the effects of psychedelics for treating post-traumatic stress disorder. The research inspired McLane to create the SoundMind Center with hopes to bring those same treatment methods and opportunities to residents of West Philadelphia.

“West Philadelphia is an important center for healthcare,” McLane said.

“We offer a unique approach to treatment and patient care for the area and people are excited about it.”

The Soundmind Center was founded in partnership with the Multidis-

ing psychedelic substances.

The center was a three-year-long ambition for McLane who hopes the center can help destigmatize psychedelic use in therapy while providing affordable treatment for local West Philadelphia residents by subsidizing treatment through donations.

“Affordability and equity are important to us,” McLane said. “Psychedelic-assisted therapy can only do so much good if people don’t have access to it.”

America’s War on Drugs led to a lack of medical research on the clinical potential of controlled substances. McLane hopes the center can be on the leading edge of new research and education on psychedelic medicine, she said.

The United States banned LSD use in 1966 and MDMA in the 1980s, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shut down all research on psychedelics, Timeline reported.

The center plans to expand to MDMA and Psilocybin assisted therapy pending FDA approval.

MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is in its third phase of FDA clinical trials, according to MAPS, which believes that MDMA could be used in therapy to treat severe PTSD. McLane hopes the FDA will approve the psychoactive drug for PTSD treatment by 2023.

“These medications, along with the guidance a therapist can provide, can help a patient turn inward and confront trauma in a way that’s not aggressive or frightening,” McLane said.

Aubrey Howard, director of BIPOC Protocols and Community Outreach at SoundMind is confident that a visit to the center will reassure anyone with concerns regarding psychedelic medicine.

“We’re cautious in everything we do,” Howard said. “There’s been a long

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Hannah McLane, psychotherapist and Temple alumna, stands outside of the SoundMind Center located on the corner of Spruce and Farragut Street on Sept. 13.

tradition of these medications and techniques in the medical field. We’re continuing that.”

SoundMind is hopeful the center can be a positive force not only in the field of psychedelic medicine, but in West Philadelphia as well, said Courtney Hutchison, the director of development at the SoundMind Center.

The location of the center is vital to its mission because of West Philadelphia’s high rates of childhood adverse events, trauma, PTSD and substance abuse, all of which are in need of alternative forms of treatment, Hutchinson said.

Out of 1,784 Philadelphia adults, 35 percent grew up in a household with a substance-abusing member, 24.1 percent lived with someone who was mentally ill, according to a 2013 study conducted by the Philadelphia ACE Project.

For these reasons, Hutchinson is excited to be a part of a paradigm shift in the way that psychotherapy is provided and how people heal from trauma, she said.

Volunteer Coordinator at SoundMind Kathy Arazawa hopes that the

center can affect the Philadelphia region’s perception of psychedelic medicine through the building of a community and sense of inclusion at SoundMind.

Arazawa hopes SoundMind will better educate people in the Philadelphia area on the psychedelic treatments they provide.

“Through social media, blog posts on our website and outreach in general we hope to build a group of people who can raise awareness and educate about psychedelic therapy,” Arazawa said.

McLane and the staff at the center believe the center will be one more step towards a broader acceptance of psychedelic medicine in the medical community.

“We’ve got a wonderful building and a really passionate staff,” McLane said.

“Psychedelic medicine is built on a bedrock of community and we hope to build that here.” nathan.willison@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

ON CAMPUS

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS A customer picks up food from the E & E Gourmet Express food truck at 13th Street near Montgomery.

In-person classes bring rise in business for food vendors Dev’s Indian Street Food Truck, a Food truck vendors see increase in since 2013, attempted to open multiple times during the past year and a half but family business run by Tajinder Kaur, business sales with return to in-perkept shutting down due to lack of income. her sister, Amandeep Kaur, and her son classes at Main Campus.

BY KRISTINE CHIN For The Temple News After a year of reduced hours and few customers, Long Nguyen is excited to be back cooking and serving food full-time on Temple University’s campus.

“I’m desperate to come back,” said Nguyen, owner and founder of the Fruit & Smoothie Truck on Montgomery Avenue between Broad and 13th streets. “I’m so happy to come back to serve students.”

Last year, food vendors across Main Campus struggled to maintain sales after the university switched to remote learning, causing many to temporarily shut down or close permanently. Now that classes are in person and students and faculty are back on campus, vendors are opening back up and hoping business returns to normal.

The Crepe Truck Philly, which has been stationed on Norris Street near 13th

“We were literally spending more money to come here and stay open than what we were getting in,” said Penelope Kyriazis, co-owner of The Crepe Truck.

While sales are gradually increasing, they are not as steady as they were prior to the pandemic, as many students still have online or hybrid classes and are less inclined to come to campus for food, Kyriazis added.

“There’s not a lot of foot traffic like there used to be,” Kyriazis said. “So that has brought down business a little bit, but it’s still good, like, it’s worth it for us to be here.”

The Fruit & Smoothie Truck gained more business and attention this year but not nearly as much as previous years, said Nguyen, who is entering his 25th year on Main Campus. However, he’s still grateful to be back.

While vendors, like Nguyen and Kyriazis, hope to see the return of business as usual, other vendors are debuting their trucks and hoping to attract new customers.

brother-in-law, Baldev Singh, held their grand opening on Aug. 16, one week before the start of the Fall 2021 semester.

Business at Dev’s is really good, Tajinder Kaur said. Customers have visited their location at West Montgomery and N. 10th streets every day, making Kaur hopeful business levels will remain steady throughout the year.

“Morning we are busy, afternoon also,” Kaur said. “Students are loving it, and other people and teachers are loving it too.”

Priya Mehta, a senior health information management major, and Adrien Van Voorhis, a sophomore political science and history double major, feel they have a responsibility to buy from vendors and help keep their businesses afloat.

Mehta is new to Temple’s campus this year but plans to frequent the different vendors as often as possible, she said.

“We’re the only support they’re going to get,” said Mehta. “If it weren’t

for us, these small businesses would be struggling big time.”

Supporting food trucks around campus feels better than supporting chain restaurants, because it connects students more to the community, Van Voorhis said.

As the school year progresses, Kyriazis is hopeful that customers and sales will continue increasing and The Crepe Truck can remain in business for as long as possible.

“I’m hoping this spring when, maybe like, more people feel comfortable coming on campus, then I think it’ll be busier,” Kyriazis said. kristine.chin@temple.edu

PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

ON CAMPUS

Students seek support through campus wellness groups Temple’s mental health advocacy groups host wellness events for suicide prevention week.

BY CELINA EHRLICH For The Temple News After struggling with anxiety and depressive episodes throughout 2020, Emma Lamoreaux found a sense of solidarity and community in Temple University’s chapter of Active Minds.

“I realized how important clubs like [Active Minds] were,” said Lamoreaux, a sophomore health information management major and E-board member of Temple’s Active Minds chapter. “I decided that I needed to be an active member in this club and help people who felt the same way I did last year.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Last week, Temple’s Wellness Resource Center hosted the Shed Some Light event at the Bell Tower for the fourth consecutive year as a part of their Suicide Prevention Week program. The event took place from Sept. 6 through Sept. 10 and promoted awareness of on-campus mental health resources.

On-campus organizations like Tuttleman Counseling Services, Disability Resources and Services and Active Minds set up information tables in Lenfest Circle for students to speak with representatives to learn about their programs and services.

The Wellness Resource Center also encouraged students to participate virtually by submitting inspirational messages to BeWellTU’s Instagram page.

The Wellness Resource Center promoted a multi-faceted approach to wellness and suicide prevention at the event which included alcohol and drug education, interpersonal violence prevention, mental well being and sexual health, said Janie Egan, mental wellbeing program coordinator at the center.

Temple’s chapter of Active Minds, a mental health advocacy group that hosts stress-relief activities like Paint

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Janie Egan (center), Mental Well-Being Program Coordinator at Temple’s Wellness Resource Center, talks to Gabriel Ullman, a senior philosophy major, by the Bell Tower on Sept. 8.

and Scoop, an event where students paint pictures and eat ice cream. They also hold student-led discussions about mental health, and share tips on how to hold constructive conversations about suicide on their social media.

Egan believes the university is responsible for providing a variety of services to support mental and physical health for students to find success on campus, she said.

“We know that students are whole people, and that well-being really impacts academic performance and success,” Egan said.

Suicide prevention begins with having conversations about mental health and events like Shed Some Light play an important role in increasing the visibility of students struggling with their mental health, said Calli Hagen, a senior social work major and mental

well-being program assistant.

“We need to continually make sure that students know what’s available to them,” Hagen said. “[If] we’re not out here promoting them, they’re not really going to know where they can go or what they can do.”

Since its formation in August 2013, Temple’s Active Minds chapter has grown to more than 550 members on OwlConnect and serves as a safe and positive space for students to decompress and talk to peers, said Mia Stavarski, a senior art therapy major and president of Active Minds.

“A lot of times, we don’t see the people who are suffering,” Stavarski said.

“Mental illness is an invisible illness. You can cover it up as much as you want, but nothing’s gonna take away that pain, nothing’s gonna take away these negative thoughts.”

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34, acccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While honoring Suicide Prevention Month is important, Active Minds and Temple’s Wellness Resource Center will continue to provide resources to those who need them, because on-campus mental health resources must promote well-being and fight stigma year-round, Egan said. “​​ It’s not just a September effort, but we hope that offering things that coincide with the awareness weeks provides some visibility to things that are happening,” Egan said. celina.ehrlich@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 19

STUDENT LIFE

Fox student runs dog treat business during pandemic Kaleb Rush runs a dog treat company with his brother, while balancing in-person classes.

BY MATTHEW AQUINO AND NICOLE AQUINO For The Temple News After losing their internships during the COVID-19 pandemic, brothers Kaleb and Kolby Rush decided to start their own business.

“We’ve always had an interest in entrepreneurship, [it’s] something we’ve always loved,” said Kaleb Rush, a junior supply chain management major. “We took two months and really created a business plan and, from there, we were like, ‘Hey, this could really work,’ and we went for it.”

In May 2020, Kaleb and Kolby Rush, a 2021 Pennsylvania State University alumnus, opened Saint Rocco’s Treats, named after Saint Rocco, the patron saint of dogs.

The company makes, ships and sells handmade, high quality dog treats to more than 30 stores in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Treats are made in a commercial kitchen everyday and are delivered to customers and stores on Sundays.

Currently, they make 120 pounds of finished product each week, Kaleb Rush said.

St. Rocco’s products include chicken and beef treats. For every one pound of treats purchased, the brothers donate $1 to local dog rescues, like Logan’s Heroes Animal Rescue.

The Rush brothers researched the dog treat industry and became dissatisfied with the products sold in stores because the ingredients weren’t high quality, Kaleb Rush said. To ensure their products are healthy for dogs they use ingredients like potato flour, olive oil, rolled oats and human-grade chicken and beef, Rush said.

Opening a business during the pandemic was difficult because social distancing protocols restricted potential employees from working closely together, Kaleb Rush said.

For the first year of business

KALEB RUSH / COURTESY Kaleb Rush, a junior supply chain manager major, and his brother, Kolby Rush, cut and prepare dog treats for packaging in a commercial kitchen in Perkasie, Pennsylvania for their dog treat company, St. Rocco’s, in July 2020.

the brothers had to do all the work themselves, including promoting their company on social media and making the dog treats, Kaleb Rush said. The brothers faced many obstacles when trying to create a recipe and solidify a system for their business to operate efficiently.

“It definitely was a struggle, we went through a lot of ups and downs,” Kaleb Rush said.

Before this semester, Kaleb Rush navigated work and school from behind a computer screen and now finds it difficult to multitask as in-person activities resume. Some days he spends almost eight hours attending classes which makes it hard to juggle business responsibilities, he said.

Now that he’s back on campus, Kaleb Rush plans to recruit students to intern at his company, he said. The brothers also plan to attend the Greater Philadelphia Pet Expo, an event where companies introduce their products to pet owners and pet enthusiasts, in October to promote their brand.

The brothers’ goal is to open a dog kitchen cafe in the next two years where people can get freshly made food and treats for their dogs, Kaleb Rush said.

Kaleb Rush reached out to Katherine Nelson, a resource management professor, in Fall 2019 seeking advice on how to move forward with starting a business, and she referred him to Temple University’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, which works with students and alumni to develop and launch their businesses.

Nelson is proud of Kaleb Rush’s success and impressed with his attitude toward life, she said.

“When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, and he and his brother made lemonade,” Nelson said. “Look at what they’ve done, it’s just amazing.”

Greg Fegley, director of accelerator programs for the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute, showed Kaleb Rush useful resources like Startup Tree, a software Temple offers that connects students with mentors and investment groups.

Kaleb Rush worked with Fegley to find their target audience and compete with other dog treat businesses, Fegley said.

Fegley is looking forward to meeting Kaleb Rush in person for the first time after talking with him through Zoom about his business. He is proud that even through the pandemic, Kaleb Rush was able to continue to grow his business.

“In the times of COVID, you’ve really got to take your hat off to young entrepreneurs who have stuck it out, kept at it and don’t take no for an answer, and who continue to just push because they believe in their business,” Fegley said.

While COVID-19 posed a lot of challenges for small businesses, Kaleb Rush saw it as an opportunity to learn and grow as an entrepreneur, he said.

“It’s definitely high stress, and a lot of work, but I love it more than anything,” Kaleb Rush said. matthew.aquino@temple.edu nicole.aquino@temple.edu

PAGE 20

INTERSECTION

The Temple News

LGBTQ

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Bisexual representation in comic books affirms readers A consistent and respectful portrayal of LGBTQ characters is necessary for comics to be inclusive.

BY EDEN MACDOUGAL Intersection Editor

C

omics have always been part of James Baker’s life, but he didn’t see LGBTQ characters until he read the first volume of “Young Avengers” which features Wiccan and Hulkling in a relationship.

“You see a lot of parents in media being against their kids being gay,” said Baker, a transgender 2020 public health alumus. “So having parents that were like. ‘No, yeah, we support our kids dating,’ like that sort of thing, I thought it was really sweet.”

After Tim Drake, the third Robin in the Batman franchise, came out as bisexual in “Batman Urban Legends #6,” LGBTQ comic fans celebrated. LGBTQ representation in comic books gives readers a chance to see themselves and have their stories told.

Steven Fino, a gay third-year English PhD student, read comics when he was younger and picked them back up again as a freshman in college because he wanted to do more reading for fun.

Fino is primarily a fan of Batman’s supporting cast, known amongst fans as the Batman family or Batfam. The Batfam consists of Batman’s former sidekicks, including the five Robins, three Batgirls and other supporting characters.

On Aug. 10, “Batman: Urban Legends #6: Sum of Our Parts: Chapter 3” revealed Tim Drake is attracted to men when he agrees to go on a date with his friend Bernard.

Fino has always interpreted Tim Drake as bisexual because of his close relationship with Superboy and seeing Tim Drake’s bisexuality confirmed in an actual Batman comic was a step towards better representation, he said.

But he is nervous that after “Batman: Urban Legends” ends, Tim Drake’s bisexuality will be ignored because he did not come out in the main Batman books, like “Batman” or “Detective Comics,” which is what most fans read and where the big storylines happen, Fino said.

“I think they plan on coming back to that story arc at some point in the near future but I’m worried, much like with Kitty Pryde, that it will happen and they’ll say ‘yep this is a thing’ and then never talk about it again,” Fino said.

There needs to be a balance between LGBTQ characters being totally defined

by their sexuality and having gay representation relegated to one-off events, Baker said. Limiting LGBTQ content like that makes it easy for people to write off and ignore a character’s LGBTQ identity.

“I want him to continue having boyfriends, you know like even if it’s just in the background like he’s in the middle of a date and has to go do Tim Drake stuff,” Baker added. “And so his date is interrupted and he has to, like he kisses his boyfriend on the cheek before he leaves.”

Tim Drake being bisexual is notable because Batman is one of the most wellknown superheroes and anyone linked to Batman is going to have more visibility than a more obscure character would, said Millie Haper, a nonbinary junior English education major.

Previously, Haper had mostly found LGBTQ representation in comics from independent publishers, like “Paper Girls” from Image Comics which has two female main characters who are attracted to women. While Haper enjoyed seeing this representation, independent comics won’t get as much attention among the general public, they said.

“Now people who read comics, for people who want to get into comics, it’s very obviously there,” Haper added.

Having mainstream bisexual characters, like Tim Drake, is also important because some people may only be exposed to LGBTQ people through media, Baker said. If comics use stereotypes, that will only serve to reinforce the way some people see real LGBTQ people.

Fino wants Tim Drake to come out to the Batfam and have a heart-to-heart with his family, he said. Seeing LGBTQ characters being accepted by loved ones is reassuring for LGBTQ readers who struggle with whether or not to come out.

For Fino, the scene in “Detective Comics #859” where Batwoman confronts her father after being discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a policy from 1993 to 2011 that forced LGBTQ members of the armed forces to stay closeted, is the gold standard, he added.

When Batwoman confronted her father, he told her that she acted honorably for staying true to herself and that he was proud of her.

“Even if you know logically that experience is probably going to go well, even if you have no reason to fear, the fear is always there,” Fino added. “And it’s just reassuring to see that played out well anytime it happens.” eden.macdougall@temple.edu

The Temple News

INTERSECTION

PAGE 21

GENDER AND SEXUALITY

Temple women open up about sexist video games The sexualization of female characters in video games has real-world consequences.

BY EDEN MACDOUGALL AND ANDREAS COPES For The Temple News Kirtney Metz, a senior communications major, started playing video games when she was seven years old after her dad bought her a gaming computer and has been playing games, like The Legend of Zelda and Call of Duty, ever since, she said.

Despite the range of games she played growing up, there weren’t many female characters, and even fewer playable female characters, Metz added.

Women at Temple who play video games feel that the over-sexualized portrayal of female characters in video games is sexist and damaging to their own self image. They hope to see fewer sexualized designs and more authentic female representation in the future.

“You have like, the side female characters but I don’t think I really got to experience like, women as protagonists in most of my video games growing up,” Metz said.

Metz noticed that the games she played, like League of Legends, tended to sexualize the female characters, she added.

Video game design teams often sexualize female characters to make them look appealing to men rather than giving the female characters a more practical design, said Adrienne Shaw, an associate media studies and production professor who specializes in media and game studies.

Sexualizing female characters fosters sexist attitudes in both men and women and leads to increased sexual harassment, according to a 2019 study from Agressive Behavior, a journal with research on aggressive behavior patterns.

The camera in video games often lingers over women’s bodies and frames them in ways that draw attention to their butts and breasts, Shaw added.

Tropes vs Women, a video series on YouTube hosted by Anita Sarkeesian, showcased the differences in the way

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

men’s and women’s bodies were presented in video games in 2016, Shaw said.

Many games, like Gears of War 3, use camera angles to keep the focus off male characters’ butts while other games, like the Batman: Arkham Asylum series, use a cape to preserve Batman’s modesty, Sarkeesian said in the video.

Women’s bodies are not given that same courtesy and are often put on display for a male audience, with cameras focusing on the women’s butts, as is the case with Lara Croft in multiple Tomb Raider games, Sarkeesian said in the video.

Amy Richards grew up in Indonesia playing bootleg versions of popular video games, like Pokémon, on her Game Boy Advance, she said. The few human characters that existed in these games were buff men.

“I never really looked for anyone, for any, like, female main character games, because I just kind of assumed that there wasn’t,” said Richards, a junior business management major.

Growing up, these depictions led Richards to believe that she could not be feminine and cool, that it had to be one or the other.

“It made me look down on femininity,” Richards said. “I was very much a pink is gross, I don’t like wearing skirts, I don’t like wearing makeup,”

Now she has the option to play as a female character in League of Legends but despite the increased variety of characters, most of the women are still made to appeal to men by having large breasts and wearing tight and revealing outfits, Richards added.

Some games, like Overwatch, are trying to provide better representation of women by having female characters from various countries and who have disabilities, but the developers do not always live up to their ideals, Metz said.

Because many male gamers want to see attractive women in video games, the female characters are designed for sex appeal, leading men to view real women as sex objects instead of people, Shaw said.

Activision Blizzard, the company that created Overwatch, was sued for sexual harassment by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing in July and employees staged a walkout in response to the company’s behavior, the Guardian reported. “[Overwatch] is a very inclusive game, it’s got openly autistic characters, it’s got women portrayed non-sexually, some women portrayed sexually, it’s pretty balanced,” Metz said. “But then they just got hit with a really bad sexual assault lawsuit.”

Learning about the lawsuit had Metz

feeling torn, she said. She had spent hours playing Ovewatch and met friends through the game, but now she can’t play without feeling like she is endorsing the sexist behavior at Activision Blizzard.

Sexual abuse and discrimination have been a common problem in the video game industry and the way women are depicted is a manifestation of that, Shaw said.

There have been multiple allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination against companies, like Ubisoft and Atari, and specific creators, like Chris Avellone who is known for his work on various Star Wars games, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Metz wants to see more women hired at every level of the video game industry, from development to marketing. With a greater number of women in the workforce, their influence will grow and gradually lead to change, Metz said.

“If you ever want proper female character design and representation in these games, you have to allow women to enter these spaces and it’s just not happening right now,” Metz said. eden.macdougall@temple.edu andreas.copes@temple.edu @gingercopes

PAGE 22

INTERSECTION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

Finding my peace in the noisy streets of Philadelphia A student shares how she manages her mental health disorders while living in the city.

BY SAMANTHA BRENNAN For The Temple News Every morning I wake up to the beautiful melody of car horns, fire truck sirens and the deep, breathy chants of football players from the field across the street. When I open my eyes, I take in the picturesque view of two sticky-note masterpieces which spell out “deez nuts” on my neighbors’ windows.

While I listen to the sights and sounds of Philadelphia, I sip my iced coffee and type out my to-do list. I like to fill my days with classes, homework, unpleasant trips to perpetually overcrowded Fresh Grocer, essays that no one requested I write, phone calls home and questionablyeffective gym workouts.

I love this routine. I live for the chaos that is Temple University, but it is not always easy for me to live here because of my mental health.

When I was a senior in high school, my therapist diagnosed me with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I have also struggled with an eating disorder, on and off, for about three years.

Basically, I am a perfectionist that spends every day stressing about how to be perfect, oftentimes paying extra attention to my body and grades.

Where one may have a general concern for their health or GPA, I have an all-consuming fixation. I can never just get an A, I need an A plus. If I am eating healthy, it needs to be wholefoods, vegan, refined sugar free, straightfrom-the-earth organic.

I’ll cut calories, sacrifice sleep, neglect friends and family and study my perfectly-typed color-coded notes for hours on end to achieve my goals. This is OCPD at it’s finest, with a dash of ED, all perpetuated by my GAD. OCPD presents itself within an individual as a deep fixation on

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

perfectionism in all aspects of their life, while GAD is characterized as excessive anxiety or worry that is present most days of the week and can cause significant problems in everyday life, according to the National Institute of Health.

Knowing that I already have all of this built-in chaos going on inside my head, I wonder why I chose to go to a college right in the middle of a bustling city.

Attending a smaller school with fewer people and less shooting alerts might have been easier and less stressful but the easy choice isn’t always the right choice.

I truly believe that Temple was the right choice for my academic goals, I just had to adapt.

When I lived at home, I loved going for walks in the morning along the quiet, empty streets of my neighborhood.

However, in Philadelphia, quiet mornings aren’t an option. Going outside at 9 a.m. here is like being thrown into a mosh pit at a death metal

concert. Cars barrel down the streets while police officers blow their whistles to direct traffic. Coffee lines are eternal and sidewalks are packed with students.

I have learned it is best for me to stay inside first thing in the morning. I like to wake up an hour and a half before my first class, around 8:30 a.m. This is my time to relax and reset. I don’t worry about how much Italian homework I have to finish by midnight or fixate on the large quantity of broken glass scattered along Montgomery Avenue outside of Chipotle.

I just sit in my bed, drink my iced coffee with almond milk and listen to the sirens and football chanting from the comfort of my own apartment.

I still love taking long walks while I listen to podcasts, especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed by my neverending list of schoolwork or constant deliberations about which foods will or won’t trigger my ED.

These routines are not perfect.

Sometimes I still step on raw eggs in the Fresh Grocer. My podcasts are frequently interrupted by jarring noises, but I think I like it better that way.

Living in Philadelphia, as stressful as it can be, has forced me to let go of some of my perfectionist fixations. I’ve accepted the fact that I can’t control everything around me.

I can’t turn off the glaring street lights, bustling cars or police sirens. I can’t make the Saxbys’ line less than a 30-minute wait or clear the streets when I want to go on a peaceful walk.

What I can control, though, is how I choose to live my life.

Instead of trying to make myself fit into this perfect box, I take what life throws at me and then I adapt.

I’ve chosen to put myself and my mental health first. In doing so, I have been able to find peace in Philadelphia. samantha.brennan@temple.edu

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PAGE 23

THE ESSAYIST

Stuck at home but free from the gender binary A student shares how quarantine gave them the opportunity to explore their gender identity.

BY ANDREAS COPES For The Temple News Here I am standing in front of the mirror in my house in North Philadelphia. A pleated skirt is waving beautifully in the breeze from the air conditioner and my T-shirt reads “Pride.”

I am proud of the genderqueer person I am becoming, but how did I find myself?

I was about to graduate from the Community College of Philadelphia when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city in March 2020. Since then, my home has become a space for me to reevaluate who I am.

While at home, I felt comfortable wearing feminine clothes, like crop tops and skirts. I dove deep into my own perspective about what gender means to me and if I still agree with how I have identified for the past thirty years, as a man.

Being genderqueer means being free to decide what it means to be me, regardless of my assigned sex and gender at birth.

I don’t like binary labels. They are constraining, like walls, and I feel like there is so much more to the human experience than satisfying gender expectations. Just because I was born a certain way and raised as a boy, does not mean that I canxnot break out of those walls.

I grew up in Oer-Erkenschwick, Germany, a small town where conformity was encouraged. That mindset has followed me throughout my life, even to Philadelphia. For years I strived to be more feminine, but I was still scared of what others may think.

During the past 18 months, I barely left my house. I worked remotely, taking classes online and only had to leave the house to buy groceries. This isolation gave me a lot of comfort and time to think. I always wanted to know what it felt like to be genderqueer, to feel free not to check the boxes of masculinity.

ANDREAS COPES/ COURTESY Andreas Copes poses for a self-portrait at his house on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near Gratz Street on Aug. 19.

I hesitated and struggled to explore what it meant to be genderqueer before the pandemic because I was still in the mindset of caring about what others thought and said. But it was time time to let go of that mindset once and for all.

I unlearned what I thought I had to be as a male-identifying person, and opened my mind to identifying differently.

I can wear skirts without identifying as a woman, and I can wear briefs without labeling myself a man. In the comfort of my own house, I learned to be Andreas.

Living in cities like Cologne and Berlin, Germany, and Philadelphia has opened so many doors to embrace my queer identity. The anonymity of the big city lets me worry less about what other people think.

Nevertheless, I never thought I

would need a global pandemic and being isolated in my home to start being comfortable with stepping out of the gender binary construct.

After being vaccinated against COVID-19 in April 2021 and with restrictions easing up, I realized that the time has come for me to get back outside into the city.

I need to learn to be brave enough to stay true to myself. Denying who I really am should not be an option, because it hurts as much as any physical harm would.

I recently spoke to another queeridentifying person at Templefest who congratulated me on my journey and who wished me all the strength I need to be true to myself. I started to realize that the biggest hurdle to jump is not society, but myself.

As a communication studies major I know about the power of language.

I figure that, in addition to externally presenting as genderqueer, I can use language to communicate what I have learned about myself during quarantine.

I am using he/him and they/them as pronouns to announce: Hey, I am neither man nor woman. I am me. andreas.copes@temple.edu @gingercopes

PAGE 24

SPORTS

The Temple News

FIELD HOCKEY

Midfielder depth could take Temple far this season Temple University field hockey could strengthen their offensive core with a diverse midfield group.

BY ISABELLA DIAMORE Sports Editor

W

hether it’s marking up on the defensive circle or containing the ball to generate an offensive corner, Temple University field hockey’s midfielders are cross-trained to see the field from two different perspectives—as a defender and an attacker.

Interim head coach Michelle Vittese, who played midfield at the University of Virginia in 2012, believes midfielders are the team’s most technical players when it comes to stick work, she said.

Seventeen of Temple’s players this season are midfielders, many of whom are expected to see playing time in positions like center forward or right defensive back, which could help Temple generate more shots on goal.

Vittese transitioned to forward when she made the United States Women’s National Team in 2011 because that’s what her coach needed, she said. With the Owls, she plans to train her squad to play any position on the field so it’s easier to fill the missing holes left by the graduates.

“The biggest thing we’re trying to work on is our connection through the lines,” said junior midfielder Claire Thomas. “So we’re not really breaking up into midfield, forward and defense groups at practice. It’s more so let’s all play together.”

Temple lines up with three forwards, four midfielders and three defensive backs, with the center back at the top of the Owls’ circle aligned with the goalkeeper.

In the Owls’ first game against Merrimack College, two true freshman midfielders, Julianne Kopec and Tess Muller, were lined up as forwards. Instead of playing side by side, the two constantly backed each other up with through passes rather than being a flat option.

Kopec scored two goals against Merrimack in her first collegiate start.

One of those goals was from an offensive corner as Muller’s drive ball ricocheted off

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Annie Judge, a junior midfielder back, passes the ball up the field as the Owls faced off against West Chester University on Aug. 20.

of Kopec’s stick and into the goal. “[Kopec] adds a lot,” Thomas said.

“Super-fast, super gritty and I think she’s winning the ball just from her personality and how she plays.”

Temple’s offensive corners are usually set up with junior defensive back Nienke Oerlemans inserting the ball and Thomas and graduate student forward/midfielder Grace Angelella at the top of the circle as setters.

When the play starts, Oerlemans sweeps the ball to the hitter aligned with the setters, who are usually freshman forward Myrthe Schuilenburg and sophomore defensive back McKenna Burkhardt.

Depending on the play call, the idea is to mislead the opponent from knowing which direction the inserter would send the ball to.

“If we can get a corner, we want to be able to score, and I think we’re nailing on that,” Thomas said.

Another skill the Owls have been working on is the transfer to midfield, Thomas added.

When freshman center midfielder Kaitlyn Cummins is looking to switch to Temple’s dominant side of the field, she’ll

send the ball to Oerlemans, who will then switch directions and send the ball right out wide to Thomas.

The midfielders’ ability to utilize open space in center field has allowed more opportunities for the forwards and backs to make a pass, Thomas said.

In the Owls’ two games against Drexel University and Bucknell University, Temple’s midfielders applied pressure by keeping their sticks low and jabbing their opponents in the center field, then quickly switching the direction of their feet when moving downfield.

Kopec started as a center forward against Bucknell. Approximately five minutes into the game, she intercepted an incomplete pass by a defensive back, then dribbled the ball down center field for a one-on-one with the Bison’s goalkeeper and scored.

“We’re focusing on full gameplay rather than breaking it down too much,” Cummins said. “I think we’re focusing on the bigger picture, how we’re going to play and pressure in general. We’ve been practicing with bigger scrimmages to get us ready.”

Last season, Temple’s leading scorers

were Oerlemans and former midfielder Veronika Novakova, who each tallied four goals.

“We lost a big senior class and it’s scary going into this year,” said junior defensive back/midfielder Annie Judge. “But the freshman class came in like ready to go, in shape and excelling on the field.”

Kopec has taken five shots on goal, and four of those shots found their way to the back of the net. Muller and Thomas lead the team with two assists.

The Owls won three of the four games they’ve played so far and are averaging 11.2 shots per game, compared to 7.7 shots per game last season.

Last season, the Owls finished 4-8 in the Big East Conference, and with the added midfield depth this season, Temple could see a different outcome against conference opponents.

“Coming from our senior class, it started with winning like two games our freshman year to getting into the Big East,” Thomas said. “I want to finish on a note that we compete even higher into the Big East and make it to the championship.” isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore13

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 25

FOOTBALL

Temple’s lack of execution will hurt them in the long run For Owls football to beat ranked opponents they must execute on offense in the first quarter.

Temple University football shouldn’t get too comfortable after their 45-24 win against the University of Akron on Sept. 11.

The Owls won because of two defensive touchdowns ISABELLA DIAMORE and Temple’s ability Sports Editor to execute on offense with true freshman quarterback Justin Lynch in the pocket, taking his first collegiate snap.

While ​​ Temple’s defense overcame a two-touchdown deficit, the Owls kicked off the first quarter with sloppy tackles and were incapable of picking up on the Zips’ run-pass option play calls.

“It was a mindset thing, pregame there wasn’t as much energy as we hoped,” said graduate student defensive end Manny Walker, who caught a pick-six against Akron.

“Everybody was in their own head, there weren’t that many people in the stands, we had to bring our own juice.”

Walker felt the Owls pregame energy could have caused the team’s initial performance, but opponents like Boston College and the University of Memphis will use those weaknesses to their advantage and score more than just two touchdowns in the first quarter.

Akron came into Saturday’s game with one game under their belt, after losing 60-10 to Auburn University in their season opener, which should sound familiar to the Owls, who lost 61-14 against Rutgers University on Sept. 2.

Last year, Akron, who’s a part of the Mid-American Conference, didn’t start their six-game season until Nov. 4, 2020, and only won one game against Bowling Green University.

Although Temple faced similar challenges when looking at last season’s record, the American Athletic Conference has tough competitors, like the University of Cincinnati and the University of Central Florida, both of

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Members of Temple’s football team line up to stretch before practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Sept. 4.

which have recently accepted invitations to leave the AAC for the Big 12 Conference.

Temple showed they have the capability to put up a 20 point lead, but there are still a number of corrections the program must make if they want to succeed against other conference opponents.

“We didn’t execute at a high level, then we changed some things around and dug ourselves out of it,” head coach Rod Carey said about the Akron game.

Immediate execution is one adjustment the Owls will need to address. Rutgers capitalized on the Owls’ delayed start and was in control for all four quarters.

Rutgers increased their lead to 12-0 late in the first quarter, and the Owls couldn’t find the end zone until redshirt-freshman Edward Saydee ran the ball in for an 11-yard touchdown.

At Akron, Temple’s first touchdown came off a jet sweep pass from Lynch to graduate student receiver Randle Jones who then ran it for a 70-yard touchdown. The Owls were still down until Temple’s defense conquered their 14 point deficit after picking up an Akron quarterback fumble and scored.

Lynch, who passed for 245 yards,

opened up the game establishing the run but after realizing the pass-run option for short gains wouldn’t work against the Zips’ defense, he took a few snaps connecting with Jones on the outside.

Despite fumbling the ball and throwing an interception against Rutgers, the true freshman didn’t look like one against Akron.

It’s still unclear if starting redshirtfreshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis will be able to play against Boston College for the home opener on Sept. 18, since he was declared week-to-week after suffering a left leg injury against Rutgers, meaning Lynch could see another potential start against the Eagles.

Luckily, Lynch and Jones have been practicing their deep ball and run connection with one another in practice, which could come in handy against the Eagles’ veteran defensive line.

“We worked on it at practice, the jet sweep, we saw it on film and we could get at [Akron] with the jet sweeps,” Jones said.

“It just came down to execution, everybody blocking and me running the ball.”

As for Temple’s defense, if the Owls can perform the way they did against Akron, with the defensive line dominating the line

of scrimmage and the defensive secondary blocking passes from the immediate start of the game, Temple could be in a better playing position instead of overcoming a large deficit the whole game.

One advantage for the Owls is that Boston College freshman backup redshirtsenior quarterback Dennis Grosel could start after starting redshirt-junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec couldn’t play in their previous game against the University of Massachusett due to a wrist injury.

However, if Temple wants to dominate highly-ranked teams, they need to perform in the first quarter and not let their opponent dig Temple a hole they can’t get out of, like the Owls let Rutgers and almost let Akron do to them in their previous game.

“It’s a ton of hard work that goes into this nonstop and we haven’t gotten a lot of payouts,” Carey said. “Certainly we didn’t execute and play physically enough last week, we certainly came back, but we have a lot to correct, a ton to correct.” isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore13

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SPORTS

The Temple News

VOLLEYBALL

Kirsten Overton mentors Owls on and off the court Former Temple University women’s volleyball player returns to the program as graduate manager.

BY VALERIE PENDRAK Volleyball Beat Reporter After playing professional volleyball for three years, Kirsten Overton plans to bring her veteran experience back into Temple University women’s volleyball program.

As graduate manager, Overton focuses on helping the team behind the scenes, like scheduling practices and game day operations for home and away contests. She also acts as a mentor for the players, having been in their position not long ago.

“She also has this huge amount of insight into what our lives are like, and it’s always so helpful, just being able to hear from her and get advice on anything that we need,” said sophomore middle blocker Kayla Spells Head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam believes her attitude towards volleyball will help shape and mature the young women on the team to become better people, he said.

“She brings instant energy, instant unbelievable work ethic, instant dedication and loyalty with the program,” Ganesharatnam said. “But besides that, I mean, I think it’s great to have her for current student-athletes. I mean she’s close in age with them or at least close enough to relate and she can give them feedback and input that we cannot.”

She was offered the opportunity

by Ganesharatnam to come work as a graduate manager for the team.

Now, Overton is excited to have the opportunity to mentor the Owls and experience volleyball from a different perspective, she said.

“It’s interesting, especially to be on the other side of stuff. I mean, so much goes into it that you don’t see as a player,” Overton said. “We’re here so much longer than y’all are, like putting in a lot of work that you guys don’t even see that I didn’t even see when I was a player.”

Ganesharatnam recruited Overton,

KAITLYN JEFFREY / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kirsten Overton, a graduate manager for Temple’s volleyball team, stands on the sidelines during an Owls’ game against the University of Maryland on Sept. 3.

who is originally from Royersford, Pennsylvania, in 2013 as a middle blocker from Spring-Ford High school, where she broke four school records.

Once she arrived at McGonigle Hall, she started in 18 games during her freshman year and continued to progress in the years that followed.

Ganesharatnam remembers Overton being a highly-ranked recruit in Temple’s program and, prior to her committing to Temple, she had offers from power five conferences, he said.

“She was probably one of the most energetic and the most dedicated players I ever coached,” Ganesharatnam said.

“She just worked her butt off from the first minute, until she graduated pretty much, and she played with a lot of joy.”

In her sophomore year at Temple, she played a total of 118 sets for the season and led the team with 108 blocks.

In 2015, she was named First-team All American Athletic Conference.

After graduating from Temple

with a media studies and production degree in 2017, Overton moved to Los Angeles, California to participate in a Temple study-away internship program, and stayed in the area for two years, she said.

During her time in California, Overton worked in various fields like video editing and modeling, but she never lost touch with her volleyball passion, she said. While on the West Coast she often played beach volleyball in her free time.

While working in California and figuring out what her next steps were, Overton participated in a volleyball clinic and worked with Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings, who helped professional players improve and hone in on their volleyball skills.

She was unsure how far she wanted to take her volleyball career, but initially decided to sign with Rote Raben Vilsbiburg in Bundesliga Süd Frauen League, where she was named

Most Valuable Player in her first year of professional volleyball.

Overton played in the league until she was sent home due to the pandemic.

In addition to her full-time job working for Temple volleyball, Overton is also taking classes full-time at Temple for her master’s program in Digital Innovation and Marketing.

Overton returns back to her home base to build on her role as a teacher rather than a player, and she is excited for this new experience on staff, she said.

“Temple has always kind of been like home,” Overton said. “Like I keep saying this, but that’s really how I feel.

That’s why I committed here and that’s why I’m coming back here.” valerie.pendrak@temple.edu @ValeriePendrak

The Temple News

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MEN’S SOCCER

Owls’ Canadian roots brings a special off-the-field bond The recruiting process is year- was unable to have direct contact with While far from home, Temple Uni- schools. But Rowland personally reached out to him at the Disney Boys Soccer round and involves going to showcases the team before committing this past versity men’s soccer Canadian reShowcase, and they connected on their throughout the United States and year due to traveling restrictions. These cruits have developed friendships.

BY JACOB SMEDLEY Men’s Soccer Co-Beat Reporter Temple University men’s soccer has a special bond on the field, but the connection didn’t begin on North Broad.

With the three new recruits from Canada joining the program this offseason, the Owls now have seven Canadian players on their roster, five of which are from Ontario. With similar club soccer experiences in high school and strong player IQ, these Owls have easily connected with each other on and off the field.

Junior midfielder Jalen Campbell, a Second-Team All-AAC player in the 2020-2021 season, came to Temple in 2018 after head coach Brian Rowland recruited him. “[Rowland] came out and told me exactly what he wanted, exactly how he envisioned my role on the team and that’s what grabbed my attention,” Campbell said.

Prior to committing to Temple, Campbell, a native of Brampton, Ontario, was looking into other NCAA

first interaction.

The two had a conversation over the phone for Campbell to come see the facilities, and he felt confident on joining the program after his visit, Campbell said.

Since Campbell has joined the Owls, he won AAC Rookie of the Week in 2018 and tied for the team lead in goals in the 2020-21 season.

The roots of the Owls’ Canadian takeover started when Rowland, a native of Toronto, Ontario, became the team’s head coach in Dec. 2017. Before him, the Owls had only one player from Canada in 2017.

Rowland was the top associate coach at the University of Maryland from 2014-2017 under longtime Maryland head coach Sasho Cirovski.

Whether the players are from his home country or not, the process is all about relationships, he said.

“Try and recruit the same type of player, the same level of player that certainly has helped with our recruiting in Canada so a lot of the same contacts, a lot of the same places that we [Maryland] were recruiting before,” Rowland added.

Canada, as well as watching video on the players, Rowland said.

Junior midfielder forward Andres Charles, native of Coquitlam, British Columbia, is a team captain this season and was named to the AAC All-Rookie team in 2018.

Campbell and Charles began to develop a relationship on and off the field once Charles joined the team, Campbell said.

“It was like an easy transition for me because we talk the same, we have a lot of the same slang here now with a lot of the new guys coming in too so it is just easy,” Campbell said.

Campbell, freshman forward Xavier Rimpel, freshman forward Alex Marin, and freshman defender Chris Melino all played for the Vaughan Soccer Club, a developmental academy team, prior to joining the Owls.

Coming here without knowing anyone was difficult for Rimpel. But hanging out with Campbell, Marin, and Melino, he was able to build a connection faster because of their Canadian background, Rimpel said.

Rimpel, a native of Ajax, Ontario,

restrictions did not allow in-person contact between coaches and players.

Rimpel’s club coach communicated with Rowland and assistant coach Armante’ Marshall, he said.

“When I was speaking with coach Rowland and coach Marshall about their ambition to go to the NCAA tournament really attracted me to come here,” Rimpel said.

Group chemistry is important in reaching the NCAA tournament, which is the team’s goal, Rimpel said.

Temple has a lot of faith in the culture being developed, said freshman forward Alex Marin.

“They can see the product on the field,” Rowland said. “They can see the experience of some others and obviously see we are competing at a national level, so I think all of those things were vision at the beginning. We will still see where we are going next. We are not a complete version of where we want to be.”

East Fishkill High School, Theiller was a member of the second all-state team in New York, a prestigious award given to the best players at each position in their respective state.

Theiller was a two- time selection to the America East All-Conference Academic Team while at Binghamton.

She was also inducted to the National College Athlete Honor Society in her sophomore year. “[Theiller] is someone who we knew would be a mature and capable player from minute one,” Bochette said.

“She has done a great job so far, and it is never easy coming to a new school for your fifth year.”

After graduating with a neuroscience

degree at Binghamton University, Temple’s Neuromotor Science program led Theiller to Philadelphia, she said.

Theiller has never attended a city school and believes Philadelphia will provide her with a different change of pace than what she is used to, she said.

“There were definitely a lot of factors that led to my decision to come to Temple,” Theiller said. “I think first and foremost would definitely be academics.”

Binghamton women’s soccer head coach Neel Bhattacharjee helped Theiller get in touch with Bochette during the offseason and everything started to fall into place, Theiller said.

During her four-year career at Binghamton, Theiller started in 61

games for the Bearcats, earning two all-conference team selections and was selected to the America East AllChampionship Team her senior year.

The Owls’ main goal this season is to win as many conference games as possible and ultimately get back into the American Athletic Conference tournament, said Bochette. Theiller will attempt to leave her mark in Temple’s program during her final year with the team.

“I am always hoping to beat anyone I step on the field against,” Theiller said.

tui82752@temple.edu @the_voice_jvs24

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 WOMEN’S SOCCER on Aug. 29, and Theiller admitted it was difficult to play against her team after representing the Bearcats for the past four years. But she was grateful to talk with her former coach and teammates after the game, she said.

“Everything was in good spirits and good fun,” Theiller added. “I wouldn’t call it trash talk but I got a couple of good jabs in there.”

Bochette was familiar with Theiller and her skill set before she transferred into the Owls program. During his time as coach at the University at Albany in 2017, Bochette tried to recruit Theiller out of high school to play for Albany, he said.

During her senior year at John Jay

samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43

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SPORTS

The Temple News

Theiller seeks to lead Owls to victory Temple University women’s soccer graduate student Erin Theiller brings a sense of maturity to the program, after transferring this offseason from Binghamton University for her last year of eligibility.

BY SAMUEL O’NEAL Women’s Soccer Beat Report

T

emple University women’s soccer knew they had holes to fill after graduates Julia Dolan and Emma Wilkins left the program, leaving the Owls with very little experience at the midfield position.

One of the new faces brought in this offseason is graduate midfielder Erin Theiller, who spent her undergraduate soccer career at Binghamton University, and is now using her extra year of eligibility to play at Temple to strengthen their defensive back line.

Theiller’s arrival has paid immediate dividends for the Owls so far this season, starting in five of Temple’s six games and scoring their first goal of the season, which came during the team’s home opener against the University of Pennsylvania.

She is one of four Owls who have scored a goal this season,

joining junior forwards Emily Kavanaugh and Hailey Gutowski and sophomore forward Milana D’Ambra.

Theiller is also one of the most active players on the field for head coach Nick Bochette’s team this season, playing a total of 510 minutes across the team’s first six games.

Out of five upperclassmen, Theiller is in the Owls’ regular starting lineup and, with her veteran presence on the field, the younger players could learn from her during Theiller’s final season of collegiate soccer.

She provides much needed experience and is calm with the ball, said sophomore defender Róisín McGovern.

“We did lose a great senior class from last year, but I think we gained new and exciting players, like [Theiller],” McGovern said.

“She is really easy to play with and she’s really good with her feet so I am excited to play with her.”

Temple took on Binghamton

WOMEN’S SOCCER | 27

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Erin Theiller, graduate student midfielder points to the other players on the women’s soccer team during an Owls game against Rider University on Sept. 4.