Vol. 100 Issue 8

THE TEMPLE NEWS

A SAFE RETURN?

Temple students’ return comes amid strengthened masking requirements and the looming threat posed by the Omicron variant to disrupt in-person learning.

Read more on Page 14.

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, PAGE 4

President Wingard meets with Gov. Tom Wolf to discuss appropriations.

SPORTS, PAGE 19

VOL 100 // ISSUE 8 JAN. 25, 2022

Temple Athletics continues to navigate COVID-19 mitigation efforts amid multiple postponements. temple-news.com @thetemplenews

The Temple News

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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 Monica Constable Assistant News Editor Micah Zimmerman Assistant News Editor Emerson Marchese Assistant News Editor Julia Merola Co-Opinion Editor Wendy Garcia Co-Opinion Editor Rosie Leonard Features Editor Eden MacDougall Assistant Features Editor Samantha Sullivan Assistant Features Editor Isabella DiAmore Sports Editor Nick Gangewere Assistant Sports Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant Sports Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Audience Engagement Editor Emily Lewis Assistant Engagement Editor Noel Chacko Co-Photography Editor Amber Ritson Co-Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Allison Silibovsky Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Ethan Carroll Assistant Design Editor Olivia Hall Podcast Editor Gracie Heim Web Editor Scarlett Catalfamo Advertising Manager

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 Editor, Assignments Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editor. The views expressed in editorials only reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

ON THE COVER Students line up outside Tuttleman Learning Center as they wait to scan into the building for the first day of in-person classes at Temple University on Jan. 24.

NOEL CHACKO / 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.

Follow us @TheTempleNews

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 3

COVID-19

University to distribute KN95 masks to students Students must swipe their OWLcard to receive a mask at the four locations on campus.

BY FALLON ROTH AND MONICA CONSTABLE For The Temple News

I

n an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 on Main Campus, Temple introduced new mask guidelines for students on Jan. 21. Students must wear a KN95 mask, a surgical mask with a cloth mask on top or a surgical mask with multiple layers of nonwoven fabric.

Students who do not comply with the mask guidelines will be reminded of the policy and offered a mask, wrote Stephanie Ives, associate vice president and dean of students, in an email to The Temple News. Students will only be referred to Student Conduct if they do not comply after being reminded.

Punishments for noncompliance with the university’s mask policy vary on the severity of the violation. A clear-cut violation could result in a fine and probation, while a second or disruptive offense would carry additional penalties, Ives wrote.

Free KN95 and surgical masks will be available to students at the Charles Library security desk, the TECH Center security desk, the Howard Gittis Student Center information desk and the Bell Building, on Montgomery Avenue near 12th Street, while supplies last. Students will get one mask after they swipe their OWLcard.

Sean Quinn, a senior marketing major, thinks that Temple supplying KN95 masks is convenient especially with the return of in-person classes.

“It’s good that, you know, they’re keeping people safer if they’re gonna make everyone come in person,” Quinn said. “I mean, I’d rather be in-person than online.”

Temple will evaluate whether they need to order more KN95 masks in the coming weeks, wrote Mark Denys, director of student and employee health services, in an email to The Temple News.

The university does not have a plan to distribute KN95 masks to the local community at this time, Denys wrote.

Temple Student Government pur-

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Students enter the Tuttleman Learning Center on the first day of in-person learning on Jan. 24. In an announcement on Jan. 21, Temple University requires that students must wear a KN95 mask, a surgical mask with a cloth mask on top or a surgical mask with multiple layers of nonwoven fabric.

chased 1,000 masks in addition to the university’s supply and will be distributing them to students for free this week at the student center information desk.

TSG already had plans to purchase KN95 masks for the student body before Temple announced they would be doing so, said TSG President Bradley Smutek.

“We didn’t think it was totally fair for the university to expect students to wear certain kinds of masks without making it easy for the students to get that kind of masking, so we figured us getting 1,000 masks is a good start,” Smutek said.

However, Smutek believes it is ultimately the university’s responsibility to give students access to higher-quality masks.

Jason Konadu, a junior psychology major, is appreciative of TSG’s contribution to COVID-19 mitigation.

“It’s nice to know that they’re a part of the community and are doing something active in this pandemic, that’s all we want,”

Konadu said.

Individuals can also purchase surgical or KN95 masks online through companies like Project N95 or Bona Fide Masks. The United States Food and Drug Administration has also compiled a list of surgical masks, N95s and other respirators and face shields that have received emergency-use authorization, according to their website.

The White House announced on Jan. 19 that they will make 400 million free N95 masks available at locations across the country, NBC News reported.

Double-masking ensures that the mask fits tightly and snug without gaps to your face, said Abby Rudolph, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor.

“There’s like an extra barrier level, though, the probability of particles coming in is reduced, but it’s mainly trying to get that nice grip against your face,” Rudolph said.

With the prevalence of the high-

ly-contagious Omicron variant, which was first reported in Philadelphia on Dec. 3, high-quality surgical and KN95 masks can help capture viral particles of COVID-19, especially in a classroom setting, said Inkyu Han, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor.

Surgical masks or respirators, like the KN95, are made with fibers that have smaller pores making it hard for COVID-19’s aerosol particles to get through the mask, Han said. Cloth masks are not efficient enough at capturing the particles. “[A KN95 mask] offers the best protection that we have available,” Rudolph said. “KN95s filter out more particles than any other mask.” fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_ monica.constable@temple.edu @mconstable7

NEWS

PAGE 4

The Temple News

ADMINISTRATION

Wingard meets Governor Tom Wolf in Harrisburg

Temple’s president and Gov. Wolf discussed Pennsylvania’s funding, higher education and jobs.

BY FALLON ROTH News Editor Temple University President Jason Wingard made his first trip to Harrisburg alongside Board of Trustees Chairman Mitchell Morgan to meet with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Jan. 11 to discuss the state’s appropriations to Temple.

This year, Temple requested a 3 percent increase — around $4.6 million — in state appropriations to provide discounted tuition for in-state students, said Ken Kaiser, senior vice president for finance and operations and chief administrative officer.

Every September, Temple requests appropriations from the state’s budget office, for the following fiscal year, that will be used to provide a tuition discount, he said.

Besides state appropriations, Wolf and Wingard discussed higher education in the United States, job availability in Pennsylvania and how Temple could contribute to the workforce, Wingard’s office wrote in a statement to The Temple News.

“The governor enjoyed the discussion with President Wingard and Chairman Morgan,” wrote Elizabeth Rementer, Wolf’s press secretary, in a statement to The Temple News. “The governor was pleased to learn about Temple’s continued growth in the City of Philadelphia and vision.”

For the last three years, Temple has received a flat state appropriation of roughly $158.2 million, after receiving an increase in state appropriations during Fiscal Year 2019 from $155.1 million to the current amount. The last time the university’s state appropriations decreased was in Fiscal Year 2012 during former Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration, Kaiser said. A year later, Corbett proposed to keep Temple’s funding the same, PennLive reported.

Maintaining contact with Harrisburg officials helps Temple sustain relationships with state officials and communicate the university’s need for appropriations, said Dennis Lynch, assistant vice president of government relations.

Temple regularly lobbies Harrisburg, including the governor’s office,

MELISSA ZAVORSKI / COURTESY Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Temple University President Jason Wingard meet in Harrisburg to discuss the state’s appropriations to Temple University on Jan. 11.

the budget office or the general assembly, by phone or by travelling to the state capitol, to discuss state appropriations, Lynch said.

“We explain the impact and the importance of the appropriation at Temple, the number of students that benefit from the state appropriation, so we keep all those things in mind as we advocate on behalf of Temple students,” Lynch said.

“We try to explain the importance, what we use it for and the overall impact.”

Temple and three other universities — Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University — are all state-related universities and can receive financial support from Pennsylvania.

After submitting the request, Wingard and a small team — usually comprised of communications, government relations and finance staff members — will join the presidents of the other three

state-related universities in Harrisburg on March 8 to make their case for increased appropriations for the next fiscal year and answer questions at hearings hosted by the state Senate and the state House of Representatives, Kaiser said.

“Like fundraising, we’re not going to go and immediately ask somebody for a very large gift,” Kaiser said. “You need to cultivate them, take them to dinner and you listen to them. You bring them to a Temple basketball game, and the same is true with the government. You need to establish those relationships and make sure they really understand what Temple’s mission is.”

The governor will also include, in his budget, a preliminary estimate of his potential funding for the state-related universities like Temple, but the budget won’t be finalized until it is passed by June 30, Kaiser said.

Wolf will release his budget on Feb.

8, ABC27 reported.

Despite not seeing an increase in appropriations for the past three years, Lynch believes that Temple’s continued advocacy efforts in Harrisburg are maintaining the university’s state appropriations because Temple has opportunities to communicate their needs with state officials.

“The President understands that Temple University has a long-standing partnership with Harrisburgh and the Commonwealth,” Wingard’s office wrote. “We receive financial support, and in exchange provide discounted tuition to Pennsylvania residents, creating economic opportunity and highly engaged, productive citizens.” fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

FACULTY

Union, Temple disagree about COVID-19 safety

Faculty union officers started a petition prior to their meeting with Temple administration.

BY BRIAN MENGINI For The Temple News Temple Association of University Professionals, the union at Temple University for faculty, professional librarians and academic professionals, met with university officials on Jan. 18 to discuss safety and COVID-19 protocols, including boosters and masks.

TAUP wants to center faculty voices in discussions with university administration especially regarding COVID-19 safety and protocols, said Will Jordan, a policy, organizational and leadership studies professor and president of TAUP. TAUP union officers also distributed a petition to the Temple community outlining COVID-19 safety concerns and protocols prior to the meeting. The petition calls for increased testing capacity and re-defining “fully vaccinated” to include boosters for those eligible and received 815 signatures as of Jan. 24.

The petition also advocates for a KN95 mask requirement on campus, updated and proper ventilation, especially in older buildings, and flexible working and learning arrangements based on a variety of different COVID-specific risk factors that may not be covered in the Americans with Disabilities Act. TAUP does not believe that Temple’s COVID-19 plans for the Spring 2022 semester will adequately protect students and faculty.

Temple believes that TAUP’s messaging regarding the university’s response to booster vaccinations, mask requirements, administration accommodations and contact tracing and testing is misleading, wrote Stephen Orbanek, a university spokesperson in a statement to The Temple News.

To make their decisions on COVID-19 mitigation, Temple met with faculty members who are public health, infectious disease and clinical care experts. A collective decision was made to follow CDC guidelines, Orbanek wrote.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Temple Association of University Professionals met with university officials on Jan. 18. In their meeting, TAUP discussed safety and COVID-19 protocols, including boosters and testing at the university for the upcoming semester.

As of Jan. 23, there are 190 active cases of COVID-19 at Temple, according to the university’s vaccine and case dashboard.

Here are the results from TAUP and Temple’s meeting.

BOOSTERS On Dec. 22, the university announced the Spring 2022 semester would begin with two weeks of virtual learning and in-person classes would resume on Jan. 24. The decision was in response to rising COVID-19 cases across the region and country from the Omicron variant and anticipated spikes in cases post-holiday.

As students and employees returned to in-person classes on Jan. 24, TAUP wanted Temple to mandate boosters, Jordan said.

The university has encouraged, not mandated, boosters for eligible individuals.

Temple has typically followed the City of Philadelphia when it comes to vaccine mandates. The university announced their mandate for the primary series of COVID-19 vaccination hours after Philadelphia announced the same requirement for all students, employees and health care workers at city universities. Temple also followed the city’s lead

in extending the COVID-19 vaccination deadline to Nov. 15, 2021. “[Temple is] doing some things right but I am not sure they are robust enough,” Jordan said. “There’s been a vaccine mandate, but to my knowledge no booster mandate, which there should be.”

MASKS TAUP wanted Temple to provide KN95 masks to students to mitigate the spread of the Omicron variant, Jordan said.

In a Jan. 21 announcement, Provost and Senior Vice President Gregory Mandel indicated that cloth masks alone are no longer allowed in university buildings. Temple will be offering a supply of free KN95 masks to students this week at the Howard Gittis Student information desk, the TECH Center security desk, the Charles Library security desk and the Bell Building, on Montgomery Avenue near 12th Street. Students will get one mask after they swipe their OWLcard.

“The university has said that they would provide one KN95 mask, per person, students or faculty as long as they last and they also said that there was a limited supply,” said Debi Lemieur, a union representative. “This is absurd, KN95 masks only last one day unless

you know, you can recycle them, maybe stretch it out to a week. So what are they doing giving us protection for one week?”

ACCOMODATIONS The university will continue to accommodate employees who submit an accommodation request and proper documents during COVID-19. These accommodations can range from an employee’s needs and preferences like flexibility in hours and remote teaching, Orbanek wrote.

However, TAUP wants Temple to cater to employees who have accommodations that are not included in the Americans with Disabilities Act, like caregiving or cohabitation with a highrisk individual.

“The union objects to the administration using ADA as their fallback and sending people to HR and only addressing ADA accommodations,” Lemieur said. “And the reason the unit union objects to that is because ADA does not sufficiently address the complications involved with COVID.” brian.mengini@temple.edu

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NEWS

The Temple News

COVID-19

Contact Tracing Unit expects COVID-19 case uptick COVID-19 cases on Temple’s Main Campus could become manageable in late February.

BY ALEXIS BRAY AND FALLON ROTH For The Temple News Temple University’s contact tracing unit expects the university to experience an uptick in COVID-19 cases with students back on campus for in-person classes, said Kara Reid, Temple University’s contact tracing manager. She hopes cases will become more manageable towards the end of February.

Temple’s cases at the beginning of winter break jumped from 59 cases during the week of Dec. 12, 2021, to 534 cases reported during the week of Jan. 2, nearly a week before the Spring 2022 semester was set to begin on Jan. 10. The university reported four new cases so far this week and 107 last week, according to the university’s vaccine and case dashboard.

Although Temple did not track cases during the week of Dec. 26, the university’s reopening of COVID-19 testing sites on Jan. 3 revealed a surge in cases that coincides with the rise of the Omicron variant. The variant was first confirmed in the City of Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 2021, and now accounts for a majority of the city’s new cases.

As of Jan. 23, there are 190 active COVID-19 cases among Temple students and employees, a decrease from 229 active cases the previous week, according to the dashboard.

“Thankfully, COVID numbers in Philadelphia and Temple are trending downward compared to early January, but we are still dealing with large numbers of COVID cases throughout the country and area in general,” Reid wrote, in an email to The Temple News.

Philadelphia reported 166 new cases on Jan. 23, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health COVID-19 dashboard.

The contact tracing unit also tracks students who upload results from at-home COVID-19 tests to the Patient Health Portal, Reid said.

The contact tracing process includes

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS With students returning to campus for in-person classes, Temple University’s Contact Tracing Unit expects an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Temple reported 107 new COVID-19 cases last week.

interviewing students who test positive for COVID-19 to identify the people they were in close contact with and the risk the contacts may have for contracting the virus. The unit added two contact tracers for this semester, for a total of six full-time employees, Reid said.

During winter break, the contact tracing unit tracked all close contacts of students who tested positive that they were able to interview, Reid said. Currently, tracers are interviewing roughly 15 to 25 people per day.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on Dec. 27, that people who contract COVID-19 should isolate for five days if they are asymptomatic or if their symptoms are resolving. After isolating, they should continue wearing a mask when around other people for five additional days.

Temple’s contact tracing unit is encouraging students to monitor their symp-

toms if they test positive for COVID-19 so they know when to stop isolating in accordance with the CDC’s guidelines.

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Temple held the first two weeks of the Spring 2022 semester remotely. The university also delayed move-in days for most students living in residence halls until Jan. 22 and is requiring students get tested for COVID-19 within 24 hours of their arrival.

The university is also requiring students to either wear surgical masks, a surgical mask with a cloth mask on top or a KN95 mask in university buildings.

Temple made the right decision in holding the first two weeks of classes remotely, said Nicolle Majette, a senior journalism major.

“It’s always nerve-racking to hear about cases going up anywhere, but especially in such a densely populated area, such as Philadelphia and especially just Temple, the Temple community,” Majette said.

Temple is also encouraging students to get tested before returning to campus and tripled testing capabilities at Morgan Hall for individuals with COVID-19 symptoms, wrote Mark Denys, senior director of student and employee health services, in an email to The Temple News.

Anna Stopfel, a senior media studies and production major, wants Temple to require testing for everyone, even if they are fully vaccinated, she said.

“To fully protect everyone in the student population, we need to be testing as much as we can,” she said. “Even if it’s just like once every other week or something if that’s all Temple can afford.”

Devon Russell contributed reporting. alexis.bray@temple.edu fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

OPINION

The Temple News

EDITORIAL

Temple, get tested regularly On Jan. 3, reported COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia County peaked for the month of January, with 6,406 new positive cases, The New York Times reported. Twenty days later, cases are falling but remain high in the area, with 1,371 new cases reported on Jan. 23.

While Kara Reed, Temple’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Manager, expects an uptick in cases due to students traveling and making close contact with each other, she doesn’t anticipate the cases rising as high as they did after students arrived on campus in August 2021, she wrote in an email to The Temple News.

To continue this decline of positive cases in the region, The Editorial Board believes it’s crucial for Temple students returning to campus to partake in frequent testing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This semester, Morgan Hall tripled testing availability for students exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, while Mitten Hall, the Paley Building and the Health Services Center will continue functioning as asymptomatic testing sites.

Although Temple enforced testing twice a week for all students in Spring 2021, vaccinated students were not required to test in Fall 2021. Currently, the university has only mandated testing for students who received a vaccine exemption this semester.

Regardless of whether Temple mandates it, The Editorial Board recommends vaccinated and unvaccinated students alike utilize the variety of testing options by getting tested regularly.

When people are antigen tested at least two times a week,

COVID-19 infections in their early stages are almost always identified and the likelihood of transmission is significantly reduced, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Editorial Board also encourages students to order the free at-home tests available from the federal government. The tests typically ship between 7 to 12 days, according to the website.

However, it’s important for students to remain mindful of the fact that some at-home tests have an overall accuracy of roughly 85 percent and can produce false-negative results, The New York Times reported.

At-home tests should not serve as a replacement for testing conducted at designated sites, but rather, as an additional option for COVID-19 prevention. In instances in which students may be attending a large gathering, traveling out of state or visiting an unvaccinated or high-risk person, students can look to their at-home tests for swift reassurance.

After taking these tests, it’s essential for students to submit their results to Student Health Services by navigating to the Patient Health Portal and clicking on the, “Upload,” tab. Once the results are uploaded, SHS can begin the contact tracing process for those that tested positive.

The Editorial Board is pleased to see students return to campus, but they must commit to COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Taking an active role in reducing COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia is not just a recommendation, but a responsibility for anyone living in the city.

PAGE 7

THE ESSAYIST

SAD drains my motivation

A student explains their yearly struggle with seasonal depression, and how it has worsened.

BY ALYSSA MOORE For The Temple News

A

s I sit on my couch from the comfort of my home typing this essay on my laptop, it feels like my seasonal depression is constantly flipping my attention span on and off in my brain.

For me, seasonal depression is like that one lazy winter day where it’s too cold outside to go anywhere, and you’d rather spend it in your pajamas. Except that feeling lasts for months.

Earlier in the day, I was contemplating if it was worth attending my virtual classes. Although it only takes a few clicks of the keyboard to join a Zoom meeting, my seasonally-depressed brain would’ve preferred to go back to sleep, because my energy was just not there.

I first felt the effects of seasonal depression in elementary school, and at the time I thought I was just a boring kid who couldn’t enjoy the winter time. But during the past five years, I’ve noticed it getting worse.

Now, I feel like my generalized anxiety has bled into my seasonal depression, making an aggravating cocktail of anxiousness, irritability and lack of motivation.

I’ve also lost count of how many times I’ve asked my grandparents to fly me down to their house in Florida. I would much rather spend my time in a warm, sunny lanai than watch the sun set before dinner time, because I feel like my days have ended before they’ve started when it gets dark so early.

One of my biggest problems with seasonal depression is that it depletes my energy or desire to do many things, like hanging out with my best friend or running errands.

While I feel guilty for not being so enthusias-

tic when it comes time to go out with friends, I don’t let it affect my relationships. I try to think of the memories and fun times we’ll have together, and not focus on my brain telling me to stay home.

My seasonal depression has also led me to develop an erratic sleep schedule. I periodically wake up throughout the night, or at 3 a.m. and can’t fall back asleep. My circadian rhythm is in a funk and it’s hard to keep it on a consistent schedule.

I spent most of my winter break relaxing from the fall semester. Being back in-person was a very exciting time in my life. My college experience coinciding with the pandemic was a curveball, so I had high hopes that things were looking up.

When Temple announced we were going back online, I feared I would go back to staring at my laptop screen all day, and my motivation would start slipping away as my seasonal depression started settling in.

I’ve always been a procrastinator, and unfortunately, my seasonal depression only worsens that trait. When my motivation is already under attack, the urgency to get work done flies out the window.

As a junior, I’ve noticed that my procrastination peaks at the beginning of spring semesters because I’m still mentally exhausted from winter break and the previous semester. My grades, though passing, aren’t usually as great as they could be and it provokes my anxiety, because I know I can do better.

With my anxiety and bouts of seasonal depression, I understand it’s all a cruel trick my mind is playing on me and it negatively affects the way I function.

Being able to juggle school, work and a tricky brain is tiring. But as the saying “this too, shall pass” eludes, so will winter. alyssa.moore0006@temple.edu

PAGE 8

OPINION

The Temple News

HEALTH

Students, its’s time to step up and donate blood A student argues that during the blood shortage, their peers must make the effort to donate.

The American Red Cross announced on Jan. 11 that they’re facing their first-ever national blood crisis, and their worst blood shortage in more than a decade, according to their website.

JULIA MEROLA It’s not uncommon Co-Opinion Editor for there to be an increased need for blood during January, because regular seasonal illnesses like the common cold and the flu, and winter weather, often lead to a decline in donations. However, COVID-19 has caused even lower donor turnout as cases began rising across the country in August.

Because January is National Blood Donor Month and the American Red Cross is experiencing a national crisis, students must make the effort to donate blood through local collection sites like the Philadelphia Red Cross Blood Platelet and Plasma Donation Center, Interstate Blood Bank Inc. and the Thomas Jefferson Blood Donor Center.

One donation alone can save three lives, according to Cedar Sinai, a nonprofit academic healthcare organization.

In general, blood drives are important for giving hospitals the resources they need to take care of patients who need blood, said Loretta Bassion, a nursing professor.

Blood is essential to help patients survive surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illness and traumatic injuries, according to the American Red Cross.

However, because of the national crisis, doctors are forced to make decisions about who can receive blood transfusions immediately, and who will need to wait until more products become available.

Lifesaving blood may not be available for some patients when they need it

KATHERINE WANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

as blood centers nationwide report having less than a one-day supply of certain critical blood types, U.S. News & World Report reported. Ultimately, some patients may die because hospitals do not have blood.

If doctors don’t have blood they will need to postpone surgeries, which can put the patient’s life further at risk, said Beth Heuer, a nursing professor.

“Patients can die because we know that blood saves lives and donations save lives,” Heuer said. “And that postponement can mean a death that didn’t need to happen.”

Blood donations are important for patients in need of surgery, cancer treatment and transfusions for blood loss from traumatic injuries. For example, with cancer patients, blood transfusions can act as a resource to implement platelets back into the body after heavy treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, according

to the American Red Cross.

Patients that are the most affected are those in need of blood for surgery, who would need to postpone their operation if there is not blood available, and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, Heuer said.

“People don’t think about the wide range of what is needed for blood,” Heuer added. “So the idea that you could die in an emergency room, because you need blood cells and you can’t get them because of the shortage, is just terrifying.”

People don’t have to be in the healthcare community to help with the crisis, said Dana Senour, a senior nursing major who has donated blood before.

“We all have blood, and we all can give blood, which I think is really important,” Senour said.

The whole donation process takes about an hour. When donors first arrive,

they will need to sign in and show ID, and will be asked to read required information. Next, the donor will receive a general health check before they’re able to donate blood. After donating, they are able to recover with a snack and drink before leaving the center, according to the American Red Cross.

Many people don’t donate blood because of their fear of needles. However,​​ the actual process of drawing blood should cause very little, if any, discomfort.

“A lot of people think that you’re going to be hooked up to an IV and like, it’s super scary, which I can understand,” Senour said.

But, there are many ways nurses at the donation center can help students who feel uneasy, like putting a bag over the blood to prevent the donor from seeing it, or they can prevent you from seeing the needle, Senour added.

For those who feel they cannot overcome this fear, there are still other ways to help.

“I​​f you’re not going to donate then tell a family member or tell a friend or someone like that because they might be willing to donate,” said Amanda Ngo, a junior nursing major who has donated blood before.

Older family members may have health conditions that make them ineligible, like high blood pressure or blood cancer. As COVID-19 and the weather continue to cause a decline in donations, students must step up in honor of National Blood Donor Month and make the effort to donate blood. It’s such a simple way for students to save lives, and to also save doctors from making these difficult decisions.

“That hour is worth it,” Heuer said.

“That life you save is somebody’s grandma, somebody’s parent, somebody’s child.” julia.merola@temple.edu juliaamerola

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Toxic workplaces should not be rites of passage

A student describes their experience in a toxic workplace and with harsh employers.

BY AMNA FAHEEM For The Temple News Working retail is often regarded as an introduction to the workplace – a taxing feat with numerous responsibilities, low pay and disrespectful customers – that everyone must endure at one point or another.

When I was a senior in high school, I spent three and a half months as a sales associate at a retail giant in the King of Prussia Mall. It was the most hypocritical environment I have ever experienced.

Their campaign and brand promoted a healthy, inclusive community of love and acceptance. However, the job was strenuous and the management constantly disregarded employees’ health, all on top of poor pay.

It felt like the management had little to no respect for employee’s lives outside of work and were uncommunicative.

Although we provided times we could work, our availability was completely ignored when scheduling shifts – the managers picked what worked best for them.

About a month after I got hired, I was exposed to COVID-19. I immediately quarantined, got tested and called out of work for two shifts to ensure I didn’t unknowingly infect the entire office while waiting for my test result.

Soon after, I received a disdainful email from my supervisor saying I was inconveniencing the office, and they requested I come back in if I didn’t have symptoms. My manager was willing to risk my safety, the office’s safety and customers’ safety, which was especially disturbing during the height of a pandemic.

Supervisors cannot prioritize profits more than the well-being of employees.

During Ramadan, the month of fasting for Muslims, I requested a lighter schedule of one shift per week. Running around constantly, socializing and tending to customers would be too difficult to keep up while dehydrated and hungry.

My request was ignored. I was

ETHAN CARROLL / THE TEMPLE NEWS

scheduled to work three days a week, and the timing of my shifts forced me to fast for 17 hours, rather than the typical 14. I was light-headed and on the brink of fainting every shift, but my concerns were tossed aside and disregarded.

I began to make myself small and do everything I was told without question so as not to be considered a difficult employee. Putting aside any issues and concerns I had, I hoped management would respect me if they saw how unproblematic, flexible and dedicated I was.

These habits seeped into my personal life. I became a people-pleaser, and was afraid to upset or contradict anyone.

I would go out of my way to help others, make their lives easier and do things for them regardless of whether I had the time or energy to do so.

About three months into my time working there, someone who assaulted me at school walked past me while I was

at work. I immediately began to cry, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

As I approached my manager to speak with them about the situation, I was met with looks of annoyance and aggravation. I explained what happened and said I needed to go home because I felt unsafe. They stopped trying to hide their disinterest, looking bored with their arms crossed and heads tilted to the side.

I called out of work the next day because this incident left me distraught. My supervisor, however, was rude and unpleasant. She kept pushing me to come in, saying I was overreacting and needed to stop thinking about only myself.

After calling out, I was ignored by each supervisor, as if I didn’t exist to them. Questions I asked needed to be repeated until I got a curt, unsatisfying response. Laughter and conversation stopped as soon as I entered the room.

Their outright disrespect and lack of

empathy was appalling. I felt like I was being punished for putting my mental health first, and no job is worth sacrificing that.

I quit a week later.

Employer’s priorities must shift from focusing solely on profit at the expense of workers to treating employees with decency and respect.

Employees need to stand up for themselves and realize that being treated badly in the workplace is unfair. Wearing employees down until we have nothing more to offer to anyone, much less their place of employment, only leads to burnout.

I wish I had stood up for myself earlier, and not allowed myself to stay in such a toxic environment. But now I understand that it wasn’t OK, and know how to better manage such harsh environments in the future. amna.faheem@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

STUDENT LIFE

Don’t forget about boosters, distancing and tests A student argues that Temple’s current plan for returning is not an adequate plan for safety.

On Jan. 21, Temple University confirmed classes will resume in-person instruction for the Spring 2022 semester on Jan. 24, but with updated guidelines for masking.

AMNA FAHEEM Students and emFor The Temple ployees will now be reNews quired to wear KN95 masks, surgical masks with cloth masks over them or surgical masks with multiple layers of nonwoven materials inside campus buildings.

Although Temple has guidance and policies regarding COVID-19 booster shots and testing, it is not sufficient because it fails to mandate boosters and require all students to get tested for COVID-19, despite those measures being necessary to decrease the spread of the virus.

If Temple does not require students to take those preventative measures, it is up to students to make sure they socially distance, get their boosters and frequently get tested to prevent COVID-19 cases from rising.

SOCIAL DISTANCING While Temple’s announcement covered testing, masking and booster shots, it only recommends maintaining a safe distance and uncrowded conditions whenever possible but does not require social distancing in classrooms, according to its website.

Tiffany Montgomery, a nursing professor, hopes that Temple won’t hold classes at capacity, and instead allow students to be socially distanced.

“We need to have enough space for people to be in, we should not be enrolled where students are sitting in every single seat,” Montgomery said. “Classrooms just cannot be at capacity.”

Recommending and requiring social

distancing are two separate things. Classrooms must be required to be spread out safely to ensure it actually happens, and they must be large enough for students to remain six feet apart.

Temple’s current plan is insufficient without social distancing in the classroom, said Shayonna Price, a senior middle grades education mathematics major.

When students go back into the classroom, they’re not spread out and socially distanced for safety, Price said.

If a person is not up to date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any boosters when eligible, they should stay at least six feet away from others, especially if they’re at higher risk of getting very sick with COVID-19, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Without this requirement, it is up to students to avoid large gatherings outside of the classroom, especially if they do not have a booster dose.

BOOSTERS All eligible Temple students are strongly urged, but not required, to receive a booster shot at least five months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or at least two months after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Though boosters are not mandatory, Temple has made them available to students on Main Campus, where Health Services holds weekly vaccine clinics at Paley Hall. Students should take advantage of this access to boosters and increase their immune response against COVID-19.

However, nearby schools like Drexel University and St. Joseph’s University require booster shots for students and faculty members who are eligible, or are within 30 days of their eligibility, Billy Penn reported.

Getting booster shots is one of the best ways to prevent serious infection, said Graciela Jaschek, an epidemiology professor.

“If you are boosted, then your chances

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

of getting hospitalized or dying are much, much lower, and that to me, at the end of the day, is what we want,” Jaschek said.

Booster shots are 90 percent effective at preventing people from being hospitalized after contracting with COVID-19, according to the CDC. TESTING Testing plays a key role in efforts to contain COVID-19 by identifying infected individuals to prevent person-to-person transmission.

Ninety six percent of infections on college campuses could be prevented by routine testing in conjunction with extensive physical distancing and mandatory mask policies, according to the CDC. While students who have received a COVID-19 vaccine exemption are required to get tested at least once or twice a month, vaccinated students do not have to be regularly tested.

Broad PCR testing is going to be very important because there are many false negative rapid tests with the Omicron variant, Jaschek said.

Rapid tests were found to detect 95

percent of infections in people with high viral loads, but missed about 35 percent of COVID-19 cases later detected with PCR tests, U.S. News & World Report reported.

If someone is not up to date with their vaccines and booster and they’re exposed to COVID-19, they should get tested at least five days after exposure. If an exposed person develops symptoms, they should get tested immediately, according to the CDC. Testing among all students should occur at least twice a month to help facilitate the large student body, and to ensure that no one is sick. However, if Temple does not mandate universal testing, students take initiative by getting tested.

The university has testing available for asymptomatic students in Mitten Hall, and testing for symptomatic students in Morgan Hall.

No matter what Temple requires, students must be proactive and responsible with their health and safety. amna.faheem@temple.edu

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LIVE Philly Philly in in

Fresh Food, Old Faces

New and old customers strolled through Rittenhouse Square on Saturday to buy fresh produce at the long-standing Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market in Center City Philadelphia.

BY NOEL CHACKO Co-Photo Editor

M

ore than 20 local producers selling fresh produce, meats, baked goods and more, came out to the Rittenhouse Saturday Farmers’ Market in Center City Philadelphia on Saturday, Jan. 22. Long lines began to form even before the market’s official start at 10 a.m.

Bob Pierson, a resident of Queen Village and founder of Farm to City, which organizes the weekly Saturday market, started the Rittenhouse Saturday Farmers’ Market in 2004 which hosts vendors living within a 150 mile radius to Philadelphia.

In the fall of 1996, Pierson joined The Food Trust, an organization that works to ensure that everyone has access to affordable nutritious food. With them he opened seven farmers markets before the one at Rittenhouse. Growing up, Pierson ‘s family ate dinner together with the crops they grew in their home garden, which is why it’s important for him to see small family farms survive.

“We’ve just seen [the market] grow and a lot of city people get to know the farmers, the farmers get to know the city people,” Pierson said.

For many vendors, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased customer turnout, said Laura Yaghoobian, Co-owner of Wild Flour Bakery, which sells artisan breads and pastries that are made at their

bakery in Northeast Philadelphia.

“It’s all open air and outdoor and people feel much more comfortable shopping in an open space,” Yaghoobian said.

Many vendors have built strong connections with returning customers over the years. They know each other by name and know what they are coming to buy, said Emily Rohrer, an employee at Rineer Family Farms which has been a vendor since the market first started at Rittenhouse. She stressed that having someone consistent from their farm at the market creates familiarity.

“There’s a good one right here” she said as she pointed to David Fineman, one of her long-standing customers. “She’s the best,” shouted Fineman as he walked away.

Some vendors have sold their goods at the market since it started, while others have started selling their products recently. No matter the conditions, vendors and customers come out each Saturday to participate.

“Something that endures, I think, particularly well at any kind of living, but in city living to find things that are sustainable and that endure I think, give the city a sense of life and stability,” said Janet Lorenz, a Center City West resident who has been a regular of the market for 15 years. noelchacko@temple.edu @noelchacko_

ON OPPOSITE PAGE Andrew Allen, Managing Director at Xulo and a Spring Garden resident, adds a box of brussel sprouts from Rineer Family Farms to his basket at the Rittenhouse Saturday Farmers’ Market on Jan. 22.

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP Roger Byrom, owner of Headquarters Sheep Farm, holds a cut of meat.

Andy, an employee of Doc Pickle, packages a customer’s purchase of assorted pickled vegetables.

Cori Parmley, an employee of Deer Creek Malthouse, offers a sample to Tera L., a resident of New Haven, Connecticut.

Apple and pumpkin butter are on display at the Freecon Farms stand.

PAGE 14

FEATURES

The Temple News

ON CAMPUS

Students return to in-person classes for spring After two weeks of online classes, in-person learning resumed at Temple on Jan. 24.

BY ROSIE LEONARD AND EDEN MacDOUGALL For The Temple News

B

rylonde Baylis-Shepard spent the last two weeks of classes acting and performing from behind a computer screen. She is grateful to be back in person at Temple University to physically communicate and act with fellow classmates.

“On a screen, you don’t feel that energy, like that physical energy back and forth,” said Baylis-Shepard, a senior theater major.

After a surge of COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant, Temple transitioned to virtual instruction for the first two weeks of the Spring 2022 semester. As in-person classes started on Jan. 24, students were excited to be back on campus and felt safe attending classes with both the mask and vaccine mandates in place.

Temple students and employees are required to wear KN95 masks, surgical masks with cloth masks over them or surgical masks with multiple layers of nonwoven materials when inside campus buildings, according to a Jan. 21 announcement from Gregory Mandel, senior vice president and provost. Students are not permitted to wear only cloth masks.

“They’re doing the mask, the COVID testing, it’s what we can do because there are a lot of students walking around,” Baylis-Shepard said. “They’re trying at least and I appreciate that.”

After spending her first three semesters at Temple taking solely virtual classes from her dorm in 1300 Residence Hall and apartment in Kardon Atlantic, Rosaleen Wink was excited to walk into the Tyler School of Art and Architecture yesterday and use mold-making materials for her work during class, she said.

“There’s an experience in person that you just can’t get online,” said Wink, a sophomore undeclared major.

She is looking forward to getting to know the people in her classes and having

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Rosaleen Wink, a sophomore undecided major at The Tyler School of Art and Architecture, walks past Leonard and Helena Mazur Hall, located on Polett Walk and 12th Street, on Jan. 24.

hands-on experience with her art projects.

Although he didn’t have to wake up early for his commute on the Media/Elwyn Regional Rail line for virtual classes, Mohammed Bappe is glad to be on campus this semester.

“If you’re always doing work at home, it’s hard to separate that work-life balance,” said Bappe, a first-year basic core health sciences major.

Bappe enjoys being able to get all of his work done while taking classes on campus so he can relax when he gets home, he said.

Knowing people are vaccinated and wearing masks made Bappe feel safe going to his two in-person classes, Physics II and Biology II, yesterday, he said.

As of Jan. 24, there are 190 active COVID cases among students, faculty and staff, and 96 percent are fully vaccinated, according to the university’s vaccine and case dashboard.

Temple required all students and em-

ployees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

by Nov. 15, 2021, unless they were granted medical or religious exemptions.

Now that classes are in person, Bappe is looking forward to getting to know his classmates and hopes that classes stay in person, he said.

Virtual learning was difficult for Linh Vo, a senior advertising major, because she got distracted and used her phone during class instead of paying attention. Now that classes are in person, it’s easier for her to concentrate, she said.

Temple’s COVID-19 precautions, like the new mask guidelines, help Vo feel safe attending in-person classes and she hopes the spring semester remains in person, she said.

“I don’t want my last year here to be online,” she said.

Jore Bagdonas, a freshman biology major, felt strange walking into the classroom yesterday because it was almost like

starting the first day of the semester all over again, she said.

Being in person made it easier for her to focus and ask questions, because her biology lectures are large and professors missed questions in the Zoom chat, Bagdonas said.

“Everyone can use the chat but it’s a lot easier to ask, for me, in person and talk to professors,” she said.

She is a little nervous about being in person because of COVID-19, but the benefits, like studying in the library, outweigh the risks, she added.

Baylis-Shepard is looking forward to her last semester on campus and hopes things will remain in person for the entire semester.

“They’re trying to give us that college experience,” Baylis-Shepard said. mary.rose.leonard@temple.edu eden.macdougall@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 15

STUDENT LIFE

Student advocates for mental health on TikTok William Hornby started posting eating disorder recovery videos to TikTok and Instagram in 2020.

BY ROSIE LEONARD Features Editor William Hornby first found popularity on TikTok by carving celebrities into pumpkins in October 2020. Though he planned to retire from the app when the month ended, he quickly had a change of heart.

“I realized that, because I had some kind of a platform, I could start using it for good,” said Hornby, a fifth year musical theater major. “So I started making videos about eating disorder recovery on TikTok.” In November 2020, Hornby began posting mental health and eating disorder recovery videos to TikTok and brought his content to Instagram in July 2021, using the Reels feature. His accounts have since gained popularity, and he now has more than 350,000 followers on TikTok and more than 120,000 on Instagram.

Hornby used these platforms because he had trouble finding content that related to his own struggle, and wanted to provide that outlet for others, he said.

“It’s my job now,” Hornby said. “And I never expected social media to be my job.”

His videos aim to support and validate his followers struggling with mental health or eating disorders, often offering advice and reminding people that they are worthy. He also strives to provide more awareness on men’s mental health because he feels there are not enough resources for men, he said.

In addition to posting videos on social media, Hornby released “Clay,” a song about living with body dysmorphic disorder, on Sept. 24, 2021. He wanted to write a song that captured the body dysmorphic experience for individuals in a non-triggering way, he said.

Hornby reached out to his friend Owen O’Leary, a 2021 New York University alumnus, to help write the song and collaborated via Zoom sessions to create the song. The two became friends while attending Baltimore School for the Arts, a high school in Baltimore, Maryland, together.

O’Leary, co-writer of “Clay,” agreed to join Hornby in this project because he felt the

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS William Hornby, a fifth-year musical theater major at Boyer College of Music and Dance, stands at Cecil B. Moore Avenue and Broad Street. Hornby creates content about eating disorder recovery on TikTok and Instagram.

message of the song was important, he said.

“I like to make music that isn’t about marketability, and isn’t about what’s gonna get on the radio or be a chart topper, but more about like, ‘what’s the message we’re trying to send?’” O’Leary said. “This was a message that’s rarely talked about, so that’s why I was on board for it, 100 percent.”

Seeing Hornby help and uplift people through his work is a testament to his many talents, he added.

“It’s amazing that he can take all of these separate talents that he has and really guide them towards this one thing that’s so selfless,” O’Leary said. “It’s amazing that you can use all of these outlets to uplift people.”

Hornby receives messages everyday from followers about how much his content has helped them.

Eating disorders affect at least 9 percent of the population worldwide, according to National Association of Anorexia Nervosa

and Associated Disorders, a nonprofit that provides free, peer support services to individuals struggling with an eating disorder.

Eating disorders typically begin between ages 18 and 21, according to the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit that aims to support the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Between 10 to 20 percent of women and 4 to 10 percent of men in college suffer from an eating disorder, and these rates are steadily increasing.

Sara Frunzi discovered Hornby’s TikTok videos on her “For You Page” in December 2020 and started following him because, as someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, his content resonated with her, she said.

“They just gave me some validation of just not being alone,” said Frunzi, a sophomore mechanical engineering major at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massa-

chusetts.

Frunzi has felt isolated during the pandemic and watching Hornby’s content and messaging with him about her journey encouraged her to find a therapist and dietitian, she said. The two have stayed in contact by sending each other letters and meeting in person, Frunzi said.

Being able to connect and speak with someone who understands her struggles has been a validating experience for her, she added.

Hornby never thought his content would receive this much attention but is happy it did.

“It feels like I’m doing something really good,” Hornby said. “ I feel very proud of the work that I do because I know that it does help people.” mary.rose.leonard@temple.edu

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

ART

Former Eagle publishes book with Temple press

Brian Westbrook and Lesley Van the odds are against them, he said. He Arsdall teamed up to write a hopes the book will help adult readers recognize when they are looking down children’s book about football.

BY EDEN MacDOUGALL Assistant Features Editor After spending hours reading to her kids, Lesley Van Arsdall wanted to write a children’s book to inspire her children and teach kids valuable lessons about hardwork and perseverance.

“I’m so proud to have this book,” said Van Arsdall, co-author of “The Mouse Who Played Football” and former CBS3 sports anchor. “I well up at the end, I mean, I’ve read this thing a million times and I just love it. I love the message and I just love what it says to kids.”

On Jan. 14, Temple University Press, Temple’s publishing body, announced that they will be publishing “The Mouse Who Played Football” by Brian Westbrook and Van Arsdall. The book will be released in July and half of the profits will go to nonprofits dedicated to helping children.

“The Mouse Who Played Football” is a children’s book about a mouse named Brian who plays football and is looked down upon because of his size and proves doubters wrong at each stage of his life, mirroring the experiences of Westbrook, former Eagles running back from 2002 to 2010.

Like Van Arsdall, Westbrook spends a lot of time reading to his children but feels that many children’s books are feel good stories that lack a message, he said.

So when Van Arsdall reached out to see if he wanted to write a book about his life, Westbrook was enthusiastic about the idea.

Westbrook wants young readers to know that it’s what’s on the inside that counts and it is possible to succeed when

on other people so they can decide to treat them better.

“Maybe some adults reads this book and says ‘you know what? I’ve been in a situation like that myself and I could do different, I could be on the opposite end and treat someone a little bit different,’” Westbrook said.

The book came to TUP after being rejected by traditional publishers because it was considered too niche to sell to a general audience, said Ryan Mulligan, the sports editor at TUP. TUP usually doesn’t publish children’s books, but picked up “The Mouse Who Played Football” because Westbrooks’ underdog story will resonate with Philadelphians, who are sometimes seen as little guys when compared to Washington D.C. or New York City, which are major political and cultural centers of America, Mulligan added.

“It’s kind of interesting to see how the part of the book of Brian being doubted by these people because he was too small and then when he got an opportunity he could succeed, that mirrors the journey the book itself took,” Mulligan said.

Though the book mirrors Westbrook’s life, he wants readers to focus on the message, not on him.

“For me, it was never necessarily about [Van Arsdall], certainly wasn’t about me,” Westbrook said. “This is about getting the true message to the kids.”

For Tom Uleau, an artist based in West Chester and an avid Eagles fan, working with Westbrook was surreal.

Westbrook and Van Arsdall connected with Uleau through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and contacted him through his website to be the book’s illustrator, Uleau said.

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS / COURTESY Former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, co-wrote the book “The Mouse Who Played Football” with former CBS3 sports anchor Lesley Van Arsdall. The book will be published through Temple University Press in July.

The job was a perfect fit for Uleau because it combined his love of drawing mice with his love of the Eagles, but he initially doubted himself because he’s never been published before, Uleau added.

“I warned them, I was like, ‘hey, I read the story, this is great but I might not be your guy,’” Uleau said. “I’ll do some sketches for you, so you have something to present to them.’”

Despite his doubts, Uleau was selected and began working on the book in January 2021, he said.

The book went into production in September and despite being fast tracked through the printing process so the release will coincide with the start of the Eagles training camp, TUP is making sure “The Mouse Who Played Football”

is a quality product, Mulligan said.

“Eagles fans, for them, this isn’t just something to read,” Mulligan added.

“This is something that’s going to sit on their coffee table and be almost sort of like a beloved piece of furniture or art in their house. We want to make sure that we are giving them a quality product.”

Westbrook is proud of what he and Van Arsdall have done with their book and hopes that one day his kids will look back on his work and be proud of him as well.

“If they read this book, they can be proud of daddy and to me that’s the most important part,” Westbrook said.

Eden.macdougall@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

ALUMNI

Temple alumnus joins SportsCenter as anchor Former WHIP host Max McGee graduated from Temple with a degree in broadcast journalism.

BY RYAN TIAN For The Temple News Eleven years ago, Max McGee was a college dropout working two minimum wage jobs in his hometown of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, sending out cover letters during his bathroom breaks.

But starting Jan. 31, McGee, a 2015 journalism alumnus, will join ESPN as an anchor for the network’s signature program, SportsCenter.

“I didn’t think it was feasible either for me, at ESPN, to go from serving people rib platters and catering at random peoples homes every week to being on live television broadcast every day on national TV,” McGee said.

McGee reached out to ESPN executives on LinkedIn in October 2021 and auditioned in early December. A week later, he was offered a job as an anchor.

“I’m still a baby in the industry compared to most people,” McGee said. “For me to get the opportunity to work with the best of the best in the world at ESPN, that’s an incredible honor.”

In 2016, McGee landed his first job in television as a reporter and producer for KPLC, an NBC affiliate in Lake Charles, Louisiana, McGee said.

Working for KPLC helped McGee develop his professional skills because he was completely focused on producing newsworthy content for the station, he added.

McGee worked there until 2017, and then became the weekend news anchor for a year and a half at WMBF, an NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In 2019, McGee accepted a job as news anchor at WJZ, CBS’s sister station in Baltimore, and worked there until this January.

“I’m wrapping that journey up in a week or so and that kind of changed my life, that kind of propelled me for this ESPN opportunity,” McGee said.

After graduating from community college, McGee enrolled at Temple in 2013 to study journalism. While at the universi-

MAX MCGEE / COURTESY Max McGee, a 2015 journalism alumnus, sits at the news desk before a WJZ Baltimore newscast in 2020.

ty, McGee got involved with student media outlets, like OwlSports Update, WHIP radio and hosted on the show “Stadium Talk,” to give him valuable hands-on experience like thinking on his feet and writing stories for broadcast.

While working for Update, McGee grew close to Matt Fine, associate media studies and production professor and executive producer for OwlSports Update.

McGee was still new to journalism when he came to Update but was a quick learner with a strong work ethic and brought his own story ideas to the show, Fine said.

Because McGee was smart, focused and not scared of taking risks, Fine knew that he would go far in journalism.

“You don’t leave Temple University being ready for ESPN, you have to grow,” Fine said. “And Max did exactly that to put

himself in a position where he can ascend to the kind of position he’s in right now.”

McGee’s passion for sports journalism began while attending Cherry Hill High School East, where he was part of the Sports Debate Club, and participated in debate shows on the Educational Access Channel.

“It was just a bunch of kids in a journalism classroom just talking about the daily topics of whatever was happening in the world of sports, and I realized I may be able to do this for a living one day,” McGee said.

McGee started pursuing his dream of a career in sports journalism at Camden County College in Blackwood, New Jersey, from 2008 to 2012, where he got an associate’s degree in journalism and wrote articles about the Camden County basketball team for their student newspaper, the

Campus Press.

During his time at Temple, McGee found his place and calling in sports journalism, said David Boardman, dean of Klein College of Media and Communication.

“To me, he really reflects what it is that Temple is all about,” Boardman said.

“Which is finding your passion, overcoming obstacles along the way, overcoming whatever disappointments you might meet, persevering and succeeding.”

McGee is grateful for all the help and support he received on his journey.

“I had great parents, I had great close knit friends and really good professors at Temple that tried to mold me into the professional I am today and I couldn’t be here without them,” he added. ryan.tian@temple.edu

PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

ALUMNI

Temple alum wins film prize for TV pilot episode Juli Jackson won the Sloan Student Discovery Prize on Dec. 31 for their pilot episode, “Delta.”

BY LAURA MILLER For The Temple News It was late afternoon on New Year’s Eve in 2021 when Juli Jackson received an email saying they had won an award for their television series pilot script.

“To hear that I won was kind of surreal,” said Jackson, a 2021 master of fine arts in film and media arts alum. “I was definitely elated and overwhelmed.”

Jackson was one of two winners to be awarded the Sloan Student Discovery Prize from the Museum of the Moving Image and Sloan Science & Film, an organization that supports filmmakers as they transition out of graduate school and into the film industry.

Jackson won a $20,000 grant and a yearlong mentorship from a science advisor and film industry professional for their pilot episode of a television series called “Delta.” The Museum of the Moving Image hosted a virtual award ceremony for the winners on Jan. 19.

Jackson began working on the pilot script for “Delta” in Fall 2019.

The pilot is set in a rural community in Arkansas in 2020, and is about a farmer, Tom Francis, and a biologist, Emily, who are trying to improve farming practices but are met with resistance from other townspeople because of the tense relationship between Tom and the rest of the town.

The series’s secondary plotline is about the relationship between Tom and his preteen child, Nikki Francis, who is questioning their gender, reflecting Jackson’s own experiences coming to terms with being agender, they said.

“She is basically going through an iden-

BEN PAPA / COURTESY Juli Jackson, a 2021 master of fine arts in film and media arts alum, directs actors on set of the pilot episode of their TV show “Delta” in Annenberg Hall TV1 studio.

tity crisis while she’s in middle school, which is similar to my experience of trying to figure out I was agender without having that language,” Jackson said.

In 2021, when enrolled in LeAnn Erickson’s Exhibition Distribution of Independent Media class, where students created a multi-platform distribution plan for a project, Jackson chose “Delta” as their project.

Erickson, a film professor, helped Jackson develop “Delta” during her class by utilizing materials like posters and press kits to help students visualize the potential of their projects. After working more with Jackson, Erickson encouraged them to create a short film version of the show for their graduate thesis, she said.

Erickson was excited to work with Jackson because she grew up in Iowa and resonated with how Jackson was attempting to explore beyond stereotypes of Southerners, she said.

Jackson’s award is well deserved and Erickson thinks that they will leave a positive impact on the world, she said.

“From seeing their application materials to get into our program, I just thought, ‘Oh, this is somebody different, this is somebody who’s really going to make a mark,’” Erickson said. “I feel like this opportunity is so well deserved, and will end up really making a significant mark in popular culture.”

Afia Nathaniel, an assistant film professor, emailed a call for submissions in Spring

2021 about the Sloan Award and nominated Jackson’s script.

Nathaniel was drawn to the unique characters, setting of the show and how well Jackson portrayed it all, she said. “[Jackson] has a really gorgeous sense of the moment and how it translates for the screen,” Nathaniel said. “I could see that in the writing, you know, and I thought it was so compelling— I was drawn to that, that kind of sensibility.”

Jackson feels most stories about the South are not told by southerners and, as a result, southern characters feel inauthentic, they said.

“There are often stereotypes of what people think southerners are like,” Jackson said. “That includes the way we speak, our intelligence level, the way people think we behave.”

Jackson specifically wants to push back against the stereotype that being southern or having a southern accent means someone is unintelligent, they added.

Erickson feels Jackson’s work is unique and hopes more people will recognize and appreciate it.

“It’s no surprise to me that this has happened to somebody who’s quite as driven and organized and talented as [Jackson], because they’ve earned every bit of success they’ve gotten,” Erickson said. “They have, in my opinion, a mature and sophisticated approach to filmmaking — that is not something we see all the time.”

Jackson is looking forward to turning the script into an actual pilot and is grateful all their hard work has finally paid off.

“So many of us are often working so, so hard, and it doesn’t always have such an exciting payoff, but this time, it did,” Jackson said. laura.miller0007@temple.edu

SPORTS

The Temple News

PAGE 19

FOOTBALL

Temple Coach Stan Drayton fills out football staff Owls football coach Stan Drayton completed hiring positional and personal roles on his staff.

BY NICK GANGEWERE Assistant Sports Editor

O

n Dec. 15, 2021, Temple University ushered in a new era by hiring former University of Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton as its new head football coach.

“He knows what success looks like at the highest levels of football,” said Arthur Johnson, Temple’s athletic director and vice president, at Drayton’s introductory press conference on Dec.16, 2021.

Drayton has slowly filled out his coaching staff since he was hired, generating a full roster of coaches in time for National Signing Day on Feb. 2.

“Everything we do from a systematic standpoint will support who we are as a university and as Temple TUFF,” Drayton said at his press conference. “We will try to impose our will that way.”

Temple has filled more than a dozen football staff positions since firing former head coach Rod Carey on Nov. 29, 2021.

Here’s a look at the new coaches and administrators who have joined Drayton’s staff.

OFFENSE

The key hire on offense is former University of Colorado quarterbacks coach Danny Langsdorf, who will be Temple’s offensive coordinator. Langsdorf has 12 years of offensive coordinator experience and has spent 15 years coaching in the Power 5.

With more than 24 years of experience coaching college and professional football, Langsdorf is known for developing quarterbacks, coaching NFL quarterback Eli Manning with the New York Giants and NFL quarterback Matt Moore at Oregon State University.

Temple also hired former Georgia Tech tight ends and special teams coach Chris Wiesehan. Wiesehan will serve as the offensive line coach, a position he

ZAMANI FEELINGS / COURTESY Temple has filled more than a dozen football staff positions since firing former head coach Rod Carey on Nov. 29, 2021.

held during four seasons with the Owls’ on former head coaches Matt Rhule’s and Geoff Collins’ staffs.

During his first tenure with the Owls, Wiesehan coached more than eight NFL talents, including Pro Bowl Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins.

Many believed Wiesehan was a recent candidate for the head coaching position at Temple, so he’s a big hire for the Owls, who had one of the oldest offensive lines in college football last season.

Drayton moved Preston Brown, the former director of player personnel, to running backs coach. Brown saw success as head coach for Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, New Jersey, until July 2021, when Carey hired him.

Brown’s position group will be the basis for the rest of the offense.

“We’ll build our offense around that,” Drayton said. “We’re going to find coaches who can really develop the run game.”

DEFENSE

Former University of Kansas defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot will take the same position for Temple on Drayton’s staff. Eliot has served as a defensive co-

ordinator for more than six years, and as a collegiate coach for more than 20 years.

He’s developed NFL talents in players like Isaiah Oliver from Colorado and outside linebackers Josh Allen and Bud Dupree from Kentucky.

“We’re going to be an attacking-style defense,” Drayton said in his introductory press conference.

Eliot’s defense is 3-4 focused, utilizing four linebackers and three down linemen unlike the nickel and dime packages former Temple defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles used last season.

Former Villanova University defensive coordinator Ola Adams is the new safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. The Wildcats ranked in the top 10 in FCS football for fewest offensive yards allowed last season, and Adams brings a local Mid-Atlantic recruiting branch to Temple.

The tandem will take over one of the best pass defenses – as well as one of the shakiest run defenses – in the American Athletic Conference.

SUPPORT STAFF

The strength and conditioning de-

partment saw an overhaul with three new faces spearheading the group.

Chris Fenelon will serve as the head strength and conditioning coach.

Fenelon previously worked as the assistant strength coach at Ohio State University after stints at Iowa State University and with the New York Jets.

“I’m excited to bring Temple back,” Fenelon wrote in a press release. “I’m fired up to follow coach Drayton’s leadership.”

Fenelon is joined by two other experienced coaches: Andrew Broocks and Bruce Johnson.

Broocks, who most recently served as a strength coach in the United States Army, has coached at more than four other Division I programs, including one year at Iowa State.

Johnson returns to college football after spending time as founder and director of performance for Helix Elite Performance, an athletic performance training company that trains professional and amateur athletes. Prior to Helix Elite Performance, Johnson coached many premier athletes from track and field to football, bringing a diverse portfolio of work to Temple.

Temple also made hires in the administrative departments, bringing in former coaches and staffers to serve as oversight for the program.

Everett Withers was named chief of staff while Tory Teykl was named director of football operations.

Withers, who has more than 30 years of coaching experience from head coach to graduate assistant at the Division I level, brings knowledge and connections to Temple’s front office under Drayton.

Teykl also has a wealth of experience, having served nine years as a football operator for the University of Houston, Texas and Kansas. She brings a sports management background with a focus on daily operations and communications. nick.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16

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GYMNASTICS

HANNAH STALLINGS / COURTESY Hannah Stallings, left, a freshman all-around competitor, and Sarah Stallings, a freshman allaround competitor, pose for a photo in the Raleigh School of Gymnastics after signing with the Temple gymnastics team.

Twin duo supports each other on North Broad In the first meet of the season, all- peting in club competitions at Raleigh gymnastics together for years, they know Temple University gymnastics around competitor Hannah was named School of Gymnastics in Raleigh, North how to act as coaches to each other. sisters have competed together the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Carolina.

When Sarah feels nervous about dosince they were three years old.

BY SEAN McMENAMIN Gymnastics Beat Reporter After recreational gymnastics classes sparked their love for the sport at three years old, sisters Hannah Stallings and Sarah Stallings made their college debut together 15 years later for Temple University gymnastics.

“A major reason I chose Temple was because I really liked the program and the coaches,” said Hannah. “The fact that I could come with Sarah was a big factor.”

The twins didn’t think it would be possible to continue their gymnastics career together, Sarah said. As the freshmen begin their journey on North Broad, Sarah and Hannah hope their sibling support will help perfect their strengths and combat their weaknesses at Temple.

All-around competitor Sarah made her debut for the Owls in the Chows Winter Classic on Jan. 15. She tied for first in uneven bars with a score of 9.8 and posted a 9.725 on vault during the road meet.

Rookie of the Week for her all-around performance in the Keystone Classic. She won the all around in her first collegiate meet, with a final score of 38.900.

“The biggest thing that impresses me the most is that they’re not competing like freshmen,” said head coach Josh Nilson. “They are competing like veterans. They work hard in the gym and it shows.”

Two years ago, Nilson wanted both sisters on Temple’s team because of their hard work and attention to detail, but at the time there was only one spot available. When talking to the girls, Nilson didn’t know how to choose between them, he said.

Luckily, by the time the twins were seniors, two spots became available on Temple’s roster. The Stallings knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity of competing together because they’ve always made each other better, Sarah said.

The sisters were homeschooled in Raleigh, North Carolina. They spent most of their time practicing and com-

Sarah’s favorite memory of competing was with Hannah at nationals, when they competed in their last high school meet, Sarah said.

“I really wanted to make nationals that year because I had never been,” Sarah added. “I was first alternate and I got called in because someone wasn’t able to go. It was really exciting to have our last high school meet and be able to do it together one last time.”

Hannah and Sarah agreed competing in gymnastics never made them too competitive with each other, and it actually helped them improve their areas of weakness, Hannah said.

The two athletes have strengths in different areas. Sarah’s strong suit is bars, and Hannah’s specialty is vault, but both like balance beam the best, Hannah said.

“We each have certain struggles,” Hannah added. “We’ve always tried to just be a source of encouragement to each other and just remind each other that it would work out.”

Because the twins have competed in

ing a skill, she’ll ask Hannah to watch her, which gives Sarah’s confidence knowing her sister has her back, Sarah said.

“We can tell when one needs encouragement, when we maybe need to be left alone for a minute, and we know each other well enough to know how to support one another,” Sarah added.

Having someone show support and guidance from the sideline is important to have in college gymnastics, and Hannah and Sarah show that bond by watching each other compete while at practices and meets.

The sisters have team and personal goals for this season, like competing in nationals, but for now they’re looking to train and build up their skills together instead of worrying about a specific score, Hannah said.

“Take it one routine at a time,” Sarah said. s.mcmenamin@temple.edu sean102400

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SPORTS

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ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Temple Athletics grapples with COVID-19 protocol Temple’s basketball programs had eight postponements due to COVID-19 issues this month.

BY ISABELLA DiAMORE Sports Editor Across the United States, more than 150 college basketball programs in the NCAA have paused their programs this past month due to recent spikes in positive COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant. Though a pause has not yet been necessary, Temple University Athletics has still faced the brunt of COVID-19 this season with eight postponements in Temple’s basketball programs.

“When they travel, we’ve asked [student-athletes] to wear KN95, or double mask, because the new variant is so contagious we try to take those precautions,” said Lee Roberts, senior associate athletic director of facilities and event management. “We asked them to be very cognizant of their environment.”

While four postponements were due to other programs going into COVID-19 protocol, Temple Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director Jessica Reo, along with the rest of the Temple Athletics staff, met prior to student-athletes returning from winter break because of the increase in positive cases, she said.

Reo, who is in charge of implementing COVID-19 guidelines for Temple Athletics, evaluated current COVID-19 procedures in Philadelphia, the NCAA and The American Athletic Conference with Temple’s athletic doctor to determine how Temple Athletics should approach COVID-19 mitigation within the program, she added.

With 97 percent of Temple Athletics vaccinated and most of the guidelines remaining the same from Fall 2021, Reo and the staff needed to determine the safest return for all student-athletes and how to manage a breakthrough case to avoid any program pauses, Reo said.

RETURN TO CAMPUS Upon returning to Temple’s campus, all student-athletes and staff, vaccinated or unvaccinated, took a poly-

merase chain reaction and antigen test, which were distributed by Temple’s athletic trainers, Reo said.

“Our decision to test our student-athletes was made just after consultation with our doctor so that we could make a decision to put our kids in the safest light as they returned,” Reo added.

If a student-athlete’s test comes back negative, they can return to their normal practice schedule, said Kevin Addison, associate director of athletic training.

During the return to campus, Addison and his staff encouraged all student-athletes to not hang out with friends and isolate themselves in their dorms for an accurate test result, he added.

Following the one-time test, vaccinated student-athletes and staff do not require additional testing, unless they come in contact with a person who is positive for COVID-19, Reo said.

Those who are unvaccinated must continue abiding by Temple and the NCAA policies, which require testing twice a week through Temple Student Health Services and 24 hours before competition, Reo added.

HANDLING A POSITIVE CASE The NCAA still requires unvaccinated athletes who test positive to quarantine for five days without participation, then five additional days of wearing a mask. An athlete could be considered eligible to participate during days six through 10 following a negative PCR or antigen test.

If a fully vaccinated student-athlete or staff member tests positive, they automatically have to isolate for five days. In the fall, if a vaccinated athlete tested positive for COVID-19, they would quarantine for 10 days after their first positive test, Reo said.

Temple’s athletic trainers notify teams when an athlete tests positive then begin contact tracing, which starts with the student-athletes’ roommates and anyone they have seen in the past 24 to 48 hour period from the initial test, Addison added.

Once the five-day period is over,

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS (From right to left) Monte Ross, associate head coach, Chris Clark, assistant coach and Raheem Mapp, director of men’s basketball operations, stand on the court sideline during a men’s basketball game at the Liacouras Center.

the student-athletes or staff who tested positive will be evaluated by Temple’s athletic trainers during the next five days to see if symptoms have subsided.

If a student-athlete is no longer showing symptoms, they can return to practices, Addison said.

“Somebody who’s symptom-free or as we say, asymptomatic, may just be five days, and we’ll start transitioning them back day six, seven and eight for practice,” Addison said. “But if someone had a fever on day six, that transition is a little bit slower.”

Some student-athletes who transition back to practices after day five have done individual workouts or a smaller group practice, but Temple’s trainers still monitor their symptoms, Addison added.

“We’re taking a little bit more of a case by case basis,” Reo said. “It depends on whether they’re vaccinated or not, whether they have their booster or they don’t have their booster.”

Each sport has certain procedures for student-athletes returning to practice following day five, Addison said.

Gymnastics may do individual practices and basketball may do individual drills before they go back to practicing with the full team.

DETERMINING A PAUSE Each conference has set guidelines for how many players a team needs to safely compete in each sport. In The American, a team could compete with seven scholarship players on a basketball team.

If a team doesn’t have enough scholarship players to compete due to COVID-19 protocols, they would be forced to place a pause on the program and postpone games until a later date, but games are not required to be rescheduled. isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore

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PAGE 23

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Gourdine brings a forceful defensive presence

Owls women’s basketball guard 9, 2021, because Cardoza benched fresh- satility on the defensive side of the ball, past three games and had a double-douAniya Gourdine is making strides man guard Jasha Clinton for the game. racking up 70 defensive rebounds so far ble, almost triple, with 12 points, 10 asas a regular starter in the lineup. Gourdine finished with three points, this season, and she’s taken some of the sist and eight rebounds against the UniBY VALERIE PENDRAK Co-Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter Temple University women’s basketball freshman guard Aniya Gourdine adjusted quickly from the high school level to being a newfound starter in the Owls lineup.

“She’s done a great job of handling the ball and distributing the ball,” said head coach Tonya Cardoza. “But, you know, she’s a freshman who’s played in 15 games and I think every day she’s learning and getting better.”

Gourdine, who came from St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, went from leading her high school floor as a point guard to becoming a key ball handler in the Owls’ backcourt and has brought a forceful presence on the defensive side of the ball, Cardoza added.

The true freshman’s first start was against Saint John’s University on Nov.

CONTINUED FROM 24 MEN’S BASKETBALL Dunn has hit two key shots down the stretch for the Owls in their recent games against East Carolina University (11-6, 2-3 The American Athletic Conference) on Jan. 8 and the University of Central Florida (11-5, 3-3 The American) on Jan. 5, which secured two conference wins.

But Williams’ presence gave him the confidence to do so, Dunn said.

“He’s going to take it upon himself to guard, no matter who it is,” Dunn added.

“That’s the guy you want to play basketball with night in and night out.”

Williams and Dunn, who try to create a winning culture through their work ethic, have led the intense level of competition in practice and training, especially after losing sophomore guard Khalif Battle, who was averaging 21.4 points per game.

grabbed three rebounds, and had two assists.

“It meant a lot to start,” Gourdine said. “But it also meant I needed to step it up more. I’m a freshman, but I don’t play like a freshman. I had to be older, I had to play older.”

But it wasn’t until she started against Northwestern University on Dec. 17 that Gourdine, who is averaging 25.4 minutes per game, became a regular in the starting five.

Gourdine totaled eight points against the Wildcats and also had six rebounds.

“She’s doing a better job defensively,” Cardoza said. “She rebounds from the guard spot and has just been playing better all around, and that’s important to us.”

Last season Temple relied heavily on its forwards, graduate student Mia Davis and junior Alexa Williamson, to grab most of the rebounds inside the paint.

But Gourdine, who is second in total rebounds, has contributed with her ver-

weight off the more experienced players.

It took some time for the Owls’ to find their chemistry this year with six freshmen and three transfers added to the roster, but Gourdine has continued to push herself to help secure her starter position, she said.

“I need to do the little things,” Gourdine said. “It’s not always about scoring, getting rebounds. It’s setting my teammates up, playing defense and just doing the little things.”

Gourdine, who is averaging 7.4 points per game, can bring the ball down the court and look for open spots to pass the ball down low, but she’s also stepped up to take open shots when they’re available.

In the Owls’ matchup against Duquesne University on Dec. 5, 2021, Gourdine had an all-around impressive performance. She came off the bench and had three steals, eight points and seven rebounds, playing a total of 26 minutes.

As the season has progressed, Gourdine’s shooting comfortability has grown. She put up 26 points in Temple’s

versity of South Florida on Jan. 22.

Gourdine has been working on being the eyes and ears of the coaches. Assistant coach Sam Guastella wants Gourdine to stay poised on the court rather than become rattled by an opponent, but that’ll come with time and experience, she said. “[Gourdine] as a point guard is just an extension of our coach,” Guastella added. “She needs to keep growing her ability to understand what we’re looking to do and execute that.”

Now that the team is more than halfway through the season, Gourdine hopes to improve her decision-making and learn from her mistakes, she said. “[Cardoza] and I talk a lot on the court during practice,” Gourdine added.

“I know exactly what she wants from me and I’m basically her on the court.”

“Everyone on our team can step it up and make the adjustment game by game,” Williams said. “We all had to adapt.”

Dunn and Williams started together in most of Temple’s games last season, allowing them to be prepared for this year. Their presence together, along with Battle, has been a staple for Temple during the past two seasons.

Williams, as the primary ball handler, runs the offense starting in the backcourt. He can dribble past most defenders and can wait to find open shooters on the wing or maneuvering inside for a floater.

Dunn is a scoring threat from all three levels. He can shoot the three and slash inside the paint, but his mid-range shooting is a key factor in why he is leading the team in points. With Dunn taking ball screens off-ball, Williams can often find him for open looks.

There have been several games, like in their first conference game against the

University of Central Florida on Dec. 15, 2021, the Owls passed open looks and held onto the ball for too long into the shot clock.

“Our guys are just not playing with the confidence that I know that they play with,” said head coach Aaron McKie after the game.

But once Williams and Dunn ran the floor more smoothly, the execution improved along with the team’s confidence, McKie added.

Temple went on to win four of its next five games, with its only loss coming against then No. 12 University of Houston (16-2, 5-0 The American) on Jan. 2. Even then, Temple lost by only five points as Dunn led the team with 14 points and Williams had six assists.

As the Owls’ aspirations to play late into March continue, their eyes are set on a goal that is beginning to feel within reach — an AAC Championship.

With 11 games remaining in the

regular season, the Owls have a chance to overcome their early season record.

After finishing ninth in the conference last season, Temple sits at fifth so far this season and could have a stretch of winnable games on the horizon, like their match on Feb. 5 against University of Tulsa (6-11, 0-6 The American) and Feb. 12 at Tulane University (7-9, 4-3 The American).

It’ll ultimately come down to the young Owls performances, specifically Dunn and Williams, to lead them late in the season.

The young duo is up for the challenge, Dunn said.

“We need to win the conference,” Dunn added. “That’s the only thing we come into practice and work towards, to be winners and win the conference.”

valerie.pendrak@temple.edu @ValeriePendrak

nick.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang12

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DYNAMIC DUO

FUELS TEAM

BY NICK GANGEWERE Assistant Sports Editor

T

emple University men’s basketball guards freshman Jeremiah Williams and redshirt-freshman Damian Dunn share a similar drive for success, which makes the camaraderie within the game come easily, Dunn said.

Williams and Dunn have been roommates for the past two years, and each day they continue to translate their relationship onto the court, Dunn said.

“Our relationship off the court has really helped our chemistry on the court,” Dunn added. “Being able to read each other, knowing when to give each other space, when to cut off each other, when to drive, kick and find each other.”

The duo are a key reason Temple sits at 10-6 record and have gone on a threegame winning streak. In the past five games, Dunn is averaging 19.6 points, while Williams is averaging 6.2 assists.

The two complement each other’s ability play after play.

While Dunn and Williams were searching for a playstyle that worked for them, there was a deeper connection being formed between the two, Dunn said.

“Just being able to talk to him, laugh with him, grow with him and learn with him,” Dunn said. “We have a bond on the court that shows and we are going to keep working at it.”

From watching YouTube videos together to talking about their personal struggles, the pair have formed a connection stemming from brief interactions to what is now a firm friendship, Williams said.

“We just clicked,” Williams said. “Us being roommates really skyrocketed it.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL| 23

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Damian Dunn, left, a freshman guard, and Jeremiah Williams, right, a freshman guard, run down the court during the Owls’ game against the University of Pennsylvania at the Liacouras Center on Dec. 4, 2021.