Vol. 97 Iss. 23

THE TEMPLE NEWS Student puzzle creator makes New York Times Read more on Page 14.

VOL 97 // ISSUE 23 MARCH 19, 2019 temple-news.com @thetemplenews

NEWS, PAGE 4 Temple Student Government announced the two campaigns for next year’s executive team.

OPINION, PAGE 11 A student reflects on her college rejections in the wake of the college admissions scandal.

FEATURES, PAGE 12 Broadway on Broad gives different majors the chance to perform in cabaret-style shows.

SPORTS, PAGE 20 Ryquell Armstead wanted to prove that he is an all-around running back at Temple’s Pro Day.

NEWS PAGE 2

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

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

Gillian McGoldrick Editor in Chief Kelly Brennan Managing Editor Julie Christie Digital Managing Editor Evan Easterling Chief Copy Editor Greta Anderson News Editor Grace Shallow Investigations Editor Will Bleier Deputy City Editor Jayna Schaffer Opinion Editor Laura Smythe Features Editor Zari Tarazona Deputy Features Editor Michaela Althouse Deputy Features Editor Michael Zingrone Co-Sports Editor Sam Neumann Co-Sports Editor Claire Wolters Intersection Editor Maria Ribeiro Director of Engagement Siani Colon Asst. Director of Engagement Dylan Long Co-Photography Editor Luke Smith Co-Photography Editor Madison Seitchik Web Editor Co-Multimedia Editor Jared Giovan Co-Multimedia Editor Ian Walker Visuals Editor Claire Halloran Design 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.

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. Philadelphia, PA 19122

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ADMINISTRATION

Dennis Alter resigns from Board of Trustees Alter’s most recent four-year term on the Board was set to expire in October 2019.

BY GILLIAN MCGOLDRICK & GRACE SHALLOW For The Temple News

T

rustee Dennis Alter, the namesake of the Fox School of Business’ Alter Hall, abruptly resigned from the Temple University Board of Trustees last Tuesday.

Alter declined to comment on his resignation during a phone call Monday evening with The Temple News.

Per his time on the Board, Alter said he “enjoyed [his] time on the Board immensely.”

Alter’s latest four-year term on the Board was set to expire in October 2019.

Board of Trustees Chairman Pat-

rick O’Connor told The Temple News on Monday that Alter resigned during the Board’s last executive session last Tuesday and declined further comment.

Executive sessions are private and precede the Board’s public session.

Alter’s resignation was not disclosed during the public session. Alter declined to disclose to The Temple News why his resignation wasn’t publicly announced.

Alter was unanimously reappointed to the Board in March 2016, about nine months after he settled a case with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for $23.5 million dollars, The Temple News reported in April 2016.

The FDIC sued Alter for $219 million, according to a complaint filed in June 2013. news@temple-news.com

ON THE COVER MADISON KARAS /THE TEMPLE NEWS

CORRECTIONS The credit for an illustration that ran on Page 11 with the story “Taking my body back after abusive relationships” was incorrect. The illustration was made by Emma Stevens.

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 Gillian McGoldrick at editor@temple-news.com or 215-204-6736.

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Join The Temple News team!

We are hiring a Deputy Campus Editor. For more information, email editor@temple-news.com.

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NEWS PAGE 3

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

CAMPUS

College of Public Health to offer Narcan training Alex Tillery, a senior legal studies This training comes after an in recovery and recovery advocates be- versity to establish housing for students lieve would have impacted their time at in recovery. major and president of the Temple Colopioid task force submitted Temple.

“Considering Temple University is legiate Recovery Program, said he lived recommendations to Temple.

BY DIANA CRISTANCHO For The Temple News Starting in April, the College of Public Health will offer Narcan training to all faculty and students to help reduce the number of overdose deaths in the city.

The training comes after Temple University’s Task Force on Opioid and Related Drug Addiction and Recovery Support submitted a set of recommendations to President Richard Englert and Provost JoAnne Epps in December.

“Anything we can do to help save lives, especially while facing a public health epidemic, we should encourage and support any efforts,” said Kate Gallagher, the director of CPH’s Office for Clinical Practice and Field Education, who is hosting the training, alongside Prevention Point Philadelphia, a nonprofit harm reduction and health services organization.

It was imperative for CPH to expand its Narcan training beyond public health students, which the school began offering in April 2018, she said.

Prevention Point’s education and community outreach coordinator will teach attendees how to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to administer Narcan, an overdose reversal drug that blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and body.

The first training session will take place on April 9, and those interested can join an online waitlist for the class on the CPH website.

The university’s opioid task force supports the narcan trainings and, in official recommendations to the university, the hiring of an employee to connect students to others in recovery. Another was to implement recovery housing.

These are all services that students

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Bob Lamb, former president and founder of the Temple Collegiate Recovery Program, said having a dedicated staff person is a key element to forming a strong community that would support recovery efforts on campus. The Temple Collegiate Recovery Program is a student organization that provides a network of students in recovery, where they can connect with and support each other.

“Identifying a substance use disorder is difficult for a student and other involved parties, whether that’s the family, faculty and staff,” Lamb said. “Someone that’s well-versed in those areas is key to having an effective program, especially when navigating transitions that may need to take place in the academic world.”

Lamb, a 2018 master’s of public health alumnus, attended a few of the task force’s meetings while at Temple, he said. He applied for a position to lead a recovery program but was not hired by the university. Since graduating, Lamb maintains contact with Temple Collegiate Recovery Program members to ensure the program’s weekly meetings are still running.

“Anything that allows students to further expand their education is beneficial,” Lamb said. “I entered Temple’s program with a couple of years in recovery and have nothing but great things to say about my experience.”

Once the university hires a professional to lead recovery efforts, the possibility of implementing recovery housing on campus is more attainable, members of the task force told The Temple News last week.

George Basile, a 2018 political science alumnus and former junior class representative of Temple Student Government’s Parliament, originally proposed a resolution in 2017 for the uni-

located a few miles from the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, substance use disorder affects us all,” Basile said. “...It’s on our university and other institutions of higher education to take the mantle in assisting our students’ needs and that includes addressing substance use disorder in the strongest terms possible.”

If the university does decide to move forward with recovery housing, Basile said, officials should research how recovery facilities function at other universities, like Drexel and Rutgers University.

in a recovery house in South Philadelphia around the time he began studying at Temple.

“If Temple offered that service, I would have 100 percent taken them up on that offer,” Tillery said. “In my experience, it was great to be a part of a healthy environment where people are trying to better themselves.” diana.cristancho@temple.edu @dccristancho

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NEWS PAGE 4

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

TSG

Candidates announced for 2019-20 TSG elections BecomingTU and RiseTU are running to represent TSG’s executive branch.

BY LAKOTA MATSON TSG Beat Reporter Temple Student Government announced on Monday the two teams, BecomingTU and RiseTU, running to be the 2019-20 academic year’s Executive Branch.

Both candidates for student body president, BecomingTU’s Francesca Capozzi, who is IgniteTU’s current director of university pride and traditions, and RiseTU’s Alexandra Gordon, are women. One of them will be the first female student body president since Natalie Ramos-Castillo, a 2011 early childhood education alumna, who served during the 2010-11 academic year.

“Not only at this school, but as a whole, female leaders are not represented as they should be,” Capozzi said. “No matter your gender, no matter how you identify, being able to lead is not determinant of that. It’s determined of your abilities.”

“It’s always been stigmatized that women don’t have the competency to be in high positions, although Temple is a smaller scale,” Gordon said. “If you have that belief that you are good enough and you are competent...it can show Temple that we need to be representative of who we are.”

Three of the six total executive team candidates on the two teams are current members of IgniteTU. The Elections Commission vets candidates who are current members of a TSG administration for conflicts of interest, according to TSG’s Election Code.

The commission found none of the four candidates have conflicts, wrote Rofiat Oseni, the elections commissioner, in an email to The Temple News.

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ALEX PATTERSON-JONES / THE TEMPLE NEWS Laryssa Banks, vice presidential candidate of services (left), Francesca Capozzi, presidential candidate (middle), and Kaya Jones, vice presidential candidate of external affairs (right) make up BecomingTU, a campaign running for the 2019-20 Temple Student Government executive administration.

MEET BECOMINGTU

Presidential candidate: Francesca Capozzi, a sophomore political science and English major Vice President of External Services candidate: Kaya Jones, a junior political science and journalism major Vice President of Services candidate: Laryssa Banks, a sophomore health professions major

BECOMINGTU PLATFORM POINTS

One of BecomingTU’s main platform points is to unite the North Philadelphia community with students.

The team wants to begin invit-

ing community residents to TSG’s bi-monthly town hall meetings, and have residents conduct tours of the North Philadelphia neighborhood through the Office of Orientation, New Student and Family Programs.

“This is their home, they know the best about it,” Capozzi said. “Being able to share that with the new families and students coming in is something that will really allow this relationship to flourish.”

If the team wins, BecomingTU would mandate that TSG members attend two hours of meetings and events for student organizations that they are not part of each week, according to BecomingTU’s platform.

“Having the students go to these organizations will allow for a relationship to be built between the organizations and Temple Student Government,” Capozzi said.

BecomingTU also plans to make Parliament inactive during Fall 2019 so it can work with the Executive Branch and Ethics Board on becoming more effective, according to the team’s platform.

Parliament struggled to pass resolutions during the fall semester, and was mandated by the Ethics Board in December 2018 to propose a minimum of 15 resolutions in about three weeks. The body was only able to propose eight.

“Go in, see what we can improve upon, especially in our communications between Executive and Parliament,” said Laryssa Banks, BecomingTU’s vice presidential candidate of services.

One of the cornerstones of BecomingTU’s platform is expanding the university’s inclusivity, especially among LGBTQIA+ students and students with disabilities. This would include campaigns and seminars to train student or-

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NEWS PAGE 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

ganizations as “Safe Zones” for marginalized groups, the platform states.

MEET RISETU Presidential Candidate: Alexandra Gordon, a junior political science and Africology major Vice President of Services Candidate: Diamante Ortiz, a junior political science major Vice President of External Services Candidate: Alex Rosenberg, a junior political science major

RISETU POINTS

PLATFORM

A major platform point in RiseTU’s campaign is improving students and North Philadelphia community members’ access to fresh food near Main Campus.

The campaign suggested working with United States Rep. Dwight Evans, who represents Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional district, which encompasses the area west of Main Campus. RiseTU wants to partner with Evans’ Fresh Food Financing Initiative to bring more produce options to the area and boost students’ access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

RiseTU wants to promote students’ awareness of assistance programs, like SNAP and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federal program that assists with energy bill costs, that some students could be eligible for, Gordon said. These programs can help fight student food insecurity and offset off-campus living costs, respectively.

“Students shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to pay for food or pay for heat for a month,” she added.

In its platform, RiseTU also suggests mandatory diversity training for new students, which would “teach about the use of rhetoric ‘locals’” to describe North

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Philadelphia residents who live in the area surrounding the university.

“That rhetoric needs to change, because they’re people and we need to stop othering,” Gordon said. “We need to realize we live in the same community.”

RiseTU also plans to expand student organizations’ access to university buildings to hold meetings and events, beyond the limited space available in the Student Center and “revisit” the allocations structure, which IgniteTU altered mid-way through the academic year.

The current administration first made its General Assembly meetings optional, and representatives from students organizations did not have to attend to receive their club allocations.

The leaders then reinstated mandatory “town halls” in place of the GA meetings in early Spring 2019, The Temple News reported in January.

When it comes to students organizations’ gathering space, higher Diamond Accreditation rankings can reserve Student Center rooms further in advance than new organizations that are growing, or have very few members, said Diamante Ortiz, RiseTU’s vice presidential candidate of services. The team wants to move “dance organizations” that hold rehearsals in the Student Center to other spaces, to make room for others, according to RiseTU’s platform.

“If we have a program about Black voting or something… or the independence of a Latinx country, we need spaces and a lot of times, and some spaces are utilized by dance organizations,” Gordon said.

Ortiz also said she’d like to make TSG more representative of the student body.

“I felt that in order to reinstate that trust and restate the visibility and accountability, I wanted to run,” Ortiz said.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ELECTION

TSG will hold a debate between Be-

ALEX PATTERSON-JONES / THE TEMPLE NEWS Alex Rosenberg, vice presidential candidate of external services (left), Alexandra Gordon, presidential candidate (middle), and Diamante Ortiz, vice presidential candidate of internal services (right) make up RiseTU, one of the campaigns running for 2019-20 Temple Student Government executive administration

comingTU and RiseTU on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Student Center room 200AB, Oseni wrote in an email to The Temple News.

The second debate will be on April 1 in Student Center room 200C at a time yet to be announced, Hailey McCormack, IgniteTU’s director of communications, told The Temple News.

Elections will directly follow the

final debate on April 2 and 3, and the 2019-20 TSG administration will be announced on April 4. lakota.matson@temple.edu @LakotaMatson Editor’s note: Diamante Ortiz was a freelance reporter for The Temple News. She had no role in the editing of this story.

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NEWS PAGE 6

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

TUJ

Students petition O’Connor’s upcoming TUJ visit

LUKE SMITH / THE TEMPLE NEWS Uprizine, Temple University Japan’s student-run, feminist magazine, published a drawing of Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick O’Connor in its Spring 2019 issue.

A student-run feminist magazine drugging and sexually assaulting Conat Temple University Japan stand in his Montgomery County home published the petition last week. in 2004.

BY GRACE SHALLOW Investigations Editor More than 180 students signed a petition asking Temple University Japan to disinvite Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick O’Connor from a grand opening ceremony in November for TUJ’s new campus.

The petition, published by Uprizine, a student-run feminist magazine on TUJ’s campus, is signed by students and alumni who oppose O’Connor’s visit because he represented Bill Cosby in a 2005 civil lawsuit filed by former university employee Andrea Constand for sexual assault. In September, Cosby was sentenced three to 10 years in prison for

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O’Connor’s visit is “a setback and a normalization of rape culture,” the petition states.

O’Connor wasn’t aware of the petition, he wrote in an email to The Temple News on Friday, but did not immediately respond to multiple requests for further comment. In October, he told The Temple News he never regretted representing the former university trustee.

“I’m saddened by what’s happened to Bill Cosby and his reputation because he was a great Temple [alumnus] when he was at Temple,” O’Connor said in October. “It saddens me that this has happened to him.”

Tricia Euvrard and Hikari Hida, the co-founders of Uprizine, presented the petition to TUJ Dean Bruce Stronach at

a public forum in February. To spread their message, Euvrard and Hida distributed 1,000 copies of the Spring 2019 edition of Uprizine around Tokyo on March 11.

“By inviting somebody who openly defended a now-convicted rapist, it sends a message about how much they care about their students who are survivors of sexual violence,” Euvrard said.

Stronach shared the petition with the Office of the President during a visit to Main Campus in early March, he said, but hasn’t heard a response to the students’ concerns.

Euvrard and Hida also met with Stronach last week and said he was “dismissive” of their concerns, despite repeating that he understands their feelings about O’Connor’s visit. In a piece published in the magazine’s latest edition, Uprizine called Stronach’s support for O’Connor’s visit “a bold statement on where he truly stands regarding sexual violence.”

Stronach told The Temple News he “completely disagrees.”

“You have to look at [O’Connor’s] total body of work,” Stronach said. “And for me, personally, I know who I am.

The people who know me know who I am and I’m very comfortable with who I am, and I certainly do not believe I support the novelization of rape culture in any way.”

Stronach did not take part in the decision to invite O’Connor to TUJ, he said, but welcomes him.

O’Connor’s tenure as Board chairman ends in July, but he will remain a Board member. It’s appropriate for any Board member to visit an international campus after an accomplishment, Stronach said, like the completion of TUJ’s new campus at Showa Women’s University.

This is not the first time students protested against O’Connor because he represented Cosby. The Feminist Alli-

ance, which signed Uprizine’s petition as a group, has held multiple rallies over the past two years, calling for O’Connor to step down from his position as chairman.

In November 2017, TUJ students had no on-campus resources to report sexual assault, The Temple News reported. Students had to coordinate complaints remotely with Andrea Seiss, the university’s Title IX coordinator, and reports were hindered by the 14-hour time difference between Tokyo and Seiss’ office in Philadelphia.

Since then, the university appointed a TUJ-based Title IX coordinator.

Seiss also visited TUJ — the only one of Temple’s international campuses that students can attend for four years — in April 2018, to raise awareness about issues like sexual assault and establishing gender-neutral bathrooms.

Euvrard and Hida said it’s disappointing that an invitation was extended to O’Connor following this progress on how TUJ handles reports of sexual misconduct.

Raising awareness about sexual assault has been Euvrard and Hida’s passion for the three years they’ve spent at TUJ. They founded Uprizine to publicize the lack of sexual assault resources on their campus and hope other TUJ students continue the work they started after they graduate in May. “[Sexual assault] touches so many people that we know, that we’ve been around,” Euvrard said. “We’ve heard so many stories about harassment, so many people who experienced it that don’t have a chance to voice it or don’t have a support group. [Uprizine] kind of turned into a support group.”

“These are issues we don’t just face as individuals, but as an entire community,” Hida added. grace.shallow@temple.edu @Grace_Shallow

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NEWS PAGE 7

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

CAMPUS

Mumps is more disruptive for some students There are more than 50 Temple- to immediately begin her treatment after related mumps cases since the receiving the booster vaccine.

“I can’t start my medication and get outbreak was announced.

BY KELLY BRENNAN Managing Editor For most, attending a university with a mumps outbreak means running the risk of getting flu-like symptoms, taking over-the-counter medicine and staying in isolation for a few days.

For other students, the outbreak can be severely disruptive. It could impact their families, their recovery from autoimmune disorders or their treatments for cystic fibrosis.

Temple University is experiencing a mumps outbreak that reached 54 Temple-related cases on Monday. Since the university announced the outbreak on Feb. 28, there have been 12 confirmed cases and 42 probable cases of the mumps.

The mumps is a highly contagious viral disease that can be transmitted via the nose, mouth and throat. Symptoms include swelling of the face and jaw, fever and body pains. The incubation period is 12-25 days, and symptoms typically appear 16-18 days after exposure.

Someone with mumps is considered contagious two days before their face swells, through five days after, according to a university release. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people who have swelling not to go to work, school or social events during this period of time.

Bridie Anne MacCrory, a junior marketing major, was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder after she broke her foot six months ago. Her foot hasn’t healed, in part due to the disorder.

MacCrory is susceptible to getting the mumps and had to get the third mumps, measles and rubella vaccine last week — the same week she was supposed to start injection treatment for her autoimmune disorder. She was not allowed

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all of this under control, which I’ve been dealing with for almost six months,” she said, adding that there aren’t other ways to treat the disorder other than these injections.

“People who are immunosuppressed or have autoimmune diseases are experiencing a lot of pain most times and are on medications like the one I would be taking. So take others into account and be accountable for your actions,” she added. “Many people are scared even when they don’t have an autoimmune disorder, so you can only imagine what it feels like to have one.”

Caley Gowen is a junior nursing major with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that causes lung infections and limits a person’s ability to breathe, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Gowen has spent the last week in the hospital treating a respiratory infection, and this is her first week back on campus since the outbreak began last month.

While getting the mumps may not affect Gowen more than it would any other student, she said, it’s the symptoms — loss of appetite and fevers — that could set back her recovery from the respiratory infection, which she is treating with IV antibiotics in her residence hall.

Gowen also has to do 30-minute breathing treatments each day to help clear her lungs.

“If you are not vaccinated, I would say to get vaccinated against [the mumps],” she said. “Even if in your life you feel like the mumps wouldn’t be a very big deal, there are people who, a virus like this, could cause a lot of complications.”

People who receive two doses of the MMR vaccine are about nine times less likely to get mumps than those who haven’t gotten the vaccine, the CDC states.

But if a person has had prolonged contact with someone with the mumps, they

LUKE SMITH / THE TEMPLE NEWS Caley Gowen, a a junior nursing major, holds a cystic fibrosis airway clearance vest in her room at 1300 Residence Hall on Monday.

could get the disease, even if they’re vaccinated.

Most of the students diagnosed with the mumps since the outbreak was announced had received two MMR vaccines. Those who are vaccinated will likely have a less severe case of the mumps than people who are not, according to the CDC. Temple Student and Employee Health Services has administered 173 doses of the MMR vaccine since Feb. 25, a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Temple News on Monday.

To avoid getting the mumps, Gowen said she will practice good hand-washing hygiene and avoid sitting next to people in class who seem sick.

“My biggest request for other students is if they feel sick, and they feel like they might have the mumps or even the flu…stay home from class, because you’re contagious and you could be putting other people at risk,” she said.

“Those people are on campus, and

we are students,” Gowen added. “It’s not only you that you need to concerned about during an outbreak like this.”

If experiencing symptoms, students should contact Student Health Services. The most important thing to do is self-isolate and avoid contact with others for five days from when symptoms start, according to a university release.

Amanda Cintron, a senior speech pathology major, is vaccinated for mumps, but received the MMR booster as a precaution last week because she has a 9-month-old baby, who is also vaccinated.

“It’s all of our responsibility to protect ourselves and make sure that we’re not spreading it and also make sure that people who don’t have the privilege to... just lock themselves in their dorm with some tissues and Netflix,” she said. kelly.brennan@temple.edu @_kellybrennan

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OPINION TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

PAGE 8 EDITORIAL

Be transparent for once Temple University’s Board of Trustees is back at it again with its secrecy. This time, it comes in the form of Dennis Alter’s abrupt, unexplained resignation from the Board on March 12.

But no one knew about it until a week later, when The Temple News broke the story, though we were at the Board’s public session last Tuesday. Alter had resigned during the Board’s private Executive Session, where only trustees are allowed, and despite holding a public session immediately afterward, the Board decided not to tell anyone it would be one member short.

We wonder, when exactly was the Board going to tell us about Alter’s departure? At its next meeting in May? Or did it just expect the Temple community to look at the list of trustees and realize Alter’s name is missing from the top?

Surprise or even non-announcements are one of the Board’s favorite things to do. Three years ago, the Board’s Summer 2016 session included a surprise announcement that the trustees unanimously voted no confidence in former president Neil Theobald. There were a lot of questions surrounding that ouster, many of which

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are still unanswered.

So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, here we are, once again demanding that the Board of Trustees is transparent with the rest of the university. You know, the one it is entrusted to run.

We have questions.

Why did Alter resign? Does it have anything to do with the fact that he had to shell out $23.5 million in 2015 to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for his failed Advanta Bank? Did other trustees pressure Alter into the decision? Did they try to convince him to stay?

This is what we want to report to you, Temple, but our Board is silent and seems to think we’re unworthy of the truth. We’re stuck with a university that won’t take any actual steps forward with transparency.

We ask the Board to be open and transparent this time around, but whether it is or not, The Temple News will be here, always digging for the truth.

Editor’s note: Gillian McGoldrick, a member of the Editorial Board reported the accompanying news article. She played no part in the writing of this editorial.

THE ESSAYIST

America: Land of the strange An international student examines the Looking at restaurant menus, I was surprised cultural peculiarities she’s found during to find the number of calories next to each item. her time in the United States.

I was even more surprised to find a suggested

BY PAVLINA CERNA International Columnist

O

ne week into living in the United States, I took a train from New York to Philadelphia.

I sat next to an older gentleman. I felt comfortable, until he started delving in and asking me many personal questions, including where I’m from and what my parents do for a living.

He went even further: he asked why I came here and where I will live.

I was on a high alert. This small talk is such an American invention to me.

At home, we barely make eye contact with strangers, let alone start conversations with them. My mom had always warned me to not talk to strangers, but that went out the window once I landed in the U.S. My experiences caught in small talk since have shown me that it does not frequently lead to friendships. So I take the culture as friendly, but very superficial. Even asking, “How are you?” does not require an honest answer or an answer at all. It’s just part of a greeting.

The father of my host family often came home and said, “Hey, Pavlina, how are you?”

But before I answered, he was out of the room. Where I’m from, we don’t ask everyone that, and when we do ask, we are truly interested.

I often get asked: “What is the biggest difference between living in the U.S. and the Czech Republic?” At this point, I recite answers nearly robotically.

Saying that coming to the U.S. nearly six years ago was a culture shock does not do justice to the awe and nervousness I felt.

I was aware of some differences before I crossed the ocean. Where I’m from, we have health care for all, college is free up until you turn 26 years old, the legal drinking age is 18 and we follow the metric system (which makes more sense to me).

But there are differences I was not ready for.

tip on my check. Tipping in the Czech Republic depends on my satisfaction and is definitely not required.

And what is with the sizes?

There is no real such thing as a small salad, small popcorn, small Coke or small ice cream. Everything comes in a huge amount. I am afraid to see the quantity in a large size.

I learned that without a car, I’ll never get anywhere in this country. At home, public transportation works well and is cheap. Buses and trains connect all, even the small cities. I can go anywhere.

One of my favorite things at home for sentimental reasons, are Kinder Surprise eggs — German chocolate eggs with a little toy in the middle.

To my surprise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forbids them because of the toy inside.

And I find it funny that a country with a Second Amendment thinks chocolate eggs are too unsafe.

Overall, American culture revolves around convenience. There are dryers for clothes and pre-cut vegetables at grocery stores — things I don’t see much of in the Czech Republic.

Now, after almost six years here, these things don’t seem so alien to me. I’ve gotten used to it.

That is, I’ve gotten used to everything but Hershey chocolate. Compared to Milka, Ferrero, Orion and other delicious European brands, it doesn’t deserve to be called chocolate.

Funny enough, I feel more alien when I visit home now.

I expect services that don’t exist in my small country and sometimes intuitively start a conversation with a random passerby to both of our surprise. Living in the U.S. has made me more open-minded, more accepting and less judgmental when it comes to adapting to new customs and rules.

I have been Americanized in many ways, but at heart, I will forever remain Czech. pavlina.cerna@temple.edu

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OPINION PAGE 9

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

HEALTH

Get serious about health amid mumps outbreak It’s imperative students and ceive the MMR first by 15 months old faculty take precaution to and then between the ages of 4 and 6.

Students were mandated to get the mencombat the outbreak.

A few weeks go, I came down with a minor cold.

My friend and coworker texted me asking if I was OK, worried it could’ve been the mumps, since there’s been an outbreak on Main Campus. And for a moment, I was worried too even though I am updated on my vaccines.

Luckily, my sympCHRISTINA MITCHELL toms went away afHEALTH COLUMNIST ter a few days.

Mumps is a highly infectious disease passed through saliva and respiratory secretions in close contact. Symptoms often appear 16-18 days after exposure; they are similar to the flu, with very swollen glands near the face and neck, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

People with mumps are considered infectious from two days before swelling begins through five days after it begins, according to the university-wide email sent on Feb. 28 from Student Health Services.

With the current revitalization of the anti-vaccination movement, I’m not surprised a disease with dramatically reduced prevalence in the United States would reemerge. I wrote a column urging students to get their vaccines last semester, and I stand by that argument even more amid this outbreak.

But getting vaccinated as a child does not guarantee immunity. Most of the students who tested positive for mumps were vaccinated with the mumps, measles and rubella vaccine. But it wears off over time, which is why it’s essential to get an additional booster shot.

The CDC recommends people re-

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ingitis vaccine as freshmen to live in residence halls, but were not required to get another MMR booster.

The booster at Student Health Services is not covered by the University Services fee or by some insurances. I wish it could be more accessible.

“The mumps part of the MMR is only 85 percent effective,” said Mark Denys, the director of Employee and Student Health Services. “It’s still important to get it because even if you get mumps… risk factors are less because you have the vaccine.”

If you can’t get a booster, you can and should combat the spread of germs by isolating yourself when you can.

Mumps is rarely a deadly illness to an otherwise healthy person, but it is a virus that cannot be cured. So let’s take it seriously; wash your hands throughout the day and maybe even wear a mask. It’s spreading through the air as we speak.

As soon as he could, Denys advised the Temple community about the cases on Feb. 28. He sent updates on March 4 and 13.

The first confirmed case came in Feb. 28 right before 5 p.m., and Student Health Services had started testing people two days before that, Denys said.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health confirmed there were no other cases at that time.

Denys said Temple is trying to make sure everyone doesn’t panic.

“It is manageable, and the risk factors are not very severe,” Denys said.

Right now, we’re seeing the most reported cases of mumps in Philadelphia since 2011. There are now 12 confirmed and 42 probable cases in Philadelphia.

And three of those have been reported outside of Philadelphia as well.

“We wanted to get that email out that night to help manage things and let

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

students know before they got home for spring break,” Denys said. “It is also easier to self isolate when they’re at home and not at school.”

But it is hard to isolate yourself from someone who has the mumps for some students. Briana Reuss, a sophomore kinesiology major whose roommate was diagnosed with mumps, is one of them.

“He was given masks [by Student Health Services] and has been wearing them around the house to try and keep us safe from catching it,” Reuss said. “My other roommates and I have tried taking precautions by wiping down items he used and keeping a safe distance.”

There is no pattern to these cases, either, Denys said.

“The most complicated part is there isn’t a link between everybody,” Denys said. “There is not one common theme or connection between the students,

which makes it difficult to determine the source.”

In response to the outbreak that seems to be getting worse and worse, Temple is requiring all new students to get an MMR vaccine starting in Fall 2019 with a few exceptions. But for returning students who have not had a recent booster, the risk of infection is apparent.

I commend the university for keeping all of us informed, avoiding complete hysteria. We can thank Denys for that.

Before another outbreak of sorts spreads around campus, let’s make sure we’re all vaccinated and taking care of ourselves. There’s no valid argument against it. christina.mitchell@temple.edu

letters@temple-news.com

OPINION PAGE 10

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

THE ESSAYIST

There’s an upside to Down Syndrome

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day this Thursday, a student describes how a 5-year-old girl with the condition inspires her.

BY KRISTEN HILL For The Temple News This Thursday, you can join me in wearing mismatching socks to honor World Down Syndrome Day. This annual tradition spreads awareness about the uniqueness that comes with the condition.

Clarabelle, “Belle” for short, is one of the most impressive and inspiring people I know.

She is smart, sweet and sassy, with a contagious smile that brightens any room. She loves unconditionally and is adorably affectionate.

Even though she’s only 5 years old, she has managed to outsmart me more times than I care to count. She brings joy and warmth to everyone who loves her, and I am very lucky to be one of those people. No matter how bad of a day I may be having, she never fails to put a smile on my face and in my heart.

That’s what I see when I look at Belle. But those who are not fortunate enough to know her might only see that she has Down syndrome.

Belle was my client when I interned as her personal care assistant. Because we worked so well together, her parents asked me to be her babysitter, and I’ve loved the job ever since. It’s allowed me to have Belle in my life long after the internship ended.

Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition in our country, affecting one in every 700 children born in the United States, accord-

letters@temple-news.com

ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome instead of two copies like the rest of us.

In honor of the third 21st chromosome, March 21 (3/21) has been designated as World Down Syndrome Day to celebrate people with Down syndrome.

Despite the widespread prevalence of Down syndrome, many people misunderstand it and dismiss those with the condition as being disabled and somehow less important than the mainstream population.

But those people have it all wrong.

Despite a few developmental delays, Belle is just like any other 5-year-old kid.

She hates having her hair brushed. She loves “Frozen,” “PAW Patrol” and Elmo.

She delights in doing the opposite of what she’s told. Overall, I see more similarities than differences when I compare Belle to other children her age.

Time and again, she lures me into dancing to Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ “I Won’t Back Down” while she sings every word. These moments with Belle have taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons — not only that my dance moves need major work, but that choosing to live presently regardless of how my day is going, is only a few awful dance moves away.

Belle and all of the other people born with Down syndrome have so much love to give, and they are fully deserving of love in return. Those of you who are fortunate enough to have someone with Down syndrome in your lives already know what I mean. As for everyone else, I urge you to get to know someone with the condition. Then, you’ll feel it too.

To the current and future parents

EMMA STEVENS / THE TEMPLE NEWS

of those with Down syndrome, I can assure you that the world will be blessed by your child. I see nothing but pure love and endless potential in Clarabelle.

And I know even if her parents could, they wouldn’t change a thing. kristen.nicole.hill@temple.edu

temple-news.com

OPINION PAGE 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

THE ESSAYIST

Admissions scandal: Who really pays the price?

In the wake of the college admissions scandal, a student reflects on her rejection letters.

BY ALVIRA BONSU Diversity Columnist Applying to college in the United States is a process I wouldn’t recommend to anyone.

Students like me who come from middle-class to low-income families bust their asses throughout high school to be considered for “selective” colleges and universities.

You have to be dynamic, as admissions officers might say. You have to check off all of these boxes just to apply.

Then, you have to be different. You have to show interest in academics and extracurriculars and then be personable and intelligent during your interview. All the while, you must apply early to make sure you still have a shot.

You do all of this only to receive numerous rejection letters by the last week of March — or at least that’s what happened to me.

I played the viola for 10 years and was a cheerleader for five. I founded a blog for my high school and hosted our radio show. You’d think that hard work would have counted for something.

At times, I would even bank on the fact that I’m Ghanaian, not even Black, to spice up the sound of my identity a little bit. And that’s minuscule compared to what other students do to stand out from the pool of applicants.

As I kept receiving rejections, I actually believed something was wrong with me. I wanted to get into one of these prestigious schools because my classmates in high school never treated me like a person who would become suc-

@TheTempleNews

NICOLE HWANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

cessful.

I started doubting everything: God, my parents, my worth, my intelligence and of course, my future.

So as you can guess, Temple University was not my first choice.

And now that federal agents uncovered a group of privileged and wealthy parents who allegedly paid bigwigs to ensure their mediocre children got accepted to some of the same elite schools that rejected me like Yale and Stanford, I’m livid.

There are so many smart, ambitious and hard-working students who have had to settle on a less selective school because they couldn’t pay for the resources that would’ve guaranteed them a spot at their first choice.

In the scandal that involves actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, former casino executive Gamal Abdelaziz and vineyard owner Agustin Huneeus, they cheated to get their kids to the top.

Meanwhile, a Black girl from Florida had her second SAT scores, which were significantly higher than her first, used against her; she was accused of cheating.

It’s heartbreaking to me.

These wealthy parents robbed capable students of spots in top-tier schools because they wanted themselves and their kids to look good.

Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky on the show “Full House,” and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid a total of $550,000 to get one of their daughters into the University of South-

ern California, Vox reported last week.

Instead of celebrity parents spending money to cultivate their children’s primary education so they have a better chance at getting good grades, they leave their dumbass kids to have fun and then pay their ways into college.

It is sickening. But it must be nice; people in the lower-middle class can try to reach these selective spots, but with each rejection, we constantly get reminded of our place.

Life isn’t fair. So we all just have to keep doing our best with what we have, with the hope that this scandal can be the last of its kind. alvira.bonsu@temple.edu

letters@temple-news.com

FEATURES

PAGE 12

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Non-theater majors take center stage in club

Members of the student-run theater club Broadway on Broad rehearse for their upcoming performances on Friday.

Broadway on Broad hosts several cabaret-style performances each semester with students from diverse majors.

BY JOSEPH WOJTKOWSKI Arts Beat Reporter

I

n classes, they are marketing, mechanical engineering and early childhood education majors.

But at Broadway on Broad, its members are just altos, sopranos, tenors and basses with a passion for musical theater.

Each rehearsal begins with Jack Denman leading the 30-person group of through a lengthy vocal warmup. For the next two hours, he guides them through a series of popular, and sometimes raunchy show tunes in Presser Hall in preparation of their upcoming performances.

Broadway on Broad is a student-run musical theater club at Temple University, where members perform songs from their favorite musicals in a cabaret style.

Denman, a sophomore music education major, is the club’s musical director.

Cabaret is a theater performance features@temple-news.com

where an ensemble of actors performs songs, dances and dramas. The Underground in the Student Center acts as the stage for Broadway on Broad’s cabaret performances.

The club is preparing for its second performance of the semester, “Broadway After Dark.” The actors will also perform songs on March 30 from racier musicals, like “Spring Awakening,” which explores sexual awakening, and “Heathers,” based on the 1988 movie in which a couple kills the bullies at their high school while framing it as suicide.

“It’s all shows we don’t necessarily put into our usual shows,” Denman said.

“We’re having one night where we’re not as family friendly.”

The student organization’s mission is to give more performance opportunities to students interested in theater, said Maddy Dunne, the club’s production assistant. While Temple Theaters, the performance arm of the Department of Theater, often employs musical theater majors in their shows, Broadway on Broad tries to be accessible to students of other majors.

“For those who know that theater is

DAN CHUA / THE TEMPLE NEWS

not the career they’re pursuing, there are opportunities like Broadway on Broad,” Dunne said.

Abigail Garrigan, a junior musical theater major, and Christopher Lynch, a senior theater major, founded Broadway on Broad in Fall 2017. Club president Christina Concilio, a sophomore tourism and hospitality management major, now runs it.

The club provides non-musical theater majors an environment free of judgment and competition to perform in, Concilio said.

“It takes the pressure away, a lot of us aren’t here for that,” she added. “It’s more of a fun place and safe space for us.

You want to do it for fun and expression, not to have a competitive and negative atmosphere.”

Broadway on Broad tries to include as many members as possible in its performances.

The February cabaret, “Once Upon a Broadway” featured several women in the club singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” a song from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” that’s typically performed by one person.

“We’ve been able to turn solo songs into duets, trios and group numbers, which gives so many more people opportunities,” Concilio said.

Past Broadway on Broad cabarets include the March 2018 performance of “MisCast,” where actors performed songs by artists of the opposite sex, and the October 2017 performance of “Villains,” where actors sang songs from villains in musicals. The club hopes to explore new, creative themes for upcoming cabarets, Concilio said.

Temple’s Black Law Students Association, Pre-Law Division also selected the club to perform alongside other Temple performing arts groups, like Temple Tappers, in a talent showcase this Saturday at The Discovery Center in East Fairmount Park.

The group will conclude its season in April with the cabaret “Tonys Through the Years,” where the actors will perform musical numbers from Tony Award-winning musicals like “A Chorus Line” from 1975 and “Hello, Dolly!” from 1964.

Concilio hopes audiences gain an understanding of how important theater is to the organization’s members after watching a cabaret.

“I want people to enjoy it and forget about whatever it is outside,” Concilio said. “That is how theater is for me. It’s an escape from life.”

Denman found a home in his role as the club’s musical director, and the family-like bond he created with his castmates became a “shaping factor” of his college career, he said.

“It’s that home feeling, finding the friends I have found and connecting with people in this creative outlet,” Denman said. “Arranging all of this tests me and pushes me to my limits, which is fun, and it really has prepared me for my future.” joseph.wojtkowski@temple.edu

temple-news.com

FEATURES PAGE 13

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

MUSIC

Live classical music aired on WRTI radio show Radio host Debra Lew Harder incorporated live classical music performances on her weekday program.

BY EMMA PADNER For The Temple News Debra Lew Harder wanted to bring a unique twist to her “Classical Weekdays” program on the Temple University-owned radio station WRTI. Harder, who hosts two WRTI shows, used to play only pre-recorded classical music from CDs or records while sitting behind a large switchboard.

But she decided to energize the show by adding live performances from both well-known and up-and-coming musicians.

“Listeners really get to hear their personality and their personal stories about the music, which I think makes it very interesting, and just the beauty of the music,” Harder said. “It always boils down to the greatness and the beauty of the music that they’re playing.”

Harder said she’s had more than 100 live musicians on her show since Fall 2017, like the contemporary music group Ahn Trio and guitarist Jason Vieaux. She has even accompanied one of her guests, pianist Eleonor Bindman, on the piano.

During the live broadcasts, Harder sits in a large recording studio alongside the featured artist, surrounded by microphones and cameras. A behind-thescenes crew operates the switchboards.

The “Classical Weekdays” program runs Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Harder invited Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane to her program last Wednesday. McFarlane played songs from his newest album, “The Celtic Lute,” which was released in July 2018.

The lute is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body similar to a guitar. It was the most-respected instrument in the Western world during the

@TheTempleNews

EMMA PADNER / THE TEMPLE NEWS WRTI radio host Debra Lew Harder (right) talks with Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane during her live broadcast for “Classical Weekdays” on Wednesday.

Renaissance period, according to Iowa State University’s Department of Music and Theatre.

McFarlane, who has played the lute for more than 40 years, enjoys playing on the radio because it gives him the opportunity to share the instrument with many people at once, he said.

“Back in the old days, one writer said the lute should only be heard by two or three people at most,” McFarlane said.

“And [radio] is a way to play very intimately for a wide audience because the microphone is right there, very intimate with your instrument.”

McFarlane played eight songs from his album, including “Carolan’s Welcome” and “Banish Misfortune.” Harder was thrilled to have McFarlane on the air because the lute is an instrument most people don’t hear often, she said “He makes it come alive, so it’s very relevant to our modern ears,” Harder added. “I just found it so restful and

peaceful, and I was really happy to bring that to our audience.”

For the production crew, live performances create a new set of challenges because there isn’t room for error.

Producing a live broadcast leads to quicker decision-making and sometimes more creativity and spontaneity because it’s impossible to make edits, said Tyler McClure, the assistant production manager at WRTI. “Being on the clock helps you make decisions and be more creative, whereas if you have all this time in the world, that can almost be counterproductive,” McClure added. “I enjoy the challenge of each session and understanding what the goal is for each session.”

Harder also hosts and produces “Classical Coffeehouse with Debra Lew Harder” from 6 a.m. to noon every Saturday.

Through her live broadcasts, Harder enjoys meeting new artists and hearing

what they are excited about with their music. To prepare, she researches the musician to determine interesting questions to ask for her listeners.

“Artists are always coming out with new material, so we’re now into presenting all the classical and jazz of the week, so...we like to highlight that,” Harder added. “We blend presenting exciting new recordings, which I guess is very cutting edge, along with great recordings from the past that people love and treasure.”

Up to four artists perform live throughout the week, though audiences can’t come to the studio to watch because of the station’s size. Harder’s next guest will be flutist Jasmine Choi, who has performed across Europe and Asia. emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

features@temple-news.com

FEATURES PAGE 14

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

ON THE COVER

The New York Times publishes student crossword

MADISON KARAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Ellis Hay, a junior music composition major, holds a print copy of his crossword puzzle in The New York Times in Tuttleman Learning Center on Thursday.

The puzzle centered around the on the sounds of the letter “B” and was month.

“It was one of those things I had kind sounds of the letter “B” and was published in print and online on March 4. of thought about from time to time but featured in print and online this “I was just trying to design a puzzle hadn’t been on my mind,” Hay said. “I month.

BY MADISON KARAS Campus Beat Reporter Having pieced together six crosswords last school year, Ellis Hay always felt he was more of a puzzle creator than a puzzle solver.

The love for puzzles runs in his family. His grandfather used to constantly solve crosswords while Hay grew up playing Scrabble and doing puzzles with his parents.

“I’ve just always been interested in playing Scrabble and thinking about words and how they go together, so I guess crosswords interested me in that way,” said Hay, a junior music composition major.

Hay made his debut as a crossword puzzle maker in The New York Times this month. His puzzle’s theme focused features@temple-news.com

that I myself would like to solve,” Hay said.

Crossword puzzles are centered around a specific theme. Theme words, or longer, theme-related words, are the initial clues the puzzle designer makes that the other answers are based on.

Hay’s crossword had four theme words based on different spellings of “B” sounds: B Minor Mass, Bea Arthur, bee stings and be yourself.

Hay was inspired to make this theme after discovering through a web search that Arthur, a “Golden Girls” star, was the only “Bea” well known enough to be a crossword puzzle answer.

Hay submitted a few puzzles to the New York Times before his 15-by-15, 76-clue crossword was selected in July 2018.

He received an email on Feb. 26 informing him it would be published this

called my mom because I knew she was going to be real excited about it, and she kind of told everyone about it.”

Hay began creating puzzles in 2014.

He typically spends a few weeks making each one through the puzzle-building software Crossword Compiler. He began making them to challenge himself to fill in the grid space, he said, and became more experienced with crossword construction after learning more about puzzling online.

Will Shortz, the crossword editor of The New York Times, said he receives 75-100 submissions per week, and one major thing he considers in the selection process is the puzzle’s word choice.

“We look for the quality of the vocabulary,” he said. “Is it lively, fresh, interesting answers that people will know?

This one does.”

Two of Hay’s puzzle answers, “IS

THAT OK” and “GINSBURG,” had never appeared in The New York Times crosswords since they began in 1942, Shortz said.

Starting all clues with the letter “B,” in addition to the “B” sound theme, are extremely rare puzzle constructions, Shortz added.

“The ingenuity of starting every clue with the letter ‘B’ to carry through in the theme; it’s just a very elegantly made puzzle,” Shortz said.

Shortz included his own B-themed flair to the paper by publishing his name as “Bill Shortz,” which he said stemmed from a joke with his assistant.

The New York Times crossword puzzles typically increase in difficulty throughout the week, with Monday’s being the easiest and Thursday’s being the hardest.

Hay’s dad, John Hay, said he found his son’s puzzle difficult to solve, despite being a Monday puzzle.

“I’m really proud that he figured out the process, to get it in the hands of Will Shortz, the puzzle master,” John Hay said.

He also said it was the first of his son’s puzzles he ever worked on.

“Until you actually see it, like you’re holding The New York Times, and you see it in print in front of your face, that’s when it really you hits you and you’re like, ‘Wow, this is really something,” John Hay said.

Ellis Hay plans to continue making puzzles in his free time and submit future crosswords to The New York Times. Since his first byline, he’s come to appreciate how it feels to have a finished, published product.

“It feels nice to look back at it and think [of] all the time that I put into it, and now people are solving it and writing about it,” Ellis Hay said. “It feels nice to put time and effort into something and have it come out nicely.” madison.karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

temple-news.com

FEATURES TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

PAGE 15

LIVE IN PHILLY

Students ring in Purim by baking traditional treats

DYLAN LONG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Chabad at Temple University hosted a hamantashen baking event on Sunday in anticipation of the Jewish holiday Purim, which begins Wednesday evening.

Purim, which commemorates the saving of Jews from persecution in a story from the biblical book of Esther, will carry into Thursday afternoon.

About two dozen members of Temple’s Jewish community visited Rabbi Baruch Kantor’s home, where Chabad at Temple is based, to design and bake hamantashen. The triangle-shaped, chocolate-and-raspberry-filled pastries are associated with the Purim holiday.

Orion Kelly, a freshman bioengineering major, said he enjoys making hamantashen and saw an opportunity to make himself some snacks. Toppings for the hamantashen included chocolate frosting and marshmallows to go with the fillings.

“Everybody likes baking, especially if they get to take them and eat them,” said Kantor, who co-directs Chabad at Temple with his wife Chanie. “It gets us into the Purim spirit, and it’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.”

@TheTempleNews

features@temple-news.com

FEATURES PAGE 16

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

STUDENT LIFE

Incoming federal program to help student-parents The initiative will provide free and Community Lab in the College of man, an early childhood education prochild care for up to 16 students Education, and has started recruiting un- fessor and the program’s principal invesfor their kids ages 5 and younger. dergraduate participants to provide with tigator.

BY MADISON KARAS Campus Beat Reporter While Jasmine Boney was pregnant last semester, she relied on notes from her classmates to catch up on what she missed while at doctor’s appointments.

Now having recently given birth and on a leave of absence, Boney worries how she’ll balance life as a student-parent when she returns in the fall.

“The biggest thing is child care,” said Boney, a junior biology major. “As a student, you don’t have a lot of money because you spend money on classes, and now you have to spend money on a baby.”

The Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools Program, a grant-funded program through the United States Department of Education, is returning to help low-income Temple University student-parents next semester. The program is run through the Family, School

free child care, academic success workshops, peer networking opportunities and individualized support.

The CCAMPIS program will support 10-16 student-parents and fund their child care year-round through Montgomery Early Learning Centers, a day care with locations in the suburbs and West Philadelphia. Participants must qualify for a Pell Grant and have primary financial responsibility for their child, who must be age 5 or younger.

CCAMPIS was re-funded at Temple for four years through a $195,966 grant.

Temple previously held funding which supported 25 program participants, but it was discontinued in 2005. Temple also once had a day care on Main Campus until 1995, when it was removed due to budget cuts.

The program can also accommodate student-parents with multiple children, and program participants will remain in the program for the duration of their time at Temple, said Annemarie Hind-

Last year, the 196 schools that received the grant included other local schools like the Community College of Philadelphia and Montgomery County Community College.

When Boney looked into Philadelphia child care options, most services cost at least $100 per week, she said. The average cost of infant care in Pennsylvania was nearly $900 per month in 2016, according to a study by the Economic Policy Institute.

“A lot of people feel like they can’t go back to school because of that burden on their shoulders, and we want to make them feel like, ‘OK, just because I have a child doesn’t mean that this is the endall be-all,” said Sydney Daye, a 2018 psychology alumna who started working as the CCAMPIS program coordinator last month.

A program to provide child care, with flexible hours to accommodate for night classes, would be helpful, Boney said.

BENITA EADRIC Junior kinesiology major

VOICES

Who will you be rooting for in March Madness?

I’ll be rooting for Villanova because my knowledge of the team is that they’re really good and have a lot of potential.

KEMI JACKSON Junior film and media arts major I’m rooting for Villanova because they probably have a better chance than Temple at winning because they’ve already won before. If Duke is in there, then I’ll root for Duke as well.

features@temple-news.com

“I don’t want to fail any classes because of trying to juggle everything,” she added.

The College of Education wanted to revive the program to help not only current students, but prospective students considering Temple who may be deterred due to balancing the costs of day care and school, Hindman said.

“We’re really trying to walk a balance between providing additional support and not overburdening the students with other things they have to do because being a student and being a parent are independently very challenging,” she added.

The recruitment process is underway, and Daye is looking to recruit current and incoming Class of 2023 students to have the program in full swing

by September.

“Temple is diverse, and we want to make it more diverse and more accessible to the people who are not the typical student,” Daye said. madison.karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

JAKE CARROLL Freshman business management major I’m rooting for [the University of Kentucky]. I’m from Kentucky, so they’re my team.

BEN SZEWCZAK Freshman finance major Duke, if Temple’s not in the tournament. ... A lot of people in my family went there and that was kind of my dream school.”

temple-news.com

FEATURES PAGE 17

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

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6. Travel of birds to warmer regions 7. Storm that afflicts the south-central United States in late spring

9. Islamic holy month of fasting

8. Christian holiday occuring on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring

ACROSS:

10. Brief periods of rainfall

1. Japanese symbol of spring Answers from Tuesday, March 12: 1. Coco Chanel, 2. Seneca Falls, 3. Michelle Obama, 4. Beyonce, 5. Sally Ride, 6. Ida B. Wells, 7.

Marilyn Monroe, 8. Oprah Winfrey, 9. ERA, 10. Susan B. Anthony, 11. Harriet Tubman, 12. Madeleine Albright.

@TheTempleNews

features@temple-news.com

INTERSECTION PAGE 18

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

THE ESSAYIST

Tourette’s syndrome: What makes me tic(k)

EMMA STEVENS / THE TEMPLE NEWS

A student writes about being diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome in elementary school, and overcoming its challenges.

BY DYLAN LONG Co-Photo Editor

W

hen my whispered conversations would turn to loud cackles, my firstgrade teacher would interject.

“Dylan, do you need to go for a walk?” they’d patronizingly asked, as if I were a dog.

I’d lap the hallway to release pent-up energy from my system, but involuntary, full-on squats — during which I’d stretch my arms as high as they’d go — would stop me in my tracks.

I stared into each classroom I passed.

I watched the “normal” kids work away while I constantly scrunched my eyebrows, arched my neck and jerked my head backward. I was a spectacle.

By the time I returned to class, my body ached. So did my soul. intersection@temple-news.com

I was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome when I was 6 years old. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive and involuntary movements and vocalizations called “tics,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

My neurologist also diagnosed me with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which involve short attention spans mixed with hyperactivity, and impulsive and compulsive behavior, respectively.

An intersection of these disorders, which I like to call the “package deal,” is common for people with Tourette’s. More than 1,300 participants with Tourette’s in a 16-year study by the Tourette Syndrome Association International Consortium for Genetics, “nearly one-third were diagnosed with both ADHD and OCD.” To put it lightly, I was a nightmare in the classroom. While my teachers and classmates eventually learned how to conduct class as my tics raged on out in the open, my ADHD still landed me in

serious trouble — hence the walks.

I had no idea how to suppress my urges. They were involuntary and all-consuming. Sometimes, I couldn’t make it four words into a sentence without having an uncomfortable vocal tic that came from my throat. Forming basic sentences felt like climbing Mount Everest.

I internalized a desperate need for acceptance and a longing for comfort in my own skin. By refusing to sit still, telling people my every thought, and embracing my distracting behavior, I tried to gain likeability among my peers.

Thankfully, bullying and mocking were minimal and teachers, friends and family gifted me with patience and understanding.

In elementary school, my family and I embarked on the Feingold diet, a holistic diet that we followed for more than five years. The diet calls for cutting all artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. Additives can trigger a variety of health and behavioral problems, according to extensive research by Dr. Ben Fe-

ingold, a pediatric allergist.

At times, the diet exasperated how different and alienated I felt. However, I ate completely organic for several years, and it did wonders for my emotional and physical health. It also allowed me to compile a comprehensive list of the best cereals from Whole Foods. Koala Crisp took the cake, with an honorable mention going to Panda Puffs.

Today, I feel privileged for receiving such immense support and, for that matter, a clear-cut diagnosis and solution.

After years of approaching my issues holistically due to research showing stimulants exacerbating Tourette’s symptoms, I’m currently prescribed Adderall for my ADHD and experience tics far less frequently. Adderall isn’t a magic pill and shouldn’t be glorified as such.

However, it’s incredibly helpful for my attention span. Taking it is not a concession to my disorders or an indication that I’m weak.

Now a senior in college, my symptoms have for the most part subsided. I look back not ashamed or embarrassed, but proud. I made it through the worst of it.

Somewhere, there is a third-grader with tics just like me. Perhaps their teachers shrug their shoulders or scold them for disruptions they are unable to stop, causing them to feel confused, isolated and ridiculed.

If they ever read this, I want them to know that one day, they’ll wake up and things will be better. These troubling and confusing feelings will one day pass and will have evolved into self-love and a new perspective.

I continue to work hard, stand up for and with those who are considered “different” and promote the radical idea that everyone deserves respect and support.

Whether diagnosed with Tourette’s or not, that’s what makes us tic(k). dylan.long@temple.edu @DylanLongTU

temple-news.com

INTERSECTION PAGE 19

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

LGBTQ

Confirming their identity, finding their voice Transgender students discuss gender voice therapies, Addis added.

The students administer these therfinding their voice through voice therapy and hormone apies not to correct a “disorder,” but as an “elective type of intervention” to asreplacements.

BY CLAIRE WOLTERS & THOMAS NEMEC For The Temple News For transgender people in transition, voice is a critical part of their identities.

“That is one of the first things that people will notice when you are medically transitioning,” said Tony Clark, a senior history major who began transitioning as a transgender man in 2015.

“It’s not only an adjustment period for yourself, it’s a new world.”

Transgender people may want to change their voices to sound more masculine or feminine and avoid being misgendered, said Ann Addis, a clinical instructor and supervisor in the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders at Temple University.

Addis works with graduate students in the Speech-Language-Hearing Center’s Voice Therapy Clinic, which offers voice therapies for the transgender community and people experiencing various voice disorders.

“It’s easy to change their hair,” said Addis, who also listed facial surgery and breast augmentation as ways a transgender person can physically alter themselves while transitioning. “But nothing else helps the voice, and they need to do the therapy.”

There are currently six second-year graduate students in the clinic who work individually with 12 clients, consisting of Temple students and members of the surrounding Philadelphia area, once per week.

Eight of the 12 clients receive trans-

@TheTempleNews

sist transgender people in confirming their new identity, Addis said.

Finding his voice was a pivotal moment for Clark in his own transition.

“It is very cathartic,” Clark said. “You are finally coming into your own butterfly after being in the cocoon your whole life.”

To lower his voice, Clark takes testosterone, which initially required him to get a letter of approval from a gender therapist, he said. This was to make sure he was ready to make these irreversible changes to his body.

Transgender men can take testosterone to enlarge the larynx and thicken vocal cords, which will deepen their voices, according to University of California, San Francisco, Transgender Care.

This process is successful for some, but not all. In some cases, testosterone may be unable to bring someone’s pitch low enough and can make the voice weak and hoarse, according to a 2017 report in the Journal of Voice.

Estrogen hormone replacements cannot raise a person’s voice, so transgender women are more likely to seek voice therapy than transgender men, Addis said.

“One a voice box is developed, you can’t shrink it,” Addis said.

In voice therapy, transgender women can practice exercises to change their intonation patterns and use techniques like breathiness, pitch upswings and blended articulation to create a more feminine sounding voice, Addis said.

“Most [transgender women] come in knowing that they want their pitch to be somewhat higher,” Addis added. “We have to educate them that there’s a lim-

it to how high they can get their pitch. ...Women use different kinds of intonation patterns. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need a higher pitch.”

Voice therapies can complement or serve as alternatives to medication to help alter the tone of one’s voice to match their gender.

Ari Cole Rubinson, a junior nursing major who is a transgender man, has been misgendered despite taking testos-

terone.

“It’s something that I have kind of accepted…but it doesn’t change the fact that it still hurts,” Rubinson said. “It just sucks that I was born in the wrong body.”

“Voice is the No. 1 thing I look forward to changing from taking hormones,” he added. intersection@temple-news.com

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SPORTS PAGE 20

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

FOOTBALL

Former running back fine tunes skills at Pro Day Ryquell Armstead wanted to prove to NFL scouts that he is an all-around skilled player.

BY MICHAEL ZINGRONE Co-Sports Editor NFL scouts often ask Ryquell Armstead: “Can you catch the ball?”

At Temple’s Pro Day on Monday with more than 60 scouts in attendance, the Owls’ former running back wanted to prove himself as a complete running back.

He showed them he can produce on the field as a rusher, finishing his Temple University career in 2018 fourth alltime in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns and following it with a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

But scouts are often hesitant of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield because he wasn’t utilized as a receiver at Temple, Armstead said.

Despite having an effective career as the Owls’ running back, Armstead has not been a highly regarded prospect for next month’s NFL Draft. Armstead is the 21st-best running back prospect, according to CBS Sports.

Armstead looked to improve his draft stock with a strong performance at Pro Day on Monday.

He emphasized pass-catching drills to impress scouts on Monday. He didn’t drop a single pass while running a variety of routes. On one play, Armstead made a difficult running catch on an underthrown pass deep down the field.

In four seasons at Temple, Armstead ran for 2,812 yards and scored 34 rushing touchdowns. But he only had 29 career receptions in 47 games at Temple.

On Monday, Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley worked

sports@temple-news.com

MICHAEL ZINGRONE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Philadelphia Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley instructs former Temple running back Ryquell Armstead at Temple’s Pro Day on Monday at the Student Training and Recreation Complex.

with Armstead and former Temple fullbacks Rob Ritrovato and Nick Sharga.

Staley and Armstead talked individually before the drills started.

Eagles vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas and another Eagles representative talked to Armstead following the conclusion of the running back drills.

Armstead, who is from Millville, New Jersey, said he is aware of the Eagles’ tendency to sign young running backs from the Philadelphia region.

During the past two offseasons, the Eagles signed Glassboro, New Jersey, native Corey Clement and Warrington, Pennsylvania, native Josh Adams. “[Staley] is a great coach, I love what he was saying to me,” Armstead said.

“Small details and what really matters.

All in all, I feel like I had a good day, I feel like he likes me. It was great working out with the Eagles.”

Armstead has a “workout” with the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, he said.

Armstead skipped the 40-yard dash, broad jump or bench press on Monday because he tested in them at the NFL combine on March 1. Armstead ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time of any running back at the combine.

Armstead said he prepares for Temple’s Pro Day the same way he preps for bigger events like the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, at which hundreds of NFL representatives are scouting athletes.

“The combine and senior bowl were bigger than this but prep doesn’t change,

it’s like I said you have to have confidence in yourself,” Armstead said. “Confidence will take you a long way.”

Armstead hopes to be the first Temple running back drafted since Bernard Pierce in 2012. With the NFL Draft about five weeks away, Armstead will continue to condition and work out for teams, hoping to hear his name during the three-day draft, which starts on April 25.

“I am very confident catching the ball, running drills,” he added. “So they asked me to do what I do, that’s my abilities and showcase what I have.” michael.zingrone@temple.edu @mjzingrone

temple-news.com

SPORTS PAGE 21

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

LACROSSE

Virtual reality improves players on-field vision Coach Bonnie Rosen began using the technology with her team in Fall 2018.

BY JAY NEEMEYER Lacrosse Beat Reporter Temple University coach Bonnie Rosen wanted her players to improve their on-field peripheral vision, but that is extremely hard to teach, she said.

She found a way to do so at the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s annual meeting in November 2018.

Rosen met a representative from NeuroTrainer, a company that offers virtual reality technology to improve athletic performance, and she quickly incorporated the equipment into her program.

Players started using the VR equipment in Fall 2018. It has helped players train their peripheral vision and helped goalkeepers make saves. It’s a way to blend technology with coaching, Rosen said.

“Our players are much more aware of what their vision is doing and what they’re seeing,” Rosen added. “That is the current gain. It’s hard to totally tell yet whether they’re better at decision-making. And the bottom line is, the app is a way to really train and learn how to use your vision and to get better at things.”

Players use two programs with the VR headsets and Oculus goggles — one for testing and another for training. The first app tests the players’ baseline reaction time.

Training progresses over time and is intended to build players’ skills when not on the field.

With the first app, players tracked specific basketballs among a field of 10 moving basketballs. As the season progresses, VR training gets more intensive.

Currently, players track smaller balls while the VR produces distractions that

@TTN_Sports @TheTempleNews

HEATHER WENTZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore goalkeeper Olivia Martin wears an Oculus Go virtual reality headset in the locker room at the Temple Sports Complex on Feb. 28.

are virtually thrown at the players.

Players are required to do the VR training three times per week for at least 15 minutes. Baseline tests are also required every few weeks.

“It’s really hard to ever see what players see,” Rosen said. “The idea of getting into the virtual reality piece was really exciting. To find software that I could use to help train our vision, peripheral vision work, was really exciting for me.”

In addition to working on peripheral vision, players can use the goggles to scout opponents and review game and practice film.

The team does not have enough individual VR sets for each player to have her own. A handful of players were permitted to bring the VR equipment home with them during winter break.

There is a specific app for the teams’ goalies that simulate game action. The app has its limitations, but for junior goalkeeper Maryn Lowell it is still helpful.

“You can still step to the ball and make the movements you would [in a game],” Lowell said. “You wouldn’t know if you saved it, but you just have to guess about that.”

Players are ranked by their performances in training and testing sessions.

Ideally, players will show increasing scores in testing and will move to new skills in the training but ultimately, it’s a new way for players to learn skills, Rosen said.

“Using vision and having to do it on a consistent basis is teaching them a lot, just more about what frustrates them, how to perform under frustration, how to learn new skills,” Rosen added. jay.neemeyer@temple.edu @neemeyer_jay

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SPORTS PAGE 23

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 TOURNAMENT

on my chest,” Dunphy said. “The angst is overpowering, to be honest, so [Sunday] is a hard day. When you know you’re in, it’s the greatest day ever. When you know you’re out and have no chance, it’s the worst day ever. Somewhere in between, probably the worse side is when you’re unsure of what’s happening.”

Dunphy will make his 17th career tournament appearance in his final season as the Owls’ coach. His 17 appearances ties former Temple coach John Chaney for the most of any Big 5 coach.

Dunphy has a career 3-16 record in the NCAA Tournament during his career at Penn and Temple.

Tuesday will be the Owls’ first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2015-16 season. The matchup will be the first time that Temple faces Belmont in program history.

The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will play the University of Maryland (2210, 13-7 Big 10 Conference) on Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida at 3:10 p.m.

“I was hopeful that we might get a bye and not have to play in a play-in game, but as long as we are here, we can have fun with it,” senior guard Shizz Alston Jr. said Sunday.

Temple and Belmont each have three players who average more than 14 points per game and 25 minutes per game.

Alston, junior guard Quinton Rose and sophomore guard Nate Pierre-Louis account for 49.5 of Temple’s 74.8 points per game.

I told them I had a big bear sitting on my chest.

The angst is overpowering, to be honest FRAN DUNPHY HEAD COACH

Three Belmont players — freshman center Nick Muszynski and senior guards Dylan Windler and Kevin Mc-

@TTN_Sports @TheTempleNews

SHIZZ ALSTON

QUINTON ROSE

POINTS PER GAME

19.7

POINTS PER GAME

16.5

ASSISTS PER GAME

5

ASSISTS PER GAME

2.5

REBOUNDS PER GAME

2.8

REBOUNDS PER GAME

3.8

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

40.7

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

41.1

MINUTES PER GAME

31.7

MINUTES PER GAME

34.8

DESIGN BY CLAIRE HALLORAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS PHOTO BY JUSTIN OAKES (LEFT) AND COLLEEN CLAGGETT (RIGHT) / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Clain — combine to average 52.6 points per game. As a team, the Bruins average 87.4 points per game, which is second in Division I. Both teams secured two Quadrant I wins this season. Belmont enters the tournament after losing the Ohio Valley Conference championship game to Murray State University on March 9. The Bruins are ranked 47th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool rankings.

Belmont went 2-2 in Quadrant 1 games, while Temple went 2-6. Games are rated Quadrant 1-4 based on location and opponent’s NET ranking. Teams are rewarded most for Quadrant 1 wins.

Belmont compiled a 1-2 record against teams in the 68-team field, splitting its two games with Murray State.

During the regular season, Belmont

fell to Purdue University, which is a No. 3 seed in the South Region.

Temple enters the tournament coming off an 80-74 loss to Wichita State in The American’s postseason tournament quarterfinals. The Owls didn’t advance in the conference tournament after earning a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed.

The Owls hope to use the loss to pick up on mistakes that cost them a victory, junior guard Alani Moore II said.

“That being our last game, that’s what we are pretty much going off of right now,” Moore added. “Going into this next game, we got to make sure we are on top of our game. We have a great team, we are playing a great team. All our toughness, motivation and effort is going to be the thing that puts us over the top.”

Temple hopes to improve on its re-

bounding after Friday’s loss, Rose said.

The Owls allowed the Shockers to grab 16 offensive rebounds and score 12 second-chance points and 34 points in the paint.

If the Owls make a deep run in the tournament, it will also be because of team defense, Moore said.

As the regular season wound down, Temple had pressure to win as many games as possible to boost its tournament resume. This prepared the Owls for the NCAA Tournament’s single-elimination format, Rose said.

“We’ve had a slogan at the end of every huddle, we say that, ‘Every game is a championship game,’” Rose added.

“Nothing changes from here on out.” sam.neumann@temple.edu @SamNeu_

sports@temple-news.com

SPORTS PAGE 24

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019

B E L M O N T

AWA IT S

O W L S IN NCAA

TOURN AMENT

The Owls will face the Bruins in a play-in game on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio at 9:10 p.m.

BY SAM NEUMANN Co-Sports Editor

T

emple University men’s basketball had a long, quiet plane ride on Friday night.

After losing to Wichita State in the American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinals, the Owls questioned their NCAA Tournament fate while traveling home, coach Fran Dunphy said.

But on Sunday, Temple learned it sports@temple-news.com

earned an at-large bid, and relief and excitement filled the Owls’ locker room in the Liacouras Center.

The Owls (23-9, 13-5 The American) will face Belmont University (26-5, 16-2 Ohio Valley Conference) in an NCAA Tournament play-in game on Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio at 9:10 p.m. The two make the tournament as No. 11 seeds.

“I told them I had a big bear sitting TOURNAMENT | PAGE 23 temple-news.com