A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.
VOL. 96 ISSUE 28
temple-news.com @thetemplenews
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2018
CRIME
AEPI SUSPENDED AMID INVESTIGATIONS Philadelphia and Temple police are investigating the fraternity for sexual assault allegations. BY KELLY BRENNAN & GILLIAN McGOLDRICK For The Temple News
T
emple Police is investigating “multiple credible reports” of sexual assault, sexual misconduct and drug and excessive alcohol use that were reported at Temple’s chapter of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
The fraternity was suspended from Main Campus on April 2 because of pending investigation from Temple Police and the Philadelphia Police Department. Temple Police released a statement to the Temple community on Friday about its investigation with Philadelphia Police into the fraternity, housed on Broad Street near Norris. Captain Mark Burgmann of the Philadelphia Police Department said at a press conference on Friday the Special Victims Unit is investigating the sexual assault of two 19-yearold women, both Temple students, by members
of Alpha Epsilon Pi. The Temple News first reported an ongoing university investigation of the fraternity on March 30. Philadelphia Police began investigating the fraternity on April 17, and one of the cases has been referred to the District Attorney’s office. Both alleged assaults occurred in the fraternity’s house. One occurred in February and the other in March. A third female student is expected to file a report with Philadelphia Police this week about an alleged sexual assault, Burgmann said. Burgmann added that he cannot confirm
how many of the 70 fraternity members are being investigated and what drugs were used during the alleged assaults. In one case, the survivor said she was given several drinks by a member of the fraternity and felt dizzy. She said the next thing she remembers is waking up in bed with one of the members. She believes she was sexually assaulted. Jonathan Pierce, the fraternity’s spokesperson, confirmed in a statement to The Temple News on Friday that the national head-
AEPI | PAGE 3
COMMUNITY
ON CAMPUS
Candidates vie for 181st District seat The candidates from North Philadelphia hope to fill state Rep. Curtis Thomas’s seat for his upcoming retirement. BY KILEY BATENHORST For The Temple News
KATHY CHAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
OWLCAPPELLA MAKES NATIONAL COMPETITION DEBUT
The 181st District in the state House of Representatives will elect a new representative this year with a primary election on May 15. The seat is currently held by state Rep. Curtis Thomas, who is retiring in November. Thomas has served as the state representative for the 181st District — which encompasses Main Campus — since 1988. There are several candidates running for Thomas’s seat.
Temple’s first co-ed a cappella group competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Finals in New York City on Saturday. Read more on Page 7.
181ST DISTRICT | PAGE 6
COSBY
Closing statements to begin in Cosby assault case Bill Cosby’s defense team rested its case with its final two witnesses on Monday. BY GILLIAN McGOLDRICK For The Temple News
The jurors in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial were seen smiling on Monday afternoon after they received good news: the defense rested its case. The 12 jurors and six alternate jurors have been sequestered since April 8 and will
hear closing statements early Tuesday morning. After hearing these statements, Cosby’s fate will be in the hands of the seven men and five women on the jury, two of whom are Black. A jury panel of the same makeup had the same task in June. But these jurors were unable to make a unanimous decision “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Cosby had committed sexual assault and drugging. After 52 hours of deliberations, the case ended in a mistrial. Cosby, a former university trustee, is
charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple employee Andrea Constand in his Montgomery County home in January 2004. If convicted, the 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison for each count and will likely spend the rest of his life there. Although Cosby’s charges remained the same, his two trials were vastly different. The jury panel in the retrial learned how much money Constand, the former director of operations for women’s basketball, was paid in
a 2005 civil suit against Cosby — nearly $3.4 million. Jurors also heard testimony from five of more than 60 Cosby accusers to show a theme of “prior bad acts.” The previous jury only heard one woman’s testimony. This retrial also comes on the heels of the national #MeToo movement, which took over headlines and opened up a dialogue about sexual misconduct from powerful men in the entertainment industry. Before they were chosen, the jurors tes-
COSBY | PAGE 3
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
After high school injury, finding an interest in orthopedic research Senior bioengineering major James Karchner presented research at the Capitol Building last week. BY AYOOLUWA ARIYO For The Temple News
During his freshman year at Berwick High School in Northeastern Pennsylvania, James Karchner was playing in a football scrimmage when he tore his ACL — the ligament that controls the motion of the knee. Two years later, he tore his other ACL during
a varsity football game. Each torn ACL required knee surgery and five to six months of physical therapy to regain his strength. During this process, Karchner started to consider a career in orthopedics, a medical field focused on bones and muscles. “When I tore the second one, it kind of drove it home,” said Karchner, a senior bioengineering major. “I knew this is what I want-
ORTHOPEDIC | PAGE 8
KASHIF WYLEE / THE TEMPLE NEWS James Karchner, a senior bioengineering major, holds a model of an ACL in the Engineering Building on April 16.
NEWS | PAGES 2-3, 6
OPINION | PAGES 4-5
FEATURES | PAGES 7-16
SPORTS | PAGES 17-20
Temple Police dedicated a mural to Captain Eileen Bradley, who has worked since 1972 and is the second-longest serving officer on the force. Read more on Page 3.
A student argued that one day of implicit bias training at Starbucks, his employer, isn’t enough. Read more on Page 5.
Marcus Forst, a junior physics major, is Temple’s first recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious STEM award. Read more on Page 7.
During the last two weeks of spring football camp, about 10 players began wearing protective caps on their helmets. Read more on Page 20.