Vol. 99.5 Iss. 10

VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 10 MARCH 2, 2021

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

THE TEMPLE NEWS

WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES, PAGE 16

Students and faculty share about their first Wellness Day and how they’re adjusting without spring break.

LONGFORM, PAGES 12, 13

Eight student-athletes reflect on navigating a season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

LINING UP FOR A SHOT

Philadelphia is vaccinating people in phases 1A and 1B for COVID-19. Temple students and staff who fall into these groups are receiving vaccines at local clinics, hospitals and colleges. Read more on pages 3, 6 and 7.

The Temple News

PAGE 2

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

Madison Karas Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Correa Managing Editor Colin Evans Digital Managing Editor Tyler Perez Chief Copy Editor Valerie Dowret Assignments Editor Jack Danz News Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant News Editor Amelia Winger Assistant News Editor Christina Mitchell Opinion Editor Magdalena Becker Essay Editor Emma Padner Features Editor Natalie Kerr Assistant Features Editor Lawrence Ukenye Assistant Features Editor Dante Collinelli Sports Editor Isabella DiAmore Assistant Sports Editor Adam Aaronson Assistant Sports Editor Haajrah Gilani Co-Intersection Editor Eden MacDougall Co-Intersection Editor Fallon Roth Staff Writer Maggie Fitzgerald Audience Engagement Editor Iris Wexler Asst. Engagement Editor Colleen Claggett Photography Editor Allie Ippolito Asst. Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Matthew Murray Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Hanna Lipski Assistant Design Editor Tyra Brown Alternative Story Format Editor Maryam Siddiqui Web Editor Carly Civello Advertising Manager Kaila Morris Advertising Manager Luke Smith Business Manager

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

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

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

The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Chief Copy Editor, Assignments Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editor.

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

ON THE COVER

People wait in line to receive the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium walk-in clinic at the Liacouras Center on March 1.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Contacts Visit us online at temple-news.com News Desk 215.204.7419 Email section staff news@temple-news.com letters@temple-news.com features@temple-news.com intersection@temple-news.com sports@temple-news.com The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

CORRECTIONS On Feb. 16, an article on page B8 titled “Small businesses start in Temple classes, clubs” inaccurately identified the year Mary Tran started Mary Makes Macarons. Tran started the business in 2018.

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 Madison Karas at editor@temple-news.com.

Know someone who's making a difference in the Temple or North Central community?

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The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS

Philadelphia increases Temple’s vaccine supply As of March 1, Temple Health has vaccinated roughly 65 percent of its workers for COVID-19.

BY FALLON ROTH Staff Writer

T

he City of Philadelphia has increased its COVID-19 vaccine allocation to Temple University Health System to 2,000 vaccines per week after it decreased the supply to Temple to 1,000 per week in mid-January, wrote Dr. Tony Reed, executive vice president and chief medical officer of Temple University Health System, in an email to The Temple News.

Temple Health received 2,000 vaccines per week beginning Dec. 18, 2020, but that decreased in mid-January, Reed said.

Philadelphia decreased Temple Health’s vaccine allocation because large hospital systems were not administering as many vaccines as before. Philadelphia distributed more vaccines to community clinics, wrote Matthew Rankin, assistant to the director of communications for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, in an email to The Temple News.

Temple Health is currently revisiting departments it already vaccinated to see if any health care workers who were previously hesitant are now comfortable with receiving the vaccine, Reed said.

As of March 1, Temple Health has vaccinated roughly 65 percent of its staff for COVID-19, Reed wrote.

Temple Health, which began administering vaccines to health care workers on Dec. 16, 2020, is currently administering an average of 100 first dose and 200 second dose vaccinations per day to health employees across all hospital campuses, Reed wrote.

Temple Health is also vaccinating roughly 900 patients per day who are either 75 years old or older or have high-risk conditions, like chronic kidney disease, diabetes or cancer, regardless of age, Reed wrote.

Patients who visited Temple Health in the past two years are invited to re-

DANIEL BURKE AND TEMPLE HEALTH / COURTESY A nurse with Temple University Health System fills a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination clinic at Temple University Hospital on Dec. 16, 2020.

ceive their vaccine via the MyTempleHealth patient portal or by phone call, Reed said.

Temple Health is primarily vaccinating current and former outpatients, but inpatients who meet the criteria are also eligible to receive the vaccine, Reed wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Temple Health is primarily receiving Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, Reed said.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two doses 21 and 28 days apart, respectively, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The addition of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which received emergency-use authorization on Feb. 27, will speed up Temple’s vaccination process if it increases the city’s vaccine allocation to Temple University Health System, Reed wrote in an email to The Temple News.

As of Feb. 26, Philadelphia’s vaccine

supply was low, which caused the city to distribute the vaccine in a phased approach, according to the city’s website.

Philadelphia is currently in Phases 1A and 1B of vaccine administration, which includes health care personnel, frontline workers, people with high-risk medical conditions, people above the age of 75 and people working and residing in congregate settings, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

Reed still anticipates that a healthy 19-year-old would not be vaccinated until July or August because the vaccine distribution and allocation process at the federal level has remained stagnant, he said.

As of Feb. 26, Philadelphia expects an increase of vaccine supply in the weeks ahead, according to the city’s website.

“Like many of the city’s residents, we share their excitement in getting vac-

cinated as well as frustration in the lack of available doses,” Rankin wrote in an email to The Temple News. “We wish we could vaccinate everyone and hope to be receiving more doses per week going forward.”

Reed hopes that by the time Philadelphia begins Phase 1C of its vaccine distribution process more vaccination sites in the city will be available, he said.

It is too early to predict when Phase 1C will begin, Rankin wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted that most Americans will be eligible to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as April, but it would take a few more months to vaccinate everyone, the New York Times reported.

The College of Public Health administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to students in clinical settings at the Bell Building on Main Campus in late January, The Temple News reported.

The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium hosted a 24-hour vaccination event at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 where they vaccinated roughly 4,000 individuals from Philadelphia’s 1A and 1B group, The Temple News reported.

The organization hosted another vaccination event on March 1 and will host more on March 2 and March 6 at the Liacouras Center, according to The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium website.

“We would be happy to do that again if needed,” wrote Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university, in an email to The Temple News. “Right now, our focus is building plans for going into the community.”

Reed believes that by vaccinating patients, a large portion of which are Philadelphia residents, Temple Health is contributing to the community, he said.

“We’re here as a community medical center for North Philadelphia, and so we’re taking care of the community by taking care of our patients,” Reed said. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

NEWS

PAGE 4

The Temple News

CORONAVIRUS

Tracers add members, update student questions Temple’s Contact Tracing Unit asks students about symptoms, exposure and medical history.

BY JACK DANZ News Editor Temple University’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Unit added five fulltime contact tracers for the spring semester in addition to the four full-time contact tracers already in the program, said Kara Reid, manager of the Contact Tracing Unit.

The Contact Tracing Unit also recruited three graduate students as parttime contact tracers to help because of the increased number of tests per week, Reid said.

“We’re on a better foot getting started this semester than last year when we had to jump in and do what we could,” Reid said.

The Contact Tracing Unit contacts students who test positive for COVID-19 and other students who are deemed close contacts to tell them to quarantine and get tested, Reid said.

Temple conducted more than 50,000 COVID-19 tests since the spring semester began on Jan. 17, according to the university’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Temple averaged 70 new COVID-19 cases per week since the beginning of the semester on Jan. 17, according to the dashboard.

The Contact Tracing Unit updated its student contact tracing questions, Reid said.

For interviews with positive cases, contact tracers confirm students’ test date and result, determine onset of symptoms and possible exposures, discuss medical history and establish any close contacts, Reid wrote in an email to The Temple News.

For interviews with close contacts, contact tracers ask if students have symptoms and if they were vaccinated.

The Contact Tracing Unit also schedules a COVID-19 test for them five to seven days after their exposure if they are asymptomatic or sooner if they are symptomatic, Reid wrote.

When students test positive for COVID-19, a member of Student Health

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

Services will call them within an hour. If they do not answer, students will receive a message in the Student Health Portal, Reid said.

After several attempts to reach students, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards contacts students as a last resort. Students have responded to 95 percent of the Contact Tracing Unit’s calls and emails, Reid said.

If students ignore the message from the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, Temple will deny them access to university buildings and, in some cases, suspend students. But it is rare for the university to have to discipline students, Reid wrote in an email to The Temple News.

“The vast majority are cooperating,” said Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services. “There is a small minority that has not cooperated, and some of those have been referred to the Stu-

dent Code of Conduct.”

The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards did not respond to a request for comment.

The Contact Tracing Unit calls between 50 and 100 COVID-19 positive students and their close contacts per week this semester. Each contact tracer handles about 15 cases per week and makes sure students are quarantining and getting tested, Reid said.

A close contact is an individual who spends 15 cumulative minutes within six feet of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, Denys said.

Students and faculty in in-person classes are not usually considered close contacts, but the Contact Tracing Unit will notify them if someone in their class tests positive for COVID-19 with a proximity notification, Reid said.

“Say you’re in a classroom, even though you’re six feet apart, your risk is

really low, but it’s not zero,” she added.

The Contact Tracing Unit sent about 30 proximity notifications to classrooms this semester, as of March 1. Students and faculty who receive a proximity notification do not have to quarantine or get tested unless they show symptoms of COVID-19, Reid said.

The Contact Tracing Unit doesn’t trace cases among faculty and staff. If faculty or staff members test positive, a small team in Employee Health Services handles their cases, Reid added.

If students and faculty continue to practice the four pillars of public health and get vaccinated, Temple could open for a more normal semester in the fall, Reid said.

“There is a light at the end of the horizon,” she said. “You know, we’ve got the vaccine coming.” john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

CAMPUS

Temple finalizes job, prepares for Paley remodel The construction project was the last in a string of renovations between Broad and 11th streets.

BY FALLON ROTH Staff Writer Temple University is finalizing renovations to Anderson and Gladfelter Halls and Polett Walk as part of its East Gateway Project. The university completed the most significant renovations to the walkway and Anderson Hall lobby in December 2020.

The university added a new lobby for the College of Liberal Arts in Anderson Hall with couches and tables, light fixtures and wood strips to the ceiling of the tunnel between 11th and 12th streets and a new red staircase leading to the roof above the 12th Street Vendor Pad. Temple also renovated the roof between Anderson and Gladfelter Halls and expanded the tunnel between 11th and 12th streets.

“We wanted to make the space more attractive to the students and the larger Temple community so that it will be a used location rather than what it was currently, not being used by many on campus,” said Dozie Ibeh, the associate vice president for the Project Delivery Group, Temple’s construction and renovation planning group.

The new lobby in Anderson Hall creates a bigger space and community environment for students traveling to and from classes, said Richard Deeg, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

“We lacked really a common space where people could gather and where students could study between classes, or faculty and students could gather,” Deeg said.

The College of Liberal Arts wanted a space that could build a strong community within the college, Deeg said.

The project opened up the tunnel along Polett Walk between 11th and 12th streets to allow more natural light to enter the previously “gloomy space,” which receives frequent foot traffic from students and faculty, Ibeh said.

“We wanted to enhance the space and make it a lot more inviting, identify the 11th Street area as the entry point,

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS The College of Liberal Arts is seen from 12th Street on Temple’s campus on Feb. 22.

the eastern gateway into the university,” he added.

Sean Gallagher, a sophomore financial planning major, uses the tunnel to walk to his job with Temple facilities management on 10th Street near Montgomery Avenue, he said.

“Coming from the apartment where I live, this thing opening up saves me so much time,” he said. “It looks beautiful too.”

The initial catalyst for the renovations, which began in July 2019, was the leaky roof between Anderson and Gladfelter Halls, Ibeh said. The university decided to complete the roof, tunnel and lobby in this area of campus at once, he added. The university also mentioned a renovation of Anderson and Gladfelter Halls in their 2014 master plan known as “Visualize Temple.”

The plan outlined implementing a “technology-rich” space to improve the classroom experience and removing the overhead platform at Gladfelter and Anderson Halls, according to the master plan. The document also addresses planned Main Campus alterations, including improved classrooms in Wachman Hall; building Charles Library, which opened in August 2019; and renovating Ritter Hall, which the College of Education and Human Development allocated $5 million for in 2020.

The Project Delivery Group is currently in the early stages of working on

other campus construction projects, like the renovation of Paley Hall for use by the College of Public Health and redesigning Ritter Hall for the College of Education and Human Development, Ibeh said.

The College of Liberal Arts advising center and professional development center, which were previously housed in Paley Hall, have been moved to the first floor of Gladfelter Hall to make way for these new renovations, Deeg said.

Temple is holding around 13 percent of its classes in person this semester, but plans to hold classes primarily in person for the Fall 2021 semester, The Temple News reported.

The East Gateway Project still requires some finishing touches, like planting greenery and installing furniture on the roof between Anderson and Gladfelter Halls, Ibeh wrote in an email to The Temple News. The tunnel and Anderson lobby are open for student use, while the roof will be opened up once the weather gets better, he wrote.

“I like the renovations inside the building,” said Anthony Martini, a junior sport and recreation management major. “It gives Anderson and Gladfelter a different look.”

The project is considered the “last leg” of a string of hardscape university renovations between Broad and 11th streets, Ibeh said.

Previous hardscape renovations in-

clude Charles Library, which displays a stone-covered exterior that blends in with its surroundings and utilizes green infrastructure, The Temple News reported.

The Project Delivery Group had encountered some setbacks in the East Gateway Project due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Gov. Tom Wolf closed nonessential businesses on March 16, 2020, The Temple News reported.

The East Gateway Project was on pause for six weeks from March 20, 2020, to May 4, 2020, due to the governor’s restrictions, Ibeh wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Wolf announced that construction sites were allowed to reopen on May 8, 2020, as long as they followed COVID-19 guidelines, like social distancing, The Temple News reported.

Supply-chain issues in August 2020 also delayed the construction at Anderson and Gladfelter Halls, The Temple News reported.

“This project, and any of our projects, our objective is always to improve the physical environment on Temple’s campuses,” Ibeh said. “That’s our objective to, you know, create better learning environments, to create spaces that are safe and comfortable and that are attractive to people and our students.” fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

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NEWS

The Temple News

CORONAVIRUS

Students in phases 1A, 1B get COVID-19 vaccines Students in health care settings and those with high-risk medical conditions received vaccines.

BY LAWRENCE UKENYE AND MADISON KARAS For The Temple News Kaamil Jones missed his World Affairs class once in January and once in February to get his first and second shots of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

But his professor didn’t mind.

“He was ecstatic for me, actually,” said Jones, a junior journalism major.

“He was like, ‘You’re a very lucky person.

Congratulations.’”

Navigating a cumbersome distribution process between national, state and city coordination, some Temple University students who fall into Philadelphia’s Phase 1A and Phase 1B categories are receiving vaccinations for COVID-19 almost a year after the outbreak was declared a pandemic. Following weeks of waiting for appointments and finding providers, students are relieved to be some of the first among their peers to receive their shots.

Pennsylvania is currently administering vaccines to people in its Phase 1A category, which includes health care workers, residents in long-term care facilities and all persons ages 65 and older.

People ages 16 and older are also eligible if they suffer from medical conditions like cancer, chronic kidney disease or coronary artery disease, The Temple News reported.

Philadelphia accelerated its vaccine distribution in January, vaccinating members of its 1B category, which includes essential workers like teachers, transit workers and first responders, The Temple News reported. Members of the 1A category, like hospital staff and workers in long-term care facilities, are also still eligible.

Temple is working with the city to create a vaccination plan for its population and nearby residents, wrote President Richard Englert in an announcement Monday in which the university also announced it will hold mostly in-person classes for the Fall 2021

LAWRENCE UKENYE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, prepares Moderna vaccines during the walk-up vaccination clinic at the Liacouras Center on March 1.

semester.

As of March 1, 210,654 Philadelphians have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 101,983 have received a second dose, The Temple News reported.

The two available COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, developed

by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, use mRNA technology to help make antibodies against COVID-19 and require two doses given several weeks apart, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

On Feb. 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, making it the third vaccine available in the U.S, and distribution could start today, NBC News reported. The vaccine showed 85 percent effectiveness at preventing severe disease and requires only one dose.

To sign up to receive a COVID-19

vaccine, Philadelphians can register through the city by completing an interest form on the Philadelphia Department of Public Health website. The form became available on Jan. 21 and asks residents for their address, contact information and if they work in a health care setting. Residents will also have to select if they suffer from a variety of health conditions.

The city operates three mass vaccination sites at the Martin Luther King Adult Center on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 22nd St, University of Sciences in Philadelphia on 42nd Street near Woodland Avenue and the Community Academy of Philadelphia on Erie Avenue near K Street.

On Feb. 19, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it is partnering with the city to operate a vaccination site tomorrow at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, The Temple News reported.

Residents can also receive the vaccine by registering with other health care organizations. Jones received his Moderna vaccine through the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, a nonprofit COVID-19 vaccine and testing organization that is running vaccine clinics throughout the city. The consortium operated the city’s first 24-hour vaccination clinic for those in Phase 1B and select ZIP codes at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 19, The Temple News reported.

Jones signed up to be vaccinated through the consortium in January because he works in food preparation as a hostess at Parc restaurant in Rittenhouse Square and is frequently worried about his exposure to COVID-19 at work, he said.

“As places were opening up registry sites, I just signed up to a whole bunch of them,” Jones added. “Any one that I saw, I just signed up and was just going to choose whoever called me back first.”

The Temple News

The Black Doctors Consortium then notified him of an appointment for his first shot on Jan. 28 at Deliverance Evangelistic Church on Lehigh Avenue near 20th Street and scheduled his second dose for Feb. 25.

The Black Doctors Consortium is no longer using online registration for COVID-19 vaccines, Billy Penn reported in a tweet.

The consortium is hosting walk-up vaccination clinics at the Liacouras Center on March 2 and March 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m for people 75 and older and residents in the city’s Phase 1B category in “hardest hit” ZIP codes defined by the organization, which are: 19104, 19119, 19120, 19121, 19123, 19126, 19131, 19132, 19133, 19138, 19139, 19140, 19141, 19142, 19143, 19144, 19146, 19150, 19151 and 19153.

The consortium will also be offering second shots of the Moderna vaccine at Christian Stronghold Baptist Church on Lancaster Avenue near 48th Street on March 4 and March 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dr. Ala Stanford, founder of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, is happy to host a vaccine clinic near Temple’s Main Campus but wants to ensure residents that are most vulnerable have access to the vaccine first, she said.

“I’m obviously appreciative of Liacouras [Center], but I am not going to allow folks to take advantage, no more than we allow affluent folks to come into poor neighborhoods and take vaccines,” she said.

Stanford has vaccinated students with eligible medical conditions and hopes to vaccinate more students when the city expands eligibility to their 1C category and beyond, she added. Individuals in the 1C category include sanitation workers, utility workers and postal and package delivery workers.

The city will likely not expand its eligibility to the 1C category until the end of April, 6ABC reported. After the city moves past Phase 1C, anyone 16 and older will be eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 2.

“I hope all those kids show up because I’m going to need a good doctor one day and I’m sure some of them are science majors,” Stanford said. “I would be happy to serve them.”

Each state orders vaccine shipments and develops plans for distribution, according to the Department of Health and

NEWS Human Services.

The national vaccine rollout, which began on Dec. 14, 2020, started off slow as pharmaceutical companies struggled with supply chain issues and an uncoordinated federal response, NBC News reported.

Vaccinations are now increasing as the U.S. is administering 1.73 million doses per day, up from 1.3 million doses per day on Jan. 25, according to Bloomberg’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker.

On Dec. 1, 2020, the CDC recommended health care workers and residents in long-term care facilities are prioritized in distribution.

Emily Chrupcala, a junior health information management major who works in the radiology department at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, received her first of the Moderna vaccine on Dec. 22, 2020.

“I came into work and I thought it was just a normal day but then everyone was vaccinated,” Chrupcala said. “It was right before Christmas, so it was an early Christmas present.”

When she received her second dose on Jan. 21, Chrupcala listened to her online class in her car while driving an hour to Abington-Lansdale Hospital from Jefferson Health, she said.

While she’s relieved to have protection from COVID-19, she still hopes people who need the vaccine more than her are able to access it, she said.

“There’s so many people out there who haven’t gotten it who also deserve to get it more than me because I’m still young and healthy,” Chrupcala added.

Quinn McHugh, a senior public health major, became eligible to be vaccinated because their virtual internship with Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization that works to combat childhood injuries, might soon require in-person work.

They received their first dose on Jan. 20 and their second dose on Feb. 17, both at the Bell Building on Main Campus as part of the College of Public Health’s vaccination program.

The College of Public Health is vaccinating some people associated with the college, including students, faculty and staff in clinical settings, The Temple News reported.

Pennsylvania is additionally distributing some vaccine doses to pharmacies like Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens,

PAGE 7

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS A sign inside Rite Aid on Broad Street near Oxford gives information about COVID-19 vaccines.

where appointments for the vaccine at the pharmacy are available to eligible residents through the federal Pharmacy Partnership Program, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Ryan Feuerstein, a senior sport and recreation management major, signed up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine through multiple organizations and clinics in January because he has eligible medical conditions.

He was scheduled to receive a vaccine at Rite Aid on Broad Street near Girard on Feb. 24. However, Feuerstein received a notification from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Feb. 21 that he could receive it on Feb. 22 through their vaccination program, so he got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine then.

“The process itself was overwhelmingly stressful because of how hard it is to get [a] shot,” Feuerstein said. “I got lucky getting the Rite Aid appointment as soon as those were made available.

That would have been for the Moderna and I mean when I was called to get in a couple of days early I said, ‘Screw it, why not just get it earlier, get it over with?’”

Feuerstein said getting his first shot was “quick and painless,” but his arm was a bit sore afterward. Some people can have side effects to receiving the vaccine, like pain or swelling in a person’s arm, headaches or tiredness a day or two after receiving it, according to the CDC. Feuerstein is excited to get his second shot on March 14 so he can feel more comfortable doing activities like

playing baseball when seasons start around April, he said.

Between 70 and 85 percent of the U.S. population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a Dec. 20, 2020, interview on CNN. Herd immunity will allow for the loosening of social restrictions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19, Fauci said.

Other experts say the U.S. will reach herd immunity by vaccinating between 65 and 80 percent of the population, CNN reported on Feb. 26.

At the current pace of the national rollout for COVID-19 vaccinations, 70 percent of the U.S. population may be vaccinated by Sept. 10 and 90 percent by Nov. 20, the New York Times reported on March 1.

Jones is excited to see his roommates who work in restaurants also get vaccinated soon. He used to only leave his house to go to his job and his two in-person classes, but now may start doing more activities, he said. Mostly, he’s just relieved to be able to worry less about getting sick.

“I feel completely different about everything pretty much like, I mean, I’m just happier to like not be on edge all the time,” Jones added. lawrence.ukenye@temple.edu @lawrencee_u karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

OPINION

PAGE 8 EDITORIAL

Wellness Days aren’t enough In October 2020, Temple University announced it would push back the start of classes and cancel spring break for the Spring 2021 semester to limit student travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To allow students a break from class work, the university announced in December 2020 it would cancel synchronous classes on two “Wellness Days” on Feb. 23 and March 24.

The Editorial Board understands Temple’s decision to cancel spring break: it’s a necessary measure to limit the spread of COVID-19 on Temple’s campuses and across the country. The Editorial Board also appreciates Temple’s willingness to provide students with some relief during the middle of the semester.

However, the Editorial Board recognizes two days without classes may give students momentary respite from their stress, but it doesn’t give them enough time to decom-

press or catch up on missed work, especially if students don’t have synchronous class meetings on one or both Wellness Days.

Instead, the Editorial Board suggests schools and colleges consider alternative models like the College of Engineering’s relief week, in which synchronous classes are canceled and major projects are not assigned or due from March 8 through 12. Temple should work with individual schools and departments to plan multiple consecutive Wellness Days based on the needs of different programs.

As students, we know how physically exhausting, emotionally tasking and academically strenuous a semester without spring break can be, especially during a pandemic, and we ask the university to empathize with these challenges to promote students’ grades and overall well-being.

EDITORIAL

Use SNAP eligibility Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration temporarily expanded access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for college-aged students last month, The Temple News reported.

The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 will allow students with an expected family contribution of $0 or those who qualify for work study to receive SNAP benefits, in addition to increasing the benefit amount by 15 percent through June 30, The Temple News reported.

The Editorial Board urges students to take advantage of this opportunity for as long as it lasts.

Students can apply online at Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services website for SNAP benefits and don’t have to go through an interview process for it.

Hunger is a public health crisis

on college campuses, affecting student’s physical health and academic performance. While some resources on campus, like the Cherry Pantry, give students access to free, nonperishable food, SNAP benefits give single people a maximum of $234 a month to spend at any grocery store, The Temple News reported.

Food insecurity can cause decreased physical health, poorer mental health and depression, Forbes reported.

Many students are in a different situation than they were one year ago. While society places a stigma on food stamps and benefits, government assistance is not shameful.

Applying for and receiving these programs during this time is okay. Students should not be afraid to ask for help, and everyone deserves to eat.

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

I long for live music in a packed stadium

I could feel the stress, anxiety and worA student describes her last conry of the week before then wash away. I felt cert before the COVID-19 pandemconnected to everyone in the crowd, to life ic and how she misses festivals.

BY MOLLY MCGOWAN For The Temple News

L

ooking back at old videos and pictures is a habit of mine. I long for visuals that remind me of normalcy in the most abnormal time I’ve ever experienced.

I stare at pictures of myself in crowded fields and stadiums, pressed up against thousands of people who came for the same reason — the experience of watching and listening to live music.

There’s a certain connection between every single person in the space. The energy of the artist pours down the stage and into the crowd, flooding each concertgoer with bliss.

Concerts are beautiful because everyone, no matter if it’s a couple hundred or a couple thousand people, has at least one thing in common: they want to be there to see the artist live.

In May 2019, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled live music, I was surrounded by thousands of people at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City.

I was there mostly to see Brockhampton and Tyler, the Creator, but artists like Blood Orange, Mitski, Hippo Campus and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever also performed that day.

My two best friends and I lay in the green fields of Governors Island listening to music and waiting for our favorite artists to come on stage. When it was time for Brockhampton to perform, we rushed to the stage and dove into a crowd of fellow fans.

The sun set over the New York City skyline as Brockhampton played their closing song, “1999 Wildfire.” Watching the pink-and-white sky envelope the city while hearing my favorite band play my favorite song live was serene.

and to the music.

Later that night, Tyler, the Creator performed his album “Igor” for the first time live. After listening to the album for weeks and memorizing every word to every song, it was exciting to sing and rap along.

We danced and jumped along to “New Magic Wand,” rapping his lyrics so loud we couldn’t even hear his voice above our own.

I couldn’t help but glue my eyes to the stage, smiling at his every move and singing along to every word. Seeing him live that night was like tying a bow on the perfect day.

As I sat next to my friend on the train ride home, eyes half open and exhausted, I said to her, “Today was the kind of day that will be hard to top.”

I was right, but I had no idea just how special that experience would be to me, as it would be my last concert before the COVID-19 pandemic.

I had tickets to two concerts last year, one to see Thundercat in March 2020 and one to see Harry Styles in July 2020, but they were canceled. When the dates for the concerts came up on my calendar, it was like someone punched me in the stomach.

I’ve had nothing to look forward to for a year, and I don’t have any more concerts planned for the foreseeable future.

I crave the feeling I felt that day at Governors Ball. I wish I could hear my favorite song blaring through speakers, shaking my soul. But I mostly miss the feeling of being connected to others — to strangers — through music.

It’s a shame that the closest I can come to live music now is scrolling through my camera roll, but these memories keep me hopeful for when I am finally able to see my favorite artists live in concert again.

I’m eager for the day when I can push myself against the barricade, fight my way through a mosh pit and lose my voice screaming the lyrics again. molly.mcgowan@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

STUDENT LIFE

Every Temple college should have a ‘relief week’ A student argues other schools should give students a week off like the College of Engineering.

On Jan. 18, the College of Engineering announced to their students that March 8 through 12 will be a “relief week,” meaning no major homework will be assigned or due, no exams will be CHRISTINA MITCHELL scheduled and no synOpinion Editor chronous classes will be held on these five days.

As many students are taking or about to take midterms, this week is stressful enough without the added burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other colleges within Temple University should collaborate with their students and give them something similar to a relief week, allowing them to catch up on work and catch their breath.

The academic departments of the College of Engineering came up with the idea by holding listening sessions with students last semester, wrote Shawn Fagan, assistant dean of the College of Engineering, in an email to The Temple News.

“Engineering is a challenging pursuit under the best of circumstances, but our students and faculty have really worked hard during this period,” Fagan wrote.

On Oct. 26, 2020, Temple pushed the spring semester back one week and canceled spring break, which was scheduled to be March 1 through 7.

On Dec. 17, 2020, Temple implemented two Wellness Days, one on Feb. 23 and one on March 24. Classes would be canceled on these days, but the announcement did not mention canceling homework assignments or exams.

Not having to wake up for my 8 a.m. class last Tuesday was refreshing, but postponing my Tuesday classes only made my Thursday course load more grueling, and unfortunately, I ended up spending the Wellness Day doing homework anyway.

If anything, the Wellness Day made

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

me more stressed because I felt guilty not taking the day off but anxious taking a minute to myself while knowing I had homework due the next day.

Because I don’t have class on Wednesday, I don’t expect next month’s Wellness Day to be any different.

While the Wellness Day was a good idea, it’s not enough; more colleges should do what the College of Engineering decided to do and give students a full week off, said James Calcagni, a senior mechanical engineering major.

“This semester has been very taxing mentally,” Calcagni said. “I do not find the online teaching to be very effective, and most of my learning has actually been self-learning. Considering there is no spring break this semester, having a reprieve week is really a good idea to give us a mental break.”

In an August 2020 study from the American Psychological Association, nearly 90 percent of adults ages 18 to 23

said education was a significant source of stress, U.S. News reported.

College students are under so much stress that taking any rest can feel like a waste of valuable time that could have been spent doing something productive.

However, breaks are essential to improving physical and emotional well-being, restoring motivation for long-term goals, increasing productivity and creativity, consolidating memory and improving learning, Psychology Today reported.

Regardless of the pandemic, Aliya Poblete, a junior environmental engineering major, has a hectic schedule leading up to this week, she said.

“The thought of this relief week was a great way to not burn out like crazy,” Poblete said.

Engineering is a notoriously difficult major, and an entire week in March may not work with every other college, but departments should be asking for

student input on breaks this semester.

The Wellness Resource Center will be hosting Wellness Week, a series of educational events and workshops related to mental and sexual health, during the week of March 8 through 12 on Zoom.

The speakers will cover topics like selfcare, loneliness and supporting peers.

Although this is a nice thought, a more practical way to improve students’ well-being is to give students a week or even a few days to close their computer and get off Zoom.

“If [Temple] wants their students to perform more efficiently, there needs to be a way to not overwork the student body, which then becomes counterintuitive to our learning process,” Poblete said. christina.mitchell@temple.edu @clmitchell1799

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

HEALTH

Spring break is canceled and so is your vacation A student encourages others not to travel this week despite the temptation of warm beaches.

One year ago, this would have been the start of a weeklong spring break. But this year, spring break was canceled at the beginning of the semester to discourage students from traveling.

MAYA RAHMAN For The Temple While I was disNews appointed that I will not be able to travel for spring break during my senior year, I wouldn’t feel right traveling in the middle of a pandemic.

I understand why others may be tempted to pack their bags, hop on a plane and escape the recurring snow in Philadelphia. Students need a break in the middle of 14 weeks of uninterrupted classes, but they should do so by taking time to themselves and finding leisurely, safe activities in the city, not by journeying across the country and tuning into online classes from afar.

In addition to being cooped up for a year, students were snowed in twice last month. The weather in Philadelphia is cold and dreary, which can contribute to seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression typically experienced in winter, according to Mayo Clinic.

In adolescence and early adulthood, the part of the brain most sensitive to social rewards develops faster than the part responsible for rational, consequence-driven decision making. Teens and young adults also thrive off social connections to build their identities, something they can’t do when they’re trapped inside, CNN reported.

Therefore, students are more likely to make impulsive, risky decisions and ignore social distancing.

On top of seasonal depression and cabin fever, students are afflicted by pandemic fatigue, so after having spring break taken away, it’s not surprising that they would want to travel anyway.

COVID-19 cases are “extremely”

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

high, and people should delay unnecessary travel, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although students may feel well, they could spread COVID-19 to family, friends and strangers during or after travel, according to the CDC. Students who travel right now could also come in contact with variants that are not as prevalent in Philadelphia and bring it back, said Sarah Bass, a social and behavioral sciences professor.

“Students should seriously consider if the risks of getting COVID-19, or bringing it back to those who aren’t vaccinated yet and are at risk of negative effects, is worth it,” Bass said.

Still, it’s understandable why students are impatient and eager for a traditional spring break, given that they only have two Wellness Days scheduled a month apart, said Sean Williams, a ju-

nior computer science major.

“I feel like spring break is something we as students look forward to doing,” Williams said.

Airline travel plummeted last March and April, but since July 2020, the number of passengers who passed through Transportation Security Administration at airports has continued to rise, dipping in late January and spiking again in February, NBC News reported.

As the United States just reached the somber milestone of 500,000 COVID-19 deaths in one year, it doesn’t sit right with me when my friends brag about going to different countries or post pictures of them traveling and partying on their Instagram stories, as if it’s 2019.

Students should avoid unnecessary travel if not for their own health and safety, then out of respect for the health and safety of others, said Cindy Nguyen,

a senior Spanish major, who would typically spend this week with her family in her hometown but canceled because of COVID-19.

“I would feel absolutely terrible if I found out someone had gotten sick from COVID-19 because of me, especially my parents or grandpa,” Nguyen said.

Traveling to Cancun, Mexico, or Miami, Florida, for spring break should not be more important than your health or the health of others. Students should continue to follow the four pillars and be safe this spring so that next year we can all have our much-needed postponed and post-COVID-19 vacation.

“Young adults have been a significant reason for [the] spread, but they can also be a significant reason for it not being spread,” Bass said. maya.rahman@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

HEALTH

Don’t abandon masks because you’re vaccinated Asymptomatic carriers take fewer vaccine clinic on Feb. 17, Feb. 24 and erna vaccines do not reach their peak A student urges others who are precautions because they are unaware Feb. 25 or the Black Doctors COVID-19 effectiveness until two weeks after the vaccinated to follow protocol to of their status, according to the Dietrich Consortium 24-hour pop-up at the Li- second dose, according to the Centers protect unvaccinated people.

As I walked through the back door of the TECH Center last Wednesday, I sighed a breath of relief through my mask. The sun was shining, it was 55 degrees and I was fully vaccinated against CHRISTINA COVID-19.

MITCHELL Opinion Editor After one year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, I was eligible to receive the vaccine through my internship. I felt like a sense of normalcy was finally within my grasp.

Unfortunately, we are not quite there yet.

Until scientists have confirmed if people who are vaccinated can still spread the virus, we should practice the safe behaviors that are proven to be effective, like wearing a mask and social distancing. Being vaccinated is not a free pass to immediately revert to pre-pandemic actions and potentially put those who aren’t vaccinated at risk.

Scientists are studying if people who are vaccinated can shed viral particles, meaning they would show no symptoms but be contagious, NPR reported.

Because we don’t yet know whether vaccinated people can spread the disease, we should act like it, wrote Aimee Palumbo, an assistant epidemiology professor, in an email to The Temple News.

“Overall rates have been coming down and should continue to do so as more and more people get vaccinated, but right now community spread is also still high enough that we should remain concerned about large crowds and especially close interactions with strangers,” Palumbo wrote.

Students are more likely to break COVID-19 rules because they’re still processing the pandemic and the mixed messages related to the safety of in-person classes, CNN reported.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.

Despite being fully vaccinated, Anaiyah Morgan, a sophomore public health major, wants to set an example for others who aren’t vaccinated yet by still following COVID-19 protocol.

“I’m still wearing my mask, staying away from parties and not traveling to play my role in the process of getting to the light at the end of the tunnel that is this pandemic,” Morgan said.

Philadelphia is currently in Phase 1B, vaccinating frontline health care workers, essential workers and people with chronic health conditions. Students who fall under one of these categories were eligible to receive their vaccine through the College of Public Health’s

acouras Center on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.

Although it’s likely that two vaccinated people can hang out unmasked, we don’t know, said Jason Gallagher, a clinical professor in the School of Pharmacy.

“It’s not wise to just go into the world and say you’re good,” Gallagher added. “People should think in terms of who they interact with rather than if they’ll get sick.”

When I heard I still had to follow pandemic protocol, I wanted to throw my hands in the air, wondering what’s the point of getting vaccinated if I still have to wear a mask and keep my distance. But it will pay off in the long run when we can eventually ease restrictions.

While I was initially confused, I realized the Pfizer/BioNTech and Mod-

for Disease Control and Prevention.

As more students have the opportunity to receive the vaccine, their attitudes will change, and they can calculate their risk and make decisions differently than they would have a few months ago. But for now, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“We want to encourage people to get the vaccine since that really is the only way that we will get out of this without additional excess hospitalizations and deaths, so positive messages that vaccination will allow us to slowly get back to normal are needed,” Palumbo wrote. christina.mitchell@temple.edu @clmitchell1799

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

PAGE 12

LONGFORM

The Temple News

COLLEEN CLAGGETT AND NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS (From left to right) Sophomore back Emma Nesbitt takes a shot on goal during practice at Howarth Field on Aug. 18, 2020. Freshman guard Jeremiah Williams dribbles the ball down the court during the Owls’ game against the University of Cincinnati at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 4. Senior midfielder Julia Dolan controls the ball during the Owls’ game against the University of Central Florida at the Temple Sports Complex on Feb. 14. Redshirt-senior defender Brandon Johnson runs after the ball during the Owls’ game against the University of Central Florida at the Temple Sports Complex on Feb. 13.

ATHLETICS

‘We come to practice every day like it’s our last’

Eight student-athletes reflect on their season of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

BY ISABELLA DIAMORE AND ASA CADWALLADER For The Temple News

B

efore returning to Temple University for the Fall 2020 semester, Brandon Johnson spent his summer months alongside teammates training and trying to remain optimistic about the coming season, which would be his last as a Temple student-athlete.

“We went on a lot of runs, found random fields to play on, and if we got kicked off, we hopped fences and found other places to train,” said Johnson, a redshirt-senior defender on the men’s

soccer team. “But in the back of a lot of players’ minds, we knew it wasn’t going to be certain we would have a season.”

On Aug. 25, 2020, Johnson’s concerns were realized when The American Athletic Conference announced the postponement of men’s soccer start until Spring 2021.

Postponed seasons, crowdless games and an increase in COVID-19 tests are just a few of the new realities student-athletes like Johnson have adapted to as Temple’s fall, winter and spring sports teams struggle to maintain some sense of a normal season of competition amid the ongoing pandemic.

With the long list of challenges this year has brought, here’s how eight student-athletes navigated their seasons of uncertainty.

PANDEMIC LOGISITCS

The continuation of Temple Athletics has been contingent on a strict set of safety procedures intended to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19 during the 2020-21 academic year. This represents a unique challenge due to the frequent close-contact interactions between student-athletes and athletic staff on a daily basis.

A major logistical hurdle during the 2020-21 season is implementing COVID-19 testing programs and social distancing protocols in athletic facilities across campus.

In the fall semester, student-athletes would receive testing every Monday prior to practice starting, said Kevin Addison, associate director of athletic training, on Jan. 11.

With 12 in-season sports competing

this spring, Temple Athletics increased the amount of times student-athletes are tested for all sports compared to this past fall, while only six sports were being managed.

Student-athletes in intermediate risk sports, which the NCAA categorizes by level of contact while competing, like soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and rowing, must receive one polymerase chain reaction test per week by the university.

Student-athletes in low-risk sports, like cross country, gymnastics, tennis and track and field, must receive one PCR test 72 hours before competition, The Temple News reported.

Temple Athletics designated both basketball and volleyball as high-risk sports due to the close proximity between student-athletes in practice and competitive settings. Student-athletes

The Temple News

from these teams are required to obtain two PCR tests and an antigen test every week, The Temple News reported.

The men’s basketball program postponed eight games so far this season due to COVID-19 protocol issues.

“It felt like every time we were getting it going or we’re getting into a groove and we would start to really know one another, we would get shut down for a week or two,” said men’s basketball freshman guard Jeremiah Williams.

Despite constant schedule changes, alterations to the layout of practice was another adjustment the men’s basketball program had to adapt to, which made it difficult when trying to build relationships with different teammates, he added.

During a normal season, the Owls would all work out together on the court or in the weight room, but this season the team splits up into groups to create a smaller and distanced practice, Williams said.

“It might be me, De’Vondre Perry and Quincy Ademokoya one day, and maybe the next day it would be me, Damian Dunn and Jake Forrester in a group,” Williams said. “Coach would try to mix up the groups to mesh different personalities.”

For the women’s basketball team, the women are socially distant at their practices and wear masks at all times off the court, said Temple women’s basketball junior forward Alexa Williamson.

Williamson saw in the fall how the lack of practice time affected the Owls’ physical shape compared to past seasons.

“If we got to be there in the summer for training, and we didn’t keep getting postponements, our fitness level would be different since we would have had more time in the facilities,” Williamson said.

In the fall, because student-athletes were unable to use the weight room, training room and locker room facilities, Temple Athletics created a makeshift weight room outside in tents on Temple Sports Complex. This spring, the athletic department is allowing student-athletes to use the facilities, but there are restrictions and guidelines in place, like capacity limits and mask requirements, Addison said on Jan. 11.

Student-athletes must sign up for a time slot on Canvas to visit a trainer, while in previous seasons they were

LONGFORM able to walk in at any time, said Temple women’s soccer senior midfielder Julia Dolan.

Intermediate risk sports are not required to wear a mask when practicing or competing, but it’s encouraged when in close contact with others, according to the NCAA’s COVID-19 protocol.

“We put our masks on when we are collected together as a group, but when we get out on the field to train, we pull them down,” Johnson said. “For me, that wasn’t too invasive to have on my neck.”

Inside the weight room, everyone wears a mask and student-athletes have to stay in one spot and go through a rotation, said Temple field hockey sophomore back Emma Nesbitt.

“Only 10 girls are allowed in the locker at a time, which is interesting cause usually we would spend that time as a team in the locker room getting everyone pumped up,” Nesbitt added.

“Those were minor difficulties that really stuck out to me and made things difficult at times.”

A MENTAL ADJUSTMENT

Amid the complete absence of competition for many Temple Athletics teams during the last 12 months, adjustments to the day-to-day student-athlete experience are not only physical but also social and mental.

In distanced practices, team leaders like Nesbitt have struggled to keep their team motivated amid uncertainty about whether they’ll be able to compete.

“This fall, we had a practice schedule of 20 hours set aside a week, which is usually only in season when competing,” Nesbitt said. “So to have such intense practices and the end goal was February, looking for those games that were just so far out was a challenge.”

Maintaining a strong sense of camaraderie among teammates while working toward their own goals for the season has been a challenge for team leaders like Temple men’s soccer senior defender Pierre Cayet.

“We kept adapting and tried to make the best out of it, whether it was doing individual workouts or finding a different field, as a senior I did my best to help my coaches and take on some leadership for this team,” Cayet said.

Ongoing interruptions to competition schedules, and fewer opportunities to interact with fellow teammates outside of practice strained the bonds typically made between freshmen student-athletes and upperclassmen.

“Freshmen couldn’t hang out or meet others besides their teammates, who were already best friends with each other,” Nesbitt said. “The seniors understood that and made it their goal to have everyone feel welcomed.”

The pandemic also affected student-athletes’ relationships outside of athletics.

Fear of potentially exposing fellow teammates to COVID-19 kept many student-athletes from returning home to see family and friends, including Nesbitt, who has limited her travel to and from her home in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Being a devoted student-athlete is all about committing time to one’s individual program, but making those small sacrifices, like not seeing family or friends in their free time, is a price student-athletes have to pay to practice and compete,” Nesbitt said.

Student-athletes’ rigorous training schedules paired with the everyday uncertainty of the pandemic and its potential impact on competition has been a difficult adjustment for many athletes, including Williamson.

“When you go into quarantine, you never know when your next game is going to be or when you’re going to play again,” Williamson said. “It’s hard, but the people I’m close to, that I couldn’t be around or see, I would just make sure I talk to them over the phone or FaceTime.”

The fact that no matter how safe the team is, there is always a chance that someone may test positive has been a challenging reality to accept, said Temple women’s cross country senior Michelle Joyce.

“We come to practice every day like it’s our last,” Nesbitt said.

POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS

Student-athletes have tried to stay positive about the future and learn to appreciate being able to compete.

The men’s cross country team encountered difficulties early on in the fall during their trail runs in various parts of the city because they were heckled by Philadelphia residents for not wearing masks, said Temple men’s cross country senior Kristian Jensen.

“Both the administration and coaches got emails saying they weren’t happy with us running around the city, so we actually decided to leave Philly and go to Montana for training camp for two months in the fall,” Jensen said.

With the help of parents, the men’s cross country team packed up and traveled to a cabin owned by the family of

PAGE 13

a fellow teammate in Red Lodge, Montana, where they spent the last two months training for the spring season.

“It was a last minute decision, but we were in a beautiful area with high altitude and great training,” Jensen said.

“While living together, we would cook burgers every Sunday night and be able to get away from the craziness for two months.”

Temple’s coaching staff have tried different ways to keep everyone motivated during the offseason.

“We met every week with a sports psychologist, we talked about a lot of things, like remaining positive,” Nesbitt said. “We could have let a lot of things bump us down, but that’s not the route we are going to take and worked around it.”

The field hockey team brought a portable music speaker onto the field during practice as a way to turn the negative of not being allowed in the locker room getting pumped together to a positive, Nesbitt added.

Nesbitt realized she’s grateful to be able to have field hockey practice everyday because it’s a way of escape from constantly staring at a computer screen, and gives her a chance to run around and interact with people face-to-face, she said.

For the majority of fall sports, competition began in late January or early February, and it was a surreal moment for student-athletes to finally step on a field to see their hard work pay off.

“I took a second on game day on the field, and I was extremely grateful that we were able to play,” Johnson said. “As a team, I think we were more relieved that we were playing someone besides ourselves for a change.”

Every fall sport besides football practiced with each other for more than a year without competing in games, and it can be tiring to keep going against their own teammates, Johnson added.

“I cried a little bit on the cool down after our first match of the season, I don’t know if that was because it was really cold or if it was all the emotions coming out,” Jensen said. “I kind of fell out of the group for a minute and jogged behind them to take a look at all these young boys, and I’m overall really proud of what we overcame together.” isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore asa.cadwallader@temple.edu @asacadwallader

LIVE Philly in

BY COLLEEN CLAGGETT Photo Editor

GIVING BACK TO EACH OTHER COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Shavon Johnson, 39, and David Pean, 37, hosts of the OFE pop-up shop event, stand behind a counter where they were making smoothies for their business, J’Adore Juice Smoothies, on Feb. 27.

Two New Jersey entrepreneurs hosted a pop-up shop for small businesses in North Central.

O

n Saturday, Shavon Johnson, 39, and David Pean, 37, from Somerdale, New Jersey, hosted the Opportunity For Entrepreneurs Market popup shop in an event space on Fletcher Street near 27th.

Johnson and Pean are entrepreneurs and business partners, owning and operating J’adore Juice Smoothies and J&Q Productions, a juice and smoothie business and an event production company, respectively. The pair wanted to create a way for small businesses and entrepre-

neurs to come together and grow their brands during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of people started their business at home, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to show it, get it out to the world,” Johnson said. “We want to bring the community together and show people that we can do things together instead of apart.”

The pop-up shop featured 22 vendors selling products ranging from designer clothing and branded apparel to natural vaginal health items and THC-infused products.

Michele Simmons, 36, a 2007 psychology alumna and owner and creator of Higher Powered Herbal Studio, a mobile shop for THC-infused products

in Germantown, said access to products like the ones she sells is important, as they can help with mental and physical wellness.

“A lot of people in my community, especially people of color, mainly don’t have access, or they don’t even know that they can have access to such exclusive products,” Simmons said.

Events like the OFE pop-up shop are vital to small businesses and the city community because they help the businesses network and expand their demographic, Simmons added.

Tamika Caines, 43, owner of Khaytoure Boutique, a fashion shop, from Overbrook, wanted to sell items and support small businesses that opened

during the pandemic, like theirs.

“A lot of our dollars go into the big corporations,” Caines said. “So we’re trying to give back to each other and keep dollars in our own communities.”

Lashya Ceaser, 15, a student at John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls’ High School and owner of adenymstatement from North Central, sold her custom designer hats, jeans, headbands and purses at the event.

“It’s networking, it brings more customers,” Ceaser said. “It gives you more opportunities to become who you want to be.” colleen.claggett@temple.edu @colleenclaggett

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP RIGHT Lashya Ceaser, 15, owner of small businessadenymstatement, sits at the table where her fashion products are on display during the OFE pop-up shop on Feb. 27.

Vendors set up tables to display their products during the OFE pop-up shop.

Tamika Caines, 43, owner of Khaytoure Boutique, stands behind her display table during the OFE pop-up shop.

Products for Higher Powered Herbal Studio sit on a table at the OFE pop-up shop.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

STUDENT LIFE

Students, faculty discuss Wellness Day, no break With spring schedule changes, grocery shopping in the city.”

Because R. B. Drennan, a risk students and faculty are conmanagement and insurance professor, cerned about little time off.

BY MATTHEW AQUINO For The Temple News

I

n past spring breaks, Anthony Gosch traveled to the Dominican Republic, Florida and Spain, visiting family and taking time off from classes.

But because of travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of spring break, Gosch, a senior marketing major, is spending his entire semester in his apartment.

Temple University implemented two Wellness Days on Feb. 23 and March 24 without classes after spring break, originally scheduled for March 1 through March 7, was canceled on Oct. 26, 2020. The cancellation was to prevent students from traveling and mitigate the possibility of increased cases of COVID-19 among students. While students and faculty feel like two Wellness Days aren’t the same relief as spring break, they understand why the university is not holding spring break during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year’s spring break led to multiple positive cases of COVID-19 among students after some traveled nationally and internationally, according to the announcement.

Gosch spent the first half of his Wellness Day running errands, going out to lunch and relaxing around his house watching movies. But by nighttime, he was back to focusing on assignments for his classes, he said.

“I kept reiterating to myself, ‘This is my day off, I don’t have classes,’” Gosch said. “I kind of prepared ahead of time and used it as a day for errands and went

doesn’t teach on Tuesdays, the Wellness Day on Feb. 23 felt normal. He spent his time preparing for his Wednesday classes, he said.

He looks forward to the next Wellness Day on a Wednesday because it will allow him time to rest and catch up on grading and give him a day off of teaching, he added.

“It will be sort of a mini spring break,” Drennan said.

Cara Fisher understands why spring break is canceled, but for her, the two Wellness Days are not enough time for her to relax and recharge for the rest of the semester. “[Temple doesn’t] want the spread of COVID to be any worse than it already is, so I understand that we’re not getting a week for those reasons,” said Fisher, a sophomore media studies and production major. “I feel like it doesn’t take the place of a spring break, two days is not enough.”

Fisher used the Feb. 23 Wellness Day to grocery shop with her mom and go to the bank. She attempted to start homework later in the day and got some of her assignments done, which alleviated some of her stress, but not as much as she had hoped, she said.

Leanne Spiegle, a senior journalism major, agrees canceling spring break was the right decision, but she thinks changing when the Wellness Days are scheduled would make a big difference.

“If the Wellness Days were on Monday or Friday, it would be like having a long weekend, it’s kind of random to have them in the middle of the week,” Spiegle said. “A lot of students don’t have class on Tuesday or Wednesday and

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Anthony Gosch, a senior marketing major, stands outside of his home on Willington Street near Jefferson on March 1.

might have classes on different days, so a lot of students aren't being affected by the Wellness Days at all.”

The University of Pennsylvania implemented a two-day spring break on March 10 and 11 in addition to three days off of classes and assignments on Feb. 12, March 30 and April 12 after canceling the original break, according to an announcement from Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell Pritchett.

Drexel University’s spring break is from March 27 to April 4, but the university recommends students refrain from traveling and don’t attend parties or indoor gatherings, according to an announcement from Janet Cruz, director of Drexel’s Student Health Services, and Marla Gold, director of Drexel’s Return Oversight Committee.

Sinh Taylor, a junior English major, is disappointed spring break is canceled because they don’t travel, but instead use

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Email editor@temple-news.com to nominate them to be featured in The Temple News' Movers & Shakers issue.

it to recharge and see family, they said.

“There is this misconception that everyone goes to Florida or down the shore for spring break, I know a lot of people, myself included, spend spring break just with their families they don’t really get to see,” Taylor said. “It's a break, it's time for you to just chill and not worry about school for a couple of days.”

John Deckop, a human resources management professor, prefers a spring break rather than Wellness Days because it allows faculty members to catch up on grading and research, he said.

Deckop felt the Wellness Day was too early and would rather have it in two weeks, when there will be more grading to catch up on, he said.

“After spring break, we come back refreshed and come back better teachers and better students,” Deckop added. matthew.aquino@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

ON CAMPUS

2020 yearbook published after COVID-19 delay Templar staff hope the 2020 and bad because they're such a talented group.”

Instead of in-person interviews 2021 yearbooks are delivered to and photoshoots, sources interviewed seniors and alumni by May.

BY NATALIE KERR Assistant Features Editor It was “soul crushing” for Templar Yearbook co-Editor-in-Chief Leilani Henson when the 2019-20 yearbooks couldn’t be distributed after Temple University shut down in-person instruction in March 2020 due to COVID-19.

The 2020 yearbook arrived on campus last month and the 2021 yearbook is currently being published. The Templar staff expects both books to be distributed to students by May. Due to nationwide shutdowns, yearbook printing company Herff Jones couldn’t continue to print the 2020 yearbooks or deliver them to campus. As Temple’s campus closed in March 2020 and many students relocated out of Philadelphia, schools weren’t able to distribute the 2019-20 yearbooks to students.

Templar completed the 2020 yearbook in February 2020, but Henson didn’t see it in print until it was published last month.

“I kind of treated this book like my baby last year,” said Henson, a senior journalism major. “It was like something that was really important to me, obviously, because like, my name is on it, and it holds a lot of weight.”

The yearbook is typically finished in February and printed by Herff Jones in March, then is delivered to campus

by April. Once it’s delivered and schools submit their orders to Templar, they begin distributing the books to seniors, Henson said.

Henson came into the 2020-21 school year confident the team would complete the yearbook but knew reduced campus operations due to COVID-19 and remote work would present challenges to reporting stories and filling all 256 pages of the yearbook, she said.

“It was a lot of hard work on behalf of the staff and myself, but we got it done,” Henson said. “I would never want our staff to feel like they couldn't get something done just because the circumstances were

through Zoom or on the phone and sent in photos, which presented challenges to meeting deadlines, said Riley Rubiano, a senior advertising major and co-editorin-chief of Templar.

Although there were fewer in-person activities and events to cover this year because of reduced in-person campus operations, the yearbook’s stories show how the Temple community made the best of COVID-19 circumstances, like students learning new hobbies during quarantine and student organizations hosting virtual events, Rubiano said.

“We were able to focus our stories much more on people, like what people were doing during this time, and gave it much more of a personal feel,” Rubiano said. “Everybody is going through this, and this is how people are adjusting.”

Templar art director Jake Fittipaldi said not being able to sit next to the other designers and create together in the same space made it difficult to maintain a consistent theme in the book.

Fittipaldi feels the 2021 yearbook is an important edition because of how the articles in it address global issues like the pandemic, he said.

“What happened last year was really, really unfortunate, we worked on that book for hours and hours last year,” said Fittipaldi, a junior media studies and production major. “We have the highest of hopes that that will not happen, and we've kinda put things in place so that it doesn't.”

The Klein College of Media and Communication began distributing the 2020 yearbooks in the atrium of Annenberg Hall on Feb. 15, said Dawn Ramos, director of administration at Klein.

Klein does not have a plan for getting the 2020 books to alumni who can’t come to Temple’s campus, Ramos added.

Anthony Petrole, a 2020 finance and accounting alumnus, now lives in Manayunk, so traveling to campus to get the yearbook inconvenient, he said. He hopes to add the book to his graduation mementos, like his graduation tassels and pictures.

“It’s something you want to get and have when you graduate, you know, it’s

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Templar Yearbook senior designer Jake Fittipaldi (left) and co-Editors-in-Chief Riley Rubiano (center) and Leilani Henson work in the Templar office in the Howard Gittis Student Center on Feb. 6.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Templar Yearbook senior designer Jake Fittipaldi looks through pages of the 2021 yearbook on InDesign in the Templar office in the Howard Gittis Student Center on Feb. 6.

your yearbook,” Petrole said. “When you want to look back to the year you graduated, your first instinct is ‘Oh, let me go look at my yearbook.’”

Amidst challenges to completing the 2021 yearbook and safety concerns for staff members and sources, Henson is glad the staff did not have to cut page numbers or reduce the amount of content that is typically seen in the book.

“I didn't want the entire book to just be like a COVID sob fest,” Henson said.

“I want this to be something that's reflective of the year. Yes, we are in a pandemic. Yes, we cannot be in person. But I want us to focus on the good aspects.” natalie.kerr@temple.edu @natliekerr

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FEATURES

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COMMUNITY

Students, faculty work on Game On Philly app Designed for elementary and outreach manager at PYSC. “As a parent, you probably don't middle schoolers, the app teachfeel great about the kids just cruising es nutrition and exercise habits.

BY JESSICA ROGERS For The Temple News Whether a student enjoys hockey, yoga, tennis or a game of freeze-tag, the Game on Philly app has an exercise video ready for them.

Temple University faculty and students from the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management and the College of Public Health are helping with the Game on Philly app, a children's fitness app launched in October 2020 by the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative. Students and faculty track user experiences, deliver meal kits and sports equipment to users’ homes and develop fitness and nutrition goals on the app.

The app is available on the app store for users over the age of 13. On the app, users sign up for teams based on their school or athletic organization. They can follow along with exercise videos and nutritional guidance videos to earn points that can increase their rank and win prizes.

Game on Philly has two fitness programs available to 12 schools in the Philadelphia area, one using self-guided activities on the app, and another utilizing Zoom sessions with health coaches and activity booklets, said Anna Woolslager, a research assistant at the Center for Obesity Research and Education in CPH. For self-guided activities, Temple students deliver sports equipment to users’ homes every five to six weeks, and for those participating in Zoom sessions, they deliver sports equipment and meal kits with ingredients for recipes in the activity booklets, she added.

The Game on Philly app is designed to improve students’ mental well-being and help them stay healthy and prevent obesity while schools and sports recreation centers remain closed due to COVID-19, said Mike Barsotti, the member services and

YouTube and you know, going around to any old video,” Barsotti said. “We thought, ‘What if we can streamline that process? What if we can make access a lot easier and really simplify it?’”

When children rejoin in-person sports, the app can be used for supplemental exercise activities when they cannot meet with coaches or sports teams, Barsotti said.

“Now your coach is able to say, ‘Hey, check out our channel on the Game on Philly app,’ and you can then see like a bunch of workouts you could do in between practices or skills you can practice on your own,” he added.

The Game on Philly project began on March 2, 2020, as a partnership between Temple and PSYC through funding from a federal Youth Engagement in Sports grant.

It was started as a 12-week in-person, outdoor, after-school program for middle schoolers to learn about sports and nutrition, The Temple News reported.

In-person aspects stopped that month because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the team to create the Game on Philly app during the next seven months, said Gareth Jones, a sport and recreation management professor and a lead principal investigator for Game on Philly.

“Once that change in modality occurred, [the app] became kind of front and center,” he added. “It's designed to essentially in many ways kind of replicate what the program was trying to do.”

The Game on Philly partnership is a three-year program funded through a yearly grant from the Office on Women’s Health, said Emily DeSabato, the program manager for youth engagement in sports initiative at PYSC. Paul L. Dunbar School on 12th Street between Cecil B. Moore and Montgomery avenues was scheduled to start using the Game on Philly program in person in March 2020, but COVID-19 canceled the

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Anna Woolslager, a 2020 public health alumna and research assistant and content creator at CORE, works on the Game on Philly project from her home on 13th Street near Webster on March 1.

program before any students participated, said Toni Ingram, the health and physical education instructor at Dunbar.

Students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades were given the option to participate in the Zoom-based program starting in Summer 2020, and about 15 middle school students attend the Zoom sessions Monday through Thursday, Ingram said.

“They like it, they’re learning different activities,” Ingram said. “They’re in the house so much, but so they’re getting some sort of physical activity.”

The Temple research evaluation team of CPH students and faculty talks to parents and users of the Zoom-based and self-guided programs of Game on Philly to analyze participants’ physical health progress, said Gina Tripicchio, a social and behavioral sciences professor and a lead investigator for the app.

Moraine Yala Kisenda, a senior biology major, is a research assistant surveying participants’ behavioral responses to the physical activities and parents’

thoughts about the program.

The optional surveys ask parents and children questions related to dietary and behavioral changes since the start of the participants’ engagement in the program, Tripicchio said.

“It's been really interesting and fun being able to talk with parents and the students,” Kisenda said. “They ask really important questions about lifestyle, nutrition, health and activity and things like that.”

Woolslager develops goal incentives, like water bottles and backpacks when children complete their tasks, and nutritional guidance for students in the printed activity booklets, which have recipes and nutrition information that complement the physical activities in the booklets, she said.

“I'm really excited to see where it takes Philadelphia because our end goal is to have every child provided resources to attain a healthy and happy lifestyle,” she said. jessica.rogers@temple.edu

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STUDENT LIFE

PA SNAP benefits include new student eligibility Students eligible for work study or those with family contributions of $0 can apply for SNAP.

BY LAWRENCE UKENYE AND EMMA PADNER For The Temple News Before February, Alexis Smith hadn’t bought groceries in a month.

“I’ve just been living off oatmeal,” said Smith, a senior environmental studies major.

Now she’s able to afford food with food stamps and doesn’t have to take out loans for it, she said.

Under the new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit expansion, students eligible for work study programs and students with an expected family contribution of $0 on their federal student aid determination are eligible to receive benefits, according to a press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced plans to temporarily expand SNAP benefits for college-aged students on Feb. 8, after the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 passed by Congress in December 2020. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 also increased the benefit amount by 15 percent through June 30, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

SNAP is a benefit program available for people experiencing financial hardship to help purchase food by providing an Electronic Benefits Transfer card, which acts as a debit card in most grocery stores, including the Fresh Grocer, 7-Eleven and CVS Pharmacy, according to the United States Benefit website.

Previously, students working 20 hours per week with young children, students with work study eligibility, students with disabilities, part-time students and students younger than 18 and older than 50 were eligible for SNAP benefits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The extension will end 30 days after the government lifts the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Alexis Smith, a senior environmental studies major, sits outside of her apartment on 17th Street near Jefferson on Feb. 26.

The expansion allows students unable to work through a work study program to pay for food during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Community Legal Services Philadelphia, an organization providing free legal assistance to Philadelphians experiencing economic hardship.

“What we're trying to do is get the word out when expected family contribution of zero or students who are eligible for work study should be applying for SNAP and take this opportunity because there has been a major problem of hunger among college students,” said Louise Hayes, a supervising attorney at Community Legal Services Philadelphia.

Single people will receive a maximum of $234 each month toward food, according to the Community Legal Services Pennsylvania.

Smith worked at Lowe’s and had a paid internship at the Philadelphia Parks Alliance in Summer 2020, but has been without income since she moved into her off-campus apartment for the fall se-

mester in August 2020.

After paying tuition and rent, she did not have any money left over, but the program helped her pay for groceries, she said.

“It was kind of a miracle,” Smith said. “I was approved the same day I applied and it was super easy.”

Students can apply online without the previous interview process, but Hayes suggests students add their eligibility into the comment box when applying, she said.

“You don't have to submit proof that your expected family contribution is zero, unless they have some reason to question that statement of yours,” Hayes said.

Smith said she paid her rent with aid from Temple University’s Student Emergency Aid Fund, created by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of Institutional Advancement to provide assistance to students facing unforeseen circumstances.

Smith’s in a better financial position now, but feels the government should provide more financial assistance to other students who are struggling like her, she said.

“Pretty much every college student I know is in debt,” Smith said. “I shouldn’t have to take out a private loan just to live and pay my rent and pay for food.”

While the decision was not made by Pennsylvania alone, it’s important to expand benefits to students, wrote Ali Fogarty, communications director for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, in an email to The Temple News.

“No one should have to skip meals or go hungry in order to invest in their future as we do when we pursue higher education,” Fogarty wrote. “We are hopeful that this will be another resource that we can extend to people in need, and we are grateful to the federal government for this opportunity.”

Temple received a $44.2 million grant through federal stimulus funding for colleges and universities. Nearly $15 million will likely be distributed among students, with those who receive Pell Grants automatically receiving financial aid, The Temple News reported.

Paula Umaña, director of institutional transformation at the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, is happy with expanded eligibility, but feels assistance should have come sooner during the pandemic, she said.

In a survey from April 20, 2020, to May 15, 2020, of more than 38,000 college students, three in five reported experiencing basic needs insecurity due to the financial hardships imposed by COVID-19, according to Hope Center.

Not enough students are aware of SNAP, and Umaña believes the government and universities should launch campaigns to register students who qualify. She also believes the negative stigma associated with food stamps hinders students from registering, she said.

“We need to change the narrative,” Umaña added. “The shame and bias applied to public benefits is heavy to where people might need it but feel that they shouldn’t be applying.” lawrence.ukenye@temple.edu @lawrencee_u emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

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STUDENT LIFE

College of Engineering implements relief week

After Temple University canceled spring break, the relief week aims to reduce burnout.

BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor After each class, Evangelia Bellas asks her students for three adjectives to describe how they’re feeling during the semester.

When students responded with “stressed” and “burnt out,” Bellas, a bioengineering professor, asked her department to hold a town hall meeting to discuss having a week with no assignments to give students a break.

“I brought that up again with our department and our chair, and I just said, ‘I think, you know, students would really benefit from this,’” Bellas said.

The College of Engineering will hold a relief week from March 8 through 12, during which classes are held but no large exams or assignments will be given to students. While students are glad to have time off from assignments and quizzes, some worry about assignments piling up in the weeks afterward.

The relief week became college-wide after the bioengineering department and other engineering departments went to the dean's office in the College of Engineering to encourage it.

In the College of Engineering, relief week will come in addition to the two Wellness Days Temple University implemented on Feb. 23 and March 24, where classes are canceled in lieu of spring break and the semester starting later, The Temple News reported.

When holding focus groups beginning in October 2020 with faculty and student leaders about online learning, Shawn Fagan, the assistant dean of the College of Engineering, heard students were feeling overwhelmed, he said.

“It was getting to a point where I was hearing a lot of concerning things where it wasn't just students complaining for the sake of complaining,” Fagan said. “It was more or less like sharing how difficult it was in this environment, particularly engineering is very challenging in general, and then how much more challenging it was becoming in this remote environment.”

In October 2020, Temple canceled spring break, usually held the first week in March, for the Spring 2021 semester to limit student travel

and keep COVID-19 cases at a minimum, The Temple News reported.

As of March 1, there were 93 active cases of COVID-19 among students and faculty on Main Campus, and Philadelphia recorded 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 28, The Temple News reported.

While online and in-person classes are still held during the relief week, the department asked faculty to adjust their syllabi to make sure there wouldn’t be any large assignments, but students would still be learning, Fagan said.

M.E. Houston, a junior mechanical engineering major, is looking forward to having a week to catch her breath in classes and plans to use the time to complete homework and focus on her general education courses that are outside of the College of Engineering.

Houston previously used spring break to delve deeper into senior projects or extracurricular activities, like Temple Formula Racing, a group of students who assemble a competitive race car, while completing additional work, she said.

“Inevitably I'll have like, a week where I have a migraine and I’m not working at full capacity,” Houston said. “I'm not the only one. I live with two other engineers who, you know, we kind of view it as it's necessary, just the way courses are paced.”

Ashley LaRochelle, a junior mechanical engineering major, said she has four classes on Monday, two on Tuesday and Thursday, a lab on Wednesday and works in the engineering building four times that week.

Though she doesn’t have assignments that week, all of her quizzes, exams and projects are pushed back, making the next week more stressful, she said.

LaRochelle is worried about only using the week to do work for her classes instead of relaxing, but she likes the idea of having a break for students to take care of their mental health because she has found it challenging to step away from her work with online classes, she said.

“It's very difficult for students right now who have been inside for a year to like, mentally grasp doing all this work and not being in person,” she said. “It's very hard.” emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

The Temple News

VOICES

How did you spend your first Wellness Day?

MELANIE BONELL Sophomore neuroscience major

I spent my day studying for biology. I had an exam the next day.

GARRETT ELMER Senior international business major

I spent my Wellness Day snowboarding.

KAYLA BARRETT Freshman biology major I spent my Wellness Day kind of just laying in bed and you know, focusing on myself and doing a little bit of working out just to get my mental health in the right space.

CHARLES LELAND Junior statistical science and data analytics major

Me and my friends had a little party at our apartment. But it being a Wellness Day, I wanted to get some work done, so I went to the gym and I went to a couple buildings on campus, studied for a little bit.

The Temple News

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COMMUNITY

Black film students discuss racial representation Students share their efforts to make the film program more inclusive to students of color.

BY EDEN MACDOUGALL Co-Intersection Editor As she sat at the foot of her TV, a young Kemi Jackson grew up with Black characters on screen who she could relate to and were written as human beings, not stereotypes.

“I grew up in a great time, I saw Black women on television and I saw hit shows like ‘Sister, Sister’ and ‘Moesha’ and ‘Half & Half,’ like I was able to have shows growing up that some people didn’t have,” said Jackson, a 2020 film and media arts alumna.

But most shows are mainly focused on white people, with Black characters stuck in supporting roles, Jackson added.

Ninety-one percent of Black people said they wanted to see more content with Black directors and writers, according to the #RepresentationMatters study by the National Research Group.

Black students and alumnae from Temple’s film and media arts department are pushing for more representation on and off screen within the program.

“You need to start with the director and the producers and the writers, like the people that are in the room creating the content before it’s even like, in production, those people need to be of color, we need to have their voices out here,” Jackson said.

Being a minority in the film world often means being an outsider and not getting the opportunities to make that change happen, Jackson said.

During her time at Temple, Jackson felt the film and media arts department

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

was made up of mostly white students and that it was hard to find people she could talk to. After meeting Hann McEwen, a 2020 film and media arts alumna, and realizing they were having the same problem, Jackson and McEwen created Film in Color, a student organization, to give nonwhite filmmakers a place to belong.

“She approached me about this, and me and her both had similarities like, ‘Is this for me? Because I’m not seeing people that look like me in these classes or teaching these classes, so why am I here?’” Jackson said.

Reigna Wren, a senior film and media arts major and current co-president of Film in Color, feels the club is a place to make friends and bring awareness to how Black people are portrayed in different genres.

“One thing we noticed at Temple is you would see these kids, non-Black POC and white students, they were able to find their groups and just make friends,” Wren said. “And you would see a lot of the Black kids either A, drop out after freshman year, or B, just struggling to find that group that they can work with, so we try to provide that too.”

Kayla Watkins, a fourth-year film and media arts graduate student, had that exact problem. As an undergraduate student, Watkins lived in a Performing and Cinematic Arts Living Learning Community in Hardwick Hall, but was rarely asked to work on projects with her non-Black classmates, she said.

A fellow LLC resident talked to other members to find out if Watkins had done something to upset the other residents, but didn’t hear anything, she said.

“The only difference that he could spot between me and the other people that they had asked to be on set was that I was Black and they were white,” Watkins added.

As an undergraduate student, Watkins was usually the only Black person in the room, a problem she still deals with when teaching undergraduate classes.

This was detrimental to her self-esteem and caused her to downplay her own skills, she said.

“When I was an undergrad at Temple, I didn’t even feel like I could go to that class, I didn’t feel like I was qualified, and when I look back now, I was actually overqualified, I came to Temple with filming experience,” Watkins said.

As part of an ongoing effort to make the film program more inclusive and welcoming to students of color, Watkins became involved with the FMA Racial Justice Task Force, which held its first meeting on Feb. 12.

“You can’t have an equitable film experience, you can’t even have a proper film education until everybody feels welcome, everybody feels safe to kind of put forth their ideas,” Watkins said.

The task force is a new initiative aiming to address racism in the film and media arts department. It is run by undergraduate and graduate students along with department faculty, according to the Racial Justice Task Force.

“Show us that black lives matter in the film industry, show us that black lives matter in our faculty, show us that black lives matter in our, in our professors, in our classes,” Watkins said. eden.macdougall@temple.edu

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STUDENT LIFE

Delivery drivers reflect on jobs during pandemic Students share concerns and benefits with working gig jobs under COVID-19 restrictions.

BY KENDRA FRANKLIN and MYA MCKEOWN For The Temple News When Alexandra Lichvar lost her job as a lifeguard as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, she went home to Monroe, Connecticut, and started working for Instacart, a popular grocery delivery service, and currently works for DoorDash.

“I needed money to help pay for school and Instacart seemed like the next best thing,” said Lichvar, a junior pharmaceutical sciences major.

Some Temple students became delivery workers during the pandemic either for supplemental income or as a full-time job. Many feel that being a delivery driver is the safest and most effective option to make money but still have pandemic concerns while working.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Lichvar was highly concerned about contracting COVID-19 and would wear a mask and gloves while shopping for Instacart.

“My grocery store, that I typically go to, implemented a lot of COVID restrictions, like one-way aisle movement and separating registers, so I felt a lot more safer in that regard,” she said.

Several food delivery companies, like DoorDash and Instacart, implemented contactless delivery to minimize

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the spread of COVID-19, CNN reported.

In March 2020, when only essential businesses could operate, many people started using food delivery services to minimize their contact with the public.

The number of food delivery app users grew from 36.4 million in 2019 to 45.6 million in 2020, according to Statista, a database and research center.

Lichvar feels delivery services are good opportunities for students to make money while staying safe, although the base pay varies from place to place.

“Where I shopped in Connecticut, I was making more than enough to justify the risk of COVID,” Lichvar said.

Delivery drivers are considered independent contractors, more commonly known as gig workers, and are not traditional employees. They do not have guaranteed minimum earnings and were not eligible for unemployment insurance until the passage of the CARES Act on March 27, 2020, according to CNBC. “I consider using workers as independent contractors who get paid close to minimum wage exploitative in normal times, so I found the use of workers during a pandemic at the same wage to be worse,” said Joey Lynch, a junior statistical science and data analytics major.

Sonya Paroya, a junior psychology major, has been working for DoorDash for two years and feels gig companies need to do better for their workers since the company exercises a great deal of control over their workers.

“By classifying us as independent, we can’t get employee benefits such as paid sick leave, minimum and overtime wag-

NADEEM PAROYA / COURTESY Sonya Paroya, a junior psychology major, delivers food from Anthony’s Cucina Fresca while working for DoorDash in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. on Feb. 13.

es, insurance and business expense reimbursements for things like gas,” Paroya wrote in an email to the Temple News.

In California, DoorDash and rideshare services fought to keep their workers classified as independent contractors and are trying to influence other state legislatures to move in the same direction, CNBC reported. A new proposition would save the companies money keeping employees as independent contractors, but would require them to offer more benefits and guarantee minimum earnings for them.

Lynch, who lives with his parents who are vulnerable to COVID-19, felt

it was safer to work as a delivery driver than at a grocery store. Yet, the supermarkets were always full and social distancing practices were not always followed, he said.

Lynch had to work regardless to pay for tuition and rent, despite not feeling completely comfortable with his safety while working, he said.

“I didn’t feel I had a choice but to expose myself to what was going on because I needed to make money,” he added emily.frantz@temple.edu kendra.franklin@emple.edu

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ESSAYIST

The Temple News

Learning to unplug for my offline life

A student discusses her relationship with social media apps and how she manages it.

BY EMILY FRANTZ For The Temple News It’s nearing 2 a.m and yet again the blue glow from my computer is the only light left in my room. My eyes move back and forth between two screens.

Twitter is open on my laptop while I scroll through TikTok on my phone, no longer taking in the content flickering under my thumb.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I’ve been spending more time on social media as I quarantine in my parents’ house. It seemed like everyone I followed on Instagram was doing something productive, like learning a new skill or language. But instead there I was, repeating the same cycle of lounging on my bed and scrolling through my feed of eccentric coffee trends and aesthetic montages.

It was during these moments that my lack of direction in life due to the pandemic seemed more pronounced.

The more I scrolled, the more I felt bad about myself and my lack of productivity.

Social media is great in theory, but it’s ultimately an exhausting performance. People are constantly trying to prove their lives are exciting and fulfilling to make others want to be like them.

The more I watch these performances, the more I feel like I’m not doing enough, which subconsciously translates to, “I am not enough.” Despite knowing this isn’t true, I can’t seem to quit social media, and believe me, I’ve tried.

I feel the need to quit social media every so often because, on top of the stress of performing, it keeps me from being productive. It’s the days when I’m stuck in an endless loop of Twitter, In-

stagram and TikTok that I feel the furthest away from both my responsibilities and other people. This ultimately leads to me deleting social media altogether, but in a few days I’m back to re-downloading apps and endless scrolling.

I’ve repeated this process several times, and it always ends in the same way.

While I recognize how calm I am by not routinely checking my social media feed, at the same time, I feel anxious at the thought of disconnecting from social media altogether, like I’m missing out on something.

This is my toxic relationship with social media: no matter how many times

I break up with it, I always come crawling back. I rebound after my social media cleanse with another day of using TikTok to avoid productivity.

Like with any toxic behavior, I’m realizing that the only healthy way to enjoy something is in moderation. I find after a period of not having to look at notifications or playing catch up with my feed, there is less of a need for me to waste time on social media. I have more of a desire to be deliberate with my time, using social media more intentionally to check in on my friends and the things I care about as opposed to mindlessly scrolling for hours at a time.

The days I feel my best are not the

ones where I spend the first two hours of my day in bed, mindlessly scrolling through TikTok. Rather, I find social media to be the most beneficial to me when it’s something I can check in on once in a while to interact with friends or catch up on current events.

Unplugging doesn’t have to be deleting an app that I keep going back to, only to ultimately re-download it: it’s learning to be intentional with what I am consuming virtually so I can be fully present in the rest of my real life. emily.frantz@temple.edu

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

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ESSAYIST

Britney Spears reminded me I am not a villain

A student discusses the criticisms of the pop star and how they pertain to her life.

BY HAAJRAH GILANI Co-Intersection Editor Content warning: This story contains descriptions of eating disorders ,which some readers may find triggering.

I never understood why Britney Spears’ breakdown in 2007 was continuously laughed at years after it occurred.

When I look back at her behavior during that time, I don’t see an erratic party monster or ticking time bomb.

I only see a woman struggling with her well-being and in need of empathy. I see someone like myself.

The latest “The New York Times Presents” episode, “Framing Britney Spears,” depicts her legal battle against the conservatorship that prevents her from overseeing her personal finances and career. As a result, her fans have been campaigning for the lift of the conservatorship or right for Spears to hire her own lawyer, according to The Independent.

After watching the episode, I’ve been reevaluating Spears’ influence on me as a teenager. I wonder if she felt just as trapped as I did by the societal standards set for women when she attained unimaginable fame at 17.

I became unrecognizable to those around me when I was 13 and battling an eating disorder. I was unable to focus in class, constantly fixating on my hunger and skipping periods to go to the bathroom.

Society has an inclination to scrutinize teenage girls for every little thing.

When I cried in the school courtyard over how many calories I consumed that day or obsessed about the blemishes on

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

my skin, it was easy to dismiss my behavior as classic teen girlhood. When Spears was depicted hitting paparazzi cars with umbrellas or losing interest during photoshoots, it wasn’t hard to shrug her off as another off-the-rails diva.

It’s more complicated to acknowledge that these behaviors cannot simply be attributed to character flaws, but that they often stem from a baneful society that demands too much from its female youth. It’s easier to villainize a teenage girl than it is to humanize her.

It’s always felt unnatural for me to relate to a multimillionaire I’ve never met, yet, the universal agreement that Spears was the wrongdoer responsible for the demise of her relationship with

Justin Timberlake in 2002 is something I find unnervingly relatable.

I spent my early adolescence convinced I was the villain because many adults in my life couldn’t bear to be around me. They disliked that I was louder and snappier than usual without realizing that I was also sadder and hungrier.

During that time, my performance in school plummeted and I was constantly trading my lunches for detentions. Although I devised countless excuses when I was yelled at for my disagreeable behavior, I may have come clean if someone had just asked me “Why?” Regardless of how many times I reimagine my middle school experiences,

it wouldn’t alter the sting of reality. I was the perfect student before my eating disorder, but like Spears, I became defined by my shortcomings.

I viewed Spears’ experience as a cautionary tale. “See, this is what happens when you ask for help,” I thought to myself.

But Britney Spears isn’t a cautionary tale. She’s a person.

It’s that societal refusal to perceive teenage girls and young women as complex beings that are capable of more than superficiality that I believe played such a large role in Spears’ distress and the struggles of countless others like myself.

The people around us assumed Spears and I were just acting out and simply making all the wrong choices. In my situation, the bad decisions I made felt like my only options.

I no longer feel powerless like I did seven years ago. Instead, I now have the capacity to understand that what I needed back then was to be treated like a human, to receive empathy.

I was ridiculed for caring so much about the same appearance I was told defined me.

While I wish the world had shown Spears and me some more empathy, I understand that empathy doesn’t sell magazines or establish punchlines in talk shows. It doesn’t solve your problems when you have hundreds of other students to worry about or when the quiet, awkward girl in class decides she’s never going to remain silent again.

Spears was like me. “See, this is what happens when you’re a teenage girl defined by your struggles,” I now think to myself. haajrah@temple.edu

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The Temple News

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore goalkeeper Nikolas Hartmann kicks the ball during the Owls’ game against the University of Central Florida at the Temple Sports Complex on Feb. 13.

MEN’S SOCCER

Transfer goalkeeper gives Owls steady play in net Hartmann was named to The Amer- Brian Rowland. “So put those pieces ond-team honors from the Red River Nikolas Hartmann ranks second ican Athletic Conference Honor Roll together and you get through enough Athletic Conference after the 2019-20 in The American Athletic Conferthree times this season following the games and training and periods of time season and held the best goals against ence in saves this season.

BY SEAN McMENAMIN Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter Temple University men’s soccer sophomore goalkeeper Nikolas Hartmann is more motivated than he’s ever been after transferring to Temple. “[Philadelphia] is a great place,” Hartmann added. “I feel really comfortable in the city, in the team, and of course, the college is just great.”

This season, Hartmann, who transferred from Louisiana State University at Shreveport in June 2020, is providing the Owls with a strong and consistent presence in the net. He ranks second in The American Athletic Conference in saves with 14, including an average saves per game of 3.5, while his .667 save percentage ranks fourth in the conference.

team’s first three games.

“It’s always a boost of energy and motivation to keep going,” Hartmann said. “These two awards mean a lot for me, but I’m still hungry and I’m going for more.”

In the team’s first game of the season against South Florida (2-2, 2-2 The American Athletic Conference), the Owls (1-3, 1-3 The American) won 3-2, and Hartmann recorded two saves in the effort.

In the team’s 1-0 home loss to Central Florida (1-3, 1-3 The American), he registered five saves, and against Memphis (1-1, 1-1 The American), Hartmann made a season-high six saves, which allowed Temple to tie the game late before losing 2-1 in double overtime.

“He’s got good behaviors, he does good things, and we think that he plays a position of leadership,” said head coach

that obviously he’ll lead us and into more of a leadership capacity.”

One of Hartmann’s best behaviors is how well he communicates with his defenders, which is essential for a team to have a strong backline.

Temple’s defense is allowing 1.75 goals per game this season, which ranks fourth in the AAC. “One of the positive aspects is that he’s pretty vocal on his game,” said senior defender Esteban Suarez. “He tries to make people aware that he’s in the back. We feel secure when he’s talking and being so vocal because well, that way you remain focused throughout the game.”

Hartmann transferred from Louisiana State because he wanted to play against stronger competition and in a “conference that is tough,” he said.

At Louisiana State, he earned sec-

average in the league. He also helped the team qualify for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championships during the 2019-20 season.

“The main reason for me was to come here, play and learn at this level of competition for me to get challenged,” Hartmann said.

Hartmann’s main goals are to win the AAC and win the national championship. To achieve them, the most important thing for him is to stay focused during every game, he said.

“One hundred percent all the time, you got to be from the first minute to the last minute focused one hundred percent because you never know what can happen,” Hartmann said. sean.mcmenamin@temple.edu @sean102400

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PAGE 27

Barry brings ‘incredible’ shooting to back court The graduate student guard and come play here,” Barry said. “I’m leads the team in 3-pointers here to help Temple win games. I don’t have any other agenda other than trying made this season.

BY ISABELLA DiAMORE Assistant Sports Editor Brendan Barry arrived at Temple University with one job: shooting 3-pointers.

“He’s an incredible shooter, and based on last year’s team, that’s something we desperately needed moving into this year,” said head men’s basketball coach Aaron McKie. Although Temple tried to recruit Barry in Summer 2020, his final decision to play with the Owls came when the Ivy League canceled its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Nov. 12, 2020.

Now a part of the Owls’ program, Barry is impacting the offense with shooting and assisting the freshman on their decision-making on the court.

After the Ivy League canceled their season, graduate student guard Barry transferred to Temple from Dartmouth University, where he led the team in 3-point shooting with 81 3-point shots made in his 2018-19 season.

Barry, who leads Temple’s team in 3-pointers, was looking for a comeback after sitting out the 2019-20 season with a labral tear, so he committed to Temple on Nov. 13, 2020.

“I decided to pull the trigger, sign

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Television is one of the few things the sisters don’t do together. Nicolette Mayo’s passion for television comes from her enjoyment of reality shows like “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta,” while Emani Mayo, who doesn’t enjoy reality television as much, is currently binging “Grey’s Anatomy,” she said.

Growing up in Hephzibah, Georgia, the Mayo twins, like other twins, did everything together. They had the same friends throughout high school, shared a room and pushed each other to academic success, but above all else, they hooped.

“We both was pretty passionate about it,” Nicolette Mayo said. “We did it because like that’s what we wanted to

to win, especially with this possibility of being my last year of college basketball.”

Barry originally entered the transfer portal in Summer 2020 but decided to return to Dartmouth to finish his undergraduate degree, which he completed this fall.

In the Ivy league, student-athletes can’t compete in college sports as graduate students, so once he completed his degree he knew he needed to transfer.

However, that rule is now temporarily rescinded due to the COVID-19 pandemic as of Feb. 12, NBC10 Philadelphia reported.

McKie’s intuition about Barry’s fit with the team is paying off, he said, as Barry currently leads the team with 26 3-pointers made this season and is 91.7 percent in free throws.

“He leads by example, he’s a quiet kid, but he uses his voice when he has to and the team was already starting when he came in,” McKie added. “He was able to adjust and get a feel of the other guys.”

Although Barry’s basketball journey led him to Philadelphia, it started in Rumson, New Jersey, when he was two years old.

Luke Glass, Barry’s assistant coach at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, helped Barry establish his physdo.”

As a senior at Hephzibah High School, Emani Mayo averaged 20 points per game and was an All-State performer. Nicolette Mayo averaged 17.9 points.

Emani Mayo, committed to Temple with a scholarship and Nicolette Mayo agreed to be a walk-on for the Owls despite having opportunities to play on scholarship elsewhere, she said.

There was no way she was going to be without her twin sister.

Now as seniors, the Mayo twins are thankful they’ve continued their bond in Philadelphia.

Nicolette Mayo is the outspoken older sister who is always the first to answer an interview question and looks out for the best interests of her younger sister, who is a shy, more reserved per-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Graduate student guard Brendan Barry dribbles the ball down the court during the Owls’ game against the University of Cincinnati on Feb. 4.

ical development and his basketball intelligence.

Glass met Barry when he was in the seventh grade and Barry would be at the high school gym practicing with the older kids, Glass said.

“Right off the bat, I knew he was going to be a talented player,” Glass added.

“He was able to hold his own in middle school while playing 18 years old.”

In his senior year of high school, Barry led the team with 642 points and 55 steals.

“The thing is with [Barry], you can plug him in in any situation,” Glass said.

“For our high school, he was the all-time leading scorer, and for our offense, it was basically, ‘Give him the ball and get out of the way.’”

Barry’s knowledge of the game and willingness as a passer makes him a valuable asset as the team approaches the end of its season, McKie said.

“Whatever he lacks in size, speed or length, he makes up for it with his basketball IQ ,” McKie added.

son by nature, Emani Mayo said.

Despite being the “quieter” twin, Emani Mayo makes a big impact on the court. She’s played in 107 total games, including 83 starts. She averages 5.9 points per game for her career while shooting 33.1 percent from the field.

Nicolette Mayo, the self-proclaimed “bossy” twin, will frequently tell Emani Mayo things she missed or could’ve done better during games.

“She tells me everything I don’t want to hear,” Emani Mayo said. “She’s really on me, and I know it’s coming from the right place because she’s my sister.”

Colette Mayo, the twins’ mother, knows separating from each other will be an adjustment for her daughters, but as they’ve gotten older, her mind has changed about which twin will struggle

the most when they’re not living in the same house.

“I probably would’ve said Nicolette years ago,” Colette Mayo said. “I think it’s going to be [Emani Mayo], I don’t think she’s going to struggle, she’s going to be fine, but she’s going to miss her.”

The twins know they have to become “selfish” after graduation and worry more about their own careers rather than each other’s, Nicolette Mayo said.

“You’ve got to follow your dreams, and then eventually, when we get where we want to be, then everything can come back together, and everybody’s happy,” Nicolette Mayo added.

isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore

brian.saunders@temple.edu @SportsWriter_BS

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ONE

LAST

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The Temple News

After four years of playing together at Temple, the Mayo sisters’ post-graduation career paths will take the twins apart.

NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior guards Emani Mayo (center) and Nicolette Mayo (right) sit and stand on the sidelines during a timeout during the Owls’ game against Wichita State University at McGonigle Hall on Jan. 23.

BY BRIAN SAUNDERS Co-Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter

W

hen Colette and Manuel Mayo signed their twin daughters senior guards Nicolette Mayo and Emani Mayo up for basketball at

age five, the girls forged a bond with the game that made them inseparable off the court and on it too.

“It’s always been a passion,” Nicolette Mayo said. “It was never like, ‘Oh, [Emani Mayo] is passionate about it, so let me do it.’ We were both into it, or we would’ve given it up.”

But they’re not both heading into the same careers. With their graduation around the corner, Nicolette and Emani Mayo will be headed in different directions for the first time in their lives.

Nicolette Mayo, a media studies and production major with a minor in Africology and African American studies,

wants to have her own talk show, while Emani Mayo, a marketing major with a minor in international business, wants to work in sports marketing and sports statistics or pursue a professional playing career in the WNBA. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | 22