A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

VOL. 96 ISSUE 19

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

Our annual Movers & Shakers special issue features individuals making a difference in the Temple community.

Teaching life skills after incarceration A former attorney who was incarcerated teaches a class for returning citizens at PASCEP. BY AYOOLUWA ARIYO For The Temple News

JAMIE COTTRELL / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Rev. Renee McKenzie of the Church of the Advocate on Diamond Street near 18th, serves lunch in the church’s dining area on Wednesday.

Rev. takes risks for social justice The Rev. Renee McKenzie of the Church of the Advocate allowed an immigrant family to take sanctuary in her church. BY MATTHEW McCANN

I

Community Beat Reporter

n October 2017, the Rev. Renee McKenzie got a call from the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia asking if she would provide sanctuary for an undocumented immigrant family whose deportation was ordered. Instinctually, she agreed. “I have to be honest, I hadn’t really

thought it through carefully before I said yes,” she said. “My instinct was to say yes because there’s no way I could not support this family. There’s no way we could not provide sanctuary if we had the ability to do so, and we did. So I said yes.” McKenzie has been a clergy member at the Church of the Advocate on Diamond Street near 18th for six years and has consistently fought for social justice issues. She believes she has a responsibility to be an advocate for change — even when faced with significant risks. Carmela Apolonio Hernandez, who is taking sanctuary in the Church of the Ad-

ON CAMPUS

vocate with her four children, was ordered to leave the country by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency by Dec. 15, 2017. Hernandez said she fled an unsafe environment in Mexico in 2015 after her brother and two nephews were killed by organized drug traffickers. On Jan. 29, the children — Fidel, Keyri, Yoselin and Edwin — left the church for the first time in six weeks to attend school, which put them at risk of deportation. McKenzie and city officials held an

While serving a five-year prison sentence, Jeffrey Abramowitz resolved to make the most of his time. He read nearly 1,000 books, including George Orwell’s “1984,” and taught about 50 classes in subjects like political science, business and math. Abramowitz was at the United States Penitentiary, Canaan — a high-security federal prison in Waymart, Pennsylvania — for embezzlement in March 2012. He spent the first two years of his sentence at the Federal Detention

I found that teaching was what I needed to do, and helping people find work...became my passion. JEFFREY ABRAMOWITZ PASCEP INSTRUCTOR

Center on Arch Street near 7th. “For so long, I took so much for granted,” Abramowitz said. “As a trial lawyer, I had everything. I had the house, the cars, the family.” “I took the time to really figure out what I wanted to do in life, what was important to me and tried to think about the lessons that I was being handed, and I made the best of my time

ADVOCATE | PAGE 2

RE-ENTRY | PAGE 11

ON CAMPUS

Food-insecure student pantry opens next week The food pantry is accepting donations this week to prepare for its opening. BY MADISON SEITCHIK For The Temple News

An on-campus food pantry will open next week to address food insecurity. On Feb. 19, Cherry Pantry will have its grand opening, where students can get free, non-perishable food items. The pantry will be in Student Center North. It will operate Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. Donations can be dropped off at the pantry on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon and Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. Then, donations will be accepted during its regular hours. Food insecurity is when a person lacks access to nutritious, affordable food. A report by higher education professor Sara GoldrickRab found that about one-third of Temple students experience food insecurity.

In response to Goldrick-Rab’s study, university officials, including President Richard Englert and Provost JoAnne Epps, created the food pantry. Students can visit the pantry once per week by showing their OWLcards. The food will be handed out using a point system, and students can take up to 16 points per visit, Vice President of Student Affairs Theresa Powell said. One side, which includes items like canned corn or green beans, equals one point. Single-meal items equal two points, which would be items like cans of Chef Boyardee or SpaghettiOs. Multi-meal items, which are items that can be used multiple times like rice and cereal, equal three points. Students will not be questioned about their food security when they enter the food pantry. The pantry will start by giving out canned and non-perishable food items like cereal, juice, pasta

PANTRY | PAGE 3

BRIANNA SPAUSE / FILE PHOTO Kallie Cooper, then a senior advertising major, recites a passage at an on-campus performance of “The Vagina Monologues” in February 2016. The Wellness Resource Center’s annual production of the play was canceled this year.

‘Vagina Monologues’ canceled Students said the play lacked inclusivity after a feedback performance in the fall. BY VALERIE DOWRET For The Temple News

The Wellness Resource Center will not host its annual performance of “The Vagina Monologues” this month after

some students said it is not inclusive. Alison McKee, the director of the WRC, said some students gave feedback about the play, which has been performed at the university since 2003. Students were concerned that the play was not inclusive to all races, sexualities and genders. In 1994, Eve Ensler wrote “The Vagina Monologues,”

which documents more than 200 women’s experiences, thoughts and observations on sexual abuse, sexuality, violence against women and other topics. The play generally features the stories about heterosexual, cisgender women. In 2002, Temple was selected as one of 500 schools to

INCLUSIVITY | PAGE 3

NEWS | PAGES 2-3, 6

OPINION | PAGES 4-5

FEATURES | PAGES 7-13

SPORTS | PAGES 14-18

The university donated computers to a local church last month, but similar donations to other nonprofits go unused. Read more on Page 2.

A columnist argued that the university should consider the surrounding community in future construction projects. Read more on Page 5.

Jessica Sandberg, the director of international admissions, was named to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2017 Influence List. Read more on Page 7.

The men’s basketball team has a higher chance of earning an atlarge NCAA Tournament bid after a five-game winning streak. Read more on Page 18.

NEWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 2 COMMUNITY

Computer donation program: ‘a disconnect’ Local nonprofits that have received computer donations from Temple have struggled to maintain the devices. BY WILL BLEIER

Community Beat Reporter

The Temple Tech for Philly program, a collaboration run by the Computer Recycling Center, has been donating the university’s surplus technology, including computers and printers, to local Philadelphia nonprofits and community centers for more than a decade. Making sure the computers, often donated in bulk, are maintained is a “priority” of the Office of Community Relations, a university official said. But once the computers are donated, several community centers told The Temple News that their staff members don’t know how to address issues that arise on the devices. And several centers don’t use the devices at all anymore because they can’t staff the labs.

TECH FOR PHILLY PROGRAM Through an online application process, organizations can file a request on the Computer Recycling Center’s website to receive refurbished technology that has been deemed unwanted by university departments and has not been purchased at a discounted rate by students. The program, overseen by CRC Director Jonathan Latko, donated to 30 project sites in 2014 and 22 sites in 2015. Data wasn’t available for the CRC’s donations in 2016 and 2017. “Last year it might have been was a little less because we were a little more pointed,” Latko said. “We were more specific, and I’ve been refining this process over time. I didn’t have as much to donate.” The program recently donated 10 computers and 2 printers to Berean Presbyterian Church on Broad and Diamond streets. It was formally installed by Temple’s Facilities Management and the CRC on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Greg Bonaparte, a trustee of the church and a general mechanic for the university’s housing department, said his parish requested the lab to create a space where children could use the internet safely, adults could create resumes and cover letters and seniors could learn basic computer skills. “Temple has spread out a lot more to community churches and organizations than they ever did,” said Bonaparte, who grew up and still lives in North Philadelphia. “I see the difference.” Berean has not yet opened the lab to its parishioners. Bonaparte said an official opening date will be determined after the church holds meetings with its administration to create a plan for the lab’s use. The main problem is creating a schedule for people to “monitor” the computers while they are used, he added. Director of Community and Neighborhood Affairs Andrea Swan said her office is tasked with maintaining community partnerships and coordinating outreach efforts. It will be following up with Berean to be sure the lab is operational, she added. “This is a big accomplishment, but we have a great deal more to do,” Swan said. “Making sure that the lab is used and maintained is a priority for us.”

PAST PROJECTS In 2015, the CRC donated 10 computers to Gather the People House of Prayer, a Baptist church on 15th Street near Clearfield. The congregation’s leader, Pastor Yvonne Yates, said the last time her church communicated with Temple about the CRC’s donations was the day the computers were installed. She added that right now, all 10 of the computers are not being used because the church can’t afford to staff the labs, and she’s unaware of their current condition. “We don’t have a teacher,” Yates said. “The computers could be used if we had someone to come in and help with them.” Carol Smith, executive director of the Beckett Life Center, a community center on 16th Street near Jefferson, had a similar experience. She has not been contacted by Temple since her center’s 12 computers were installed in 2014. Six of the 12 comput-

RACHAEL MELLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Computers donated by Temple sit in the basement of Berean Presbyterian Church on Broad and Diamond streets. The lab will open after the church’s administration meets to plan its use.

ers are not in working condition, she said. “I really need to get them back up to speed,” Smith said. “Because our residents are going to be using them for [job] training.” Smith added that she has never reached out to Temple for help with her center’s computer lab because she didn’t know who to contact. She said she plans on reaching out to the CRC. Latko said donation sites should expect the average computer donation to be functional for two to three years. “Temple University doesn’t have enough people to do straight tech support to the entire Philadelphia area and all the people we donate to,” Latko said. “If you give somebody a car and it runs out of gas, do you expect them to call the dealer back up and be like, ‘Hey, my car ran out of gas?’” The CRC donated 10 computers to Helping Energize & Rebuild Ourselves, a community organization that offers support to low-income families on 17th Street near Tioga, in 2015. Its director Doris Phillips said seven of those donations are in working condition. University volunteers who serve at the center, unaffiliated with the CRC, have been trying to fix the nonfunctioning computers. “We want to thank Temple for their donation and helping us out with our comput-

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ADVOCATE

JAMIE COTTRELL / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Rev. Renee McKenzie reads the Bible in the main worship area of the Church of the Advocate on Diamond Street near 18th on Wednesday.

News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com

event to see them off. But Hernandez and her children aren’t the only ones who run the risk of punishment for taking sanctuary in McKenzie’s church. According to federal law, a person who houses an undocumented immigrant could face up to five years of imprisonment — meaning McKenzie is also at risk. “When you’re confronted with the idea that, you know, you could go to jail for five years, you have to think about it, but the answer wouldn’t change,” McKenzie said, laughing. “I have a responsibility to fight for social justice.” The Church of the Advocate has a long history of activism in North Philadelphia. The church was the first Episcopal church in the world to ordain women. And in 1968, the National Conference of Black Power was held there. The Church of the Advocate also hosted the Black Panther Conference of 1970, marking it a stronghold of civil rights. To illustrate the church’s role in civil rights is a series of murals painted by Walter Edmonds and Richard Watson from 1973-1976 that line the walls within the church. The murals depict important moments in the struggle for Black liberation in America and inspire McKenzie. “These murals tell me constantly that I have a responsibility, because they hold me accountable,” she said. McKenzie initially went to seminary in 1992, with the intention of becoming a teacher. Since then, she has taught at local universities like Temple. She was a teaching assistant in the religion department for five years, while working toward her Ph.D., which she completed in 2005. “I just love being on a college campus,” McKenzie said. “I am one of those people that, surround me with books or people struggling with ideas, there’s nothing better in the world.” But McKenzie is also outspoken against the university. Her church is the main meeting place for the Stadium Stompers, a group of

er lab,” Phillips said. “The children are really interested. We appreciate what Temple has done.”

UNIVERSITY RESPONSE Latko said he must “lean on” the Office of Community Relations to field inquiries that donation sites may have. In an additional interview with The Temple News about community organizations’ feedback, Swan said she would reach out to Gather the People House of Prayer, the Beckett Life Center and Helping Energize & Rebuild Ourselves to address their concerns. “The Office of Community Relations certainly encourages a constant stream of communication,” Swan said. “The computers are donated for their usage and for their maintenance. … If they reached out to us to request computers, they should reach out to us with any questions about the computers.” Swan added that her office will be “more vocal” with organizations that receive donations from the program in the future. “It’s obvious that there is a disconnect that needs to be addressed,” she added. william.bleier@temple.edu @Will_Bleier

students, faculty and community residents who oppose Temple’s proposed on-campus football stadium. She has attended several Stadium Stompers’ rallies to express her disapproval of the stadium, which Temple announced it will submit for approval to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission in the coming weeks. Two of the other pressing issues McKenzie said North Philadelphia is facing are education and trauma. “We need to understand what trauma is and how we can help people be healed from trauma and how we can minimize its impact, especially for the kids today,” she said. The Church of the Advocate just began a project called The Healing Project, which is a faith-based, trauma-informed approach to community healing. To address the issue of education, she also opened a philosophy discussion group called The Saturday Free School, which is held each Saturday and is open to the public. McKenzie’s caretaking role isn’t unnoticed by her congregation and other community residents. “She truly, truly cares for the community,” said Glenda Bryant, a parish administrator and minister at the Church of the Advocate. “She’s firm but patient and always willing to give someone a chance to do better.” McKenzie, who has lived in and around Philadelphia all her life, believes there is an “advocate spirit” specific to the city, and she wants to continue the tradition of fighting for social justice to bring positive change to the community, even when that means wading into political waters like challenging current immigration policies. “I’m not wary of getting involved in political situations,” McKenzie said. “I’m wary of getting involved with political people. So, when I say a political situation, for me, it is about, ‘Am I willing...to fight for justice?’ And I am fully committed to that. Wherever I see injustice, I will respond to it.” matthew.paul.mccann@temple.edu

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

NEWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 3

Parliament leader helps members through ‘growing pains’ Parliamentarian Jacob Kurtz has led Parliament through several conflicts that arose this year. BY AMANDA LIEN Copy Editor

After spending a semester as the Tyler School of Art Parliament representative in Spring 2017, Jacob Kurtz wanted to run for a higher position — the role of Parliamentarian. But first, he had a decision to make. “The hardest thing I had to deal with is, if I take this role, I can’t necessarily make my stances public, and I can’t be advocating the same way I was previously,” he said. Kurtz was appointed as Parliamentarian last April for Parliament, Temple Student Government’s representative branch. This position requires him to be impartial in Parliament’s proceedings — which differs from his advocacy as a representative. He is now responsible for managing Parliament members, reviewing proposed resolutions and ensuring that members of Parliament follow the rules and guidelines in the branch’s bylaws. Another one of his primary responsibilities is filling vacant Parliament seats. But this role has proved challenging for Kurtz in Parliament’s second year: About one-third of Parliament seats are vacant — something Kurtz believes is partly because of his approach to leadership. Parliament was started under former Student Body President Aron Cowen in the 2016-17

academic year. It is a 37-member representative body made up of students across schools, years and demographics. So far this academic year, the branch has faced several internal conflicts. In November 2017, more than 10 members of Parliament filed to impeach one another — including the impeachment hearing for Kurtz. Although only Kurtz went through the impeachment process and all other filings were dropped, Parliament subsequently held conflict resolution trainings. “I expected more of [representatives], and I think that may have pushed some people out,” he said. “I made them...do more than they had intended originally, and I think that’s because I had previous experience.” No member of Parliament responded to a request to be interviewed for this story. As Parliamentarian, Kurtz sits on the TSG’s Ethics Board, along with Auditor General Morrease Leftwich and Elections Commissioner Matthew Diamond. The Ethics Board oversees both branches of TSG — the Executive Board and Parliament — to make sure that no constitutional violations occur. “I think Jacob is pretty passionate about some issues, mostly social justice issues, but he doesn’t let that blur reason,” Leftwich said. Last November, Leftwich oversaw an impeachment hearing in which a former Parliament representative filed to impeach Kurtz. Parliament voted to keep him in office. Student Body President Tyrell Mann-Barnes said Kurtz

MAGGIE LOESCH / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jacob Kurtz, Parliamentarian of Temple Student Government’s Parliament, has led the representative branch through several internal conflicts this year.

has helped Parliament through its “growing pains” in its second year. “He’s helped the entire branch and organization grow and develop,” he said. “I really admire his overall optimism about how we have to get over the horrible things that happened or the things we can’t control.” “Even though he doesn’t have to help [Parliament] come up with initiatives, he just has to make sure they’re following the rules of Parliament, he does help them,” Leftwich added.

Kurtz maintains that, despite Parliament’s internal conflict, representatives are still “getting things done.” He wishes that people would “trust Parliament’s process” and trust that they will accomplish what they set out to do. “The one thing about Parliament is it’s a group of...theoretically, 30-some young adults, and unexpected stuff happens all the time,” Kurtz said. “There’s not necessarily a cohesiveness, but there’s an end goal that’s the same, how we best represent our students and

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 INCLUSIVITY

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / FILE PHOTO Students from Challah for Hunger prepare the traditional Jewish bread they sell on Thursdays. The organization donates half of its proceeds to the Cherry Pantry, which will open next week to support food-insecure students.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PANTRY and canned fruits and vegetables. The pantry will also provide allergen-friendly items, like dried fruit and gluten-free pasta. This will be the first food pantry on Main Campus and will join more than 560 pantries across college campuses in the United States. “We’re developing everything as we go,” Powell said. “But what we want to make sure that we do is...have the pantry open so that it is available to as many students as possible.” Sarah Levine, a senior neuroscience major, is among the 35 percent of students at Temple who lack reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. “I can tell you from firsthand experience [of food insecurity], having that over your head, being in class, you are not paying attention, you are not listening to what the professor is saying,” Levine said. “[You’re] trying to get your mind off of how hungry you are, instead of doing homework or studying.” The student chapter of Challah for Hunger, which bakes and sells the traditional Jewish bread every Thursday, will donate half of its sales to the student food pantry. The grand opening on Feb. 19 will coincide with a “Combating Campus Hunger” event hosted by Challah for Hunger and Temple Student Government, which will take place

at the Rad Dish Co-op Cafe in Ritter Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. It will include free food and a panel discussion about food insecurity. Challah for Hunger recently launched an OwlCrowd campaign to help fund the pantry. The campaign ends Feb. 18 and has already exceeded its $5,000 goal with $5,940, as of Monday. Challah for Hunger has since increased its goal to $7,000. “We were getting a lot of donations early, and it just kept going and I was really happy to see that,” said Gadi Zimmerman, a junior financial planning major and president of Temple’s Challah for Hunger chapter, which advocates for students who experience food insecurity. TSG has also worked with Challah for Hunger to spread awareness and “amplify” the voices of the students who are passionate about the food pantry and food insecurity. “Now seeing that [the OwlCrowd campaign has] surpassed that goal, I am not only happy about it, but I’m really excited,” Student Body President Tyrell Mann-Barnes said. “This proves that if we can fund a pantry, what other resources and initiatives for students could we also fund if we solicit the interests for OwlCrowd Fund? I think the…opportunities are limitless.” madison.seitchik@temple.edu

perform the play as an all-student benefit production. Female students were asked to audition to play one of the production’s 20 roles, The Temple News reported. “If there were potentially people that weren’t feeling included by it, then it’s not something that fits in the WRC,” McKee said. The WRC hosted a performance of the play in the fall for student feedback and invited organizations that had expressed concerns in the past. They were asked to give their input on the play and whether the WRC should perform it this month. “The WRC wants to make sure we’re doing things that are as helpful and inclusive as possible and if somebody’s saying, ‘Ouch, this hurts me,’ that’s worth us thinking about, ‘Do we still do it then right now?’” McKee added. McKee consulted the Office of Institutional Diversity Equity Advocacy and Leadership’s Director of Student Engagement Nu’Rodney Prad on the decision to cancel “The Vagina Monologues” performance. Prad said the play does not acknowledge or present the intersectionality of women’s issues and that the play is “heterocentric and very cisgender.” Ensler has updated “The Vagina Monologues” in recent years with passages about female genital mutilation and transgender women. The WRC performed this version but couldn’t guarantee it would be “comfortable and safe” for all students if continued, McKee wrote in an email. Prad said the updated version goes against the IDEAL office’s mission by making students “feel [like] they have to do something and represent a whole entire community.” “Some of our students that may identify within the LGBTQIA community brought up concerns...that it

our student body.” “It’s been really difficult at times, but it’s always been rewarding because when we do accomplish things, there is a bit of satisfaction on my part,” he added. “I might not get the same amount of credit, but there’s a bit of, ‘Wow, my team did that, and I’m proud of them.’” amanda.lien@temple.edu @AmandaJLien

creates this perpetual existence that people are not focusing...on trans identity as much,” Prad said. Prad questioned the play’s portrayal of Black women’s experiences. “There are different troubles and trials that may face white women and…Black women that may be either due to societal issues that are in place, so I don’t know if it really hits on any of that at all,” Prad added. “We should look at something that is a little bit more inclusive to people.” Sophia Wnek, a junior public relations major and former cast member of the WRC’s “The Vagina Monologues,” would have been the director of this month’s production. She said she and her castmates were surprised to find out the performance was canceled. “We all found out that it was banned. It kind of came out of the blue, very much a surprise,” Wnek said. Although Wnek said it “breaks [her] heart” that the performance will not take place this year, she understands why it is outdated. The cast of the 2017 performance was mostly cisgender, white women, she said. “It’s kind of an older version of feminism before this wave of intersectional feminism that is growing currently, and so I totally get that,” Wnek added. “There could be hope to bring it back if changes are made or decisions are altered.” The WRC cannot alter the play’s monologues but applied student feedback from the fall performance to come up with an event, called LoveTU, on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in the Student Center Underground. Although McKee said it is not meant to replace “The Vagina Monologues,” the event will focus on self-love and feature music, dance and spoken word poetry. valerie.dowret@temple.edu

News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com

OPINION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 4 CLASSROOM A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Michaela Winberg Editor-in-Chief Grace Shallow Managing Editor Jenny Roberts Supervising Editor Julie Christie Enterprise Editor Gillian McGoldrick News Editor Jayna Schaffer Opinion Editor

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.

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

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EDITORIALS

Seek inclusive options The Wellness Resource Center canceled its version of “The Vagina Monologues” without detailing its alternative. The Wellness Resource Center’s annual student-run production of “The Vagina Monologues” was canceled due to concerns over a lack of inclusivity of all races, sexualities and genders. The play, originally written in 1994, features the experiences of more than 200 women — who are mostly heterosexual and cisgender — with topics like sexual abuse and sexuality. “If there were potentially people that weren’t feeling included by it, then it’s not something that fits in the WRC,” Alison McKee, the director of the WRC, told The Temple News. We commend the center for its consideration of diversity and LGBTQ students. Still, we wonder if the WRC could’ve taken a different approach by making the play more inclusive, instead of canceling altogether. One of the WRC’s former events, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, which is an international men’s march to raise awareness for sexual assault by walking in red heels, faced similar critiques for its lack of inclusivity. The center responded by renaming it

“WalkTU: Engaging New Voices in Ending Sexual Violence” and inviting anyone to walk — straying from the event’s previous cisgender, male participants. Perhaps WRC could’ve made the same effort to reimagine “The Vagina Monologues.” The WRC could’ve recruited a more diverse cast than in previous years. Sophia Wnek, a junior public relations major and the director in past years, said the cast mainly featured cisgender, white women. The center did apply student feedback for “The Vagina Monologues” when it organized LoveTU, a new event where students will perform music, dance and spoken word poetry. But it hasn’t detailed how this event addresses past concerns about a lack of inclusivity. A space for women to express themselves is futile if women of color and LGBTQ people can’t see themselves in it. But losing that space without an effort to adjust it to be more inclusive is a loss to the Temple community as a whole.

Uniting to help hunger It’s admirable that the university, faculty and students are coming together to help students experiencing food insecurity. Temple’s first student food pantry, called the Cherry Pantry, will open next week, and the Temple community can begin donating non-perishable foods to the pantry starting this Tuesday. This pantry, where students can get free, non-perishable food items, comes after higher education professor Sara GoldrickRab researched Temple’s student population and found that one-third of students experience food insecurity. A food pantry could not have come to fruition without widespread university support — from the administration, faculty members and students. The Temple News commends the university for coming together to help students who experience food insecurity. We are proud of Temple’s administration for making the decision to become one of more than 560 university food pantries in the United States. We’re proud of Goldrick-Rab, who conducted the research that helped bring

the pantry to Main Campus. And we’re proud of our fellow students, who also took meaningful steps toward helping students who often go hungry. Challah for Hunger, a student organization that fights food insecurity, bakes and sells the traditional Jewish bread every Thursday to fundraise for the food pantry. Since it was founded, the student organization raised nearly $6,000 for the cause. It is inspiring to see the Temple community supporting each other in the face of food insecurity. We encourage students who have the means to follow suit and donate goods to Challah for Hunger’s OwlCrowd fundraising campaign or to the food pantry directly. This food pantry is only a small step toward helping students find relief from hunger. We recognize there is no quick fix to food insecurity among college students, but we are proud of the effort that has been made so far.

CORRECTIONS A photo that ran in print on Feb. 6 with a story headlined “In tellings of ‘Arabian Nights,’ professor examines cultural differences” miscredited a photo taken by Maggie Loesch. An article that ran in print on Feb. 6 with the headline “Giving back to Temple to ‘honor your beginnings,’” misspelled Jim Cawley’s last name. 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 Michaela Winberg at editor@temple-news.com or 215-204-6737.

letters@temple-news.com

Group work never pays off

Professors shouldn’t assign group projects because it makes the work unnecessarily harder.

I

once took an astronomy course in Bucks County Community College. The class was interesting, and I didn’t have to work too hard to maintain a good grade. But halfway through the semester, my professor gave me an assignment that felt like mission impossible: a group project. It seemed simple at first, because we just had to research and ALAN SULLIVAN create a poster about Saturn. There were four of us in the group, but I soon realized that I would have to do the bulk of the work, along with another classmate, because our two other group members had a do-nothing attitude. Still, we divided up the work evenly. But the two lackadaisical classmates didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. We were lucky our grade was a C. My experience is unfortunately common. Group projects aren’t fair and don’t accurately assess students’ skills. Good results are hard to come by in group projects when schedules don’t match up or some members are simply lazy. And sometimes whole groups of students get penalized for the failings of a few. Professors should stop assigning group projects and let students show how hard they work as DIVERSITY

“Students will often say they either learned a lot working with a group or that they don’t like group work because there’s always someone who didn’t bother to do their work,” Davies said. I’ve been in more group projects that have come close to failure than ones that have helped me grow as a student. The groups I’ve worked in have been compromised because of incompatible ideas or availability. Diane Bones, a journalism professor, thinks personalities sometimes get in the way of fair group work. “Some [students] are more prominent and detract from those who tend to stay quiet most of the time but might have great ideas,” Bones said. According to the Teaching Center at Washington University, a group working to improve learning through research, there are advantages to group work like enhancing communication and problem-solving skills. But I don’t think these benefits are worth the stress that comes with these assignments. Students can gain these skills in other ways like by participating in class discussions. It’s easy to laugh it off now, looking back at the seemingly impossible group projects I’ve had in my schooling. But in the moment, it seems like my future depends on getting a good grade. And having to rely on strangers couldn’t be more frustrating. alan.sullivan@temple.edu

Mainstream media: Include Muslim women

Seeing women who wear hijabs can help Muslim women feel beautiful and fight stereotypes.

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individuals. Claire Neal, a junior biology and education major, said group projects are unproductive and complicated. “I personally dislike group projects,” Neal said. “It can just be really difficult. … Everyone else has classes, other groups, obligations.” Kartik Devgan, a junior environmental engineering major, was frustrated when he felt he was carrying the weight of his group during a chemistry project with two other students. “I was the one who was doing the thinking and coming up with ideas,” Devgan said. “It’s usually never an equal distribution of work in a group project” “There’s always one person who’s just there to be there, to fill up a space,” he added. Even when responsibilities are evenly divided, that doesn’t guarantee all members will fulfill their roles with equal effort and skill. According to the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a nonprofit institute dedicated to improving higher education, the best students don’t typically earn the best grades on team assignments. Professor and Scholar Bruce Gans wrote two articles against group work for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal arguing it’s a waste of time and “a delusion that lives on in the face of common sense.” John Davies, an intellectual heritage adjunct instructor who employs a lot of group work in his classes, said students’ experiences can go either way.

he first time I saw Amena Khan wearing a hijab in an advertisement for L’Oreal Paris, I thought of my friends and smiled. A hijab is a traditional Muslim headscarf worn for modesty, and it was deeply inspiring to see someone wearing one in a mainstream beauty advertisement. “Whether or not your hair is on display doesn’t affect how much you care about it,” said Khan, a Muslim beauty blogger and the co-founder of ArTYLER PEREZ dere Cosmetics, in the advertisement. Some of my best friends are proud Muslim women who wear hijabs. It made me happy to think they could finally see themselves in an advertisement for a mainstream beauty company, especially when there is so little media representation of women of color and Muslim women. Though I am not Muslim or a woman, I think more advertising should be inclusive — not only so women who wear hijabs can see themselves as beautiful, but also so they are inspired to achieve their career goals, just like Khan did. According to a 2016 survey by The Fashion Spot, 78 percent of women in beauty advertisements were white — leaving little room for women of color. According to an article published by the Atlantic, nearly 60 percent of Muslim women are not white. Representation matters. When Muslim women are excluded from

mainstream media in favor of nonMuslim, white women, it strips them of potential role models and can discourage them from aspiring to certain career goals — all because they don’t often see themselves portrayed in those fields. “Having a role model who is shown in a positive light and is being embraced in an inclusive manner certainly sets the tone for young Muslim women that they are valued,” said Jennifer Ball, an advertising professor. “They have a place in society and...they are welcome here.” Luckily, it seems times are beginning to change. In addition to Khan’s beauty advertisement with L’Oreal Paris, CoverGirl debuted a diverse lineup of new models in 2016, including Nura Afia, a Muslim beauty blogger. And last November, toy company Mattel introduced its first Muslim Barbie doll. According to the Washington Post, the doll, which wears a hijab, is inspired by Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. Yes, this is just a doll. But by depicting Olympic achievements by Muslim women, the doll symbolizes much more. It gives young, Muslim girls a doll that looks like them and a successful role model. “It shows them that they can do what they want while still wearing a headscarf,” said Ghada Ayad, a freshman pharmaceutical sciences major who wears a hijab. Not only does representation in advertising have the potential to inspire Muslim women, it also can help fight stereotypes. According to the Islamic Networks Group, Muslim women face their own set of stereotypes in the United States; they are often thought of as “oppressed,” “passive” and “uneducated.” “The ability to disconfirm stereotypes is really important,” Ball

said. “Otherwise, if we have an unrealistic view or a view that is too narrow of a particular group, obviously that has particular implications then affect policies that get set.” “If groups are represented in a more holistic manner that fits a wider range of the actual experiences and roles of [Muslim people], that can certainly help us strive for greater equality and less divisiveness,” Ball added. We can’t pretend these few instances of inclusive advertising are enough to make Muslim people feel represented by the media. Still, I hope they feel like a solid first step. In the future, I hope representation of Muslim women expands beyond the beauty industry. My friends who wear hijabs are entering career fields like business, medicine and art. Any positive representation of Muslim women is beneficial, but soon, I hope to see women like my friends represented by the media in even more career fields. “I want to see a Muslim woman represented in every aspect of life,” Ayad said. “I want to see them represented more as doctors and businesswomen and just every aspect of life. It would be amazing to see all of these hijabis moving forward. ... I just want that for my sisters, I want them to strive, I want them to do well.” Fair representation in entertainment, advertising and the media is essential to reducing stigma and promoting inclusion. I see these inclusive beauty advertisements as a strong foundation for accurate representation of Muslim women, some of whom I’m lucky to call my friends. tyler.perez@temple.edu @perezodent

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OPINION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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COMMUNITY

In new construction, preserve North Philadelphia The university should maintain the character of the community’s historic architecture.

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ately I’ve been waking up to the sound of Peabody Hall’s remains being torn up and bulldozed. And on my way to class, I change my route to avoid congested spaces corralled by temporary construction fences. There are people in hardhats and yellow reflective vests everywhere I go. The construction zones that consume much of Main Campus signal that the university is trying to expand and improve. Dozie Ibeh, the assoRAE BURACH ciate vice presiLEAD COLUMNIST dent of Temple’s Project Delivery Group, told The Temple News that there were 107 construction projects on campus at the beginning of the school year. Modernization of our facilities is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think the rapid redevelopment of Main Campus takes away from the

architectural character of North Philadelphia. In recent years, Temple’s construction has been centered around a modern architectural style. Buildings like Morgan Hall and the Science and Education Research Center, which were unveiled in 2013 and 2014, are made primarily of glass, as opposed to traditional materials like brick, stone and wood. These architectural changes alter the dynamics of our campus and, more importantly, North Philadelphia as a whole. Being located in a city not only means Temple has limited space, but also that it must share that space. Temple should be modernizing in moderation — the brandnew architecture poses a stark contrast to historic North Philadelphia row homes that previously dominated this neighborhood. I’m concerned that the new, sleek style sends an unwelcoming message to long-time community residents. At 27 stories high, Morgan Hall not only towers above Main Campus, but also the surrounding community. It is even marked with a large Temple “T,” branding the neighborhood as belonging to the

university. In April 2017, a proposed skywalk to connect Alter Hall with 1810 Liacouras Walk was denied by Philadelphia’s Architectural Committee. One of Philadelphia’s historic preservation planners Randal Baron recommended the committee vote against the skywalk bridge, because it would “interrupt the continuity of the street.” Committee member Amy Stein, who voted against the skywalk, said it was “anti-intuitive to being integrated into that urban environment that Temple exists within.” Despite these recommendations, the university moved forward with the project, which was later approved. Construction on the skywalk began in August. It is disappointing that the university seemed to ignore legitimate concerns about the architectural preservation of the community. To avoid other impositions, the university should be cautious about how much space it takes up and what visual markers it uses to claim that space. “There is this sense of antagonism between Temple and the North Philadelphia commu-

nity, where people feel as though Temple is encroaching on the neighborhood, but not inviting the neighborhood to be a part of Temple’s campus,” said Timothy Welbeck, a geography and urban studies adjunct instructor. Welbeck said we need to be “more mindful of those types of initiatives and how they impact the community.” The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia promotes the appreciation, protection and appropriate development of historic buildings and communities in Philadelphia. In 2009, it published “Philadelphia’s African American Heritage: A Brief Historic Context Statement,” a study that explored six historically Black neighborhoods in the city, including the area surrounding Temple. “The historic sites and buildings that embody this rich heritage are still scattered around the city, both as reminders of the past and as current community pillars,” the study states. “These resources deserve recognition and protection, and to be celebrated not only for their importance to Black history, but for their significance to the history of Philadelphia.”

Temple should heed the Preservation Alliance’s advice when building facilities to ensure North Philadelphia residents can still recognize their community. Regarding past construction projects, the damage has already been done for many North Philadelphians. But it isn’t too late to preserve the surrounding community’s integrity in future Temple buildings. Many of the university’s 107 construction projects remain ongoing, most noticeably the library in the middle of Liacouras Walk. I hope the university considers the North Philadelphia community in the early planning stages of future projects. By redesigning buildings on Main Campus, the university risks erasing decades of historical North Philadelphia architecture. The community has been here far longer than the university, and its residents deserve to see themselves in their own neighborhood. rbur@temple.edu

A setlist of memories A student reflects on a concert tradition she shares with her best friend. BY BASIA WILSON

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each other’s nail art in the shadows at the concert, but we marveled at the metallic eyeshadow we wore under the blue and green lights. And when the concert ended, we hurried to the car to avoid messing up our hair in the pouring rain. A month before my 20th birthday in 2016, Rachel and I went to Union Transfer again to see the dream pop band, Beach House, which is one of my favorites. We feared we wouldn’t be able to go at first because tickets sold out before we bought ours. But thankfully, Rachel knew someone who used to work at Union Transfer, so we still got our tickets. We didn’t feel like amateur concertgoers anymore. Beach House’s first album came out 10 years ago, and many of the fans in attendance were older adults. But we blended in comfortably. The energy was serene. It was like we entered an orb of color and sound. The lead singer appeared to be glowing as light radiated behind her. “She looks like a spirit,” Rachel whispered to me. Beach House sang about love, growth and forgiveness. After the show, Rachel and I confessed that we were near tears during some songs. We felt something different than our girly excitement at previous concerts. And by the time we saw Alvvays again at Union Transfer in 2017, we were actually

COURTNEY REDMON / THE TEMP LE NEW

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arlier this month, my friend Rachel and I saw alternative artist Rostam Batmanglij perform his first solo album, “Half-Light.” As we watched the crew set up an electric drum set and music stands for a string quartet, Rachel said, “This is going to be unlike anything we’ve experienced.” Rachel and I have been going to concerts together for the past three years, and Rostam was our seventh. She was right: the show certainly was a special experience. We hadn’t seen Rostam play before, nor had we been to a concert with violins, a cello and a harmonica. The only thing about the concert that was familiar to us was the venue: Union Transfer on Spring Garden Street near 10th. We saw our first concert there in June 2015, the summer after our first year of college. I hadn’t seen Rachel much back then. We both started our freshman year at Chestnut Hill College, but Rachel had transferred to Temple one semester before I did. We saw Alvvays together, a new Canadian indie pop band, and it felt like our little summer reunion. I remember us arriving incredibly early, catching up on conversation, and waiting outside in the balmy air to have our tickets

scanned. We bolted into the venue and scrambled to the front in an attempt to get as close to the stage as possible. Our excitement made us a little impatient, but we endured the opening act. And when Alvvays arrived on stage, we bounced around to catchy songs about failed romance, sunshine and university students like us. Since that was our first concert, we both found it necessary to commemorate the moment with pictures and band T-shirts. And when Rachel bought her shirt, one of the guitarists from Alvvays actually rung her up. She was starstruck. “I didn’t even know what to say!” she told me. I chose the white Alvvays shirt with a photo of a generic school lunch in a styrofoam tray. Below the tray was written, “Everybody wins!” Rachel and I mulled over whether this quirky design meant something to the bandmates. Two months later, we found ourselves at Union Transfer again, celebrating Rachel’s 19th birthday. Amonnie, our good friend from New York, joined us to see a British band called Glass Animals. Their debut album was alternative with an energetic, exotic twist. A lot of their songs reminded me of the jungle. We tried our best to put together perfect outfits for the show and painted our nails on my living room floor. We didn’t even notice

old enough to access the 21+ section. We spent a few minutes up there before we decided we liked it better downstairs. We ended up hanging out in one of our usual areas. It was the same spot where, more than two years ago, Rachel told me about getting her wisdom teeth taken out as we waited for our first Alvvays concert to start. I began to realize Union Transfer housed so many of our memories. Over the years, we have passed many landmarks in our lives, both big and small. But I’m grateful that we always choose to take a break at Union Transfer along the way. basia.serafina.wilson@temple.edu

CARTOON

LILLIAN DURAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

October 1, 1963: Beury Hall was a new chemistry building on Main Campus, and contractors were working to stop gas leaks. This week, Lead Columnist Rae Burach wrote that the university should consider historic North Philadelphia architecture when constructing new campus buildings.

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NEWS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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Temple EMS director responds to student needs The director of student-run Emergency Medical Services works with Temple Police to respond to medical emergencies. BY JULIA BOYD

Crime Beat Reporter

To Taylor Spoon, the importance of her work with Temple’s Emergency Medical Services outweighs any disappointment that might come with turning down weekend plans. Thursday through Sunday, she’s on call from 7:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. as the director of the student-run medical assistance team. Her team responds to up to 20 calls, she said. Spoon, a senior biology major, said working with EMS has ultimately “given [her] the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than [herself].” “Working with our providers has been a great experience and one I look forward to doing, even Thursday through Saturday,” Spoon said. Originally from York, Pennsylvania, Spoon has always had a love for biology and environmental sciences. She decided to get involved with the university’s EMS program because she loves helping people and working with police, she said. Spoon has been the director since February 2017. “[EMS] is really one of the most collaborative things I’ve ever done in my life,” Spoon said. “I decided I wanted to apply for an officer position pretty early on.” Spoon leads a crew of about 40 students who receive calls through Temple Police’s radio. When they hear a medical alert and are asked to go to the scene, they often ride EMS bikes with supplies like blood pressure cuffs and oxygen cylinders. Spoon could not detail the services EMS provides due to privacy laws, Spoon said. When EMS workers arrive at a medical emergency, they assess the person’s

medical condition and then decide whether to call an ambulance for transportation to a hospital. EMS workers wear red vests instead of yellow or blue so people can differentiate them from TUPD and Allied Universal security Officers. Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charles Leone called Spoon “extremely dedicated to emergency medical services.” “Taylor is constantly seeking best practices and how to apply them to our already professional emergency services,” Leone wrote in an email. “This dedication and strong work ethic are what make Taylor an excellent leader as director of TUEMS.” Spoon said some students think her team is “out to get people in trouble,” which is a misconception she wants to change. “We’re just there to help, and make sure people are OK,” Spoon said. “We want to make sure people are safe and taken care of.” Though Spoon doesn’t want to have a career in the medical field, she said she has gained valuable communication and teamwork skills from her experience with the university’s EMS. After graduation, Spoon hopes to study environmental law because she often communicates with lawyers as the EMS director, she added. Spoon added that while sometimes the work can be overwhelming, she has many resources and members of their administrative team are very willing to help. “Ultimately, we’re students. The benefit of that is that we know the culture and understand what other students are going through, but we may not have the experience to take something on ourselves,” Spoon said. “It’s pushed me to be independent but to also use my resources.” julia.boyd@temple.edu @JuliaKBoyd

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Taylor Spoon, the director of the student-run Emergency Medical Services, rides her bike with fellow EMS volunteers to respond to medical alerts.

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CITY

Student awarded $5,000 scholarships from Comcast Corporation, mayor A pre-law student received a $5,000 scholarship from the Comcast Foundation and Mayor Jim Kenney last week at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayoral Luncheon, according to a release. Sierra Williams, 19, was presented the Gustave G. Amsterdam Leadership Award on Feb. 7, which recognizes the academic achievement, leadership skills and community service of students attended high school and college in Philadelphia. Comcast’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer David Cohen presented the award. Williams is studying to become a corporate lawyer. She graduated from Constitution High School in Center City, where she participated in mock trial and student government. After college, she wants to practice criminal law pro bono and help youth access affordable attorneys. Gustave Amsterdam was a board member of the Comcast Corporation. He attended Central High School and the University of Pennsylvania. -Kelly Brennan

UNIVERSITY

Shelter-in-place drill on Wednesday The Office of Emergency Management will conduct a shelter-in-place drill at all domestic campuses on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Students, faculty and staff will be asked to seek shelter away from windows and doors and will be notified by the TU Siren and a TU Alert. A shelter-in-place occurs when outside conditions are unsafe due to an environmental hazard like a fire or a severe weather event. In Spring 2017, the university conducted its first university-wide shelter-inplace drill, which lasted about 10 minutes, as part of the university’s efforts to increase emergency drills on its campuses. Students who are outside when the drill starts will be instructed to seek shelter in the nearest on-campus building. Each building will have a team of faculty and staff, wearing red or yellow vests, who will provide direction and assistance. -Kelly Brennan News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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Appreciating ‘what was once’ North Philadelphia Norris Street resident Guadalupe Portillo has pressured landlords to respect the community surrounding Temple. BY PATRICK BILOW Copy Editor

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SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Guadalupe Portillo has lived in North Philadelphia almost her entire life. At 72 years old, she still lives in the same house she moved into on the 1400 block of Norris Street when she was 1 year old.

uadalupe Portillo no longer recognizes the neighborhood where she grew up. During the late 1950s and ’60s, when Portillo was a child, her neighbors on the 1400 block of Norris Street would gather each weekend to sweep the street, while she and her friends scrubbed the white marble staircases outside of their homes until they were “so clean you could eat lunch off of them.” Portillo still lives in the same house today, but now, she often sees students passed out on those staircases, surrounded by garbage from their parties. On weekend nights, she barely sleeps due to “unbearable” noise from the nearby fraternities. One Saturday last semester, a drunk student rang her doorbell at 3:30 a.m. and asked if her home was the location of a party he was looking for. Portillo, a facilities manage-

COMMUNITY | PAGE 12

Administrator honored for international work Jessica Sandberg was named on The Chronicle’s Influence List for her campaign to welcome international students on campus. BY LAURA SMYTHE For The Temple News

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Darla Ida Himeles, a fifth-year American literature Ph.D. student, holds her 6-month-old daughter Evelyn in her Mt. Airy home on Monday.

Teaching activism to students through poetry Darla Ida Himeles recently earned the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award for teaching in higher education. BY JESSICA BOND

For The Temple News

After a young Darla Ida Himeles got home from school one day, she was excited to tell her stepfather about her poetry lesson. Her stepfather was a doctor who had gone to night school to earn his master’s degree in English. His favorite poem was by William Carlos Williams, a 20th-century modernist poet who was also a doctor.

Right before Himeles’ stepfather suddenly died in 1996, he lent her a copy of Williams’ “Pictures from Brueghel and Other Poems,” which furthered her interest in poetry. “My stepfather’s comments that he left on Williams’ poems took on special meaning after he died,” said Himeles, a fifthyear American literature Ph.D. student. “I became convinced that writing poems was important, valuable work and a way to process overwhelming emotion.” Himeles was recently awarded the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award at the 2018 Association of American

Colleges & Universities annual meeting in January. The award honors graduate students who show promise as future leaders in higher education. Himeles’ Ph.D. study focuses on 20thand 21st-century American poetry and multiethnic literature. When Himeles received the call that she had been selected in December, she cried. “Aside from disbelief and gratitude, I felt something open, a sense of hopefulness,” Himeles said. “I looked at my daughter, and my path suddenly felt a bit more solid.” Himeles’ interest in writ-

POETRY | PAGE 11

When Jessica Sandberg was in 11th grade, her family hosted a foreign exchange student from Aalen, Germany, at their home in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Later that year, she traveled outside the United States for the first time to visit friends and relatives in Kenya. She credits these experiences with expanding her world view and encouraging her to travel. “All the conversations with [our international student] and having her live at our house really piqued my interest in all things international,” Sandberg said.

Sandberg now works as the university’s director of international admissions, overseeing recruitment and admission of international students. In November, The Chronicle of Higher Education named her to its 2017 Influence List for her work with the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign aimed at making college campuses into friendly, safe and diverse spaces for international students. Sandberg is the first person from Temple to ever be recognized on The Chronicle’s Influence List. The university will host a #YouAreWelcomeHere Week at the end of March. It will include events like a tea reception for international and domestic students to meet, a networking night with international alumni and a Global Gala. “I was surprised and confused at first,” Sandberg said. “I didn’t set out

INTERNATIONAL | PAGE 12

CHIA YU LIAO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jessica Sandberg, the director of international admissions, was named to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2017 Influence List. Sandberg created videos for the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign.

PROFESSOR | PAGE 8

DENTISTRY | PAGE 8

LIVE IN PHILLY | PAGE 10

FILM | PAGE 12

Pepón Osorio, a community arts professor, received two national art awards and grants in 2018.

A 1960 dentistry alumnus who grew up in West Philadelphia donated $700,000 to the Kornberg School of Dentistry.

GayBINGO!, a monthly fundraising event for HIV/AIDS hosted by a drag queen group, was held in Center City on Saturday.

Benny Douglas, a 1992 alumnus, will screen his biopic about rapper Tupac Shakur at the Temple Performing Arts Center on Feb. 21.

FEATURES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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Tyler professor receives two national art awards Pepón Osorio has created artwork about disinvestment in Philadelphia communities. BY VERONICA THOMAS For The Temple News

By the end of 2013, a total of 24 schools in the Philadelphia school district were scheduled to be merged or shut down indefinitely. While riding his bicycle to work, Pepón Osorio, a Laura Carnell community arts practices professor at the Tyler School of Art and installation artist, noticed the shuttered Fairhill Elementary School in North Philadelphia, which was one of the 24 schools that closed in 2013. To reach out to the community and address the issue of school closures in Philadelphia, Osorio proposed an idea to Fairhill officials on a collaborative art project to honor the school, staff and students. The community arts project, titled “reForm,” was a two-year collaborative with Temple Contemporary in which Osorio recreated a Fairhill classroom. “What I have learned is that institutions of higher education have some gaps, and I can get the arts to be a vehicle in filling up those gaps,” Osorio said. “[Art] can connect the dots in your education.”

What I have learned is that institutions of higher education have some gaps, and I can get the arts to be a vehicle in filling up those gaps. PEPÓN OSORIO

COMMUNIT Y ART PROFESSOR

In 2018, Osorio has received a United States Artists Fellowship Award, which is a grant given to artists that recognizes their compelling work and contributions to their field, and the College Art Association’s 2018 Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement. Osorio is the first artist of Puerto Rican descent to receive this award from the College Art Association. “Just besides the cultural and heritage aspects of it, it’s an honor to receive the award,” said Osorio, who was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, in 1955. “I am eager that the Puerto Ricans are represented, and I’m

glad to see that it’s happening and that they are recognized. And to add to this, I am also of African descent, so for me it’s a double winner.” Osorio will receive the award on Feb. 21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center during the Convocation at the College Art Association Annual Conference. Over the course of his art career, Osorio has been nationally and internationally recognized for his artwork several times. In July 2016, former President Barack Obama announced his nominations for key administration positions. Obama nominated Osorio to the National Council on the Arts. Although the nomination was never finalized due to the transition to President Donald Trump’s administration, Osorio said the nomination was still “an honor.” “I wasn’t surprised,” said Osorio about his nomination never coming to fruition. “But my excitement was in terms of alignment in philosophy and approach to this nation by Barack Obama. I was very excited about that.” In his career, Osorio has had his work displayed across the country at museums like the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico. He utilizes mixed media, like figurines, embroidery, fabrics, furniture and sculptures to create large-scale installations. In “reForm,” Osorio salvaged various tables, chairs and supplies from Fairhill Elementary School. This contemporary art installation was constructed to represent a Fairhill classroom, with original chairs and tables from the school and a looping video that showed portraits of Fairhill students. The exhibit begins with iron bars at the entrance, which represent the national school-to-prison pipeline trend. It also included a sign from a recycled Fairhill water fountain that warned “Do Not Drink Water,” which is meant to remind the viewer of the contaminated water issues that Philadelphia elementary schools have frequently faced. The installation highlighted the disinvestment of Philadelphia public schools in low-income neighborhoods, especially those with predominantly African-American and Latino students, Osorio said. “We receive a lot of knowledge, but sometimes that knowledge is not transferable in the real world,” Osorio said. “What I think that [community] art can provide is the

COURTESY / JOSEPH LABOLITO Pepón Osorio, a Laura Carnell professor of community arts practices at the Tyler School of Art, earned the 2018 Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement from the College Art Association.

opportunity to create and to establish those transferable skills.” Karen Turner, a journalism professor, described Osorio’s work as thoughtful. Turner and Osorio collaborated on the project “In Loving Memory of…” in 2009, which was a multidisciplinary community art project with audio, visual and installation elements that highlighted Latino families in North Philadelphia. Both Turner and Osorio’s students worked together on the project. Each student was tasked with interviewing different people within the North Philadelphia Latino community and interpreting their stories and lifestyles in various forms of art, like mixed media, banners and audio and video installations.

“He kind of pushes you and challenges you to think,” Turner said. “And sometimes it can be uncomfortable, because he kind of gets you to look at situations that you don’t want to deal with.” The fellowship award is given to various artists who are doing “exemplary work” in their field by United States Artists, a national arts funding organization. The recipients are chosen by a Board of Trustees who utilize fundraisers to uplift national artists every year. “I’m walking on clouds,” Osorio said. “I am honored to be considered and to be recognized by all the people that I esteem so much.” veronica.elizabeth.thomas@temple.edu

With West Philly roots, alumnus shows ‘loyalty’ to Temple Alumnus Robert Bagramian donated $700,000 to the Kornberg School of Dentistry for scholarships. BY JANE YANG

For The Temple News

Every day after he finished his classes in the 1950s, Robert Bagramian commuted home from the Health Sciences Campus to work in his father’s shoe repair shop in Overbrook, a working-class West Philadelphia neighborhood. In that community, very few people had gone to college, Bagramian said, and he didn’t originally expect to either. “If my parents did not sort of insist that I follow a certain path, I would probably have either quit high school, or graduated from high school and would have started working someplace,” Bagramian said. “But they insisted that I go to college.” Bagramian, a 1960 dentistry alumnus, recently donated $700,000 to the Kornberg School of Dentistry through his Armen and Isabelle Bagramian Scholarship Fund, named in honor of his parents. He previously donated several thousand dollars to the fund, which awards scholarships to a handful of students each year. For Bagramian’s parents, both Armenian immigrants, education was the most important thing they could offer him. “In a sense, they were somewhat typical immigrants in that they recognized that they

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had to work hard and maybe suffer,” Bagramian said. “The important thing for their children to really make it in the world [was] they needed a good education.” Bagramian decided to attend Temple for its affordability and proximity to his home. Once at school, he discovered his interest in dentistry. Because of Bagramian’s years of work in his father’s store, he knew he liked to work with his hands. He saw practicing dentistry as a way to do that. “I worked with my hands [when] I worked with my father fixing shoes,” Bagramian said. “[So] I liked all the intricate stuff that you do as a dentist.” Bagramian lived at home during his years as an undergraduate and in dental school, continuing to work with his father after classes ended for the day. “Dental school was very difficult,” Bagramian said. “It was a lot of pressure, but I really enjoyed the experience of treating patients and learning how to do dentistry.” After graduating from Kornberg, Bagramian has spent much of his career traveling around the world, providing dental consulting and education. He has primarily worked in dental public health, focusing on disease prevention. He first worked as a dentist in the United States Army Dental Corps for two years and in South Carolina for a year before traveling to Taiwan for a three-year stint at a hospital. Bagramian said his experience vol-

unteering at the hospital guided him into teaching. “Their training at that point in time was not very good, so they asked me to share what I knew from the United States to the students there,” Bagramian said. “It was really a rewarding experience.” Bagramian later spent time teaching in his parents’ home country, Armenia. For the last eight years, he has traveled to the country a couple times per year to work with the American University of Armenia. Because of his post-dental school experiences, Bagramian became interested in public health, and his career expanded. He then earned a master’s in public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967 and a Ph.D. in public health in 1969 from the University of Michigan, where he works as a professor today. “I’ve been a professor for over 40 years at the University of Michigan,” Bagramian said. “But my first loyalty is to Temple, because that’s where I got started and that’s where the opportunity was given to me.” Most of Bagramian’s research examines topics related to public health, like how to improve accessibility to dental care. “In your life, you always come to a crossroads, and you always have to make a decision,” Bagramian said. “And I’ve had lots of those decisions. I’ve been fortunate in that every time I made one of those decisions, it took me on the path I wanted.” Adrian Gonzalez, a first-year student at

Kornberg, learned about a month ago that he had received a one-time scholarship for $2,500 from the Armen and Isabelle Bagramian Scholarship Fund. “Graduate school is expensive for any career you want to go into, whether it’s medical or a Ph.D. program,” Gonzalez said. “It’s very expensive, so anything from any source is very much appreciated.”

I worked with my hands [when] I worked with my father. [So] I liked all the intricate stuff that you do as a dentist. ROBERT BAGRAMIAN

1960 DENTISTRY ALUMNUS

When Bagramian attended Temple in the 1950s, he recalls how inexpensive tuition was compared to today. With his donation to Kornberg, Bagramian said he wants to alleviate some of that burden. “I want to make a little bit of a difference,” Bagramian added. “I want to show my thanks to an institution that made it possible for me to be where I am today.” yan.yang@temple.edu Emily Scott contributed reporting.

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TEMPLE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS:

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GayBINGO! hosts Mardi Gras-themed HIV/AIDS fundraiser

GayBINGO!, a monthly fundraising event sponsored by AIDS Fund Philly, held a Mardi Gras-themed bingo night on Saturday at the Gershman Y on Broad Street near Pine. The event was hosted by the drag queen group Bingo Verifying Divas. The event has been hosted for 20 years, and each one has had a different theme. The proceeds go toward the All Walks of Life Fund, which supports people living with HIV/AIDS. Saturday’s event featured bingo, charades, giveaways, raffles, musical numbers and commentary from the Bingo Verifying Divas. “I have survived [HIV/AIDS] 30 years and love [the event,]” said Stephen Martelli, 57, who is from Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Martelli and his niece, Molly Jane Chawluk, 30, of West Chester, Pennsylvania, celebrated their birthdays together at the event.

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FEATURES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 POETRY ing and reading poetry inspired her to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from Bryn Mawr College in 2006 and an MFA in poetry from Drew University in 2012. At Temple, Himeles leads a poetry workshop in the English department focused on reading a diverse range of poets. Shannon Walters, an English professor, wrote a letter in support of Himeles for the Cross Leaders Award. She said that Himeles’ time at Temple has been invaluable. Himeles helped her rewrite the syllabus for all sections of Analytical Reading and Writing, a General Education course. “She was very familiar with the struggles of a new teacher, but also very knowledgeable about how to handle these struggles and what things to adjust in one’s teaching,” Walters said. Himeles has taught at Temple since 2013, first as a teaching assistant for English lectures. Since then, she has taught Analytical Reading and Writing, introductory poetry courses and most recently, a fiction class on graphic memoirs. Her current poetry focuses on motherhood and animals and their treatment in society. In the past, she said she wrote about more abstract topics. “In the beginning, I wrote about death, dreams and love, subjects that are admittedly still in my work,” Himeles said. “They were full of teen-

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age angst, rhyme and words I barely understood.” Her current work features more of her personal life than before. Himeles, who has always loved animals, did not incorporate this passion into her poetry until her 20s when she worked as a professor at the Maine Maritime Academy. Himeles also started writing more about motherhood after she gave birth to her daughter, Evelyn, in August. She said she enjoys writing about being a mom during Donald Trump’s presidency. She expresses her views on motherhood in this political climate because it helps her understand what it means to have a daughter, given that the president has boasted about his own sexual misconduct toward women. Her poems give her hope for her daughter’s future, she said. “Both of these topics come from a place of love for me, but also a place of...anger or sadness,” she said. Although Himeles doesn’t believe that all poetry should be centered around activism, she has an interest in reading poetry that sparks a longing for change in readers. Himeles has been inspired by the work of poet and activist Audre Lorde, who wrote about the injustices faced by women, the LGBTQ community and people of color. “I’m interested in moments of change, both in the classroom and on the page, and I’m interested in the ways that poems can engage readers,”

Himeles said. This can be seen in the first poem in her chapbook of poetry, “Flesh Enough.” It’s titled “They’ll say the blue whale’s tongue weighed as much as an elephant,” and it examines the impact of animal extinction on humans. Rachael Groner, an English professor, initially nominated Himeles for the award. She has seen how Himeles’ caring, genuine personality has affected students. “I have seen Darla teach, and she is one of the most encouraging teachers I’ve had the pleasure of seeing,” Groner said. “Her classrooms are exciting and vibrant, and students want to talk to her and each other because she has created the kind of classroom space where people feel comfortable discussing texts and ideas, even difficult or contentious ones.” For Himeles, writing is something she loves, even if it can be difficult at times. She hopes to show that same passion to her students. “I love when writing a poem answers a question I didn’t know I had, and I love when a poem leaves my hands and becomes a thing on a published page or spoken into a room with others,” Himeles said. “I love this even as it also, sometimes, terrifies me or invites uncertainty or regret. It’s worth those things, even though those things are hard.” jessica.bond@temple.edu

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 RE-ENTRY away,” he said. “I found that teaching was what I needed to do, and helping people find work and employment and get motivated became my passion.” Abramowitz is the founder and CEO of the National Workforce Opportunity Network, a career agency that helps formerly incarcerated people find employment. This organization partners with Temple’s Pan-African Studies Community Education Program — a low-cost, non-credit adult education program for Philadelphia residents — to provide re-entry services for Philadelphia citizens returning to society after incarceration. Every Tuesday, Abramowitz leads the Next Step Reentry Workshop in PASCEP’s office in the Entertainment and Community Education Center on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street. The class focuses on navigating re-entry after incarceration, dealing with criminal background histories and getting back to work. Ulicia Lawrence-Oladeinde, the director of PASCEP, said some of the students in its adult education program were formerly incarcerated. She said many of them have expressed feeling like they don’t have many choices after they are released from prison. “Everybody deserves a second chance,” Lawrence-Oladeinde said. “It gives us the opportunity as a project and collective to show them that they have other choices to what they want to do with their life.” When Abramowitz was released from prison in September 2015, he stayed in a halfway house in North Philadelphia for nine months. A halfway house is a residential center for returning citizens or people with disabilities to help them reintegrate into the society. Abramowitz then taught GED math at the Community Learning Center on Broad Street near Lehigh Avenue. Shortly after he was released from prison, he met Michael Robinson — the director of community outreach for Temple’s human resources department. Abramowitz attended Robinson’s New Opportunities Workshop, which is offered through the Office of Community Relations. The workshop is a free,

“HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT A FOOD PANTRY OPENING ON MAIN CAMPUS?”

CAROLINE D’AMICO Sophomore Kinesiology

It sounds great, especially the problem with the only food really being affordable is stuff that’s unhealthy. So that sounds great to be able to have more accessible, healthy food. … It would be a great way to get healthier. … [I’m] in support of it.

SOPHIE NICHOLAS OLIVIA O’NEILL / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jeffrey Abramowitz, a former attorney who was incarcerated, leads a re-entry workshop in the Entertainment and Community Education Center on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street on Feb. 7.

eight-week professional development course offered at Temple for unemployed people in Philadelphia. Abramowitz was introduced to Lawrence-Oladeinde through Robinson. “I attended that class, [and] that brought [me] back into what I needed to do to find employment and to find what my passion was,” he said. “I’m forever grateful to Michael and to Temple for having that program.” At PASCEP, Abramowitz started a criminal justice reform class two years ago called “Orange is the New Black: Inside Reentry.” The class is similar to the re-entry workshop, but is also open to people who were not formerly incarcerated. The class is offered on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. He said his students in the “Orange is the New Black” class come from diverse career backgrounds. Participants include police officers, parole officers and community leaders. The students can exchange ideas and have discussions surrounding topics, like criminal justice reform and mass incarceration. Abramowitz started the re-entry workshop in August 2016. He held weekly classes at CareerLink, a state initiative to help people find and keep jobs, in Suburban Station at 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Last month, Abramowitz moved the classes to PASCEP’s office. Abramowitz said he’s proud to help returning and unemployed citizens in the North Philadelphia community.

Lawrence-Oladeinde thinks the re-entry workshop being in North Philadelphia is important because of the number of returning citizens in Philadelphia. The city has the fourthhighest jail population per capita of the 10 largest cities in the United States. The class can help them get back on their feet, Lawrence-Oladeinde said. “It changes their mindset and their hearts when they see big institutions like Temple University being mindful of their needs, and to me, that’s what an urban university should do,” she said. “If you’re right in the heart of a community that has these types of issues, you need to let that community know that you honestly and earnestly want to help them to achieve.” The re-entry workshop that Abramowitz teaches on Tuesdays is free, and the “Orange is the New Black” course costs $20. He hopes the re-entry workshops can help his students learn to overcome these barriers. “I had everything that I needed and I took so much for granted, and now this is my way of giving back in a little way,” Abramowitz said. “Understanding that people need help and giving them the resources and tools to be able to do it is the best way that I can find to make up for some of the things I’ve done in my past.” ayooluwa.ariyo@temple.edu

Freshman Human resources and management

It seems like something that could be really beneficial to different students and I support the idea of it. … I do have a couple friends that don’t have meal plans, and they struggle a little bit more with staying nutritious. ... I think this could help them a lot.

ROXY ULLOA Freshman Biology

I don’t think that there’s a lot of recognition [of food insecurity among college students] because I feel like when people hear of a Temple student, you think like, ‘Oh, you’re going to college, so you have money and you can afford things.’ … I didn’t think about that aspect when I think of a food pantry. So bringing it in will bring more light to [the issue.]

features@temple-news.com

FEATURES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

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FILM

Alumnus ‘creating the visual’ of Tupac’s life CLA screening film on Black representation Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, an Italian-Ghanaian activist and director, will present a screening of his film “Blaxploitalian” on Tuesday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in Room 821 of Anderson Hall. The film examines representations of Blackness in Italian films since 1914, including early silent and colonial cinema as well as contemporary movies. Kuwornu also produced and directed the award-winning documentary “Inside Buffalo,” which told the story of the African-American soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division in World War II. -Ian Walker

Benny Douglas will speak about his film in the Temple Performing Arts Center this month. BY EMILY SCOTT Features Editor

After graduating from Temple in 1992, Benny Douglas headed north to Brooklyn to intern with famous film director Spike Lee. Douglas worked in the locations department on Lee’s 1995 film “Clockers,” which focuses on a drug dealer in New York City who is under investigation for the murder of another drug dealer. It was Douglas’ first big break, but it involved being “the lowest person on the totem pole,” in a city with which he wasn’t familiar, he said. More than 20 years later, Douglas has now followed in Lee’s footsteps, becoming a director and leading his own film projects. Douglas, a 1992 radio, television and film alumnus, released

“All Eyez On Me,” a biopic about the life of rapper Tupac Shakur, in June 2017. The film is named after Shakur’s 1996 album. On Feb. 21, as part of the Diamond Screen Film Series: Alumni Spotlight programming, the biopic will be screened in the Temple Performing Arts Center. Douglas, who is professionally known as “Benny Boom,” will also participate in a Q&A hosted by Jeff Rush, the chair of the film and media arts department. The film follows Shakur’s life from when he learned about Black pride and racial injustice to when he became successful in the music industry in the 1990s. Douglas said he and the film’s producers wanted to convey Shakur’s talent and the abrupt end of his career. Shakur was shot and killed in 1996 when he was 25 years old. They wanted to give a chronological recreation of the events that led to his death. “We are only left with his li-

Author to discuss book on immigration The College of Liberal Arts will host Liliana Velásquez, the author of “Dreams and Nightmares,” on Friday from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 821 of Anderson Hall. The book follows her journey to escape violence and poverty in Guatemala and move to the United States when she was 14 years old. After her dangerous trip through Mexico and across the U.S. border, Velásquez was detained for four months before being placed in foster care. -Ian Walker

VIA / HBO NOW Benny Douglas, a 1992 radio, television and film alumnus, directed “All Eyez On Me,” a biopic about the life of Tupac Shakur.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 INTERNATIONAL for this to be a personal achievement, but sometimes it’s nice to have that recognition.” The hashtag began in Fall 2016 with a video created by Study Group, a company specializing in international student education. Sandberg then created three YouTube videos endorsing the movement. The first was released near the end of November 2016. The campaign’s website attributes Sandberg’s videos as the beginning of the social media hashtag’s success. In the first video, students and faculty members look into the camera and say, “You are welcome here.” The second video uses the same format, but features alumni and elected officials like Gov. Tom Wolf and Mayor Jim Kenney. The final video features students, along with Provost JoAnn Epps and President Richard Englert, sharing how they think international students contribute to the university. Now, more than 300 institutions across the country have participated in the campaign. The campaign’s national attention surged, Sandberg said, when President Donald Trump’s executive order banned travel from seven Middle Eastern and African countries in January 2017. Sandberg said a highlight of her job is interacting with international students and their parents in their native countries, like Vietnam and China. She sometimes travels abroad to hold tea receptions with accepted international students and their families to discuss the ins and outs of life at Temple. “When we travel to a region a second, third or fourth time, the parents of current students that we’ve recruited in past years will come and talk to families that are thinking about Temple, which is great,” Sandberg said. “I can talk about Temple,

features@temple-news.com

but that’s my job, so when the parents do... that really brings it to life.” She said the visits humanize the admissions process. Incoming students can hear firsthand anecdotes from families of current international students addressing questions about safety, internships and campus life. Sandberg said some parents have even asked her to make sure their child gets enough sleep and proper nutrition while in school. “Sometimes before a student comes here, parents won’t perceive the [university’s] size,” Sandberg said. “They’ll be like, ‘Can you make sure he gets up on time for class?’ Or when we travel they’ll want us to bring back a suitcase of home-cooked meals, and that will never get through customs. So [I] try to be tactful. ... We want to make sure we’re being hospitable hosts.” This year, the Office of International Affairs will visit at least eight cities outside the U.S. to meet with accepted international students. This will also be the first year it will visit Brazil. Serena Zhang, a sophomore accounting major from Beijing, said even though she thinks the university community is tolerant of international students, it’s important to have the #YouAreWelcomeHere campaign on campus. “I think the campaign is very crucial because it shows the diversity of our country,” Zhang said. “[International students] contribute diverse culture to college campuses like food and languages...and we can bring different ideas, whether it’s for a school project or a business.” Sandberg hopes that, in the future, the campaign will expand to more universities, secondary schools and elementary schools. “I think it’s really important we show the spirit of welcome is not just a marketing campaign,” Sandberg said. “It’s a reflection of the spirit that’s already here.” laura.smythe@temple.edu @lcs_smythe

brary of music,” Douglas said. “His music goes past racial lines and economic lines. People were so impacted by this man’s short life.” “It’s a cautionary tale of, ‘How do you live your life in the best way, and how do you use your talent and gifts in a positive way?’ and at the same time, trying to understand the trials and tribulations of life on the streets,” Douglas added. The making of the film was heavily influenced by Douglas’ career making music videos, he said. Douglas spent the last 15 years working with hip-hop artists like 50 Cent, Akon, T-Pain and North Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill. He’s helped direct more than 100 music videos. He made his first foray into directing films in 2009 with “Next Day Air,” a comedy-action film about two criminals who accidentally accept a package of cocaine, which they then have to sell before the owner finds out it’s missing. The Shakur biopic is Douglas’s biggest film so far, he said. “I used all of the tools from college, and being a production assistant on music videos and movies, it all came together for this moment,” Douglas said. “If you prepare properly, you can just jump right into a shoot and not worry about any issues or secondguessing yourself. All of those years from what I had learned and worked for came together.” Douglas grew up in the Overbrook neighborhood in West Philadelphia. He said growing up in West Philadelphia in the 1980s was difficult due to the impact that drugs and violence had on his neighborhood. “You just didn’t have a lot of choices,” Douglas said. “There wasn’t a lot of ambition. People

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 COMMUNITY ment worker of 22 years who now works at Tuttleman Learning Center, has lived in the same house on Norris Street for 70 years. Now 72, she said she blames a lot of her complaints and her changing community on a lack of a discipline by landlords who rent to students. “Some of these students come with this attitude of, ‘Well, we are only here for a few years, so we don’t have to act like we want to be part of this neighborhood,’ Portillo said. “Some landlords encourage that behavior by never checking in on their properties. … They just want a check at the end of the month and don’t care about the efforts of this community.” Portillo is trying to crack down on neglectful landlords who rent to “problematic” students by calling them and holding them accountable for the noise and trash that is in her area. She said she contacts the Licenses and Inspections Department to ask the city to issue citations for certain buildings as often as once a week. She added that she isn’t afraid to knock on doors of students and ask them to pick up their trash. She’s even working with City Council President Darrell Clark, who represents North Philadelphia, to raise the fine for citations to make them more meaningful. None of the landlords, Portillo said, really care about what North Philadelphia used to look like. She doesn’t like the modern towers that have replaced historic buildings in the area. Portillo smiled as she recalled the row homes and the neighborhood Catholic school that have been replaced by university buildings. She laughed as she explained how she and her friends would scream out of fear as they ran by Monument Cemetery, which once extended from Broad to 16th Street on Norris. “They say you can’t stop progress, but

were just trying to make it day to day...so to get out of Overbrook and go to college, it was a big deal.” While making “All Eyez On Me,” Douglas faced some challenges. The majority of the film was shot in Atlanta, but he and his crew had to recreate scenes that took place in cities like Baltimore, New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “In terms of creative difficulties, it was just important we get stuff right,” Douglas said. “Because these things really happened, so part of it is the dramatic license you have to take.” LT Hutton, one of the film’s producers, met Douglas several years ago while they worked on a music video. He said Douglas has been “creating the visual” for hiphop culture for years. He brought Douglas onto the biopic project as director because he wanted to work with someone who shared his vision, Hutton said. Together, the team fleshed out the mixed messages around Shakur’s life in the film. “He died at a young age, so what he wanted to be, he never got to be,” Hutton said. “He had the idea of things that could have been. I got to create who Tupac was, who Tupac had to be to survive the world he was in and who he wanted to be.” Douglas said it “feels amazing” to come back to Main Campus and speak to film students. “To go back to the days I was in school, I feel blessed to be able to look back and say I started my career path in 1990, and I am still on the path and I have never deviated or waivered from it,” he said. emily.ivy.scott@temple.edu @emilyivyscott

Ashley Mir contributed reporting.

there is no appreciation for what was once here,” Portillo said. “It was such a close community. Everyone was family and we all looked out for each other. It’s just really sad to not see that anymore.” Joan Bridley lives on the 1500 block of Norris Street and grew up in North Philadelphia with Portillo. She is making a similar effort to restore the community where she grew up. “You just have to keep putting pressure on [landlords],” Bridley said. “We never had the issues that we have today, but we are going to hold them accountable.” Both women added that the negative perception students have of the area is upsetting. “They think, ‘This is North Philly, these people don’t really care about how they live around here,’” Portillo said. “Well they don’t really know about how we live. We want to live the same way you live where you are from. There are a lot of good people around here, a lot of good neighbors.” Portillo has defied this misconception by getting to know many students she sees while working in Tuttleman. She said that some of them have been eager to hear about her story and North Philadelphia’s history. Even after some students graduate, Portillo said she has kept in touch with them. “I know a lot of the students,” Portillo said. “Some of them have been great neighbors, even great friends. … But I wish more people made an effort to appreciate this community.” She added that she is not optimistic for a harmonious relationship between the university and the community, saying that “[Temple] always had an engagement, but never a marriage” to North Philadelphia. “There are some tough people who have grown up here and still live here,” Portillo said. “We won’t stop fighting for this community.” patrick.bilow@temple.edu @patrick_bilow

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

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PAGE 14 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 RESUME After the Owls beat Wichita State, 8179, in overtime at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 1, their at-large NCAA Tournament bid chances jumped nearly 20 percent. Playing the Shockers on their home court in Kansas, however, is a disadvantage for visiting teams. Prior to Southern Methodist’s 83-78 win against Wichita State at Charles Koch Arena on Jan. 17, the Shockers had a 27game winning streak at home. Wichita State also won 67 of its past 68 games at Charles Koch Arena. Temple has a 4-6 road record this season, but it has picked up tough victories away from North Broad Street. The Owls beat Southern Methodist, 66-64, on Jan. 10 in Dallas off a game winner by redshirt-senior guard Josh Brown to snap the Mustangs’ 33-game winning streak at Moody Coliseum. A victory against Houston on Sunday at home is more likely for Temple. The Owls nearly stole a road victory in a 76-73 loss to Houston on Dec. 30. Junior guard Shizz Alston Jr.’s 3-pointer to tie the game missed the rim as the buzzer sounded.

WEAKER CONFERENCE OPPONENTS While earning a quality win would certainly help Temple’s chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid, the Owls also need to come away with victories against opponents below them in the conference standings. Temple has done that during its fivegame win streak. The Owls beat South Florida, the last-place team in the conference, 73-55, on Saturday at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday. After playing Wichita State and Houston, the Owls will face Central Florida, Connecticut and Tulsa. All of those opponents, except Tulsa, are below Temple

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Four high schoolers sign National Letters of Intent

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore guard Quinton Rose dribbles during Temple’s 90-73 win against East Carolina on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

in the conference standings. Tulsa is a half game ahead of the Owls. Temple suffered one of its worst losses of the season against Central Florida, 60-39, on Jan. 7 in Orlando, Florida. But when the Owls take on the Knights on Feb. 25, Central Florida will be without its starting center, junior Tacko Fall. He is out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. Fall had seven points, nine rebounds, one block and one steal in Central Florida’s win in January. The Knights are 2-3 since losing Fall. Central Florida should have redshirt-junior guard B.J. Taylor available when it faces Temple. Taylor did not play on Jan. 7., while he sat out for16 consecutive games with an injury. He led the Knights in scoring last season and has averaged 14.3 points per game in his past seven games. The Owls dominated UConn, 85-

57, on Jan. 28 at the Liacouras Center to start their five-game winning streak. Since then, the Huskies have lost three of their past four games and are ninth in The American. Temple’s toughest matchup of its last three games will be in its season finale against Tulsa in Oklahoma. A go-ahead layup by Brown with 28 seconds left helped the Owls come away with a 59-58 victory against Tulsa on Jan. 17. Temple has drastically improved its chances of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament from a month ago. But in order to play in the postseason, the Owls will need to continue their winning ways against opponents above and below them in the conference standings. thomas.ignudo@temple.edu @TomIgnudo

Coach Seamus O’Connor received commitments from four signees, three of whom are forwards, on National Signing Day last week. Erin Cutcliff, a 5-foot-9-inch midfielder from Springfield High School in Delaware County, is the only non forward of the class. Cutcliff served as a captain for two years at Springfield, where she earned All-Central League honors. She also served as a captain for four years on her club team, FC Europa. Cutcliff’s grandfather Bob Vinso, a 1968 alumnus, was a track and field athlete at Temple. The three forwards are Hailey Gutowski, Gabi Johnson and Kylie Anicic. All three are from South Jersey. Gutowski led Cinnaminson High School with 23 goals and 19 assists as a senior to help her team win a state sectional title. She earned United Soccer Coaches All-American honors for her performance. Johnson set several school records for Oakcrest High School, including five goals in a game, seven career hat-tricks, 62 career goals and 33 career assists. She won the Press of Atlantic City’s 2017 Player of the Year award. Anicic held captaincy for three sports, including soccer, during her varsity career at Kingsway Regional High School. -Evan Easterling

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SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 15

Coaching Special Olympics reinforces love for gymnastics Sophomore Whitney King coached in high school and volunteered at a Special Olympics event when she was a freshman. BY MATT VENDER

Gymnastics Beat Reporter

One of Whitney King’s former club teammates, Kayla Wardell, first got King involved with the Special Olympics after a sleepover. Wardell encouraged King to participate in the program every Sunday. Special Olympics provides sports training and competition opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities. The sophomore allaround from Burke, Virginia, served as the coach of her hometown Special Olympics’ gymnastics teams during her junior and senior years at Lake Braddock Secondary School. As coach of the Special Olympics teams, King was in charge of creating assignments, designating events and helping the athletes go from apparatus to apparatus. King said she was “overwhelmed” when she first started with the Special Olympics. “I wasn’t necessarily sure of how involved I should be or what I should be doing, even how to talk to the athletes,” King said. “When I first started going, it was definitely more of a backseat role. I would just sit and watch and throw little comments in there. As I started going more, I started taking more of a leadership role.”

When it comes to balancing, she definitely shows a lot of maturity and confidence. UMME SALIM-BEASLEY COACH

The scheduling of events was especially important because the athletes were particular about the order and timing, King said. “You have to learn how to understand everyone’s cues, things you can or can’t say,” King said. "At the same time, [you're] not trying to baby them, because they are athletes and they did want to learn.” King and the rest of the Temple gymnastics team volunteered at the Special Olympics Pennsylvania Fall

Festival at Villanova in November 2016. “To see them learning new skills and winning medals and things like that and how happy and excited they would get, it brought me back to why I’ve done gymnastics for so long,” King said. King started gymnastics when she was 3 years old and has stuck with it ever since. “Sports like dance and swim came and went, but I just stayed with gymnastics forever,” King said. “If you’re a gymnast, you really can’t do much else.” King has found success this season. She was the Owls’ top beam performer with a 9.75 to tie for second overall with University of Pittsburgh senior all-around Catie Conrad, North Carolina State University sophomore Drew Grantham and Towson University senior allaround Tyra McKellar at Pittsburgh’s quad meet on Feb. 3. She also posted a 9.675 in the balance beam — tying for third with senior all-around Sahara Gipson — at a dual meet at the University of North Carolina on Jan. 19. While the beam event has been King’s main event, she also hopes to add twisting vaults to her repertoire again by next season. “When it comes to balancing, she definitely shows a lot of maturity and confidence,” coach Umme SalimBeasley said. “It puts the rest of the beam lineup at ease.” King had to deal with injuries before her successes. She has suffered “numerous” ankle sprains since she arrived at Temple, King said. She also went down with a back injury that “flared up” over the summer and held her out of all gymnastic activities for nearly three weeks. “It’s very frustrating,” King said. “You don’t realize how much you need to be in the gym until you’re not in the gym. It’s hard to watch everyone else do things when you can’t.” Despite the fact that King spent a large chunk of her high school career coaching the Special Olympics team, she said she’s not planning on becoming a coach upon graduation. “I want to go to law school after I graduate and hopefully do something with that,” King said. matthew.vender@temple.edu @Matt_Vender

MIKE NGUYEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore all-around Whitney King performs on the balance beam during the quad meet on Jan. 28 at McGonigle Hall.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 FUTURE ing in the games. “It’s all about relationships at this point,” Berger said. “We can’t let what’s happened in the past determine our future. It is a little disappointing that people are saying we’re not going to make postseason, but we’re just trying to finish hard and prepare the young guys for next year.” “I’ve just been telling them, 'Keep pushing,'” senior guard Tanaya Atkinson said. “We got to learn how to fight. While they’re young, this will be a really good test for when they get older because they should have that fight in them for what they’re going through this year. I feel like it’s going to make them grow into something really good and really big.” Berger said being one of the leaders on a team that has six freshmen has been a “journey" of watching the underclassmen have mental lapses. Overall, she said they have become more comfortable at the Division I level. Freshman guard Desiree Oliver said taking a possession-by-possession approach helps her stay confident even during the current slump. In the past five games, Oliver has cut down on her turnovers. She hasn’t committed more than two turnovers since the Owls played Penn on Jan. 21. In her previous 10

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman forward Breanna Perry dribbles near the sideline during Temple’s 64-57 loss to Central Florida on Saturday at McGonigle Hall.

games, Oliver averaged 2.6 turnovers per game. She calls improvements like this “small victories” that will eventually help the team in the future. Oliver credited Berger and At-

kinson with helping her progress through this season. “I think in my position as a point guard, just being able to handle the pace of the game I have improved on that a little bit,” Oliver

said. “It means a lot coming from [Berger and Atkinson], considering the season that they had last year.” Freshman forward Breanna Perry said the biggest thing she is learning is the mentality needed to compete at the college level. Perry, like Oliver, said having seniors like Berger and Atkinson makes the transition easier. Perry is one of two freshmen who has played every game. She is third on the team with 71 rebounds. Perry is also third on the team with nine blocks but hasn’t recorded one in the past six games. “It’s rough, but I’m not the only one that’s going through this,” Perry said. “The whole team is. Just like how I need my teammates to keep their heads up and keep pushing through it, they need me to keep my head up and keep pushing through it. Everybody needs each other, and you can’t just be in your own head and give up.” Despite the recent struggles of the team, Perry sees it as beneficial for the coming years. “It’ll get better because we can only go up from here,” she said. “Having [Berger and Atkinson] here in their last year I feel is very helpful. ... They’ve helped me get through it, so next year I think I’ll have the building blocks to get through it myself.” austin.ampeloquio@temple.edu @AustinPaulAmp

sports@temple-news.com @TTN_Sports

SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 16

MEN’S TENNIS

Former D-II player making impact in doubles Junior Alberto Caceres Casas and senior Thomas Sevel have a 6-0 record. BY BRETT LANE

For The Temple News

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Junior Alberto Caceres Casas practices at the Student Pavilion on Oct. 25. This is his first season playing for the Owls.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 AT-LARGE higher than the preseason coaches’ poll projected it to finish. The Owls are just half a game behind fourth-place Tulsa, which they’ll face again on March 4 to close the regular season. Temple’s NCAA Tournament hopes are alive and well. As of Monday, Temple is projected to finish the regular season with a 17-13 record and has a 53 percent chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, according to TeamRankings. com. The Owls lead The American with three wins against teams ranked in the top 25 of the Ratings Percentage Index. Temple also has games remaining against Wichita State, the No. 19 team in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and the No. 20 team in the RPI, and Houston, which is a No. 10 seed in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projection. Temple is one of the first eight teams on the outside of the bracket looking in, according to Lunardi's calculations. The Owls’ five-game winning streak has them back on the bubble. Who have been key contributors during the streak?

SOPHOMORE GUARD QUINTON ROSE Rose had his first game with 20 or more points since Jan. 10 against East Carolina. He scored 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 attempts from 3-point range. Rose is Temple’s leading scorer with 14.9 points per game and has increased his production during Temple’s five-game winning streak. Rose has made 48.5 percent of his field-goal attempts and 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts during the past five games. He has averaged 18.2 points per game during that span.

JUNIOR GUARD SHIZZ ALSTON JR. Alston has shot 42.6 percent from the field in the past five games, and he has facilitated for his teammates on the offensive end. Alston averaged 4.1 assists per game

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The University of West Florida not only ended Armstrong State University’s Division II tournament run last season, but it was also the last match in Armstrong State’s program history. West Florida, the top team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II rankings and the eventual champion, beat No. 7 Armstrong State, 5-0, in the Round of 16 in May. Just two months prior, Armstrong State announced it would end all of its sports programs as it consolidated with Georgia Southern University. This left Alberto Caceres Casas and other student-athletes searching for new schools. Caceres Casas finished 23-8 overall in the 2016-17 season to lead the Pirates to a 20-8 record. The junior transferred to Temple for the start of the 2017-18 academic year after two years at Armstrong State. “If it didn’t [get cut] I’m not sure I would’ve transferred,” Caceres Casas said. “I was really happy where I was, but [Temple] has been a new experience, and I’m happy with that.” Despite the jump from Division II tennis to Division I, Caceres Casas has fared well during the start of the season. In Temple’s (5-2) seven matches, he has six doubles wins and two singles wins. Caceres Casas’ doubles match on Feb. 3 against Penn State did not finish, so he and his partner senior Thomas Sevel have yet to lose. They improved to 6-0 with wins against Navy and George Washington University this weekend. “Doubles were hard in the beginning

because we did not know each other that well, but we kept working, and we are winning every match,” Caceres Casas said. Similar to Caceres Casas, Sevel played two years of Division II tennis at Augusta University before transferring to Temple for the 2016-17 season. In his first Division I season, Sevel posted a 17-6 singles record. Sevel said he was introduced to Caceres Casas when Armstrong State and Augusta squared off on April 19, 2016. Sevel and Caceres Casas didn’t face each other in Armstrong State’s 5-1 win, but Sevel noticed Caceres Casas’ ability. “I knew how good he was before, in Division II,” Sevel said. “I think he can do even better than what’s he done so far.” Caceres Casas asked Sevel for advice and about the differences between the two levels of play when he arrived at Temple. Sevel lost his main doubles partner when Artem Kapshuk, who led Temple in wins, transferred to Texas Tech University after the 2016-17 season. Kapshuk won 14 matches in the top flight in Spring 2017 and had a 7-2 doubles record with Sevel in the first position. This spring, Kapshuk has an 8-2 singles record and 7-3 doubles record for Texas Tech, the No. 24 team in the ITA Division I rankings. Sevel thinks Caceres Casas can be just as good. “It’s two pretty different players,” Sevel said. “One has experience of Division I. One is coming from Division II. I guess he needs some time to adjust himself to Division I, but I think we can be one of the best doubles [pairs] in the country.” brett.lane@temple.edu

last season. With the return of redshirt-senior guard Josh Brown to the court, which has altered Alston’s role, his assists average has decreased to a shade more than three assists per game this season. In the past five games, Alston has averaged 5.8 assists and less than one turnover per game. Alston followed his career-high 10-assist game against Tulane on Feb. 4 with seven assists against East Carolina. He then scored 19 points on Saturday against South Florida.

REDSHIRT-SENIOR GUARD JOSH BROWN Brown has averaged 12 points per game during the five-game winning streak and shot 50 percent from 3-point range. He matched his career-high 17 points against East Carolina. Brown scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds on Saturday against South Florida. He is averaging a career-high 8.8 points per game this season.

FRESHMAN GUARD NATE PIERRE-LOUIS Pierre-Louis has provided scoring off the bench with an average of 11.2 points in the past five games. He has shot 60 percent from the field in the past five games and 75 percent on 2-point field-goal attempts. His run of four straight double-figure scoring games ended on Saturday against South Florida.

WHAT'S NEXT? Five games remain, starting with a road game against No. 19 Wichita State on Thursday. The Owls upset the Shockers, 81-79, in overtime on Feb. 1 at the Liacouras Center. Wichita State is 11-2 at home with only one conference loss to Southern Methodist. The Shockers’ only other home loss came to No. 23 University of Oklahoma. Temple will then play its last two home games of the season against Houston on Sunday and Central Florida on Feb. 25. Both teams beat Temple earlier this season. evan.easterling@temple.edu @Evan_Easterling

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Junior guard Shizz Alston Jr. handles the ball during Temple’s 81-79 overtime win against Wichita State on Feb. 1 at the Liacouras Center.

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SPORTS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 17

LACROSSE

Sophomore defender steps into co-captaincy Kara Nakrasius’ teammates voted her as one of three captains at the end of the 2017 season. BY JAY NEEMEYER For The Temple News

At the end of her freshman year, Kara Nakrasius found out that her teammates voted for her to be a captain for the 2018 season. Nakrasius is one of Temple’s three captains, all of whom are in the role for the first time. Nakrasius, a sophomore defender, is the only underclassman. She previously served as captain for two years at Garnet Valley High School in Delaware County, where she won two state titles. The other two captains for the season are seniors attacker Kira Gensler and defender Nicole Latgis. “We all kind of knew, or thought, she was going to be captain,” said sophomore midfielder Maddie Gebert, who met Nakrasius when they were teammates on the Brandywine Majors club lacrosse team in Delaware County during their sophomore year of high school. “I think everyone sees Kara as the leader of the [sophomore] class.” Nakrasius started all 18 games last season and finished third on the team in ground balls and caused turnovers. Only two other players — Gebert and goalkeeper Maryn Lowell — started games as true freshmen last season. Nakrasius caused a turnover and won two draws in Saturday’s season-opening 12-8 win against

Rutgers University at Howarth Field. She hadn’t expected to be chosen as a captain, Nakrasius said, but many of her teammates weren’t surprised. Gebert said the underclassmen on the team, especially this season’s freshmen, are often more comfortable talking to Nakrasius than to the seniors. “I think everyone in our class loves having Kara as a captain because it’s someone in our class we can go to,” Gebert added. Because the captaincy vote came at the end of last season, Nakrasius had nearly a year to prepare for the responsibility, and she didn’t have to prepare on her own. Gensler, Latgis and Nakrasius all met with the coaching staff during the summer. They spent time in the fall learning the responsibilities of their roles, like supporting each other and relating to “as many players on the field as possible,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. Rosen emphasized that leadership is a learned skill. “This is a new role for all three of them,” Rosen said. “It’s an exciting new year from that standpoint. I thought they were great choices.” Nakrasius expects to learn a lot from her fellow captains. “They have a lot more experience, obviously, than I do in college,” she said. “I’m excited to see what they have to say.” Rosen added that many players have developed during the course of their college careers, but it is uncommon to have a player serve as captain before her senior year. “Kara is looked to for her

JAMIE COTTRELL / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore defender Kara Nakrasius (right) catches the ball during the Owls’ 12-8 win against Rutgers University at Howarth Field on Saturday.

heart, her passion, her commitment to [the] team, her willingness to do for others, as well as her ability to play on the field,” Rosen said. “She loves to compete. That is by far Kara’s biggest strength, is that she represents the pureness of the sport and playing every day.” In her previous 11 seasons as coach, Rosen said there have only been a handful of players selected

as captain prior to their senior seasons. In the 2010 season, juniors Alex Shapiro and Ann Stouffer served as two of four captains. In 2014, Maddie McTigue was named a co-captain as a sophomore and retained the responsibility for the next two years. The next season, defender Kara Stroup was a junior co-captain with McTigue.

Nakrasius now joins the exclusive group. “When someone really stands out as a great leader, getting into that captain role is always a benefit to our program long-term,” Rosen said. jay.neemeyer@temple.edu

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Injury-affected roster prepares for conference play Temple has only had a full lineup in one of its four matches. BY ALEX McGINLEY For The Temple News

After winning its season opener, Temple has lost three straight matches. The Owls haven’t played since Feb. 3. When they resume play on Saturday, the Owls will face four American Athletic Conference opponents in their next five matches.

They’ll play all of their conference matches in the next three weeks. Coach Steve Mauro said he feels good about the team’s chances in The American. “If I can get everyone healthy, I think that we have a good chance to do well in our conference,” he said. Having players available has been difficult for Temple early this season. The team hasn’t had a full lineup of six singles players and three doubles pairs since the first match of the season, a 7-0 win against Morgan

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore Cecilia Castelli practices on Oct. 27 at the Student Pavilion. She missed Temple's loss to Penn State on Jan. 28 with flu-like symptoms.

State University on Jan. 19. Senior Alina Abdurakhimova missed two matches due to flu-like symptoms. Freshman Oyku Boz and senior Rimpledeep Kaur have not played in the spring season due to lingering injuries. Kaur has a knee injury, and Boz has a stomach strain, according to a team spokesperson. Both will be out of the lineup until March. As a result, the Owls (1-3) have lost three consecutive matches to Penn State, Princeton University and George Washington University. The Owls postponed last weekend’s matches against the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. The dates of the rescheduled matches haven’t been determined. Sophomore Cecilia Castelli missed the Owls’ match against Penn State on Jan. 28 also due to flu-like symptoms. Temple only had four singles players available instead of its usual six, so the team started down two points in its 4-0 loss. Castelli returned to the court for the Owls’ losses to Princeton on Feb. 1 and George Washington on Feb. 3 “I hope now not to get sick anymore,” Castelli said. “I’m ready. ... I’m working hard, and all of the team is working hard. We’re ready to do well this season.” As players return to practice, Mauro is confident the team can perform well heading into its matches against teams from The American. Temple will play East Carolina (3-1) in its first conference match on Saturday. The Owls will then play Cincinnati (6-2, 1-0 The American), Connecticut (4-2) and Tulane (43) to round out their conference schedule. No teams from The American are in the top 25 of the Jan. 31 Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. As of Wednesday’s rankings, five of the conference’s singles players are among the ITA’s top 125 singles players. Temple will face the No. 53 singles player, East Carolina junior Celia Ruiz, on Saturday. Tulsa and South Florida represented

The American in the NCAA tournament last season. The addition of Wichita State will add more depth to the conference. The Shockers won the past nine Missouri Valley Conference tournament titles before joining The American. This year, they have two singles players ranked in the top 125. Sophomore Fatima Bizhukova is 73rd, and junior Sandra Honigova is 104th. Temple has struggled to find success in The American the past three years. Last season, the Owls went 1-4 in The American and lost in the first round of the conference tournament.

If I can get everyone healthy, I think that we have a good chance to do well in our conference. STEVE MAURO COACH

In 2016, the Owls went 1-1 and lost in the first round of the conference tournament. In 2015, the Owls went 0-4 in The American, but they advanced to the second round of the conference tournament after beating 10th-seeded Cincinnati. Senior Monet Stuckey-Willis believes the team has the potential to have a successful season before she leaves. “Everyone has talent,” Stuckey-Willis said. “Everyone is dedicated. I feel like everybody has the ability to win a lot of matches.” Despite the rough start to the season, Castelli also believes that the team can end the season on a high note. “I think that we have big chances,” Castelli said. “Now we’re getting better. I think that we’ll have a good season because we are all good players, and we are really close with each other.” alex.mcginley@temple.edu

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2018

PAGE 18

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Potential resume-building week lies ahead The Owls will face No. 19 Wichita State on Thursday and third-place Houston on Sunday. BY TOM IGNUDO

Assistant Sports Editor

A

bout a month ago, Temple seemed to be on its way to another .500 finish. But a five-game winning streak, including a game against top-25 ranked Wichita State, has changed the direction of Temple’s season. The Owls (15-10, 7-6, American Athletic Conference) are on the bubble, currently placed in the “Next Four Out” portion of ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projection. Sixty-eight teams make the NCAA Tournament, and Lunardi has the Owls ranked 74th. With five regular-season games and the conference tournament remaining, the Owls have opportunities to add quality wins to their NCAA Tournament resume. Which opponents stand in Temple’s way of earning an NCAA Tournament bid?

BIG-TIME MATCHUPS Two of Temple’s five remaining games are against opponents in the top three in The American — Wichita State and Houston. A win against either Wichita State or Houston would add to Temple’s NCAA Tournament resume and boost its chances at an at-large bid.

RESUME | PAGE 14 SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Redshirt-senior guard Josh Brown (right) surveys the court while covered by East Carolina senior guard B.J. Tyson during the Owls' 90-73 win against the Pirates on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

Winning streak has Temple in NCAA Tournament picture With five regular-season games left, the Owls have a 53 percent chance for an atlarge NCAA bid. BY EVAN EASTERLING Sports Editor

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman guard Nate Pierre-Louis (right) attempts a layup through contact from East Carolina freshman guard K.J. Davis during Temple’s 90-73 win against the Pirates on Wednesday at the Liacouras Center.

Temple’s win against Tulsa on Jan. 17 could be seen as a turning point. Before the Owls’ 59-58 win against the Golden Hurricane at the Liacouras Center, they’d lost six of their past seven games. Five of the losses were against American Athletic Conference opponents. After the win against Tulsa, Temple stood at 10th place in The American. Now, Temple (15-10, 7-6 The American) has won seven of its past eight games, includ-

ing the game against Tulsa. The Owls have won their past five games with an average of 82.4 points per game and a plus-25 turnover margin. During the streak, Temple scored 80 or more points in four straight games for the first time since the 2006-07 season. “At this point in time, you got to win games,” coach Fran Dunphy said after Wednesday’s 90-73 win against East Carolina. “And we’re grateful for our run here, but there’s no assurances that it continues unless we do a really good job on both ends of the floor and practice well and understand what our jobs are.” Temple’s recent resurgence has moved it into fifth place in The American, two spots

AT-LARGE | PAGE 16

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Young players getting tested in losing campaign Temple allows the most points per game in the American Athletic Conference. BY AUSTIN AMPELOQUIO

Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter

Temple has won just one of its past 10 games. The season wasn’t projected to be like this. The Owls were expected to have a talented recruiting class to help back up three returning seniors. Last season, Temple finished second in the American Athletic Con-

ference with a 24-8 overall record and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Temple was picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll. After losing last season’s second-leading scorer — senior guard Alliya Butts — to a torn ACL in October, the Owls (10-14, 2-9 The American) sit in second-tolast place in the conference. Though senior guard Khadijah Berger isn’t having the season she and her teammates envisioned, she said there’s still mean-

FUTURE | PAGE 15

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior guard Khadijah Berger dribbles during the Owls’ 64-57 loss to Central Florida on Saturday at McGonigle Hall.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE | PAGE 17

WOMEN’S TENNIS | PAGE 17

MEN’S TENNIS | PAGE 16

GYMNASTICS | PAGE 15

All three of the Owls’ captains are in their first seasons in the role. Sophomore defender Kara Nakrasius is the only underclassman of the group.

Despite not having a consistent lineup due to injuries this season, coach Steve Mauro and his players are hopeful about their prospects of conference success.

Junior Alberto Caceres Casas is playing his first Division I season after his previous school, Armstrong State University, cut all of its sports programs.

Sophomore all-around Whitney King took on a leadership role with her local Special Olympics chapter while she was in high school.