Vol. 99.5 Iss. 11

THE TEMPLE NEWS

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, PAGE 5

Temple will continue operating isolation and quarantine housing in the fall.

FEATURES, PAGES 16, 17

Students share memories of their last “normal” day through photos.

ONE YEAR IN A year in, Temple facilities staff, health care workers, athletics coordinators and others are carrying the university community through the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 11 MARCH 16, 2021

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

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

Quay Montgomery, a grounds employee, spray paints circles on Beury Beach to enforce social distancing on March 15..

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 March 2, an column on page 9 titled “Every Temple college should have a ‘relief week’” inaccurately described how classes would be held during the College of Engineering’s relief week. Synchronous classes were held during that week.

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.

We’re looking for an Editor-in-Chief for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Students can email editor@temple-news.com for an application.

Follow us @TheTempleNews

The Temple News

NEWS

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Senior advisor leads diversity initiatives at Temple Harrison has led Temple’s diversity efforts since 2016 and oversees its anti-racism initiative.

BY AMELIA WINGER Assistant News Editor

R

aised 15 minutes away in Mt. Airy, Valerie Harrison remembers feeling captivated

by North Central’s rich Black history.

During her childhood, she soaked in the legacy of legendary sites like the Church of the Advocate and the Universal Negro Improvement Association’s 121st division while visiting her cousins on 15th Street near Oxford and her aunt on Cumberland Street near 18th.

“North Philadelphia is where we spent every holiday growing up, it was a tight-knight community, a community of families, a place rich in history,” Harrison said. “We had a tremendous sense of community pride, especially for the community’s work to ensure Black children would have educational and economic opportunities.”

Still enamored with North Central, Harrison now serves as President Richard Englert’s advisor on equity, diversity and inclusion and led Temple University’s efforts to promote and educate the university community about racial justice, like overseeing Temple’s anti-racism initiative since its conception in June 2020 following growing nationwide calls for racial justice.

“I’ve learned so many lessons from her,” Englert said. “She’s a clear thinker without an agenda and is focused on, ‘Let’s get something done and do it the right way, and do the right thing.’”

In June 2020, hundreds of Temple students joined the nation in marching against racial injustice in response to the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minnesota after a police officer knelt on his neck for about eight minutes, The Temple News reported.

Englert first asked Harrison to develop plans for Temple’s anti-racism initiative during an executive cabinet meeting on June 25, 2020, Harrison said.

The university announced the initiative on Sept. 16, 2020, which included a self-evaluation of Temple Police, the cre-

ation of a center for anti-racist research in Anderson Hall and greater funding for the Africology and African American studies department, The Temple News reported.

“We’re on a much faster track with much more work to do,” Harrison said.

“2020 has shined a light on the injustice we already knew existed, and it’s accelerated and amplified our work to change the systems that bring us back to this same problem decade after decade.”

Of the initiative’s components, Harrison is most excited for Cecil B. Moore Scholars, an academic bridge program that provides scholarships and dual enrollment to Philadelphia school district seniors living in the eight ZIP codes surrounding Main Campus, The Temple News reported. The program began for the 2020-21 academic year, and Harrison recently helped select a director for the program, she said.

Harrison’s mother died when she was 11 years old, and she credits her father and the School District of Philadelphia with teaching her the lessons she needed to be successful in her career, she said.

“I’m the product of three good Philadelphia public schools,” Harrison said.

“We’ve talked about reinstating an academic enrichment pipeline program for students in Philadelphia public schools for some time, so seeing this come to fruition has been one of my proudest moments at Temple.”

In addition to her work on the anti-racism initiative, Harrison serves on Temple’s Presidential Search Committee. She, along with Dean of Students Stephanie Ives, also led the university’s review of the Student Conduct Code during the Fall 2020 semester and teaches classes in the Beasley School of Law, where she is excited to teach a new Race and the Law course in the fall, she said.

Harrison first came to Temple in 1998 as an associate university counsel and received her master’s degree in liberal arts and doctoral degree in African American studies from the university in 2007 and 2015, respectively. She felt drawn to Temple after hearing Molefi Kete Asante, chair of the Africology and

VALERIE HARRISON/ COURTESY Valerie Harrison (right), advisor on equity, diversity and inclusion for President Richard Englert, stands for a photo with Lincoln University graduate Jeffrey Hill in May 2017.

African American studies department, speak at a church in Germantown while she was in college about the need for Black people to understand the history of their greatness, she said.

“She’s perhaps one of the most articulate and determined graduate students I’ve met,” Asante said. “She had a keen insight into the nature of the community and the academy and a political astuteness that probably comes with living with struggles for justice. She was a visionary, a humanist.”

Harrison briefly left Temple in 2012 to work at Arcadia University and Lincoln University, but returned in 2016 as former President Neil Theobald’s senior advisor on equity, diversity and inclu-

sion.

Throughout her career, Harrison has been guided by lessons her father taught her, the most important being that she has unlimited possibilities in life if she puts in the hard work to achieve her goals, she said. She hopes to provide the same support she received from her family, schools and community to students at Temple and in North Philadelphia, she added.

“I just want to ensure that every young person in Philadelphia has the same opportunity that I did,” Harrison said. amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger

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NEWS

The Temple News

TSG

Slate of 2021 TSG election candidates announced There will be two debates for presidential and vice presidential candidates in March and April..

BY FALLON ROTH and JACK DANZ For The Temple News Temple Student Government kicked off its election season today with the announcement of two executive campaigns and five Parliament candidates.

This year, campaigns may choose to host events in person or online as long as they abide by all the rules outlined in the TSG Election Code and Temple’s COVID-19 regulations, said John Haldeman, elections commissioner and a senior global studies major.

Elections will take place on Temple’s online voting platform from April 6 to April 8, Haldeman said.

TSG will host two debates, one in late March and the other in early April, between the executive teams, Haldeman wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Last year, TSG held a separate debate for the two presidential candidates on Zoom.

The first debate for executive teams will take place remotely on Zoom, but the second debate may be in person and socially distanced in the Howard Gittis Student Center with the footage livestreamed to viewers on Zoom, Haldeman said.

Here are this year’s candidates and their goals.

RENEWTU Bradley Smutek, presidential candidate, and Samantha Quinlan, vice presidential candidate Smutek, a junior history major from Hanover, Pennsylvania, worked as TSG’s Parliament Counselor this academic year until he resigned on March 8 to run for Student Body President.

RenewTU will conduct the majority of its campaigning on social media due to concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic but has plans for some in-person outreach on Main Campus, Smutek wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Quinlan, a sophomore media studies

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS Bradley Smutek, a junior history major and RenewTU’s presidential candidate (top-left), Samantha Quinlan, a sophomore media studies and production major and RenewTU’s vice presidential candidate (bottom-left), Gianni Quattrocchi, a freshman political science major and FireOwls’ presidential candidate (top-right), and Jill Jasner, a freshman english major and FireOwls’ vice presidential candidate (bottom-right).

and production major from Long Island, New York, currently edits videos for Update Ahora, which is a subsection of Temple Update, and is a videographer for The Temple News.

“As like, a woman of color, I feel like representation within TSG has been a little low and, you know, also as a female, having a female vice president is something that’s important and to have, you know, women’s voices be involved in student government is extremely important,” Quinlan said.

The RenewTU platform is divided into three pillars: “Transform,” “Amplify” and “Overcome.”

“Transform” is dedicated to students’ issues surrounding mental health, sexual assault prevention, food, housing and financial insecurity, diversity and accessibility, Smutek said.

“Amplify’’ is directed at empowering student voices and putting a student voting member on the Board of Trustees, Smutek said. Currently, the Student Body President and the president of the Faculty Senate have non-voting seats on the Board of Trustees.

“Overcome” is focused on sustainability and community relations. RenewTU will continue BloomTU’s push to divest Temple from fossil fuels and

advocate for the university to reach carbon neutrality by 2035, Smutek said.

“We want to be a national leader on sustainability to show that you can be a college that’s in the middle of a big city while not being a blight on that city economically, environmentally, on the community and whatnot,” Smutek added.

RenewTU’s platform also includes plans to advocate for mental health days, similar to this semester’s Wellness Days, during which classes and assignments would be suspended, Smutek said.

FIREOWLS Gianni Quattrocchi, presidential candidate, and Jillian Jasner, vice presidential candidate Quattrocchi, a freshman political science major from Bristol, Pennsylvania, and Jasner, a freshman English major from Voorhees, New Jersey, met in the Fall 2020 semester in an intellectual heritage class and decided to run for student government together, Jasner said.

Quattrocchi and Jasner are running to help Temple fix problems surrounding mental health and racial injustice, Quattrocchi said.

“I don’t think we would have run

if not for the pandemic, but I think the pandemic exacerbated a lot of issues that have otherwise been ignored or swept under the rug,” Quattrocchi said.

FireOwls will campaign virtually on Instagram and Facebook and with flyers in residence halls, Quattrochi said.

The FireOwls’ platform addresses topics surrounding mental health, equality and inclusion and housing insecurity at Temple, Jasner said.

To address student mental health, Quattrocchi and Jasner will advocate to expand the resources at Tuttleman Counseling Services, create a mental health crisis response unit separate from Temple Police to handle mental health crises and advocate for permanent Wellness Days in Temple’s schedule, Quattrocchi said.

Quattrochi and Jasner plan to advocate for anti-racism and gender education to be mandated at Temple, Jasner said. In September 2020, Temple invested $1 million in a new anti-racism initiative that includes changes to race and diversity classes in the university’s general education curriculum, The Temple News reported.

To help students experiencing housing insecurity, FireOwl will push Temple to offer rent stipends to students in need, Jasner said.

Quattrocchi and Jasner will expand upon the current TSG administration’s sustainability plan by pushing Temple to transfer its vehicle fleet to electric power by 2035, Quattrocchi said.

“We have a lot more power than the university acknowledges,” Quattrocchi said. “If not for the students, the university would not exist. I want to set a precedent that all students have their voices heard, and we’re treated as constituents of the administration.”

Samantha Quinlan is a freelance reporter for The Temple News. She played no role in the reporting, writing or editing of this story. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_ john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS

Halls to continue for isolation use into fall semester Thirty-three students are in isolation housing at Johnson and Hardwick halls as of March 15.

BY AMELIA WINGER Assistant News Editor Temple University will continue to set aside quarantine and isolation residence halls for students who test positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with a positive case during the summer and through the Fall 2021 semester, said Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services.

Temple is currently using both Johnson and Hardwick halls for quarantine and isolation housing but may use only one of these halls for the summer and fall, Denys said.

“Since we began using [Johnson and Hardwick], we have never come close to using all of the rooms, so it may not be necessary to use both towers,” Denys said.

Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health required Temple to provide quarantine and isolation housing options on campus to reopen Main Campus for the start of the Fall 2020 semester, Denys said.

The university began using Johnson and Hardwick halls as quarantine and isolation housing in August 2020, The Temple News reported.

As of March 15, 33 students are residing in the university’s quarantine and isolation housing, Denys said.

Since the start of the Spring 2021 semester, 116 students have resided in the quarantine and isolation housing, Denys added.

COVID-19 cases among students living in university housing have remained significantly lower than cases in non-university housing throughout the spring semester, The Temple News reported. However, recently reported cases among students in university housing have substantially increased from five cases on March 3 to 45 cases on March 12, which is a cause for concern, Denys

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Johnson and Hardwick residence halls continue to operate as isolation housing for students who have tested positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with someone who has in the fall semester.

said.

“I am worried that after 12 months, COVID fatigue is setting in, the city is opening up more and people are not following [Temple’s four public health pillars] and diligently and they still need to,” Denys wrote in an email to The Temple News.

This semester, Temple is requiring students in university housing who live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 to either stay in Johnson and Hardwick halls or quarantine at home with their families. Last semester, Temple required these students to only live in Johnson and Hardwick halls for “a day or two” while the university cleaned their room, Denys said.

“We found last fall that roommates were testing positive at a much higher rate than others, so we are hoping to lower that rate by requiring them to quarantine outside of their original housing assignment,” Denys said. “So far, that has been working.”

Students living in off-campus housing are given the option to stay in Johnson or Hardwick halls if they do not have access to another place where they can

quarantine or isolate themselves, but only a “handful” have chosen to, said Olan Garrett, the university’s director of residential life.

Students who test positive for COVID-19 typically reside at Johnson and Hardwick halls for 10 days, which the university tracks as beginning either on the day the student first exhibited symptoms or the day of their positive test result, Garrett said.

In accordance with guidelines from the CDC, students who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 but have not tested positive themselves are retested on their sixth or seventh day in quarantine and are permitted to leave on the eighth day if that test returns a negative result, Garrett said.

As of March 12, there are 152 active cases of COVID-19 among Temple students and employees, which is lower than the semester-high 159 active cases reported on Jan. 28, The Temple News reported.

Representatives from the Division of Student Affairs call or use Zoom to talk with students staying in Johnson and

Hardwick halls to support their mental health needs while isolating, Garrett said. The Wellness Resource Center also prerecorded programs about self-care and coping with loneliness on its website that students staying in Johnson and Hardwick halls are encouraged to watch.

Quarantining and isolating can be an incredibly stressful experience for students because it uproots their daily routines and separates them from their support networks, said Liz Zadnik, associate director of the Wellness Resource Center.

“There’s also the reaction to getting a positive COVID diagnosis, and this fear of what the experience will bring and how the virus is going to impact you physically in the long term or short term,” Zadnik said.

Denys has not received complaints or criticism from students about their experience in the quarantine and isolation residence halls, but he would like to receive feedback from these students about what improvements should be made in the upcoming semester, he said. amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger

NEWS

PAGE 6

The Temple News

Doctor educates patients on health care literacy Dr. Delana Wardlaw, a family medicine physician, works with her sister at Twin Sister Docs.

BY FALLON ROTH Staff Writer Dr. Delana Wardlaw is an educator in every sense of the word.

The 2020 Pennsylvania Co-Family Physician of the Year, Wardlaw, a 1996 biology alumna and a family medicine physician at Temple Physicians Inc. in Nicetown, is committed to addressing inequities in health care. She promotes health literacy at Temple Health and in the Philadelphia community through her and her twin sister’s organization, Twin Sister Docs.

Wardlaw visits patients of all ages and of multiple generations of families at her practice, where she offers a variety of medical services, like mammograms and colonoscopies, diagnoses and treats chronic illnesses, like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and provides mental health services, she said.

“They have a continuity of care, knowing that when you go to the doctor’s office, you’ll have the same physician each time, so you don’t have to keep reiterating your story or going over past events that have occurred because, I’m familiar with all the patients that are there,” Wardlaw said.

Wardlaw is also involved in community service work with groups, like The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, Nicetown Community Development Corporation, The Links, Incorporated and ODUNDE’s “I Am Beautiful, Unique, Magnificent, Individual,’’ the nation’s largest African American cultural festival.

Wardlaw, 46, grew up in Strawberry Mansion and decided to pursue medicine after her grandmother died from breast cancer at age 53. She would’ve had a higher chance of survival if she’d been diagnosed earlier and received proper medical screenings, Wardlaw said.

“That is a significant barrier in medicine, access to quality care for everyone and that is a huge part of my mission as a health care advocate to make sure that

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Dr. Delana Wardlaw, 1996 biology alumna and a family medicine physician at Temple Physicians Inc., stands outside Temple Physicians at Nicetown office on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Dennie Street on March 12.

everyone receives quality care,” she added.

A 2016 study from Health Affairs found that Philadelphia neighborhoods with more Black residents had less access to health care, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Wardlaw believes that when patients are involved in the health care process and spoken to clearly, there is a higher chance that they’ll follow medical recommendations and ask better questions about their illnesses, she said.

“Health care literacy is a big issue, and where we have to make sure that we as physicians are speaking to patients at a level that they understand and because that can also affect compliance and a patient’s ability to be able to follow recommendations,” Wardlaw said.

Health literacy is a person’s ability to understand and utilize health-related

information to make better decisions about personal health.

But Wardlaw’s dedication to inspiring health literacy in all of her patients goes beyond her practice in Nicetown.

Wardlaw and her twin sister, Dr. Elana McDonald, started Twin Sister Docs, an advocacy group, in early 2020 to promote health literacy through their website, various social media accounts and shows, like Good Morning America and 6ABC, Wardlaw said.

Twin Sister Docs discusses many health-related topics, like mammograms, cardiovascular disease, cancer screenings, mental health and most recently, COVID-19, McDonald said.

“COVID is what we’re dealing with right now because that’s the immediate need, but we also have to acknowledge all the issues, you know, such as this systemic racism and a lack of access to

health care and the implicit bias,” McDonald said.

The Black community is disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and other illnesses. Seven out of 10 ZIP codes with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia are majority Black and Latino, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Because of previous instances of experimentation on Black people, like the United States Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee which studied Black men who had syphilis but did not offer them treatment, many people in the Black community have a distrust toward medicine, Wardlaw said.

One in three Black and Hispanic people who didn’t have access to health care said they didn’t participate in clinical trials or get vaccinated because of this lack of trust, according to a study from Genentech, an American biotechnology corporation.

Wardlaw’s commitment to Philadelphians should be the standard for every physician, said Dr. Wilfreta Baugh, Wardlaw and McDonald’s mentor.

As juniors at Temple, Wardlaw and McDonald interned with the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania through the Black Student Union and met Baugh, Wardlaw said.

“My relationship with her was one exposing her to not only patient protocol, diseases that you encounter in a primary care or doctor’s office, how you keep records, how you follow up with patients, but you treated them as if they were a colleague,” Baugh said.

Baugh taught Wardlaw and McDonald to always be professional with their patients as a sign of respect, she said.

“I wanted a career where I can have a direct impact on my patients, not only on the patient, but on the community,” Wardlaw said. “Medicine allows you to be able to have a unique bond with your patients to not only address illnesses, but also to allow them to participate in preventive medicine.” fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

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OPINION

PAGE 8

EDITORIAL

COVID-19, one year later One year ago today, Temple University entered a new chapter in its history by pivoting to online classes as COVID-19 spread across the country. That same day, Gov. Tom Wolf announced a statewide closure of all nonessential businesses.

The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are apparent in our everyday life: lack of social contact, widespread unemployment and the loss of more than 530,000 American lives. At the same time, the largest social movement in United States history called for racial justice in response to police officers killing Black civilians like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Walter Wallace Jr. and countless others.

Today’s issue, Movers & Shakers 2021, is an homage to the essential workers and leaders who’ve helped carry the Temple community through this tumultuous, painful and challenging last year — and who are helping shape what we’ll look like on the other side of it.

Maintenance workers stayed on Main Campus to install safety materials and barriers when students and faculty moved home.

Testing staff implemented and oversaw new protocol to track and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among the Temple community.

Other staff and advisers created new initiatives for the university following the Black Lives Matter movement and the search for a new Temple president. Faculty advocated for students experiencing food and housing insecurity. At the same time, frontline workers at Temple Health and in surrounding neighborhoods responded to and cared for our communal public health during this rapidly changing, dangerous pandemic.

Beyond being essential as workers, these individuals continue to be integral for the Temple community’s safety, future and development on and off campus.

The pandemic’s recovery may be in sight, but it is still far from the end. The Editorial Board calls on Temple students, faculty and staff to continue following COVID-19 protocols to protect these individuals who are working to keep them safe.

While close to 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the U.S., COVID-19 cases at Temple have risen in recent weeks. On March 12, Temple reported 152 active cases of COVID-19 among students and faculty, nearing its semester-high 159 cases on Jan. 28.

The Editorial Board reminds Temple students and faculty to continue practicing COVID-19 health protocols, like wearing a mask and social distancing, even as we enter our second year in the pandemic. We ask our readers to avoid large gatherings and parties, wear masks while around others and limit travel when possible. We also encourage readers to schedule vaccination appointments if they are eligible to do so.

We understand that this has been an exhausting year, but we must remain vigilant to ensure the safety of our friends, classmates and neighbors. Taking precautions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 is one way to show respect for the movers and shakers who made this hybrid semester possible.

Our priority is still protecting the health and safety of our community, and that starts with practicing proper COVID-19 health protocol.

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

My recovery in quarantine

A student describes how the COVID-19 pandemic affected her relationship with her body and food.

BY MOLLY MCGOWAN For The Temple News CONTENT WARNING: This story contains mentions of eating disorders that may be uncomfortable for some readers.

L

iving on campus did wonders for my self-esteem and self-worth.

Starting a new chapter of my life in a more accepting environment helped me appreciate my body and begin a journey toward eating and exercising intuitively: eating exactly what my body is telling me to eat and working out when I feel like moving.

Last spring was the best semester yet.

Surrounded by my supportive friends and boyfriend, I was eating whatever I wanted and exercising on my own terms.

I found myself in my childhood bedroom last March after the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to move home. Being back in my hometown of Westwood, New Jersey, where my eating disorder flourished in my later years of high school, I was more than nervous: I was devastated.

The first few months at home, I felt trapped and purposeless, especially because it was during the most isolating moments of quarantine. I spent a lot of time alone, and eating disorders thrive in loneliness.

I started having negative thoughts about the way my body looked. Soon, with all of my newfound free time, I resorted to old habits, like counting calories and overthinking about food and exercise. Because I was stuck inside, I felt lazy and pressured myself to work out and eat only healthy, guilt-free foods.

My anxiety took over me. For a while, focusing on fitness and trying to change my body was the only way I spent my time.

Then, last May, I found a way to take a step back from how I was feeling and look outward. I finally saw the bigger picture and

realized my personal struggles were justified because of how much I had been through.

I reminded myself that we were living through a pandemic, and it was okay to feel lost and overwhelmed. My body kept me healthy in the time it needed it most, during a pandemic.

For the first time in my life, I realized how lucky I was to be alive and healthy.

I worked toward eliminating negative thoughts and speaking to myself in ways that made me feel worthy and strong. I woke up and started my days by looking in the mirror and telling myself I was beautiful and doing the best I could. I knew I could — and would — get through this.

I began exercising, not for results, but for bouts of fresh air in my day. It reduced my stress and gave me a chance to go outside and breathe.

As restrictions on gatherings and businesses were slowly lifted and I was able to see my close friends, family and boyfriend again, I stopped restricting my diet as well. Maintaining my recovery and forgiving myself became easier.

I moved back to Philadelphia in August 2020. Once I was back at Temple and returned to a fairly normal routine, I felt more grounded in my appreciation of my body.

To say that every day in my recovery was effortless would be a lie. There is still so much uncertainty in the world, and between online learning, burnout, financial worries and the ongoing pandemic, it can be hard to balance self-care with everything else.

When I’m feeling guilty about missing a workout or treating myself to some Ben & Jerry’s, I remind myself of what the past year threw at me and everyone else.

If my body managed to get me through the year we had, it is a beautiful and healthy body, and I should appreciate it for what it does for me, not scrutinize the things that aren’t perfect. molly.mcgowan@temple.edu @mollymcgowan20

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Antidepressants helped me cope in the pandemic

A student describes her experience with anxiety and starting medication to treat it last year.

BY ALLISON NIKLES For The Temple News After my anxiety disorder relapsed in November 2019, it took me a few months to realize I needed a long-term solution. I was skeptical at first, but I found the courage to begin medication.

In January 2020, I began taking antidepressants. I felt like I couldn’t continue living in an anxiety-filled bubble.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was already taking online classes. My anxiety got to the point where I couldn’t sit in a classroom with others and I needed to be alone at home.

I never understood the power of isolation until two months later.

On March 13, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency.

When the U.S. shut down, so did I. I didn’t know how I would survive when I was already struggling.

I suddenly began wondering how I would balance my anxiety with the stayat-home restrictions.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to do the things I usually do to de-stress, like talking to my therapist in person or going on family walks in the park.

I also realized I couldn’t join my friends for a bonfire or hit golf balls at the driving range. Being around other people improved my mood, so quarantine was incredibly overwhelming.

I spent the first two months of quarantine locked behind my bedroom door.

Being a germaphobe, the thought of a new virus surfacing in the country only made my anxiety worse. My anxiety got to the point that I was frightened to be around my mom when she came home from working at the hospital every night.

Taking antidepressants seemed counterintuitive when I was afraid to leave my own bedroom. Instead of fo-

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

cusing on mindfulness, I was worried about contracting COVID-19.

Dreading the idea of leaving the comfort of my bed to go to the kitchen and eat, I lost my appetite and energy.

However, after scrolling through my phone looking at Tik Tok videos of other people having family game nights or doing crafts, I knew that I couldn’t survive in my room forever.

In April, I came to my senses. I woke up one day and realized hiding behind my covers wouldn’t cure my anxiety.

It was an out-of-the-blue moment, but I changed my habits.

I began each morning by eating a healthy breakfast of eggs on toast. I spent the afternoons working out in the sun.

My nights were filled with virtual therapy sessions and family bonding.

Although each step was small, they all played a major role in creating a positive outlook. Not only was I able to better maintain my anxiety, but I learned to enjoy the little things in life.

With the combination of my routine and my medication, I was one step closer to managing my anxiety.

When the end of summer finally rolled around the corner, I felt ready to go to college for my freshman year. I no longer had the same fears that I did at the beginning of the pandemic.

The medication gave me a sense of security that I didn’t have before, even during unprecedented times. I knew that

I was prescribed something to help me.

Even though I’m still on medication and overcoming my fears, it’s safe to say that I’m a better version of myself than I was at the beginning of the pandemic.

I’ve learned to try new foods and branch out on campus. I’ve searched for internships and joined Greek life. If it weren’t for the medication, I don’t think I would have discovered this social, outgoing part of me.

I was brave enough to start new medication to treat my anxiety, and I challenged myself to go outside of my comfort zone, even if that was just leaving my room. allison.nikles@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

SCIENCE

STEM faculty: Teach herstory in science courses A student argues faculty should be inclusive of women’s history in their course curricula.

Because March is Women’s History Month, I read about Patricia Beth, the first Black woman appointed to be chair of an ophthalmology program in the United States.

JULIA MEROLA For The Temple Despite her conNews tributions to the field of science, it was my first time hearing of her. This was an eye-opening experience, as I never learned about Black scientists in high school or college.

Women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics have broken the glass ceiling repeatedly by making groundbreaking discoveries. But oftentimes, their achievements go unnoticed, and they are left out of the patriarchal narrative of history books. Not only should STEM faculty at Temple University teach accurate “herstory,” or women’s history, in their syllabi, but female faculty members should tell it.

The lack of female representation in roles traditionally filled by men can discourage women from pursuing them, said Jennifer Johnson, a policy, organizational and leadership studies professor who researched STEM students at historically Black colleges and universities.

“As someone who was a scientist, opportunities to learn about women and women of color in science was not something that was emphasized or highlighted at all,” Johnson said. “I think one of the reasons why I was interested in science was because I didn’t see those

GRACE DiMEO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

kinds of role models.”

In a June 2020 analysis of seven college biology textbooks, no women were mentioned in STEM history between the years 1600 and 1900, the Washington Post reported.

Between 2000 and 2018, women and people of color were only mentioned in 25 percent and eight percent of published scientific research, respectively, Science News reported.

The STEM discipline is predominantly white and male, said Laura Pendergast, the associate dean of assessment and data-informed planning in the College of Education.

“If we want women of color to go into sciences and be astronauts, then we should be exposing them to Mae Jemison, who was an African American astronaut and engineer,” Pendergast said.

“I think that it’s critical for students to see people who look like them excelling

in their areas of interest.”

Students are more likely to read about James Watson and Francis Crick “discovering” the structure of DNA than Rosalind Franklin who figured out the arrangement of atoms, said George Mehler, a biology professor.

When women actually are brought up in textbooks, however, they are often lumped in with other minorities, said Natalie Léger, an English professor.

“Part of the issue is patriarchy, and patriarchy is such that, notwithstanding the different forms of power that women of different races and classes have, women are still subordinate, particularly in western European societies,” Léger added.

Temple’s gender, sexuality and women’s studies department explores how gender affects women’s experiences as a social group. The College of Science and Technology should take a similar

approach by teaching inclusive, intersectional curriculum.

Professors should stop lauding white, male scientists like Gregor Mendel and Nikola Tesla and start talking about women like Nettie Stevens, who determined chromosomes cause sex at birth, or Chien-Shiung Wu, the “First Lady of Physics.”

Only 2.9 percent of Black women, 3.8 percent of Latina women and five percent of Asian women attending higher education institutions earned a degree in STEM in 2015, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The limited number of female scientists in classrooms and books contributes to these low percentages, Johnson said.

“It’s important to see multiple personalities of women in these roles because sometimes we only kind of see one version of success,” Johnson added.

Harneet Kaur, a freshman health professions major, only had one Black female STEM professor as a student, she said.

“I would say there’s a lot better quality of teaching when you’re a minority being taught by a person of color in the STEM field,” Kaur said.

Male-dominated departments like CST should modify their lessons — even if that means ignoring the textbook — to give women credit where it is due, in addition to hiring a more diverse faculty.

We can educate ourselves on women’s history this month by acknowledging that women were there, even if history has forgotten them.

“You have to first just disabuse yourself to the lie that women and women of color were not historical characters,” Léger said. julia.merola@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

DIVERSITY

Combat discrimination with diversity education A student urges Temple to provide anti-racist information amid nationwide xenophobia.

Content warning: This story mentions descriptions of assault, which may be triggering for some readers.

Last month, Lennie’s Hoagies, a RoxMAYA RAHMAN borough restaurant, For The Temple served macaroni and News cheese topped with “Chinese chili garlic sauce” and called it “COVID Mac,” CBS3 News reported.

Racist rhetoric like this has prompted a surge of hate crimes across United States cities.

Hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities spiked by 150 percent since last March, including Philadelphia, which saw a 200 percent increase from 2019, Voa News reported.

To prevent hate crimes from occuring on campus, Temple University should advocate on behalf of their Asian students, offer general education courses in Asian history and hold more informational panels about xenophobia.

As we enter our second year living with COVID-19, students must debunk these implicit and explicit biases and develop cultural competence.

At Temple, faculty and students have also been victims of anti-Asian discrimination. In February 2020, Asian American students reported being called racial slurs due to COVID-19, The Temple News reported.

Jeffrey Lee, an intellectual heritage professor who is Taiwanese American, was assaulted in Philadelphia earlier this year.

“I had a physical encounter where I actually ended up calling the police,” Lee said. “I don’t think any ethnic, racial or religious group is exempt, it can really be anyone.”

Mary Kate Durnan, who is Chinese American and was adopted by white parents, experienced discrimination while shopping with her mother at a thrift

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

store in Bucks County one month ago.

“This couple got this look on their face of utter disgust, so I avoided them, and then they started following me and going on and on about how the Chinese brought the virus,” said Durnan, a senior computer science major.

The Race and Diversity general education program includes courses like African American theater, Race and Identity in Judaism and Immigration and the American Dream, but none of them are centered on Asian American history, according to the Temple bulletin.

At least one general education course should concentrate on Asian American history to investigate the forms racism takes in American culture.

By educating all students in Asian American history, they can become more culturally competent individuals, said Nguyễn Thị Điểu, a history professor and affiliated faculty for the department of Asian studies.

“Students should be required to study Asian and Asian American history, provided that courses be taught by spe-

cialists in these fields, and provided that they do not consider these courses as exotic or quaint,” Nguyễn Thị Điểu said.

In October 2020, the College of Liberal Arts held a weeklong discussion called “The Rise in Anti-Asian Sentiments: Racism, Xenophobia and COVID-19.”

Asian Americans in Philadelphia are continuing to be targeted with harassment and prejudice. Temple should continue these discussions this spring to foster inclusive attitudes among students.

The Clery Act requires the university to publish all hate crimes on and around campus, including the year and location of the incident and the type of offense and discrimination involved, according to Temple’s 2020 annual security and fire safety report.

Following incidents of racist comments from students in June 2020, Temple’s University Counsel approved two recommendations to the Student Conduct Code to respond better to hate speech, The Temple News reported.

The university investigates hate

crimes seriously, said Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university.

“Students who violate this policy are subject to punishment from the university or the law,” Betzner said.

Students who have felt victimized or have seen anti-Asian discrimination should come forward to resources like a resident assistant, the Dean of Students Office, the Wellness Resource Center or Tuttleman Counseling Services.

Temple can support their Asian American students by improving diversity in required courses, holding more thought-provoking events and enforcing Student Conduct Code policies.

Students can help their peers by speaking up when they hear blatantly racist jokes, Durnan said.

“I’d appreciate if people stopped model minority myth-ing me by saying this isn’t an issue or completely ignoring it,” Durnan added. maya.rahman@temple.edu @mayarahman3

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LONGFORM

The Temple News

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Virginia Sapp, a senior art history major, sits outside the Charles Library on March 15.

STUDENT LIFE

‘Anxious and lost’: Graduating seniors face uncertain future Seniors are facing unique obstacles as they prepare to graduate amid COVID-19 pandemic.

BY ASA CADWALLADER Longform Editor

A

s the first in her family to attend college in the United States, Mercy Mackenzie has dreamed of her college graduation since middle school.

“I’ve always tried to plan my future as thoroughly as possible,” said Mackenzie, a senior communication and social influence major. “I was told by so many people that getting my college degree would be the key to a successful career in a field that I enjoyed. Right now, though, my future feels more uncertain than ever.”

Mackenzie is one of the thousands of graduating seniors at Temple University and across the U.S. who face an uncertain future as they depart college with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic feeling in sight amid a national mass

vaccination campaign. At the end of an unprecedented academic year, seniors are charting out their careers amid a global crisis that has made job opportunities more scarce.

Declining unemployment rates and a recently-passed $1.9 trillion federal economic relief package represent positive developments for an ailing U.S. economy. Yet young adults currently entering the workforce face a unique set of obstacles, as many employers continue to conduct hiring remotely and industries severely clenched by the pandemic continue to struggle.

Unemployment rates among youth ages 16 to 24 have lowered nationwide in recent months but still fall above pre-pandemic averages. In February, the U.S. youth unemployment rate was 10.9 percent, more than three percent higher than the 7.8 percent reported in February 2020 prior to the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite cautious optimism surrounding a rebounding economy, the

pandemic’s effect on the U.S. job market will continue to be felt for some time, said Kristen Gallo, executive director of the Career Center.

“With the current state of the U.S. job market, especially within hard-hit industries, college graduates will need to adapt their skillsets towards industries that are actively hiring,” Gallo said.

Difficulty finding employment and the fatigue of everyday life during a pandemic has taken its toll on the mental health of seniors like Mackenzie, leaving many of them feeling isolated and unsure about their path forward.

“At a time when I should be feeling really excited about the future, I’m mainly feeling anxious and lost,” Mackenzie said.

THE MENTAL HEALTH TOLL

An August 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 75 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds surveyed between June 24 through 30, 2020, reported suffering from at least one adverse mental or be-

havioral health condition, like anxiety and depression.

Jeffrey Mitchell, a senior risk management and insurance major, said his concern for the safety of his mother, who works as a nurse in an emergency room, has been a major source of stress and anxiety during the last year.

“It’s gotten a bit better, but I remember a several-week period when the ER my mom works at was completely filled to capacity with COVID patients,” Mitchell said. “It was really terrifying and just added to the stress I was already feeling about school and applying to jobs.”

Deborah Davis, a senior psychology major, is taking 17 credits this semester to qualify for graduation this spring. Her classwork, on top of her part-time restaurant job and applying to law school, has left her emotionally and physically drained.

“Most days I start work at 8 a.m., get home by 6 p.m., and then do school work till around 1 or 2 a.m.,” Davis said. “Everything with COVID, plus just being so

The Temple News

overextended has definitely pushed me to my emotional breaking point a few times this semester.”

Seniors are also grappling with feelings of isolation and loneliness as classes remain remote and university-sponsored social events are canceled or hosted virtually.

Some COVID-19 city and state restrictions have been lifted in recent weeks, but many COVID-19 restrictions on in-person indoor capacity limits in city businesses and gatherings have remained in place during the 2020-21 academic year.

Temple restricted student organizations from meeting in person at the Howard Gittis Student Center this academic year, making it more difficult for students to interact socially, The Temple News reported.

“I feel cheated out of my senior year,” Davis said. “A lot of the things I was looking forward to this spring, like going to Temple’s Senior Brunch and being able to bond with fellow seniors and people in my major, just haven’t been possible.”

A NEW HIRING LANDSCAPE

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sharp increase in unemployment rates in the U.S., and by June 2020, the U.S. officially entered a recession, according to the Brookings Institute.

The economic downturn caused by the pandemic forced many companies to lay off employees and enact hiring freezes, a practice that has continued in many industries through Spring 2021, Gallo said.

A recent report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers projects that post-graduation hiring rates for the class of 2021 are expected to remain at the same level seen for the class of 2020, despite recent signs of economic recovery, Gallo added.

Olivia Dan, a senior tourism and hospitality management major, said she feels extremely lucky to have a job lined up after graduation at a catering company located in Radnor, Pennsylvania.

“I’ve seen many of my peers in [the

LONGFORM School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management] struggle to find employment in our industry, so I feel really blessed to have this opportunity,” Dan said.

Mitchell applied to more than 25 jobs and completed nearly a dozen interviews before he was able to find a post-graduation job as an employee benefits consultant.

“I think of interviewing as one of my strengths, but they were difficult for me in the virtual environment,” Mitchell said. “I find I’m much more anxious before a Zoom interview and find it harder to communicate what I bring to the table to potential employers.”

Gallo observed how the shift toward virtual hiring practices has been one of the most difficult adjustments for students to make while navigating the pandemic job market.

“It requires an entirely new skill set,” Gallo said. “Even for those who do feel comfortable in an interview setting, which most don’t, the process of talking to a potential employer through a computer screen while sitting in your bedroom is a completely new experience for most students.”

OPPORTUNITIES LOST

Early during her time at Temple, Mackenzie decided she wanted to work abroad in either Germany or France after graduation, a dream she decided to postpone when the logistics of global travel and finding a job became too complicated due to the pandemic.

“It really forced me to change my entire strategy,” Mackenzie said. “Instead of looking abroad, I had to come around to the idea of being in Philly, or possibly back home, which was never something I thought would happen.”

Mackenzie now plans to move back in with her mother in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the foreseeable future after she graduates this spring. Last week, Mackenzie received news that she’d been hired by an Allentown-based non-profit organization working to address mental health problems among elementary school-aged children.

PAGE 13

ALLIE IPPOLITO/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Olivia Dan, a senior tourism and hospitality management major, sits outside the Tuttleman Learning Center on March 15.

“It’s in no way where I thought I would be or what I want to be doing exactly, but at least I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing I have something,” Mackenzie added.

Virginia Sapp, a senior art history major, has also adapted her post-graduation plans and is considering applying to graduate school if she is unable to find a job in the art history field.

“I’m trying to go with the flow, look at all my options and possibly apply to jobs in different fields than my major, like marketing,” Sapp added. “I’m not ruling out any options.”

Gallo said the best advice she could give departing seniors is to not be discouraged by rejection.

“The moment you stop applying, you stop networking and you stop putting yourself out there, you’ve pretty much given yourself a guarantee that nobody is going to find you,” Gallo said.

Temple’s 2021 commencement day will take place on or around May 6 and consist of smaller ceremonies hosted by

the university’s individual schools and colleges. Temple has yet to announce whether it will permit in-person attendance for these events, The Temple News reported.

“Having an in-person graduation ceremony would give a sense of closure to my college experience,” Davis said.

“But as with everything this year, I’m not holding my breath. If I’ve learned anything from this pandemic, it’s that closure is not something you’re ever really guaranteed to get.”

But for other seniors like Mitchell, the existence of an in-person graduation ceremony with guest attendance is relatively unimportant.

“Were we not in a pandemic, I might be more excited for graduation,” Mitchell said. “But at this point, I’m honestly just ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, ceremony or not.” asacadwallader@temple.edu @asacadwallader

LIVE in

Philly

BY COLLEEN CLAGGETT Photo Editor

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS A dancer from the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble performs outside of Harriett’s Bookshop during their Soca Sidewalk Sale on March 14.

SOCA SHINES BOOKSTORE

AT SMALL

Harriett’s Bookshop hosted Soca Sidewalk Sale in Fishtown to celebrate one year of business.

O

n Saturday, Harriett’s Bookshop hosted the Soca Sidewalk Sale in honor of their one-year anniversary of opening.

From noon to 6 p.m., customers were invited to browse books outdoors alongside Girard Avenue, see performances from artists like the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble and violinist Rickey Turner and listen to music from DJ Supa Ting. The sidewalk

event featured Soca, a mix of soul and calypso music.

The Black-owned bookstore opened on Girard Avenue near Marlborough Street in February 2020 with the mission of highlighting female authors.

To navigate indoor capacity limitations due to COVID-19 restrictions, the shop hosts sidewalk sales by moving their bookcases outdoors, said Messiah Toure, 17, an intern at Harriett’s and son of owner Jeannine Cook.

“We had to either fall into our circumstances or figure out a way to move beyond and evolve,” Toure said.

The shop offered various sales on

books and apparel throughout the day and had a steady stream of customers from the greater Philadelphia area.

Barbara James, 36, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College, visited the bookshop in person for the first time after ordering from them online.

“Promoting literacy in the community and sharing books that don’t often get a lot of shine and having a space to do that is so important,” James said.

“They’re doing such a phenomenal service in the neighborhood.”

Doreen Allen, 33, a federal contractor from Fishtown, and Idalee Escribano, 30, a school teacher from North Central,

attended the event together.

“We are reading a book called ‘Women, Race & Class,’” Escribano said.

“And so we were shopping around for our next book to read for our book club.”

Allen said she wanted to get better at supporting small businesses and Black businesses.

“I think that it’s really important to feed money back into our community,” Allen said. “We can get these books anywhere: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, but we specifically choose to come here and support local Black businesses.” colleen.claggett@temple.edu @colleenclaggett

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP RIGHT Drummers from the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble perform outside of Harriett’s Bookshop during their Soca Sidewalk Sale on March 14.

Romelle Johnson, 66, from Eastwick, reads the back cover of a book during Harriett’s Bookshop’s Soca Sidewalk Sale.

Barbara James, 36, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College, purchases a book from Harriett’s Bookshop.

Messiah Toure, 17, an intern at Harriett’s Bookshop and son of owner Jeannine Cook, stands outside Harriett’s Bookshop.

Violinist Rickey Turner performs outside of Harriett’s Bookshop during their Soca Sidewalk Sale.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

THE END OF ‘NORMAL’

STUDENT LIFE

From birthday parties to volleyball, students remember last memories before the pandemic.

BY EMMA PADNER AND COLLEEN CLAGGETT For The Temple News

O

ne year ago today, Temple University’s domestic campuses began online learning, which continued through the end of the semester, according to an announcement from President Richard Englert.

Just days before, Philadelphia declared its first case of COVID-19 on March 10, 2020.

The next day, Temple announced all domestic campuses would end in-person instruction on March 13, 2020 — the same day the World Health Organization officially categorized COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

Gov. Tom Wolf began implementing statewide closures of all nonessential businesses to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020. This meant in addition to no longer physically being on campus, Temple students, along with Philadelphia and Pennsylvania residents, saw their hometowns and city streets closed.

COVID-19 almost instantly changed the lives of Temple students in March 2020. The Temple News asked five students what they were doing on their last day before schools closed, businesses closed or they began practicing social distancing to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s what Temple students remember.

NICHOLAS SALERNO / COURTESY Nicholas Salerno, fourth from the left, poses with his friends at his 18th birthday party on March 15, 2020.

Ella Wallace Freshman neuroscience major Wallace’s high school closed on March 13, 2020, two days after the pandemic was declared. Wallace said her friends were excited because they didn’t have to turn in a school project but were also unsure what was happening because her teachers were emotional during the school day.

“All the teachers were crying, which we thought was so weird,” Wallace added. “We were like, ‘We’re all going to come back, what is happening?’ And then I remember me and my friends had a club meeting and then after that we just hung out and had a party because we joked it was like the end of the world and just like, celebrating school was going to be gone for two weeks.”

Nicholas Salerno Freshman legal studies major Salerno celebrated his 18th birthday on March 15, 2020, with close friends and family eating pizza and cake and playing basketball and Cards Against Humanity before the state closed nonessential businesses on March 16, 2020.

“It was a lot of fun, you know, it felt normal then,” he said. “Ever since then, being that close to that amount of people is very tricky, even with the masks and social distancing.”

emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner colleen.claggett@temple.edu @colleenclaggett

ELLA WALLACE / COURTESY Ella Wallace, a freshman neuroscience major, attended a Model United Nations conference a few days before her high school transitioned to online learning.

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

Sydney Giunta Freshman advertising major Giunta was in the senior lounge at her high school, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, spending time with her friends listening to music and taking photos.

“Some people were taking pictures and some of us were like, ‘Why would we need to take pictures? We’re going to be back in like a week,’ and then we never came back,’’ Giunta said.

SYDNEY GIUNTA / COURTESY Sydney Giunta, a freshman advertising major, stands in her high school’s senior lounge with her friends in March 2020.

India Clark Sophomore nursing major Clark spent her last seemingly normal day lounging on the beach in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

“The last normal day I would say was just going to the beach and just being outside before I flew back to Philly,” she said.

Jordan Harris Senior public relations major Harris attended her last in-person meeting for PRowl Public Relations, Temple’s student-run public relations firm, on March 12, 2020, where she was slated to take over as the firm director, she said.

“It was a very somber but exciting thing because we were like, ‘Oh, we’ll be back in two weeks, but later, like Jordan will be in charge,’ and it’s just been a whole year of being virtual and it’s been really challenging,” she said.

INDIA CLARK / COURTESY India Clark, a sophomore nursing major, spent her spring break in 2020 at Cocoa Beach, Florida visiting her aunt.

JORDAN HARRIS / COURTESY Jordan Harris, a senior public relations major, stands under a slide announcing her as the new firm director for PRowl, Temple’s student public relations firm.

PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

Staff facilitates spring semester COVID-19 testing Workers help students and faculty self-adminster tests at locations around Main Campus.

BY DAVID HUNT For The Temple News Erica Townsend came across a position to administer COVID-19 tests on Temple University’s career site one month ago and applied, knowing options in her physical therapy degree were slim.

“There’s no jobs available,” Townsend said. “I’m sorry to say it, there’s just no options unless you want to work for Uber or Amazon.”

Townsend is one of the 27 temporary testing staff members Temple hired in preparation for the hybrid Spring 2021 semester. The testing staff, along with 10 student workers, manage the self-administered COVID-19 student testing locations at room 200ABC in the Howard Gittis Student Center and the Great Court in Mitten Hall, as well as faculty testing locations in Paley Hall, said Meghan Duffy, associate director of finance and administration.

Students who are taking classes in person and live on or near Main Campus are required to be tested at least semi-weekly.

Those who use campus facilities are required to be tested at least once a week this semester, The Temple News reported.

The university administered nearly 21,000 COVID-19 tests during the Fall 2020 semester and more than 70,000 COVID-19 tests so far in the Spring 2021 semester, Duffy said.

“We have been able to identify some positive students and employees and because of that we’ve been able to assist them in quarantining and isolating and tracking, contacting anyone else, so we’ve really been able to prevent an outbreak happening,” said Duffy, who organized and manages the testing centers for Temple’s domestic campuses.

Townsend, 35, the lead coordinator at the Student Center testing site who lives at Mifflin Street near 25th, begins her workday at 8 a.m. by wiping down tables students use to administer their tests while

waiting for the technicians to set up the viles, masks and gloves so students can be tested quickly, she said.

Testing locations are open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There are five to six employees at the Student Center and Mitten Hall locations on site each day, who sit behind plexiglass, checking students in and providing them the testing kit.

Students take the vile and swab to one of the individual tables, spaced at least six feet apart, to test administer their test.

Students and faculty sign up for their own testing slots through the Student Health Services portal, so some days more students come to get tested than others, Townsend said.

When students come to get tested, workers check students in with their TU ID number, confirm the students’ contact information and scan their testing vile to ensure the test results are sent to the correct student, Townsend said.

Then they provide students with a nasal swab and vile and direct them to a table to self-administer their polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test. Students are notified by email of their results within 24 to 48 hours if their results are negative, but Student Health Services will call them if they test positive.

“It’s more or less to make sure social distancing, safety, cleanliness, supplies, questions, expediting people in and out,” Townsend said. “Students, they forget their masks, they’re not, you know, completing swabs correctly. If there are any issues and errors, try to triage them or tell them where to find the information if it’s things I can’t answer.”

Townsend is employed on a contract basis for the Spring 2021 semester, but once her contract ends, she will be on the search for another job, she said.

The university will decide over the summer if testing will be required for the Fall 2021 semester, Duffy wrote in an email to The Temple News.

For Nicole Dilenno, 21, a testing worker who lives in Burlington, New Jersey, becoming a test worker at Mitten Hall gave her an opportunity to have a temporary job while

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Nicole Dilenno, 21, a COVID-19 testing worker from Burlington, New Jersey, sits behind her station at the testing site in the Great Court of Mitten Hall on March 15.

70,000

The number of self-administered COVID-19 tests administered this semester, as of March 15. she seeks employment in her field.

After Dileno graduated from the University of Lynchburg in Lynchburg, Virginia, she decided to apply for a COVID-19 testing position at Temple after finding an advertisement for the position on Facebook through an agency recruiter, she said.

If it’s a student’s first time being tested on campus, Dileno will walk them through the instructions for the nasal swab test, she said. But for most students, the process has become a weekly or twice-weekly routine.

“I’ve seen people twice a week for, since like this semester started in January,” Dileno said. “So I know a decent amount of students have in-person classes.”

Alexandra Diaz Morales, a junior art

therapy major, usually schedules her two weekly tests for Mondays and Thursdays in the Student Center because she can scan her TU ID there rather than reading the numbers to the testing workers at the Mitten Hall location, she said.

After eight weeks of being tested twice a week, self-administering a test is routine, Diaz Morales said.

“The first time I came, they just told me what to do, but there’s signs everywhere that say what to do so I just kind of read the signs,” she said. “Since I’m doing it twice a week, I kind of got the hang of it at this point.”

Dileno’s glad she can contribute to COVID-19 safety on campus and getting students back to in-person classes, she said.

“When I was a student, going to online classes was a hard transition, and I know most students prefer to be learning in person,” Dileno added. “Since we’re doing this, constantly testing and catching it early, and preventing the spread, it’s good that they can be in person.” david.hunt0002@temple.edu @dave_hunt44

PAGE 19

FEATURES

The Temple News

‘We can’t just shut the lights off and walk away’ Temple maintenance staff install COVID-19 safety features oncampus, like sanitizing stations.

BY JOELLE DELPRETE For The Temple News When students, faculty and administration left Temple University’s Main Campus in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, one group of staff remained on the virtually empty campus, working through the summer to ensure a safe return in the fall.

Temple facilities, cleaning, grounds and maintenance staff prepared Main Campus facilities for the return to classrooms for the 2020-21 school year.

Deemed essential workers by the university, some staff worked through Gov. Tom Wolf’s shutdown of nonessential businesses in Pennsylvania on March 16, 2020, maintaining Main Campus and installing touchless faucets, sanitizer stations and deep cleaning buildings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.

Following campus closures in March 2020, the university announced that staff would continue to work as usual, but those who are in high-risk groups could discuss the possibility of working remotely, The Temple News reported.

Campus buildings still needed upkeep, despite not being used by students, faculty and other staff, so maintenance workers were essential, said Sean Ounan, assistant director of operations and maintenance on Main Campus.

“We can’t shut down,” Ounan said. “The university shut down a year ago, but we can’t just shut the lights off and walk away.”

Housekeeping staff left March 13, 2020, once Main Campus shut down due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michael Juhas, director of housekeeping. Some staff returned April 20, 2020, and the full staff returned on May 18, 2020.

Workers ordered supplies and installed protective features around campus and inside buildings, like plexiglass barriers at security stations, hand sanitizer stations

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Quay Montgomery, a grounds employee, stands in front of his utility vehicle at the Bell Tower on March 15.

and signage that says “six feet apart.” At the start of the summer, their main task was disinfecting all campus facilities with electrostatic sprayers to clean efficiently and thoroughly, said Steven Witherspoon, the operations manager for housekeeping.

On top of normal mechanical operations, like heating, cooling and plumbing the facilities, staff installed touchless bottle filling stations, touchless doors and faucets in bathrooms and hand sanitizer dispensers on every floor in buildings open to students and faculty, Juhas said.

The housekeeping and grounds departments did not lay off any employees during the pandemic, Juhas said.

“There was a moment of joy because who wants to work given the circumstances?” said Harold Burnett, a housekeeping staff member. “But after about a month of

being home, you’re like, ‘Is there going to be a job to come back to?’”

Obtaining materials like new air filters, plexiglass and disinfectant cleaning supplies was challenging because of higher demand for these products during the pandemic.

There were nationwide shortages of disinfectants and sanitizers in March 2020 because of high demand and manufacturers’ inability to obtain materials, Bloomberg reported.

Additionally, there was a shortage of MERV-13 air filters, the recommended filters for large indoor spaces to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Fortune reported in July 2020.

Managerial staff would occasionally order supplies from six or seven different sources, Juhas said.

Burnett, who has worked at Temple

for 14 years, said on top of learning how to install new equipment, he had anxiety about completing it on time so the university met COVID-19 protocol for the start of the fall semester.

“Early on, it was just like, ‘Man, that’s a lot of new equipment, and we need to, like, the race is running, we need to get right into it, there’s no soft roll into it,’” Burnett said.

The staff had to adapt to new schedules, social distancing, mask mandates and temperature checks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during work, said Luis Gonzalez, director of operations and maintenance for Temple’s domestic campuses.

Juhas and Gonzalez worked with the operations and maintenance departments to establish protocol where staff could fully service buildings while minimizing the spread of COVID-19 among staff, like contact tracing, Gonzalez said.

Normally, the hour lunch break allowed employees to mingle and catch up, but now everyone sits alone in their cars to eat, Burnett said.

“Even though we are a year into this, there’s just a little uneasiness about sitting in a room with somebody and sharing a meal,” Burnett added.

Quay Montgomery, a grounds employee who has worked at Temple for 18 years, said he felt safe while working during the summer.

“We’re here more than we’re home, so it’s like we’re all in a bubble together,” Montgomery said. “They treat us well, they set up where to get tested if need be.”

Staff are able to be tested at Temple University Hospital, Burnett said.

With fewer students and faculty on campus, it was easier to complete big projects, like fixing filtration, heating and cooling in buildings, Gonzales said.

“We’re able to do a lot of work with the stuff you guys don’t see, that makes your learning experience a little better,” Ounan said. joelledelp@temple.edu

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FEATURES

ALUMNI

Alumna works on Biden communications team Khanya Brann moved to Washington, D.C. in January to start her job at the White House.

BY SAMANTHA SULLLIVAN For The Temple News Just three years after becoming a United States citizen, Khanya Brann cast her first presidential vote on Nov. 3, 2020, for Joe Biden, who she would join in the White House a few weeks later.

Brann, a 2019 journalism alumna, started working as senior communications assistant and special assistant to the director of communications for the Biden administration in December 2020.

She works in the White House, accompanying members of the Biden team to interviews and compiling media coverage of the administration.

Every morning, Brann arrives at the White House at 7:30 a.m. She goes to the White House Medical Unit to get a daily COVID-19 test, then prepares materials like meeting briefs for her boss, White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield, before attending a 9 a.m. press and communications team meeting.

“I get to try my hand at different things,” Brann said. “I’m given a lot of opportunities to grow and learn by trying new things and helping out in different areas.”

In May 2019, Brann saw a Facebook post by Deesha Dyer, the former social secretary for the Obama administration, about internships for a political campaign in Philadelphia. Even though she had no prior experience in politics, Brann decided to apply, she said.

Brann worked as a communications intern for the Biden campaign from July to November 2019, monitoring media coverage, building and maintaining national and local press lists and transcribing interviews.

In August 2020, Brann returned to the Biden campaign as the Pennsylvania communications associate after interning at Philly Counts, a Philadelphia office

that assists with the count of population, income, housing and other economic details in the U.S. Despite working together through Zoom for the majority of the campaign, Brann’s creativity and empathy were immediately evident, said Rosie Lapowsky, the eastern Pennsylvania regional press secretary for the Biden campaign.

“She always stayed true to herself, kept a very authentic voice and was just working so hard for the end goal of getting Joe Biden elected for president,” Lapowsky said.

Brann accepted an offer from Bedingfield to be her senior communications assistant in January, and two weeks later, she moved to Washington, D.C. from Pennsylvania.

“I ran into Kamala Harris in the hallway and she said “Hi” to me and asked me how I was doing, that was a pinch-me moment,” Brann said. I got back to my desk and I was like, ‘Wow, did I just meet the vice president of the United States?”

Brann took Philadelphia Neighborhoods, a journalism reporting class based in different Philadelphia communities, with journalism professor Brian Creech in 2019. She reported on the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, gaining experience working with communities, something Creech believes helps her prioritize community needs in the White House.

“I am thrilled to learn she’s in the Biden White House, I can’t think of a better perspective for the Biden team,” Creech said.

Brann watched Biden sign some executive orders in his office during some of the first days of his presidency, she said.

“I was standing there with the press and everybody else and I was like, ‘Wow, this is what people dream of their entire lives,’” she said. samantha.sullivan0002@temple.edu

Editor’s Note: Khanya Brann worked at The Temple News as an assistant features editor in 2018. She did not have any role in the reporting, writing or editing of this story.

The Temple News

VOICES

What is your last “normal” memory?

KAYLA GAUSSAINT Sophomore speech, language and hearing science major My last normal memory was sitting in my History and Significance of Race in America class for my [Race and Diversity] GenEd. That’s the last thing I remember.

LY’NESE SETORIE Junior marketing major My last normal memory was in the SAC, and it was a pageant reveal for the Student Organization for Caribbean Awareness.

DARIEL WATTS Senior natural sciences major Skateboarding at the skatepark right over there. I was trying to practice how to do an ollie, and it was nice because there were no masks and I could be near my friends, and now I’m like, ‘Oh, we can’t skateboard.’

A’JENAI THOMPSON Sophomore health professions major My favorite normal memory from last year would be just going to the dining hall and like, just sitting with random people, talking to random people, seeing people from class and just like, going basically to chill out after we finish eating dinner and stuff.

The Temple News

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GENDER AND SEXUALITY

Student leaders discuss how they empower others Women reflect on how their organizations have brought them closer to their communities.

BY EDEN MACDOUGALL and HAAJRAH GILANI For The Temple News

K

urat Abaidullah’s desire to provide spaces that empower and uplift other women comes from her faith.

“There’s this perception that in Islam, maybe women are not given the same rights as men, or women are kind of undermined, right?” said Abaidullah, a first-year biology graduate student and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association for Women. “Our community, the Ahmadiyya specifically, our sect, it makes sure and emphasizes the importance of women.”

Temple University students in women-led organizations are uplifting others through student organizations and community service to create opportunities for future generations.

It is important that women today remember those who came before them and leave behind a legacy future generations can be proud of, Abaidullah said.

“We often find ourselves looking at the past and looking at our leaders but also how are we going to be looked back, how is our generation going to look back on us, what kind of movement are we making, what kind of strides are we making to help the next generation,” she added.

Brynna Haupt, a senior media studies and production major, took one such stride and co-founded the Sports Media Society for Women with two other students in 2019.

The Sports Media Society for Women aims to advocate for and support women in sports media by providing mentorship and networking opportunities, The Temple News reported.

GRACE DiMEO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

The first meeting had around five to 10 attendees, but the organization now has more than 40 members, said Haupt, the organization’s current president.

“Just the exponential growth that we have seen is just super surreal and heartwarming,” she added.

Being part of the Sports Media Society for Women has empowered Hauput and introduced her to some of her best friends, she said.

“I couldn’t ask to be in a better position, just, you know, kind of leading this org and leading this mission, but also seeing the relationships bud and connect and develop and go a long way,” Haupt added.

For Arya Kurien, a senior accounting major and fundraising chair for Women in Finance, being in a women-led organization helped her become more confident and speak her mind when working with male classmates, she said.

“I feel like a lot of boys can just tend to like dominate and be like, ‘This is what we’re going to do and that’s it,’” Kurien said. “I feel like I’m a little bit more assertive in my opinion now.”

Sraavya Pinjala, a freshman biology

major and secretary for Women in Medicine, felt she also had problems being taken seriously by her male classmates due to her gender.

“It’s so incredibly frustrating because you know, you’re like, ‘I’m right, you know, I don’t know why everyone has all these doubts about me,’” Pinjala said.

These organizations have also used community service as another way to empower themselves and others, Pinjala added.

Women in Medicine volunteers at the Chosen 300 Ministries soup kitchen on Fridays, preparing meals and serving food to patrons.

It’s important for Women in Medicine to be involved in community service because issues like poverty can impact both physical and mental health, Pinjala said.

Many people cannot afford to seek treatment for illnesses or other health problems due to the cost and delaying treatment makes the original problem worse, the Guardian reported.

“It’s really important for us to take care of our community, and if that

means giving people a hot meal like once a week, you know, and not even just thrown at them like it’s delivered, it’s wrapped for them then, like, we’re going to do that,” Pinjala added.

Each member of the Sports Media Society for Women executive board chose a Black-owned business to raise money for during Black History Month.

Haupt chose Harriett’s Bookshop, an independent bookstore on Girard Avenue near Marlborough Street.

“I wanted to highlight a Philadelphia business, especially local, that supports missions dear to my heart: women empowerment, Black women representation and raising awareness about social injustice,” Haupt wrote on Twitter. “Going to a public university in a predominantly Black city, I want to emphasize the importance of these issues and bring light to the situations and work that still needs to be done for real equality.”

In Philadelphia, Hispanic and Black people are more likely to be below the poverty line, with Hispanics at 37.9 percent and Black people at 30.8 percent, according to a 2017 study by Pew Trusts.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Student Association for Women regularly holds food drives at the Bait-ul-Aafiyat Mosque on Glennwood Avenue near 13th Street, and they hosted blood drives and took part in a community effort to plant trees in Lancaster County previously, Abaidullah said.

“It was amazing knowing that you are doing work that will directly impact the future of the environment,” she added. “As Muslim women, we are taught to treat creation with love and respect and make a heaven on Earth. Helping plant trees and working with people of different backgrounds, ages and creeds did just that.” eden.macdougall@temple.edu haajrah@temple.edu

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The Temple News

Active Minds at TU president reflects on past year Mia Stavarski discusses Active Mind’s work to destigmatize mental health and self-care.

BY HAAJRAH GILANI Co-Intersection Editor In August 2019, Mia Stavarski was invited to a general body meeting for Active Minds at Temple University. As someone who’s dealt with depression and anxiety, she was interested in a club promoting mental health awareness.

“Going to a club that kind of understands, you know, I guess like, understands that not everything is going to be okay all the time and that you need to take time for yourself and, you know, learn how to care for yourself, that’s what I really enjoyed,” said Stavarski, a junior art therapy major and president of Active Minds at TU. “And then a position opened up and I went for it.”

As president of Active Minds at TU, Stavarski is responsible for running executive board meetings, laying out expectations for executive board members each semester, setting a schedule for general body meetings, fundraisers, and events, meeting with the organization’s faculty advisor, and assisting executive board members with completing their tasks.

Stavarski keeps the organization’s data and documents in check and ensures that the organization’s engagement, marketing and internal teams have enough funds, said Michelle Chan, a junior marketing major and vice president of Active Minds at TU. “She’s such a good leader for the whole club,” Chan added. “She really knows how to get things done, but also like, accommodate people if needed, and she’s really empathetic.”

Active Minds hosts biweekly general body meetings on Thursday nights that may be informational, like a presentation from the Wellness Resource Center about stress, or more related to self-care,

MIA STAVARSKI / COURTESY Members of Active Minds at Temple University split into groups to do a puzzle at a meeting in 2019

like doing a puzzle together, Stavarski said. There is also time for members to have casual conversations with each other about their overall well-being and how their classes are going, she added.

Active Minds at TU is a chapter of the wider Active Minds network, although the national chapter is not financially responsible for Active Minds at TU. The national chapter serves as a facilitator for the Temple chapter and they both share a code of ethics and responsibilities, like nondiscriminatory practices and ensuring members’ safety and comfort, Stavarski said.

College students have a habit of joking about rarely sleeping or scarcely eating, but Active Minds wants to emphasize that jokes and actions of this nature are not healthy, Stavarski said.

“We need to take care of ourselves a little bit more, especially in college when, you know, this time is just so stressful and riddled with challenges,” she added.

When Chan and another vice president had to step aside from the organization to deal with personal issues, Stavarski was able to continue operating as usual, Chan said.

“She, yeah, basically was like, running everything with like, less help as usual and didn’t complain at all, which is I think it’s something to look up to,” Chan said.

As an aspiring art therapist, Stavarski wants to use art to communicate with people in a way that extends beyond conversations.

“For the future, I just want to help people kind of grow and help facilitate that growth away like, you know, my therapists have helped me,” she said.

Stavarski’s skills as a listener make her a great leader, said Madelyn Phillips, a junior pharmacy major and Stavarski’s friend since 2018.

“She absorbs what you say, she processes it, and she responds to you,” Phil-

lips said. “And it feels very personal, it feels like she really knows what’s going on,” Stavarski improved the organization by suggesting a resource list of mental health support and sending a self-care package to executive board members, she said. The list includes resources at Temple, like links to CARE Team and the Wellness Resource Center, as well as coping techniques, disability resources, LGBTQ mental health resources and mental health resources for people of color.

“Now more than ever, people kind of realize what mental health is and kind of the necessity of taking care of yourself is just because I feel like, going online, we’ve started to struggle a lot,” Stavarski said.

About 85 percent of the students surveyed in a study conducted in Spring 2020 reported high to moderate levels of distress, according to PLOS One. In her mental health advocacy, Stavarski is the most proud of her volunteer work as a crisis counselor with the Crisis Textline, an organization that supports individuals undergoing mental health crises.

“People have like considered suicide and I’ve helped them kind of calm down, and you know like, reconsider and, hopefully, to not follow through with it for that day,” she added.

Despite operating virtually, Stavarski and her team have fostered an environment where students feel comfortable discussing topics outside of the group’s focus through the course of this year, she said.

“It’s the fact that we made something so like, comfortable, and we fill up so much rapport with like, the students that feel comfortable talking to us,” Stavarski added. “That’s what kind of makes me proud.” haajrah@temple.edu

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Temple professor fights for students’ basic needs

Sara Goldrick-Rab is a national leader on issues about student housing and food insecurity.

BY EDEN MACDOUGALL Co-Intersection Editor

For more than fifteen years, Sara Goldrick-Rab’s been an advocate for college students.

Goldrick-Rab, a sociology professor, has written policy proposals for legislators in Washington D.C. since 2006. In 2018, she founded the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, a research-based advocacy group at Temple University that researches college students’ access to basic needs, like housing and food.

To her, this last year during the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problems students are facing — making now a time for bolder action.

In June 2020, the Hope Center released the #RealCollege During the Pandemic report about how the pandemic negatively affected students’ access to basic needs, The Temple News reported. The survey found that 15 percent of student respondents at four-year colleges were experiencing homelessness because of the pandemic and 38 percent experienced food insecurity.

One of her recent efforts was pushing for college students to be eligible for the next round of stimulus checks through opinion pieces in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Atlantic and a statement condemning the first two stimulus bills on the Hope Center’s website.

President Joe Biden signed The American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, The Temple News reported.

“That’s huge, right, that took three times to get that damn thing done,” Goldrick-Rab said. “We have also been working very hard on emergency aid, and making sure that the way colleges give it out, students are able to use it for the needs they have. So whether that’s

PAT ROBINSON/ COURTESY Sara Goldrick-Rab, a sociology professor, is a national leader on college accessibility.

like a utility bill, you know, so that when the heating expenses were really high this winter, right, or you had to pay rent, or you had to travel to get home.”

Goldrick-Rab advocates for Philadelphia students by making sure they know what resources are available to them, like the Depaul USA house on Sprague Street near Stafford Avenue, which provides housing for students experiencing homelessness, the Inquirer reported.

Colleges need to invest in mental health care and prioritize it for the upcoming fall semester to help students cope with the effects of the pandemic, she said.

“It’s very expensive, that kind of support,” Goldrick-Rab said. “I think that the thing is we’re going to have to make it a priority, it’s going to have to be a top priority because otherwise students are just not going to even be paying atten-

tion in classes.”

Nicholas Carmack, a 2020 sociology alumnus, took Sociology of Education with Goldrick-Rab and is now an intern at the Hope Center. He assists the research team with day-to-day tasks like background research.

When he was her student, Goldrick-Rab was understanding of what he was going through when Temple first moved online due to the pandemic, Carmack said.

“There was one time I was like ‘Hey [Goldrick-Rab], I’m sorry I haven’t turned in my midterm yet. I want to let you know I’ve been really stressed out,’ and, you know, got kind of vulnerable with her and she was like, ‘Hey, don’t worry about it, worry about the things that you’re stressed out about first,’” Carmack added.

Richard Deeg, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said Goldrick-Rab makes

it easy for students to think about issues related to college accessibility because she introduces it to them from their viewpoint.

“She’s very energetic. She has a lot of passion for the subject. She’s very articulate and she really thinks about these issues from this perspective of students,” Deeg said.

Goldrick-Rab is gearing up to teach undergraduate classes about college debt and activism in the fall, she said.

“I could easily leave academia, you know, and do something else and the reason I can’t is because I would miss you students like crazy,” Goldrick-Rab said.

Christina Holley, a junior sociology major, also took Sociology of Education with Goldrick-Rab and is currently a research intern for the Hope Center. Her experiences with Goldrick-Rab have been “nothing short of amazing,” she said.

“She has helped me to find different financial resources such as scholarships and financial aid, unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to apply last semester,” Holley wrote in an email to the Temple News. “However, she also is a huge advocate of things such as the National College Emergency Fund, which has been awarded to me through Temple University and helps me tremendously with my household needs.”

The Hope Center started a Student Leadership Advisory Council in the organization last year to make sure there are students involved in the work that impacts their lives, Goldrick-Rab said.

She expects the center’s staff to double, possibly triple in size, in the next few years, Goldrick-Rab added.

“I think, you know, I think that the work that we’re doing is going to be increasingly central to the survival of students in higher ed. So I want to stick with it for that ride,” Goldrick-Rab said. eden.macodugall@temple.edu

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The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

How getting COVID-19 derailed my athletic career A student addresses the strain the pandemic has had on his physical and mental health.

BY JESSE DIMICH-LOUVET For The Temple News Thousands of brutal miles run, more than 150 hours of pounding pavement, trails, mountains and treadmills since the start of the pandemic: all taken from me.

Despite the world shutting down in March 2020, that spring and summer filled me with optimism as I looked toward my exciting future.

I told myself that this pandemic was a mere blip in my life: a much-needed break and a time for deep reflection. I saw it as a privilege to take walks in the mountains pondering where the journey of life would take me.

Even with a pandemic, everything was going well for me.

Then, on Dec. 1, 2020, the first day of the last month of an unforgettable year, I tested positive for COVID-19.

The virus conquered my body and has lingered like a sour aftertaste ever since.

During the middle of finals, I would stand to give a presentation on Zoom and promptly collapse back on the couch before I even finished my last breath. I have not been the same person I once was, full of energy and confidence.

Instead, I am now a shell of my former self, depleted with a lack of purpose.

While I’ve gained back the majority of my strength, I would say I am at 80 percent strength. At the NCAA Division I level for cross country, where the slimmest of margins determine success, 80 percent is not going to cut it.

In my first meet of the season, I felt like an 8-year-old running in a professional race, lost and searching for answers. I was giving it my all and noth-

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

ing was showing for it. The frustration was beginning to boil over as I yelled in anguish after another painful run on the track. I was terrified at the thought of not being at the fitness level I once was.

All of a sudden, every mile I ran and every assignment I completed felt meaningless. What was even the point anymore? Finding the motivation to get up every morning and train for my first college cross country season became a greater task each day.

One year in, my perceptions and emotions have changed. I ask myself things like, “Do I go out for my sanity or sit here and do nothing to prevent the

spread?”

As someone who’s dealt with anxiety my whole life, the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated these feelings, even when I felt like I was in the prime of my life and should have been searching for independence and forging unforgettable experiences.

I moved on and accepted the anti-climactic end of high school and the strangest of graduations with hopes of an authentic college experience on the horizon. This did not come to fruition, as COVID-19 cases only increased.

This pandemic gave me a virus and an identity crisis. I don’t even recognize

myself as an athlete, which, until I got COVID-19, defined who I was. After years of rigorous training and putting myself through the wringer, it felt like my whole body had betrayed me. Questions like “What am I doing? What is my purpose? Where do I go from here?” dominated my brain.

I hope this pandemic will shed light on the importance of mental health. But for now, the reality is I’m fighting to the best of my ability and seeking to rediscover life’s most beautiful gift: purpose. jesse.dimich-louvet@temple.edu

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 25

Reo leads Athletics through tumultuous season Jessic Reo chaired the Temple Athletics’ Return to Participation Committee during the summer.

BY ADAM AARONSON Assistant Sports Editor For Temple University sports teams to have a season during the COVID-19 pandemic, Temple Athletics needed someone who could coordinate with The American Athletic Conference, the NCAA and the City of Philadelphia about COVID-19 policies at the same time.

One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, that leader at Temple is Jessica Reo, executive senior associate athletics director and senior women’s administrator. Reo is a central figure in the school’s implementation of social distancing and COVID-19 testing protocols.

Reo, who joined Temple’s athletic department in August 2019, is responsible for overseeing different departments within Temple Athletics and works closely with the sports medicine department to make sure they have enough tests for student-athletes and coordinating testing protocols and COVID-19 safety measures for all Temple sports.

On any given day, Reo will attend conference calls with coaching staffs from across The American, Board of Trustees meetings, meetings about student-athletes’ academics and biweekly sports supervisor meetings, she said.

Temple football started their season around a month late because they struggled to get approval from the city to hold full team practice, and their season ended early after their last game was canceled due to positive COVID-19 cases inside the program.

“I think we’ve had our hiccups just like anybody else,” Reo said. “Everybody has been under a lot of pressure to avoid the spread, and I think we’ve done a

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jessica Reo, executive senior associate athletics director, sits at her desk in her office in the Aramark STAR Complex on March 15.

good job.”

The men’s basketball team played 16 games and women’s basketball played 22 games, despite both sports experiencing postponements and cancellations to some games.

The men’s basketball team stopped summer practices due to a positive COVID-19 test and dealt with postponed games all season including cancellation of their last two regular season games.

“We get input from multiple sources all the time,” Reo said. “We’re looking at the city guidelines, the state guidelines, conference guidelines and NCAA guidelines, just trying to make sure we are consistently following all of those as they change.”

Several other sports remain en-

trenched in seasons that have largely gone as planned, like volleyball and both soccer teams.

Reo is also responsible for making sure all Temple teams comply with different conferences’ testing and social distancing guidelines when the Owls play teams outside the AAC, she said.

Reo credits individual teams’ staffs for following the protocols in place throughout the season, she said.

In August 2020, it was uncertain whether collegiate sports seasons would take place at all due to the pandemic, as it was still unclear if teams could prevent a major COVID-19 outbreak within their programs. Reo felt like she entered what seemed like a lose-lose scenario: either bypass an entire year’s worth of Temple

sports or face significant risks regarding COVID-19 safety for student-athletes and coaches, she said.

Reo successfully chaired the Return to Participation Committee last summer, which worked closely with several parties, like medical staff, facility personnel and conditioning staff, to create and implement strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, like testing athletes and giving out protective equipment to medical and coaching staffs.

“She’s been on top of the COVID-19 issues just about on a daily basis,” said Acting Director of Athletics Fran Dunphy. “It’s taken up a tremendous amount of time for her, but I think she’s really performed greatly during these very trying times.”

Reo’s implementation of testing and social distancing procedures while dealing with game cancellations or postponements is not going unnoticed, Dunphy said.

“We’ve had to make adjustments with the city, with the university, with the state, with the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention],” Dunphy said.

“With a person like Jessica, her time has been so valuable to letting us know what we can and cannot do. It’s been a remarkable year, but I think she has stood up to every challenge she has been presented with.”

Nobody receives more credit than Reo for putting on safe and successful seasons this year, said Senior Associate Athletic Director Larry Dougherty.

“She is tirelessly working on behalf of our student-athletes to instill the healthiest environment,” Dougherty added. “I am really amazed by how she’s been able to handle this.” adam.aaronson@temple.edu @SixersAdam Colleen Claggett contributed reporting.

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SPORTS

The Temple News

Owls athletic trainers reflect on 2020-21 seasons Temple athletic trainers are re- travel safely to other opponents’ schools.

Addison looked into what kind of sponsible for COVID-19 testing student-athletes before practice. ventilation systems buses and airplanes

BY ISABELLA DiAMORE Assistant Sports Editor Kevin Addison and his crew are more than athletic trainers this year.

They’re educators, communicators and administrators.

Addison, associate director of athletic training at Temple University, and his athletic training staff are responsible for keeping student-athletes healthy during and after practice by administering COVID-19 tests, coordinating trainer availability and preparing student-athletes for travel while educating themselves on COVID-19 regulations for all sports.

Temple’s athletic trainers are managing 12 sports this spring. Addison knew it would be challenging while keeping a safe and healthy environment for all Temple Athletics members with all these teams ongoing, he said.

Originally, The American Athletic Conference came out with a schedule in December 2020 on when competition would take place for each school’s sports team, Addison added.

“I started planning from there on how this season would look, even though 90 percent of the schedules changed,” Addison said. “But by the middle of January, the majority of the schedules were in place, and I started mapping everything out.”

Besides coordinating the athletic trainers’ availability during competitions, Addison and his staff are responsible for making sure the teams could ADVERTISEMENT

had and mask-wearing options for teams. He put together travel kits with wipes and hand sanitizer for the student-athletes to take to away games.

Because there was no competition for Olympic sports in the fall, the athletic trainers only needed to manage six sports then, giving them room for trial and error of implementing new rules to prepare for the spring.

Addison coordinated with trainers on educating student-athletes and coaching staffs on social distancing while on and off the field.

“I did a presentation with all the teams on hygiene as an education piece, this is what we need to be aware of what’s going on,” said Helen Clay Gallagher, associate athletic trainer. “‘This is how you should take care of yourself and take care of others.’”

Gallagher, who manages women’s rowing and volleyball, needs to stay up to date on each sport’s different guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NCAA and the City of Philadelphia at the same time, she added.

Student-athletes are not allowed in any athletic facilities until the athletic trainers check their temperature, test them for COVID-19 and complete their daily health survey, Gallagher said.

Athletic trainers give student-athletes a polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test before each practice, Gallagher added.

If a player tests positive, the athletic trainers have a procedure in place to handle positive cases. Each athletic train-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kevin Addison, associate director for athletic training, talks with tennis head coach Steve Mauro during the men’s tennis match against Fairleigh Dickinson University at the TU Pavilion on March 11.

er went through a contact tracing training course to get their certification to be contact tracers, said Kelsie Osato, assistant athletic trainer for women’s lacrosse and cross country.

“There was a different way for how we handle positive cases, how we handle those living on campus versus off campus, which would change the training experience,” Kelsie said.

Athletic trainers separated student-athletes into small groups by household to pinpoint potential positive tests to a specific group of student-athletes, Kelsie added.

Besides implementing COVID-19 protocols, athletic trainers still have to manage treatment for injured players.

“I’m there at practice for protection,

but I’m also taking care of a lot of documentation at that time,” Gallagher said.

“When they finish their practice, I’ll go through three hours of treatment, then I’ll finish the day with more documents about the treatment I did.”

At the end of the day the student-athletes competing this season are the reason why Addison and his team did everything they could to come up with a way to do that, while keeping everyone safe, he added.

“We had a lot thrown on our plate, but we’ve done everything that was asked of us,” Addison said. isabella.diamore@temple.edu @BellaDiAmore

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 27

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Temple’s future is bright thanks to young guards Miller, McKie’s first signee from The Owls’ young players and said after the team’s game on Thursday. provides the Owls with a distinct skillset. incoming recruits will help the “They got a chance to play, and I got a Battle is a potent scorer who can create Philadelphia and a three-star recruit, is team better compete in the AAC. chance to evaluate these guys because we for himself off the dribble and catch fire averaging 18.2 points, 10 rebounds, 6.4 At first glance, Temple University men’s basketball’s season is a total disappointment.

The team was eliminated in the first round of The American Athletic ConferDANTE COLLINELLI ence Championship Sports Editor on Thursday and never found their rhythm this season because so many games were postponed or canceled after suffering from a lack of summer practice due to COVID-19 protocol.

However, the Owls’ (5-11, 4-10 The American) younger guards and recruits for next season provide an exciting solid foundation for the team to build a consistent AAC championship contender capable of earning NCAA Tournament bids.

“I feel comfortable saying we have the pieces in place to really build this thing out,” head coach Aaron McKie

CONTINUED | WOMEN’S SOCCER “They’re all quite influential, but definitely my partnership with [DiGenova] on the right, and my center-back partnership with [senior defender Djavon Dupree] and the center-mid partnership with [Dolan] has been really influential,” McGovern said.

McGovern scored her first goal against East Carolina on Feb. 28 and saved a last-second goal to preserve Temple’s win over NJIT on March 7, cementing her as someone the Owls will rely on this season for defensive and offensive production.

didn’t have a summer. Just wanna add some other pieces around them to complete the puzzle.”

The top two teams in The American, Wichita State and Houston, both have guards as their leading scorers this season. Sophomore guard Tyson Etienne leads the Shockers with 17.0 points per game, and junior guard Quentin Grimes leads the Cougars with 17.9 points per game.

Needless to say, quality guard play is necessary to succeed in The American.

This season, three of the Owls’ top four scorers were underclassmen guards.

Sophomore Khalif Battle led the team in points per game with 15, redshirt-freshman Damian Dunn was second with 13.5 and freshman Jeremiah Williams tied for third with 9.3.

Battle earned a Third-Team All American Conference spot, and Dunn earned a spot on the American All-Rookie team, meaning the conference is fully aware of the Owls’ younger players’ talent.

Each of the team’s young guards

from behind the arc, Williams is a long and athletic defender capable of running the offense with his precise passing and Dunn is a strong finisher around the rim skilled at drawing contact to get to the free-throw line.

Battle led the team in 3-pointers attempted and finished second in 3-pointers converted. Williams led the team in assists and steals while Dunn led the team in free throws attempted.

Temple doesn’t have to hope their skillsets develop: they already have them.

With a little more game experience, the young guards should help Temple compete with the likes of Houston and Wichita State.

While all three of Temple’s young guards are talented, they still need more support on both sides of the court. The support they need will come from Temple’s 2021 recruiting class, specifically from guard Hysier Miller from Neumann Goretti High School in Wharton and forward Zach Hicks from Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

assists and three steals per game this season. Alongside Battle, Miller will provide the Owls with another reliable scoring option in the backcourt.

Miller was also named to the McDonald’s All-American Team, which recognizes the best high school players in the country.

Hicks, also a three-star recruit, is averaging 21.9 points per game while leading the Fighting Irish to a 9-3 record this season. Hicks offers the Owls a scoring option at the forward position, which they sorely lacked this season. His 6-foot7-inch height and explosive movement skills will give the Owls a versatile chess piece on the defensive side of the court.

It might take time for all the young players to build chemistry and fully adapt to the college game, but the future is undoubtedly bright on North Broad Street.

“We’ll be back next year, ready to go,” Battle said.

McGovern is tied for the team lead in minutes played and scored one goal while recording three shots this season.

McGovern almost didn’t commit to Temple and was close to committing to Quinnipiac University before Temple reached out to her, McGovern said. “[Temple’s coaching staff] actually contacted me in February [2020] and I was close to making my decision,” McGovern said. “So within like, two or three weeks of being contacted, I came on a visit just before COVID and then made up my mind like, probably a week after I came home.”

Owls assistant coach Claire Scanlan, who is also from Dublin, found out about

McGovern through a conversation with another coach and was impressed with McGovern’s playing style right away.

“She’s really strong in the air, and then her passing is very good with both feet,” Scanlan said. “She can play on the left or right side, and her passing range is excellent.”

McGovern was recruited by the DLR Waves club team in 2017 and was later called up to play with the Ireland under-17 National Team, where she competed in the UEFA Championship Tournament.

She captained the Ireland under-19 National Team in October 2020 when they played in the European Champion-

ships and made it to the elite stage of the tournament, but the rest of the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scanlan and McGovern connected with each other right away by talking about music or singing a song during training, Scanlan added.

“She’s been a great addition to the program,” Scanlan said. “We’re really happy that she’s here and we’re looking forward to building and working on improving the program as we go.”

dantecollinelli@temple.edu @DanteCollinelli

donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel

PAGE 28

SPORTS

The Temple News

‘A STEADY

ROCK

’

Women’s soccer freshman defender Róisín McGovern scored her first goal of the season on Feb. 28 against East Carolina.

BY DONOVAN HUGEL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter

G

rowing up in Dublin, Ireland, freshman defender Róisín McGovern spent her free time playing soccer with boys who lived on her block. At eight years old, she played on an all-boys team, Wayside Celtic FC, which helped her develop a highly physical style of play.

Now, McGovern is a vital physical presence to the Owls’ (3-2-1, 1-2-1 The American Athletic Conference) defense keeping opponents out of the penalty box and holding the defensive line when Temple’s other defenders join the offensive attack.

McGovern, who stands at 6 feet, 1 inch tall, is one of Temple’s more physical players willing to sit back and

defend the box by separating opposing players and posting up inside the other team’s box on offense.

“She brings an element to our back four that we don’t have with all of our backs,” said junior goalkeeper Kamryn Stablein. “[Senior defender Marissa DiGenova] likes to get high and into the box and get crosses in. [Freshman defender Brooke Kane] likes to play a little bit higher. [McGovern] is like a steady rock back there. She keeps everybody in line and makes sure that we’re still doing the job of defending.”

Playing center back, McGovern is surrounded by upperclassmen like Dupree, DiGenova, Stablein and senior midfielder Julia Dolan.

Despite being a freshman, she earned a starting spot.

WOMEN’S SOCCER | 22

NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman defender Roisin McGovern passes the ball during the Owls’ match against the University of Central Florida at the Temple Sports Complex on Feb. 14.