Vol. 99.5 Iss. 14

THE TEMPLE NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

A YEAR

BEHIND US Separate in-person commencement ceremonies in Geasey Field, Temple Performing Arts Center, the Temple Sports Complex and other venues will honor the class of 2021 after an academic year unlike any other.

Read more in Commencement Issue 2021.

WHAT’S INSIDE LONGFORM, PAGES 12,13

Take a look at Temple’s fall and spring semesters through photos.

INTERSECTION, PAGES 26, 27

Two senior soccer players trace their friendship on the field back to when they met at six years old.

VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 14 APRIL 27, 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 Asst. News Editor Amelia Winger Asst. News Editor Christina Mitchell Opinion Editor Magdalena Becker Essay Editor Emma Padner Features Editor Natalie Kerr Asst. Features Editor Lawrence Ukenye Asst. Features Editor Dante Collinelli Sports Editor Isabella DiAmore Asst. Sports Editor Adam Aaronson Asst. 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 Asst. Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Hanna Lipski Asst. Design Editor Tyra Brown Alternative Story Format Editor Maryam Siddiqui Web Editor Carly Civello Advertising Manager Kaila Morris Advertising Manager Luke Smith Business Manager

Follow us @TheTempleNews

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

Max Greenberg, a freshman biology major, stands outside of 1300 Residence Hall on April 12.

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 April 13, an article on page four about the Wagner Institute inaccurately stated the cost for entrance to the institute. The institute’s prices are a recommendation, but they are not required for entry.

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.

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 3

Temple to limit attendance at May commencements The university will host a mix of indoor and outdoor ceremonies for all schools and colleges.

Ronald Anderson, a student speaker, a photographer and a few select faculty members, Orbanek added.

BY VICTORIA AYALA Assistant News Editor

SCHOOL OF SPORT, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT The School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management’s commencement ceremony will take place indoors in the Liacouras Center on May 7 at 9:30 a.m.

About 90 graduates from the 2021 graduating class and 20 graduates from the 2020 graduating class plan to attend, said Orbanek, who is also a spokesperson for the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

No family, faculty or staff will attend except the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management’s associate dean, Jeremy Jordan, and assistant dean, Heather Blackburn, Orbanek added.

T

emple University will host separate commencement ceremonies for graduates in each of its schools and colleges in May. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremonies are open to graduates only and guests are not invited.

Commencement ceremonies will follow COVID-19 protocols and venue limitations given by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university.

On March 5, President Richard Englert announced that Temple University’s 2021 commencement will consist of multiple smaller in-person ceremonies divided by school and college on May 6, 7, 10, 20 and 21, The Temple News reported.

A university-wide virtual ceremony for all graduates will also be held at 11 a.m. on May 6 and will be livestreamed on the university’s commencement website, The Temple News reported.

Current COVID-19 guidelines in Philadelphia limit the maximum occupancy of indoor ceremonies to 15 percent, regardless of venue size, and the maximum occupancy to 20 percent for outdoor ceremonies, according to the Department of Public Health.

Seating in each venue will be six feet apart in each direction, which are the same guidelines being used for in-person classes this year, Betzner added.

The limitations on what each school or college can do in their individual ceremonies will differ from previous years, he said.

“There’s not going to be any hand-shaking this year and there won’t be any diplomas handed out,” Betzner said.

Temple held a celebration on its website on May 7, 2020, and planned to postpone its in-person ceremony until COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, according to an announcement from En-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Commencement ceremonies will follow COVID-19 protocols and venue limitations given by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

glert.

Temple encouraged schools and colleges to invite students from the class of 2020 to commencement ceremonies.

But some schools and colleges already honored students from the class of 2020 during winter commencement ceremonies, Betzner said.

“We’re really glad that we’re going to be able to offer students something that we weren’t able to offer last year,” Betzner added. “This is a big day in the lives of these students and they deserve to have as much recognition as we can give them.”

Here is what each of Temple’s schools and colleges will do for their commencement ceremonies in May. TYLER SCHOOL OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE The Tyler School of Art and Architecture will hold its commencement ceremony outdoors on May 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the Temple Sports Complex.

More than 220 graduates and 40 faculty members are expected to attend.

Eight people will be on stage, including the dean, associate deans and five department chairs and student speakers, said Wanda Odom, Tyler’s assistant dean for strategic marketing and communications.

Tyler graduates will have a decorative archway made from plant and flower materials from Temple’s Ambler Campus as a photo backdrop, Odom said.

“Passing under the Ambler archway will symbolize transition to graduate status,” she added.

No Tyler 2020 graduates will attend.

A separate reunion gathering will be hosted to recognize that class, she said.

FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS The commencement ceremony for the Fox School of Business is at Geasey Field on May 7 at 9:30 a.m.

Temple expects about 830 graduates to attend, said Stephen Orbanek, Fox’s associate director of communication.

Eight people will be on the commencement stage, including Dean

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH The College of Public Health will hold its commencement ceremony outdoors on May 6 at 9:30 a.m. on Geasey Field for both the class of 2021 and the class of 2020, said Lisa Litzinger-Drayton, director of communications and marketing for the college.

“Faculty and staff attendance at the ceremony will be limited to only those serving as marshals,” Litzinger-Drayton added.

Temple expects more than 700 graduates to attend, and 43 who chose to be featured in the slideshow for those attending virtually. There will be some 2020 graduates in attendance too, Litzinger-Drayton said.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT The College of Education and Human Development will hold its commencement ceremony on May 6 at 1:30 p.m. at the Temple Sports Complex.

The College of Education and Human Development’s commencement ceremony will align with the PDPH guidelines that Temple outlined, wrote Christa Hunter, director of professional experiences for the college, in an email to The Temple News.

PAGE 4

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING The College of Engineering plans to have its commencement ceremony outdoors on May 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the Temple Sports Complex. The ceremony will recognize the college’s class of 2020 and 2021, said Eric Horvath, director of strategic communication and marketing at the College of Engineering.

“Degree candidates from Spring, Summer and Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 were invited, and we have about 265 graduates registered to attend,” he said.

There will be a limited number of administrators who have volunteered to help in attendance, and the stage party, which will include the dean, student speaker Michael Sydnes, a senior electrical engineering major, and alumna speaker Michele LarMoore, Horvath said.

“There will be a separate congratulatory message from our alumni association president sent later that day to all graduates,” he said.

NEWS email to The Temple News.

The 9:30 a.m commencement ceremony will feature a speech by Madeleine Joullie, a professor of chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania who was awarded an honorary degree from Temple in 2020, Fornia wrote.

The 1 p.m ceremony will show a brief video featuring words of advice from members of the college’s Board of Visitors and other distinguished alumni, he wrote.

There are 114 graduates attending the ceremony from the class of 2020 and 277 graduates from the class of 2021 in addition to approximately 20 college staff facilitating the event, he wrote.

There will be a stage party of no more than 18 individuals, which will include Dean Michael Klein and senior deans from the college, he wrote.

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS The College of Liberal Arts will hold its commencement ceremony outdoors on May 7 at 2:30 p.m. on Geasey Field.

The field can accommodate 900 seats. There are currently 672 students registered to attend the ceremony, 530 of whom are from the class of 2021, said Michelle Bonilla, assistant director of academic affairs at the College of Liberal Arts.

The stage party will consist of eight people, including the dean, assistant deans, a photographer and a DJ. There will also be two student performers instead of a student speaker, she said.

“We’re preparing as much as we possibly can, and I think during showtime, we’ll be as ready as we’re ever going to be,” she said. “Hopefully it’s just as exciting for the students.”

KLEIN COLLEGE OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION The Klein College of Media and Communication’s commencement ceremony will be held on May 6 at 2:30 p.m. on Geasey Field.

The stage party will include Dean David Boardman, the commencement speaker, the student speaker and Janet Klein, a member of Klein’s board of visitors, said Amanda Stankiewicz, director of communications at Klein.

More than 400 graduates are expected to attend either virtually or in person, she added.

“We plan to have a QR code set up to allow our graduates to fill out the career survey that the university provides and then students will have a table where they can pick up their yearbooks,” Stankiewicz added.

The ceremony is not open to graduates from the Class of 2020, she said.

Klein hosted a virtual event on Jan. 14 to recognize those graduates.

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY The College of Science and Technology will have its ceremony indoors on May 6 at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Liacouras Center. It will celebrate the college’s class of 2020 and 2021, wrote Greg Fornia, director of marketing and communications at the college, in an

BOYER COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DANCE The Boyer College of Music and Dance will host its commencement ceremony indoors on May 6 at 1 p.m. at the Temple Performing Arts Center.

A spokesperson for the Boyer College of Music and Dance did not respond to The Temple News’ request for com-

The Temple News

TEMPLE’S SPRING 2021 commencement ceremonies schedule

TEMPLE UNIVERSITY

Thursday, May 6, 11 a.m.

Virtual

TYLER SCHOOL OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Thursday, May 6, 9:30 a.m.

Temple Sports Complex

RICHARD J. FOX SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Friday, May 7, 9:30 a.m.

Geasey Field

MAURICE H. KORNBERG SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

Friday, May 21, 4 p.m.

The Liacouras Center

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Thursday, May 6, 1:30 p.m.

Temple Sports Complex

LEWIS KATZ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Friday, May 7, 1:30 p.m.

The Liacouras Center

ESTHER BOYER COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DANCE

Thursday, May 6, 1 p.m.

Temple Performing Arts Center

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

Friday, May 7, 1 p.m.

The Liacouras Center

SCHOOL OF PODIATRIC MEDICINE

Monday, May 10, 10:30 a.m.

The Liacouras Center

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Thursday, May 6, 9:30 a.m.

Geasey Field

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Thursday, May 6, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Liacouras Center

JAMES E. BEASLEY SCHOOL OF LAW

Thursday, May 6, 9:30 a.m.

Geasey Field

Friday, May 7, 9:30 a.m.

Temple Sports Complex

Thursday, May 20, 3 p.m.

The Liacouras Center

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

SCHOOL OF SPORT, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

Friday, May 7, 2:30 p.m.

Geasey Field

Friday, May 7, 9:30 a.m.

The Liacouras Center

LEW KLEIN COLLEGE OF MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND MEDIA ARTS

Thursday, May 6, 2:30 p.m.

Geasey Field

ment.

SCHOOL OF THEATER, FILM AND MEDIA ARTS The School of Theater, Film and Media Arts will have its commencement ceremony indoors on May 7 at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Temple Performing Arts Center.

Friday, May 7, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Temple Performing Arts Center

A spokesperson for the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts did not respond to The Temple News’ request for comment. victoria.ayala@temple.edu @ayalavictoria_

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

TSG

Executive branch takes over student government The Temple Student Government TSG’s ethics board, acts as an advisor to executive team was inaugurated Parliament, Sorge said. yesterday at Founder’s Garden.

BY FALLON ROTH Staff Writer Bradley Smutek, a junior history major, and Samantha Quinlan, a sophomore media studies and production major, were inaugurated as president and vice president, respectively, of Temple Student Government yesterday.

The Temple News spoke with RenewTU, the new executive team, and the incoming speaker of Parliament about plans for their administrations, initiatives, internal reforms and more in the coming academic year.

RenewTU and the five members of Parliament won their unopposed races with 139 total executive votes and 141 Parliament votes, respectively, after students voted on Temple’s online voting platform from April 6 to 8, The Temple News reported.

“We would have loved more participation of course, and we would have loved more competition, especially in the parliamentary elections, but aside from that we were really please with how the election went,” said William Boyer, a junior adult and organizational development major and RenewTU’s incoming chief of staff.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS Townley Sorge, a junior public health major was inaugurated yesterday as the incoming speaker of Parliament.

Sorge, who is also the College of Public Health representative, and Manny Herrera, a freshman biochemistry major who is the vice speaker of Parliament and the second-year representative, were elected to their Parliament leadership roles on April 15, Sorge said.

Sorge was the only member of Parliament who ran for speaker, while three members of Parliament ran for vice speaker, she added.

The director of Parliament communications in the executive branch facilitates communication between Parliament and the executive branch, while the Parliament counselor, a member of

INITIATIVES RenewTU’s platform points are divided into three pillars: transform, amplify and overcome.

RenewTU believes that their platform points “meet the moment” by addressing COVID-19-related issues, students’ financial issues, mental health, racial injustice and police brutality, Smutek said.

RenewTU is proposing the addition of Wellness Days in each semester and a mental health response team, which would work separately from Temple police, according to the RenewTU website.

RenewTU is also calling on the Board of Trustees to implement a tuition freeze for the 2021-22 academic year, Smutek wrote in an email to The Temple News.

RenewTU will also encourage Parliament to pass a resolution for the tuition freeze, Smutek said. Temple froze tuition for undergraduates and graduates for the 2020-21 academic year to ease student financial issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, The Temple News reported.

Parliament agrees with RenewTU’s plan to implement Wellness Days, Sorge said.

Temple canceled classes on Feb. 23 and March 24 this year to create two university-wide Wellness Days after the university canceled spring break to mitigate student travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RenewTU is also calling on Parliament to pass a resolution urging the university to continue a credit or no credit option for students each semester and establish an Americans with Disabilities Act task force, Smutek said.

While RenewTU hasn’t officially started on their campaign initiatives, they have begun discussing some of their plans with Temple’s administration, like expanding the Cherry Pantry and establishing the Cherry Wardrobe, where students can donate and purchase clothes at discounted prices with proceeds going to the Cherry Pantry, Smutek said.

“We want to make it so that these

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Bradley Smutek (right) will serve as student body president and Samantha Quinlan (left) will serve as vice president of Temple Student Government for the 2021-22 school year.

new administrations that will run, you know, will want to see that we’re putting in the work and we want to show how we’re doing it so that they will continue on, like our legacy,” Quinlan said.

INTERNAL REFORMS Sorge wants to “rebrand” Parliament and increase student engagement by introducing office hours to students, she said.

Student voter turnout in Parliament elections has significantly declined since 2018, The Temple News reported.

Currently, the speaker of Parliament can appoint people to fill empty seats in Parliament, but Sorge wants to get rid of the appointment system and instead have candidates run for the empty seats in a fall special election, she said.

Interest in running for Parliament has remained low within recent years, as five unopposed candidates ran for seats in this year’s Parliament election and six unopposed candidates ran for seats in last year’s Parliament election, The Temple News reported.

Sorge also wants to improve the amount of resolutions Parliament passes

by holding its members accountable for their work in subcommittees, where the body’s resolutions come from, she said.

Parliament will also continue to rewrite their bylaws, a continuation from this year’s Parliament leadership, Sorge said. “[Parliament] needs to be more productive and it can be more productive, and so that’s why I think I place the importance on cooperating with Parliament, and with Townley, the incoming speaker,” Smutek said.

RenewTU is looking forward to making “tangible change” at the university, Smutek said.

“It’s going to be exciting to see RenewTU come together as a team and as a body that actually works to get things done,” Boyer said.

Editor’s note: Samantha Quinlan is a freelance reporter at The Temple News. She played no role in the writing or editing of this story. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

PAGE 6

NEWS

The Temple News

ON CAMPUS

Temple sees rise in undergraduate applications Out-of-state applications increased while international applications decreased this year.

BY VICTORIA AYALA Assistant News Editor Temple University received more than 37,000 students applications for admission this year, which reversed a twoyear trend of decreasing applications to the university.

In previous years, Temple received a total of 36,069 applications for 2019 and 35,281 applications for 2020, wrote Shawn Abbott, vice provost for admissions, financial aid and enrollment management, in an email to The Temple News.

“We interpreted [the increase] to be a sign that students continue to want to be in an urban environment for their collegiate experience,” Abbott said.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted what universities could do to increase prospective students’ interest, but Temple’s decision to staff virtual college recruiting events and reopen campus tours earlier than other colleges contributed to the increase in applicants, Abbott said.

“We were largely prohibited from having any kind of campus experiences in the form of campus tours and open houses and special events, and we were largely if not entirely prohibited from from visiting high schools, covering college fairs, hosting receptions around the United States and around the world,” Abbott said.

Instead, Temple recruited students at virtual college fairs, Abbott added.

“You name it, whatever we traditionally did live and in person or off campus, we hosted in a virtual way,” Abbott added.

With the COVID-19 pandemic interrupting higher education, many colleges made the decision to waive their requirement for students to include test scores in their applications for Fall 2021 admission, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Temple, which was already a

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS A 15 percent increase in out-of-state applicants accounted for a majority of the overall increase in applications to Temple this year.

test-optional university, saw a three to four percent increase in applicants for Fall 2021 admission as the deadline approached, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The deadline for admission to Temple for Fall 2021 closed on March 1 for regular decision applicants, an extension from the usual Feb. 1 deadline.

Madisyn Hayes, an incoming criminal justice freshman for Fall 2021, said one of the main reasons she decided to commit to Temple was because she loved the diversity at the university, the city and felt the university had a lot to offer to students.

“Being on campus makes you feel at home,” she said. “The events also definitely attracted me more to Temple because a lot of other schools didn’t have that.”

Temple began giving prospective students campus tours in mid-March earlier than other universities, which waited until April, Abbott said.

Alli Beaumont, an out-of-state incoming freshman undeclared major, said her tour of Temple greatly impacted her decision to enroll at the university.

“The guide was really nice and really sold the school,” Beaumont said. “The tour made me feel confident and wanted at Temple.”

A 15 percent increase in out-of-state applicants accounted for a majority of the overall increase in applications to Temple this year, while the number of international applicants decreased, Abbott said.

“We were expecting, based on just issues of affordability, to have an increase in students that applied from the

state of Pennsylvania, but our actual application increase was largely centered among non-Pennsylvania residents,” Abbott added.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions plans to continue offering a large variety of virtual programming to students in the future in addition to regular tours and events, Abbott said.

“The reality is that our admission officers can cast a much wider national geographic reach with virtual programming, so while we’ll always want to go back to visiting schools and covering college fairs in person, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t compliment that with a really robust slate of virtual programs to reach students,” he added. victoria.ayala@temple.edu @ayalavictoria_

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 7

TSG

Student government reps reflect on academic year BloomTU and Parliament passed resignation after the freshman represeninitiatives on COVID-19 protocol tative posted a video deemed anti-Seand academic accommodations. metic on his personal social media, The

BY JACK DANZ News Editor BloomTU members, whose tenure came to an end on Monday, campaigned, governed and fulfilled their posts during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, Temple Student Government passed resolutions and initiatives concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, restructuring the executive branch and advocating for student health.

BloomTU, which took office in May 2020, began its term by hosting a virtual community check-in in June to address racist comments made by students on social media and an instance of police brutality against a Temple University student, The Temple News reported.

The executive branch helped lobby Temple to stop funding the Philadelphia Police Foundation in June, said Quinn Litsinger, the former student body president and a junior political science major.

“The fact that we got the university to agree to do that, I think that sent a very powerful message to students about what the university was willing to do as long as students made their voices loud and clear,” Litsinger said.

Both the executive branch and Parliament rearranged their leadership during the school year.

In September 2020, TSG restructured the executive branch by turning the vice president of services and vice president of external affairs positions into one vice president position and two chief executive positions, The Temple News reported.

Parliament elected Haajrah Gilani, a sophomore journalism major, as speaker and Kiara Marable, a senior philosophy and political science major, as vice speaker in January after Issa Kabeer, the former speaker and a second-year diversity and leadership graduate certificate student, and Arshad Shaik, the former vice speaker and a junior neuroscience major, stepped down because of their handling of the former freshman representative’s

Temple News reported.

TSG’s COVID-19 initiatives were the most impactful legislation passed, including opposing the university’s fall return plan, Litsinger said.

TSG advocated against Temple’s return to in-person classes during the fall semester for the health of students, faculty and community residents, The Temple News reported. Temple moved classes online on Sept. 3, 2020, after the university recorded more than 200 positive COVID-19 cases.

“The voice we had and the sway we had in the university’s decision, I think, most impacted students, I would hope for the better,” Litsinger said.

Parliament advocated for Temple to add Wellness Days to the spring semester after the university replaced spring break with an extra week of winter break, Gilani said.

It was important for students to know that Parliament was listening to their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilani said.

Student government was unable to pass resolutions concerning Temple’s fossil fuel divestment or a student voting seat on the Board of Trustees, Litsinger said.

“Having a student voting seat on the Board of Trustees would be the most powerful change that Temple or Temple Student Government could make when it comes to changing the game of student advocacy,” Litsinger said.

The student body president occupies a non-voting seat on the Board of Trustees and is invited to speak at the board’s public meetings, Litsinger said.

BloomTU planned to demand that Temple divest from any fossil fuel assets as soon as possible and reinvest it in green energy alternatives, according to TSG’s initiative tracker.

Litsinger would like RenewTU to continue advocating for a tuition freeze for the next academic year and for course caps for classes, he said.

Bradley Smutek, a junior history major and the new student body presi-

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major and former student body president, stands outside of Paley Library on April 16.

dent, and Samantha Quinlan, a sophomore media studies major and the new vice president, who were inaugurated on Monday, plan to advocate for a student voting seat on the board and revisions to Temple’s Climate Action Plan, The Temple News reported.

Smutek plans to ask Parliament to draft a resolution calling on Temple to freeze tuition and will address the tuition freeze in his first address to the Board of Trustees on May 11, he said.

“Our energy is going to be put toward a tuition freeze for students,” Smutek said. “Those conversations are ongoing at the board level in terms of raising tuition.”

Townley Sorge, the new speaker of Parliament and a junior public health major, and Manny Herrera, the new vice speaker and a freshman biochemistry major, were two of five candidates who

ran unopposed for Parliament positions.

The remaining Parliament positions will be filled through appointments, which Gilani and Sorge want the new Parliament to abolish, they said.

“I don’t think it was something that was very fair to have, I think it gives a lot of room for people to just join and not fully understand what they’re committing to,” Gilani said.

Haajrah Gilani is an Intersection Editor at The Temple News. She played no role in the writing or editing of this story.

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

OPINION

PAGE 8 EDITORIAL

Congrats, Class of 2021 Temple University: we did it. We made it to the finish line in our third consecutive semester living through a pandemic.

This academic year, Temple community members dealt with uncertainty about whether life will return to normal, concern for the health of loved ones and grief and loss as COVID-19 claimed the lives of 3,115,828 people across the globe. As a nation, we also witnessed instances of police brutality and carried stress and trauma from a historical presidential election followed by a deadly insurrection against the United States Capitol.

Graduating from college is a momentous accomplishment in and of itself, yet the class of 2021 is doing it amid a global crisis that is constantly changing our way of life.

Despite the detours, like shifting between in-person and online classes in the Fall 2020 semester, moving from residence halls and off-campus apartments and back to the suburbs, being tested for COVID-19 multiple times and missing 21st birthdays and other rites of passage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are finally at the end of the academic year and end of the road for Temple’s graduating classes.

This last year, Temple community members suffered contracting COVID-19 and having to stay in quarantine housing, family members dying from COVID-19 and devastating losses in Philadelphia.

Although we all dealt with these painful incidents differently, took divergent paths and moved at different paces, we ended up at the same spot,

somehow or another: the end of this year.

While many students look forward to their first semesters mostly in person since last March, graduating seniors hope for better job prospects as the economy recovers, more in-person events this summer and no more Zoom classes.

On top of managing full and part-time course loads and activities outside of school, students carried the burden of vigilantly monitoring their health and protecting others, a heavy responsibility for adolescents and young adults.

Student organizations managed to remain active even when they could not meet in person. Every student, staff member and Temple community member who worked tirelessly to continue operations virtually or in person under these conditions deserves to celebrate.

Today, at least, 487, 961 people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Philadelphia, 28.9 percent of the United States population is fully vaccinated and everyone 16 years or older is eligible to be vaccinated in Philadelphia.

As we begin to return to some in-person operations after this last year, the Editorial Board is thankful for our faculty and staff for being flexible and adapting their syllabi online and for the essential workers at Temple for keeping this university afloat.

Lastly, we acknowledge the student body for following public health guidance, and congratulate the class of 2021, a class that will go down in history for their perseverance, for simply crossing the finish line.

The Temple News

SENDOFF COLUMN

On endurance through unexpected stories The Editor-in-Chief signs off after lead- ond, dependent on the fluctuating conditions.

But we did. We had a second, third and ing The Temple News through a year fourth issue and kept daily online coverage, too. during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I

don’t remember exactly when this year began.

Sometimes it feels like the beginning of last May, when I first became Editor-in-Chief and received one of my last emails from my late professor Bryan Monroe when I got the job: “Congratulations, MADISON KARAS Madison! Very proud of you!!!

Editor-in-Chief ... ‘When in charge, BE in charge.’”

Sometimes it feels like the start of the summer, just a couple months into the pandemic after the academic year ended and last year’s staff were still helping cover Black Lives Matter protests, city curfews, Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidelines and canceled sporting events.

Other times the start feels like when I walked into The Temple News newsroom last August for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Everything was a frozen time capsule from March of that year: staff notebooks and hoodies still scattered and “Story ideas: What is COVID-19?” written on the news team’s whiteboard. At that point, the question felt like a punch in the chest after it already upended all of our lives.

Whenever it started, each of those moments affirmed that this year wasn’t going to be like any before. This year, The Temple News’ 99th year of printing, was the year we had to prepare for just about any pandemic scenario to happen and cover it, too. It was our responsibility.

But first, we had to start printing again.

After the COVID-19 pandemic stopped The Temple News from printing last spring and closed Temple’s campus, I made the decision to return it to campus this fall printing biweekly.

Getting ready for this fall meant a summer of planning remote and in-person newsroom protocol while continuing to cover the pandemic as it was happening. Approaching the first issue, I didn’t even know if we’d be able to have a sec-

Even when all of our efforts to produce print and online stories simultaneously in a pandemic went out the door as a snowstorm canceled our print issue one week, we kept going.

Some staff members worked from out of state, some from home and some across the street from Main Campus who I’ve still never met in person yet. We weren’t immune to the casualties of COVID-19 either, as working together this year proved we needed to be compassionate and flexible with each other through the challenges of being a student journalist — and person — during the pandemic.

Year-round, we’ve been there in print and online and for each expected and unexpected event the year brought: the 2020 election, the search for President Richard Englert’s successor, Ari Goldstein’s sentencing and its Victim Impact Statement, the university reopening, the university moving classes online again, every COVID-19 case on and off campus, each canceled or rescheduled sports game, John Chaney’s death, The Temple News’ first Small Business Guide, the Capitol insurrection, the Temple community getting vaccinated and all the Among Us games along the way.

To every staff member who’s made up our Zoom grid every Sunday, thank you for your dedication to The Temple News’ coverage in one of the most essential times and for working with me through our obstacles along the way.

To each person who’s shared with us this year, thank you for trusting The Temple News with your story during such a historic time.

To my advisors and mentors along the way, your encouragement and check-ins meant everything.

Seeing the commitment, care and communication that carried us through the year invigorates me as I pass The Temple News on for its hundredth year. karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

OPINION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

Convocation and crisis

The Editor-in-Chief writes about her storied friendship with the managing editor.

BY MADISON KARAS Editor-in-Chief Freshman orientation was mediocre. I learned a lot about Temple University, but I didn’t make any friends in my group and I was still “finding out” what being on a college campus was like. Somewhat skeptical, I wasn’t sure how or where I would fit in, but I was still excited to be here.

So, at the end of the two-day event when Convocation arrived, a formal ceremony welcoming students to Temple, I sat in the front row of Mitten Hall alone. Everyone else was rows behind in cliques, and I thought I’d be by myself for the entirety of the grand event.

That was until a short, bubbly, redhaired girl came and sat beside me.

She told me she was glad to find someone else who wanted to sit in the best seats in the house. My thoughts exactly, I recall thinking. This was the first inviting conversation I had with a peer on campus. At the end of the event, we were the only incoming freshmen to jump up on stage and introduce ourselves to Lew Klein, the namesake of our college, the year before he’d pass.

I don’t remember if she and I had a conversation about staying in touch after that. It didn’t matter, though, because that same red-haired girl ran in late to The Temple News newsroom during the first week of classes for the first Features section pitching meeting.

Somehow, I remembered her name too: Bibi Correa.

We sat around the conference table, excited to already know a familiar face, and picked up our first stories for the paper. In the coming months, we’d share about our lives at that table weekly, pitching as beat reporters for the section. She’d come in with ideas about students watching Game of Thrones and doing the keto diet, while I’d write about neuroscience studies and professors buying mountains.

At the end of freshman year, I’d run into her at Cosí and ask, “Are you

applying for Features editor positions next year?” The answer was clear, and I’d be calling her from my driveway back home in the summer to plan stories when we were both hired to staff for sophomore year.

That fall, we’d produce special editions of the paper, take a road trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to report a story about a 106-year-old alumna and learn how to become newspaper editors together. I cherish that time learning how to depend on each other during late newsroom nights because we had to start communicating over Zoom multiple times a week when the pandemic began.

Still, Bibi was my right hand in navigating the onset of the crisis, as she’d help lead when I fell sick last spring, and we’d continue covering stories online when The Temple News stopped printing.

A few weeks from the end of last year, I’d ask Bibi if she was applying to staff the following year. I was applying for editor-in-chief and wanted to keep working with her. Soon after, I hired her as managing editor, and I was calling her again in the summer from home planning for another year at the paper.

Now, after a year of figuring out how to start printing the paper again and covering Temple remotely and in person, here we are, at the end of the year for the third time and I’m asking her, “How are we going to stay in touch our senior year on campus when we’re both not in the newsroom?”

But it won’t be hard. We’ve been through and through, beginning college together, celebrating our 21st birthdays together in the newsroom — yes, we’re born on the same day — and keeping a student newspaper running in its 99th year during a pandemic.

Bibi: in and out of the publications we’ve produced together, thank you for being my first college friend, my managing editor and my right hand. I don’t think I’ve ever relied on anyone more than you. karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

Learning and growing

The Managing Editor shares how Convocation turned into a college-long friendship.

BY BIBIANA CORREA Managing Editor Turning my head feverishly, I tried to find the perfect seat at the front of the room. I mean, it was Convocation: this was the beginning of the rest of my life, so I needed to have a good view.

As I looked over my shoulder, I saw an open seat next to a girl wearing a sleeveless shirt, her left arm covered in tattoos. She stood tall with a mean expression and red lipstick to match. I was intimidated immediately, but the seat next to her was the perfect spot, so I sat down anyway.

She noticed me and introduced herself as Madison Karas. She told me she’s from Minnesota and while she had never written an article, she was a journalism major just like me. She had an infectious laugh and a warm smile, and I soon realized maybe I’d judged her too quickly.

But, it was fine — it wasn’t like I would see her again, right?

To my surprise, when I walked into my first journalism class, who do I see but this 6-foot girl with her legs sprawled out in the front of the classroom? As it turns out, we both also joined The Temple News as freelancers and soon became beat reporters.

I didn’t know it then but I was going to spend the next three years working by her side.

In Fall 2019, the beginning of our sophomore year, we became Features editors together, and I got to see Madison in a new light. She was commanding, yet relatable and friendly. As the year went on, we became closer, sharing music tastes on a bus to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, laughing loudly in a quiet newsroom and helping each other grow as writers and editors.

By the end of the Spring 2020 se-

mester, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to The Temple News. I talked to Madison, and she said she was going to apply to be Editor-in-Chief, and suggested that I consider reapplying for staff. While I wasn’t sure whether I was capable of helping lead an entire newspaper, I thought why not?

Today, I’m so happy I did because I got the opportunity to work alongside Madison once again.

From the first day I met her, I knew she was different.

She had a dominating air about her; she could command a room without making anyone else feel small. While I was technically her managing assistant, I felt like I had as much control over the paper as she did. I didn’t hide away during meetings; I ran them. If we disagreed on something, we could have a conversation about it, and she listened to me. Under Madison, my input and my voice mattered.

This year, we worked on two publications together: 14th Street Magazine and The Temple News. Once again, I was impressed by her leadership skills because she’s someone who knows what she wants. She’s Miss Vision.

I’m so proud to see how far Madison has come, from never reporting a story to becoming an award-winning journalist. It’s been an honor to work with someone as driven as she is, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do in the future, hopefully with me by her side.

All I know is I’m lucky to have spent my time in college with someone so inspiring.

Madison: you’re my close friend, my editor and someone I can laugh with until 4 a.m. on a production Monday. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted to be, and knowing you has been the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I love you. bibiana.correa@temple.edu @_bibi_correaa

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

Celebrate your graduation with caution, seniors A graduating senior encourages her peers to celebrate their achievements while being safe.

For weeks, I was deliberating about whether I should attend my commencement. Although I’m getting my Bachelor of Science in a week, my three summer courses start the next week, CHRISTINA MITCHELL followed by my masOpinion Editor ter’s courses in the fall.

Ultimately, I decided not to RSVP. While I’m grateful the class of 2021 has an in-person graduation, unlike the College of Public Health’s class of 2020, I’d rather wait until next year when I can hopefully invite my friends and family to see me walk across the stage unmasked.

This year’s graduating class has reason to celebrate; completing senior year entirely online is a momentous feat. But I urge other seniors to celebrate the occasion safely. Students should attend commencement if they feel comfortable, but both vaccinated and unvaccinated students should follow pandemic protocol when celebrating after commencement.

On March 25, Temple University announced individual schools and colleges will hold in-person ceremonies with no guests permitted on May 6, 7, 10, 20 and 21 at the Temple Sports Complex, Geasey Field, the Liacouras Center and the Temple Performing Arts Center, The Temple News reported.

I commend Temple for allowing the class of 2021 to walk, but commencement is not what students anticipate most. It’s the parties, dinners and trips.

Emily Rockenbach, a senior biology major, will be attending her in-person commencement on May 6 and travelling to Nashville, Tennessee, and Ocean City, Maryland, this summer. Despite being fully vaccinated, she is still wearing a mask and social distancing, she said.

“I encourage other students not to let their guard down even when they get vaccinated,” Rockenback said. “COVID still exists. There are people severely at risk. If not for yourself, adhere to social

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

distancing and mask wearing for all of those people who do not have the same strong immune system that you do.”

Jaida Fenn, a senior biology major, is fully vaccinated and planning on going out to eat with her family and traveling to California after attending her in-person commencement.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to graduate in person because it gives me the chance to see some of my friends and classmates for the last time in person,” Fenn said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people attending large gatherings wear a mask, stay a minimum of six feet apart, choose outdoor venues and get vaccinated first.

Temple is doing everything they can to protect their graduating class, but the safest way students can celebrate after commencement is by going outside and minimizing the number of people there, said Abby Rudolph, an epidemiology

and biostatistics professor.

“The one issue that is still concerning is looking at the trends in Philadelphia in comparison to other regions,” Rudolph said. “We have to do our part so that we are not seeing an increasing rate of cases and variants with the co-occurring vaccination rate.”

On April 2, the CDC updated its travel recommendations. Fully vaccinated people can travel domestically or internationally, which is reassuring to students like Rockenbach and Fenn.

Fully vaccinated people can also gather indoors unmasked with other fully vaccinated people or unvaccinated people who are not at a high risk for COVID-19-related complications, according to the CDC. Philadelphians aged 16 years or older were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting April 16, The Temple News reported.

But students who aren’t vaccinated

should still find ways to celebrate this accomplishment, like live streaming the ceremony or having a dinner party with people in the same household.

For students who are fully vaccinated, it’s safe to gather indoors without masks, but for students who aren’t fully vaccinated, they could celebrate graduation by going to a park, especially if it’s nice and sunny out, Rudolph said.

“You have to assess how comfortable you are in this situation and how much agency you have over yourself,” Rudolph added.

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s to be patient. Students don’t have to celebrate graduation at the same time as everyone else.

Although I won’t be truly celebrating until May 2022, I’m excited to pop open a bottle of champagne May 6. christina.mitchell@temple.edu @clmitchell1799

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

STUDENT LIFE

Vendors don’t get a vacation: Support food trucks A student argues others should be ten times worse,” Kyriazis said. “But support food trucks this summer I really am hopeful for next semester.

I’m hoping that everything will be back to keep them around in the fall.

I remember biting into the The Honey Truck’s chicken avocado wrap last spring and tasting the sweet Thai chile sauce, crunchy panko fried chicken and fresh avocado, all hugged together perMAYA RAHMAN For The Temple fectly by the wrap.

News Thinking about their extra crispy, double battered fries makes me salivate while writing this.

This was the last meal I had on Main Campus before I moved home during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than a year later, I wonder if I will ever get to try that wrap again.

Temple University’s food trucks suffered during the pandemic, losing a significant flow of traffic and having to close at earlier hours because of slow business, The Temple News reported.

With Temple holding primarily in-person classes next semester, vendors and economists are predicting a rebound. But, we must support food trucks during the summer, the slowest time of the year.

Because fewer students are on campus during the summer, food trucks lose their main source of income, said Penelope Kyriazis, the co-owner of the Crepe Truck Philly on 13th and Norris streets. While she plans on staying open most of the summer for students with summer classes, she does not have high hopes at all, she said.

“We’re usually slow every other summer, and this summer I feel like we’ll

to normal and we’ll be busy as we were because students will want to eat at food trucks again because they haven’t done it in so long.”

Salvador Zamudio, the owner of the Mexican Grill Stand on 13th and Montgomery streets, is also optimistic that the fall semester will bring in more business, but he prioritizes public health more than business, he said.

“Everything is going to go back to normal, step by step,” Zamudio said.

“From students, I want them to stay safe.

We miss them, but we prefer everyone to follow the restrictions.”

Temple saw a decline in enrollment in the Spring 2021 semester, which was consistent with the national average, The Temple News reported.

If enrollment continues to drop next semester, this will negatively impact the food trucks that do decide to open into the summer and fall, said Bill Hart, the associate director of Temple’s Office of Community Relations.

“The food trucks are the fabric of our campus, but they rely on our students,” Hart said. “There’s a symbiotic relationship between Temple and the food trucks,” Business analysts predict that takeout and mobile app usage will flourish in 2021, as 40 percent of Americans used takeout during the pandemic and twothirds of that number report they will continue using it afterward, Forbes reported.

Subodha Kumar, a marketing and supply chain management professor and director of the Center for Business Analytics and Disruptive Technologies, works with TruckBux, an app that al-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Mexican Grill Stand is located on 13th Street near Montgomery.

lows users to order ahead from food trucks. He does not predict business to improve until the fall, but he encourages students who are here in the summer to support them more than they usually would.

“Fall is expected to have a strong come back because all of the schools are looking at mostly in-person classes, so that’s going to be a good sign,” Kumar said. “Students need to start coming back to them and buying from them because that’s the only way we can see what we did earlier. Otherwise, most of them will go out of business.”

Based on the data he analyzed, the number of people ordering from food trucks is increasing, but it is still considerably less than last spring, he said.

The high demand for carry out and off-premises dining may be a beacon of

hope for the Temple food trucks that choose to stay open this summer.

But many vendors don’t have time to wait until fall or the means to offer online ordering. Summer may be makeor-break for food vendors on campus.

“There’s not a ton of trucks on campus because they can’t afford to open,” Kyriazis added. “I’ve talked to a few truckers that haven’t opened and it’s because they can’t afford to be here.”

Students should fuel themselves during study days and treat themselves after finals with meals from food trucks.

Stop at a food truck before in-person summer classes, or make a trip to Main Campus, even if it’s out of the way. maya.rahman@temple.edu @MayaRahman3

PAGE 12

LONGFORM

The Temple News

Temple University’s 2020-21 year through photos

Moments from the year show life amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social change.

BY ASA CADWALLADER Longform Editor

T

he 2020-21 academic year came at an unprecedented moment in Temple University’s history defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, drastic changes to student life and nationwide social and political

change.

The Fall 2020 semester got off to a rocky start when the university welcomed students back to campus, only to reverse course two weeks later by moving nearly all instruction online.

In the following months, COVID-19 cases continued to ravage the United States, claiming the lives of more than 569,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As the country continued to struggle

to control the COVID-19 pandemic, life at Temple carried on, as students, faculty and administrators did their best to adjust to the many changes brought on by the last year.

In early September 2020, the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparked protests across the country, including in Philadelphia, where many Temple students joined thousands of other protesters to demand justice for Blake and other victims of police brutality.

Into 2021, the country continued to see widespread social and political change in addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The murder trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the May 25, 2020, killing of George Floyd gripped the country, and rising rates of racially motivated violence against Asian Americans spurred widespread outcry and protests across the nation.

The country also saw a divisive presidential race, which culminated in the election of Joe Biden on Nov. 7, (TOP) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Spectators sit in the stands among cardboard cutouts at the Lincoln Financial Field during Temple University football’s game against South Florida University on Oct. 16, 2020. Family members of players were the only spectators allowed at this game.

(BOTTOM LEFT TOP) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Priscilla Bennett, a North Central resident, waits for her ballot at the Liacouras Center on Sept. 29, 2020.

(BOTTOM LEFT BOTTOM) ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Janice Roots from Salem, New Jersey, dances at the Count Every Vote rally at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2020.

(BOTTOM RIGHT) ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Naomi Klensin (left) stands next to her father, Jacob Klensin, holding a sign that reads “Please keep my grandma safe” at the National Day of Action Against Asian Hate protest at Franklin Square on March 27.

The Temple News

LONGFORM

2020. Following the announcement, many Temple students joined thousands of other Philadelphians to celebrate the historic moment in the streets of Center City Philadelphia.

The national rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine began in December 2020, sparking hope that the end of the pandemic could be in sight. As of April 26, more than 735,000 Philadelphians are partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and nearly 488,000 are fully vaccinated.

The death of beloved Temple basketball coach John Chaney on Jan. 29 resulted in an outpouring of condolences and messages of appreciation for a figure who defined an era in Temple’s history.

There were also physical changes to the surrounding community, as long-standing businesses like the Draught Horse Pub & Grill located at Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street closed their doors on Feb. 21 after 20 years of serving the Temple community.

This spring, the university offered a limited number of in-person classes and bolstered its COVID-19 testing efforts while continuing to require social distancing measures on campus and limited in-person gatherings.

Temple announced on March 1 that classes for the Fall 2021 semester would be held mostly in person, which was a relief to students who were fatigued from nearly a year of mostly virtual learning.

As Temple students and faculty approach the coming fall semester with cautious optimism, the true impact of the past year remains uncertain.

Despite the hardships faced over the past year, hope remains that the Temple community will emerge from this difficult time with more resilience in the years to come.

(TOP RIGHT) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Quay Montgomery, a grounds employee, spraypaints circles on Beury Beach to enforce social distancing on March 15.

(BOTTOM RIGHT) ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS People wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium 24-hour vaccine clinic at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 19.

(MIDDLE LEFT) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Students of Bruce Hardy’s social science research methods class sit socially distanced in a classroom in Paley Hall on Feb. 15.

(MIDDLE RIGHT) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS People dine inside of Draught Horse Pub & Grill on Feb. 14.

asa.cadwallader@temple.edu @asacadwallader

(BOTTOM LEFT) COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple University men’s basketball players, coaches and staff bow their heads during a moment of silence in remembrance of former head coach John Chaney before the start of the Owls’ game against Tulane University at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 31.

PAGE 13

LIVE Philly in

BY COLLEEN CLAGGETT Photo Editor

TEAM

A neighborhood association in ing Alexander Adaire School, organized Fishtown hosted an Earth Day a project so volunteers could apply decals near storm drains that encourage people celebration on Saturday.

F

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS A volunteer spreads compost on a flower bed at Crease Street Garden on April 24.

GREEN

ishtown residents like to keep it tidy.

On Saturday, the Fishtown Neighbors Association hosted an Earth Day celebration at the Fishtown Recreation Center on Montgomery Avenue near Girard. The event provided street cleanup supplies, mindfulness sessions, a kindness rocks art project and a “seed-bomb” hunt.

Residents were invited to sign up for time slots for the cleanup and mindfulness sessions to follow COVID-19 safety protocol through a survey link on the association’s Facebook page.

“It’s obvious how important it is to celebrate the Earth because this is the only Earth we have,” said Kat Clayton, 30, a communications manager at Friends Central School who runs the association’s events committee. “We have a lot of kids showing up for this knowing that they should take ownership of the Earth and it’s their Earth to inherit, so it’s important to always keep that in mind.”

Cleanup participants could choose the blocks they wanted to clean within Fishtown. Many decided to clean the street they live on.

“People really like to take ownership of their block, they’re cleaning their own space,” Clayton said. “Knowing that they can come and pick up materials and clean up in front of their own house, I think people really enjoy that.”

Megan Manley, 22, a teacher in Camden, New Jersey, and Regan Cook, 22, a nanny and incoming sport business student, moved to Fishtown in August.

They attended the cleanup because they wanted to contribute to the neighborhood.

“We don’t want to be yuppie gentrifiers, so we’re trying to not just take away from the community but also have some sustainable impact on it,” Manley said. “We’re not just taking one day to celebrate Earth Day, rather prefer to be habitually practicing keeping communities clean and safe.”

Denis Devine, founder of Friends of Adaire, a community collective support-

not to dump their trash in the water that filters into the Delaware River.

Monika Maslany, 47, a Fishtown resident who works in interior design sales, brought her nephew, Lincoln Rinaldi, 6, to participate in it.

“I really want our city to be as clean as other cities,” Maslany said. “That’s really important to me, to try to be one person out here hopefully bringing out more people to do more of this kind of work.”

Sarah DiMuzio, 30, a teacher and nanny, and Stephanie Adriaenssens, 27, a community development executive at Social Solutions, attended the event together to clean up their street a block away from the recreation center.

“I don’t know if we know how affected we are by just like, being around garbage all the time,” Adriaenssens said.

“I feel better when there’s less garbage, and I think other people probably do, too.”

In conjunction with the association, the Crease Street Garden, a community garden on Crease Street near Girard Avenue, hosted a garden cleanup. Volunteers cleaned out garden beds and planted new flowers.

Jenni Desnouee, 55, a middle school fine arts teacher at Philadelphia Performing Arts String Theory Charter School and treasurer of the Crease Street Garden, said this is the first time neighbors have been together in the garden in a year.

“Formally, we’re here to clean up the garden, but informally, all that community building happens, too,” Desnouee added.

The event celebrated the Earth and cleaned up the neighborhood, all while strengthening bonds in it.

This excited Dimuzio, who just bought a home in Fishtown.

“We’re really excited that it seems like we found a place that the community members really care about keeping it clean,” Dimuzio said. colleen.claggett@temple.edu @colleenclaggett

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP RIGHT Monika Maslany (right), 47, and her nephew, Lincoln Rinaldi, 6, install a decal promoting clean water near a drain on Moyer Street on April 24.

Nicole Pinsdorf, 29, and her niece, Teagan, 3, choose markers to decorate a river rock on April 24.

Board members and volunteers work in the Crease Street Garden.

Markers and decorated rocks lay on a table as part of the Kindness Rocks Art Project.

Regan Cook, 22, takes a tool used to pick up trash to participate in the neighborhood block cleanup.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

COMMUNITY

Residents share post-vaccination feelings, plans After getting vaccinated, residents are remaining cautious when seeing family and friends.

BY EMMA PADNER AND NATALIE KERR For The Temple News

W

hen Sharmian Gregory received a call in early April letting her know she was eligible to be vaccinated, she “jumped” on the offer.

“I’m waiting to get the second one,” said Gregory, 64, who lives on Croskey Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue. “If we gotta continue getting them, that’s what I’m gonna do because I’m trying to stay alive.”

As the city expands vaccine eligibility to Phase 2, which includes all residents 16 and older, they face decisions about socializing with neighbors, family and friends. Although many are excited to see loved ones, they feel hesitant to do so as COVID-19 cases remain high. Some are opting to spend time with people who are also vaccinated, while others are continuing to keep a distance.

The city of Philadelphia recorded an average of 575 new COVID-19 cases per day from March 31 to April 14 and has recorded more than 140,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, The Temple News reported.

As of April 26, 7,134 residents in the 19121 ZIP code and 5,181 in the 19122 ZIP code are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, The Temple News reported.

Gregory received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Temple University’s White Hall clinic on April 8, she said.

The clinic opened at White Hall on March 31 and began administering first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to city residents on April 1, The Temple News reported. The university started administering second doses last week and will continue until May 6.

Gregory’s retired and lives at a senior living home, and while she’ll feel safer once

NATALIE KERR / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sharmian Gregory, 64, who lives on Croskey Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue, stands on the corner of Cecil B. Moore Avenue and 19th Street on April 19.

she’s fully vaccinated, she doesn’t plan to see people in her apartment building, she said.

“I don’t sit around a bunch of people in my building,” Gregory said. “It’s only a five-story building, but I just don’t sit in those circles. Ever since [COVID-19] came out, I stayed away from circles.”

Those living in congregated or shared housing should social distance and wear masks in shared spaces and alter schedules to avoid close contact during meals or activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gregory doesn’t visit her daughter and granddaughter without wearing her mask and only takes it off when she’s eating, she added.

The COVID-19 vaccine prevents vaccinated people from contracting the virus but may not prevent transmission between individuals, according to the CDC. Vaccinated individuals should continue following COVID-19 guidelines, like wearing a mask and social distancing, when in public places.

Fully vaccinated individuals can safely gather indoors with other fully vaccinated

people without wearing a mask and can visit unvaccinated people who are at a low risk for COVID-19-related complications from a single household without wearing a mask, according to the CDC. Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated people should wear a mask, stay six feet apart from others and avoid crowds, according to the CDC. People are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after they received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after they received a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the CDC. James Allen, 22, a cashier at Strictly Seafood on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 17th Street, got his first shot of the Moderna vaccine at a Philadelphia FIGHT health center, a nonprofit health organization about two and a half weeks ago, he said.

Allen will feel more comfortable being around his friends and people in his apartment building on Eighth Street near Girard Avenue once he is fully vaccinated, though

he still plans to wear a mask outside and continue social distancing, he said.

“To know that I’m not making anything more difficult for other people as well as that it’s like insurance,” Allen said. “It’s like car insurance, you have it, you don’t really expect to get in an accident, but when it comes to the situation and you have it, you feel good you have it.”

Kevin Simpson lives on Jefferson Street near 17th and hasn’t been vaccinated yet but plans to in the next few weeks, he said.

Simpson, 64, who helps take out trash in his neighborhood, said his brother and many of his neighbors are vaccinated. He hasn’t seen many of his neighbors socialize more but can tell they feel more comfortable at their jobs and around the neighborhood.

“A lot of them just want to be safe, they have families,” he added. “That’s what it’s about, being safe, that’s all.”

Pratip Chakraborty, a 28-year-old postdoctoral scholar at Rutgers University: New Brunswick and a 2020 chemistry doctorate alumnus, received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 26.

Chakraborty, who lives on 15th Street near Masters, got vaccinated at the Pennsylvania Convention Center’s Federal Emergency Management Agency-backed clinic with his friends.

He’s fully vaccinated now and only sees friends without a mask who are also fully vaccinated, and he wears a mask in public spaces, he said.

“I’m still wearing mask wherever I’m going and yes, still using hand sanitizer, still washing hands and carrying on like before and until more or less like a particular number of maybe 60, 70 percent of the population gets vaccinated,” he said. emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner natalie.kerr@temple.edu @natliekerr

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PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

Commencement planning brings mixed feelings Each college and school will hold separate in-person, outdoor commencement ceremonies.

BY MATTHEW AQUINO For The Temple News Rachael Greene spent her first day as a Temple University student on Geasey Field practicing for the Diamond Marching Band. On May 6, she’ll walk across the field for the last time for commencement.

“I was on that field in band camp and now I’m graduating,” said Greene, a senior public relations major. “It’s all full circle to me.”

Temple University will hold in-person commencement ceremonies for its individual schools and colleges on May 6, 7, 10, 20 and 21 with a single university-wide virtual ceremony held on May 6.

Temple is not permitting guests at commencement, so many students plan to attend the ceremony and celebrate with friends and families afterwards.

Based on the current Philadelphia health regulations for in-person events, family and friends will not be allowed to attend commencement, but all ceremonies will be livestreamed and available for family and friends to view, The Temple News reported.

Philadelphia is permitting commencement ceremonies, but everyone must remain at least six feet apart from one another. Indoor ceremonies are limited to 15 percent of the venue’s full capacity and outdoor ceremonies are limited to 20 percent, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

In-person ceremonies will be held at the Temple Sports Complex, Geasey Field, the Liacouras Center and the Temple Performing Arts Center, The Temple News reported.

Greene’s mom plans to watch the commencement livestream from Greene’s apartment on Willington Street near Oxford so she can see her immediately after the ceremony, she said. ”She wants to see me right after, so I’m going to graduate and walk right to my apartment and be excited and be in

my cap and gown and probably take pictures,” Greene said. “She really wanted to be in that moment even if she couldn’t watch it in person.”

People who are fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks and stay physically distanced from others in medium and large gatherings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ramy Yammine, a sixth-year mathematics doctoral student, feels comfortable graduating in person because he will be fully vaccinated. Although his parents won’t be able to attend in person, they will watch the ceremony from their home in Ehden, Lebanon.

“I’m an international student, which makes it complicated for my family to be here even in normal circumstances,” Yammine said. “The fact that it’s going to be streamed online could be a good thing.”

There is a seven-hour time difference between Edhen and Philadelphia, so when Yammine graduates at 1 p.m., his family will be watching the ceremony at 8 p.m., he added.

Yammine doesn’t have any plans right now to go home to see his family because he traveled home earlier in the year to defend his thesis, he said.

“That was like a mini celebration,” he said. “After the graduation, I’m going to celebrate with the people in the department who are graduating with me.”

Brittany Burgess, a senior human development and community engagement major, isn’t attending her commencement ceremony on May 6 because her family would not be there to share in the celebration, she said.

When she made her decision, her mom and sister tried to convince her to attend, telling her they’d have a Zoom party afterwards, but Burgess didn’t feel the ceremony would be meaningful without her family there, she said.

“I’ll be supported by my classmates, but it’s different when it comes, when that support comes from your family,” Burgess added. “They’re the people who have watched me struggle through school, they’ve been there every up and down and it’s like, because they’re not al-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Ramy Yammine, a sixth-year mathematics doctoral student, stands on Liacouras Walk on April 22.

mom] really wanted “to[My be in that moment even if she couldn’t watch it in person.

”

RACHAEL GREENE Senior public relations major

lowed, I don’t feel like it would be a real graduation.”

Burgess will watch the ceremony livestreamed online at her mom’s house in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and will “scream when my name comes across the screen,” she said.

Evan Quinn wasn’t expecting to have an in-person ceremony and didn’t care if he went to his commencement ceremony because he would get his diploma “either way.” However, Quinn’s friends convinced him to attend, he said.

Even though Quinn, a senior risk management and insurance major, was hesitant to attend on May 7, he’ll miss having his family at the ceremony in person, he added.

“You kind of get used to it at this point, people not being around,” Quinn said. “I can’t say I’m not upset about it, I wish they could be there but you gotta move on.” matthew.aquino@temple.edu

Emma Padner contributed reporting.

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 19

Student to pursue master’s program in Europe After graduating, Patricia Fernan- ter’s thesis through the entire program. Her mus LaGlobe and held a mock interview in ics and her work with communities while she is abroad, Moore-Martinez said. dez will take classes in three lan- final semester will consist of fieldwork in Spanish and English with her, Gorka said.

Latin America, and Fernandez hopes to be in “When she showed [the program] to “She’s the only student I’ve ever met in guages for her master’s degree.

BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor Growing up, Patricia Fernandez’s favorite books were full of adventures in different worlds, helping her realize her passion for traveling and experiencing different cultures.

After graduation, Fernandez, a senior global studies and spanish major, will move to Salamanca, Spain, in September on a scholarship to begin an international master’s program called Erasmus LaGlobe. Fernandez will research connections between Europe and Latin America for two years, taking classes in Spanish, English and French in Salamanca; Stockholm, Sweden; and Paris, France.

“This is my dream,” she said. “This past year has probably been very difficult for a lot of people and it has for me, too, so it kind of feels like a part of the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that I can still do something I’m really interested in.”

Fernandez’s plans to research how hiphop culture is displayed in marginalized areas in Paris, France, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, for her thesis. It’s inspired by her internship in Sao Paulo with Projeto Casulo, a community organization that taught hip-hop, graffiti muraling and dance.

After studying in Sao Paulo and Paris, Fernandez saw patterns between the city layout and environments, making her curious about other connections the cities have, especially in suburbs that are often framed in a negative light, Fernandez said.

“Even though these are very different countries, in very different regions of the world too, they kind of have the same pattern in their way their cities laid out in like, the kind of spatial and cultural expressions that happen through their suburbs,” she added.

She will spend her first three semesters learning theory in interdisciplinary studies, like sociology and political science in different cultures, and also working on her mas-

Brazil, she said.

Fernandez is Cuban American, and grew up learning the Spanish language, but studying Spanish at Temple helped her reconnect with it through the Latin American Studies Semester program, an intensive Spanish language semester with a threeweek trip to Ecuador, she said.

She learned most of her French language skills while studying in Paris during her junior year through an intensive language program, Fernandez added.

When Fernandez learned about Erasmus LaGlobe her sophomore year, she was excited to mix her interest in Latin American and European studies and her love of languages.

“I’m reading about this program and being like, it’s almost like someone met me and then like, left and like, designed a master’s program and didn’t tell me about it,” she said.

Her classes in Salamanca will be in person, with social distancing and masking, though the official COVID-19 guidelines have not been released by the program, Fernandez said.

For international travel, fully vaccinated people are required to take a COVID-19 test three to five days after traveling. If people are not vaccinated, they must quarantine for seven days with a negative COVID-19 test or 10 days without being tested, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To apply to LaGlobe, Fernandez took language exams to prove her English, Spanish and French fluency, writing a letter about why she wants to participate in the program, getting a letter of recommendation and completing a research proposal for her master’s thesis, she said.

Barbara Gorka, director of scholar development in the Office of Scholar Development and Fellowships Advising, met Fernandez when she attended a Fellowships 101 meeting her freshman year that Gorka ran. Gorka helped revise Fernandez’s application for Eras-

me I was like, ‘This is you. It has you written all over it,’” Gorka added.

Gorka helped Fernandez apply for programs like the Leadership Alliance summer research program at Brown University, which is how she interned in Brazil, and has seen Fernandez’s writing grow and improve during the last four years, she said.

“She’s always been warm and smart and that just that doesn’t go away,” Gorka said.

“It’s great to see somebody who is, you know, continues to grow as a scholar without getting a big head.”

Patricia Moore-Martinez, undergraduate chair for the department of Spanish and Portuguese, taught Fernandez in the Latin American Studies Semester during her freshman year.

Fernandez is passionate about global studies and pursuing research in her academ-

my entire career at Temple who was capable of winning the scholarship and also deserved it,” she said. “I’ve never met another student that has her, that has both her language and intellectual skill set.”

Fernandez is excited to understand university systems in other countries and meet other students and professors from around the world who are passionate about language and world cultures, she said.

“I’m very extroverted and the year of like, being home all the time has been tough,” she said. “Aside from the academics and the professional aspect of it, I think I’m really excited to just get out there and like, you know, meet a lot of people that have the same interest as me.” emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

PATRICIA FERNANDEZ / COURTESY Patricia Fernandez, a senior global studies and Spanish major, sits by the Bay of Cádiz in Spain while visiting her host family in October 2019.

FEATURES

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Student promotes inclusion in recreation

Kyle Chin is increasing accessibility to sports and recreation programs at his internship.

BY NATALIE KERR Assistant Features Editor

Growing up playing on sports teams, Kyle Chin heard people repeating racist stereotypes at competitions, which made him feel isolated.

But athletics helped Chin, who is Jamaican and Chinese, gain confidence and a passion for helping others overcome adversity to participate in them.

Chin’s experiences as a child are a significant reason why he wants to promote diversity in sports and recreation.

Chin is interning with the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society’s Inclusion Committee, a parks and recreation resource association, engaging with young people of color struggling to access sports and recreation resources. After commencement, Chin hopes to continue increasing access to sports and recreation for marginalized communities.

Chin is researching the history and racial inequalities of the United States’ national parks system and creating resources for leaders at recreation centers to increase accessibility, he said.

Since he began in January, Chin wrote a report on barriers preventing people of color from participating in public parks and recreation that will be published in the society’s magazine in June. Chin also created a toolkit for leaders at recreation centers to increase inclusivity and a listening tour for Pennsylvania recreation centers to have conversations with young people about their experiences with programming.

“I was reading up on a lot of the stuff and just finding evidence that minorities don’t feel really welcomed in public park spaces,” Chin said. ”There is kind of a feeling or a notion that public parks and the state parks are kind of white spaces.”

Nearly 70 percent of visitors to U.S. national forests, wildlife refuges and parks are white, according to a July 2020 report by the National Health Foundation. People of color often face more economic barriers

and receive fewer vacation days or unpaid leave, which can prevent participation in outdoor recreation.

Kathleen Muller, the volunteer coordinator for the inclusion committee, said Chin’s engagement with the community through the listening tour helps validate his research and makes it authentic. “[Chin] is at the beginning of something very exciting and it’s limitless where he can go in the field,” Muller said. “I’m excited to see where [Chin] lands as a professional.”

During Summer 2020, Chin and other members of Society of Minorities in Sport at Temple University hosted a webinar where sports writer Anthony Gilbert, NBA agent Jerome Allen and Temple men’s basketball head coach Aaron McKie shared their experiences as Black men in sports.

The event inspired Chin to pursue diversity work as a possible career, he said.

“That’s kind of when I knew,” Chin said. “This is like something I could really do going on in the future.”

Debra Blair, a sports and recreation management professor, told Chin about the Inclusion Committee internship because of his experience and knowledge in diversity work, she said.

Chin’s passion for inclusivity in sports made him a “standout student” in his sophomore year in her class Leisure and Tourism for a Diverse Society, Blair said.

“There’s a level of advocacy in him that he’s tapped into and probably more that he’s not even aware that’s bubbling up that we see,” Blair said. “I just knew that the dots were connecting and that he would be an ideal student for this opportunity.”

After his internship ends in May, Chin hopes to continue working in diversity, equity and inclusion in sports, he said.

“I’m just really passionate about equity and making sure that everyone feels included,” Chin said. “I feel like I’m making a difference, it kind of gives me a sense of purpose.” natalie.kerr@temple.edu @natliekerr

The Temple News

VOICES

What are your plans for this summer?

CAITLYN LOVE Senior public relations major

I’m working. I am starting my job right away. That’s it. That’s the plan.

LOGAN BLAND Sophomore psychology major I am just going to be hanging out in the city trying to make money for the next semester and just exploring places.

COLLEEN HANVEY Senior nursing major I am going to be studying for the [National Council Licensure Examination] and then hopefully starting a job soon.

KATIE ROSENBLUM Sophomore early childhood education major

I am going to be working at a local breakfast cafe and just try to make some money and spend time with my dog.

The Temple News

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PAGE 21

MENTAL HEALTH

Seniors grapple with unemployment’s mental toll Graduating students discuss how COVID-19 has affected their employment and future plans.

BY JENNIFER PENNISE For The Temple News Liana Minguela has been working since she was 15 years old. So when she lost her training coordinator internship at the Almo Corporation during to the COVID-19 pandemic, she felt “really lost for a long time.”

“I am not used to not working, I think this is the longest break I’ve had,” said Minguela, a senior human resource management major.

Temple University students have been grappling with an uncertain future due to the pandemic costing them their jobs and dealing with the mental stress of job insecurity.

Forty-six percent of workers age 18 to 29 who lost a job due to the pandemic have not found new employment or been rehired, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

Minguela sent dozens of job applications, regardless of whether she was interested in the job or not, just to have additional options.

“I felt so lost and depressed during those eight months that I was unemployed since working was a part of my identity,” Minguela said. “I had given up on filing for unemployment, was having no luck with interviews, and I felt as if I had nothing to do even though I had school.”

While Minguela was able to focus more on school, she was bored without a set routine, she said.

“I ended up getting a cat just to have some sort of responsibility and started building a schedule routine taking care of her, going on walks, and cleaning, but it was so easy to fall back into being lazy,” Minguela added.

Billy O’Brien, a senior human resource major, was concerned for his future when Cescaphe, an event and

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

wedding booking group, closed due to pandemic restrictions.

Following Cescaphe’s closure, O’Brien struggled to have meaningful communication with other people.

“It’s a little bit harder to connect with people on a personal level, online,” O’Brien said. “There is that like, emotional detachment or like, disconnect.”

O’Brien felt privileged during this time because he was financially stable but felt guilty knowing that other people were having a harder time than him, O’Brien said.

“It was really hard to watch those with full-time positions, who I developed relationships at Cescaphe, begin to struggle financially and not be able to do anything about it,” he said.

The pandemic made O’Brien realize the little things he took for granted with having a job, like interacting with people and having a daily routine, though appreciated having the time to recover from a torn ACL, he said.

O’Brien also felt intimidated at the thought of getting back into the job market because there are more people applying for the same jobs as him, giving O’Brien more competition, he said.

“It might be OK in a few years, but I need stability now and there are no jobs even for those who are extremely qualified,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien had some interviews where he made it to the final round of interviews, but didn’t receive any offers, he said.

“The truth is like, there’s probably like, a dozen people that could, that could do it,” he added.

Kristen Gallo, executive director of the Career Center at Temple, has been working with students during the semester to provide them with needed assistance and is studying the effects of the pandemic on the labor market.

Although the job market has suffered due to the pandemic, employers are expected to hire 7.2 percent more 2021 graduates than they did from the class of 2020, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

“It is really tempting right now to think that, ‘I can’t do this anymore,’ which is 1,000 percent understandable,” Gallo said. “But that is also the one way to ensure that you won’t get a job.”

O’Brien is currently a data organization intern with the pharmaceutical company IntegriChain. While the internship ends in June, he is hopeful it could lead to a full-time human resources position, which is where his true interests lie, he said.

“Isolation during quarantine kept me proactively thinking about my career and what I want my future to be,” O’Brien said.

While still hesitant about the future, Minguela has used her free time to focus on personal growth by completing her SHRM Certification to be considered as a qualified professional and connect more with her Catholic faith. Minguela is currently planning to take time off from her current position for the sake of prioritizing her personal goals.

“Quarantine has allowed me to realize that I am still very young, and even if I’m a college graduate, it’s OK to be at home for a little while, I will figure it out eventually through valuing the connections and skills I have now,” Minguela said. jennifer.pennise@temple.edu

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The Temple News

GENDER AND SEXUALITY

LGBTQ students reflect on finding roommates Finding accepting roommates is an additional hurdle to overcome in students’ housing process.

BY SAMANTHA BRENNAN For The Temple News When searching for roommates last spring, Jaclyn Kuzma feared she wouldn’t get along with her future roommate. She didn’t know whether they’d share her interests and beliefs or if her roommate’s online profile would reflect who they were.

But Kuzma, a bisexual woman and a freshman undeclared major, was also tasked with determining whether her potential roommate would be accepting of her LGBTQ identity.

For students at Temple University, finding a good roommate is an important step in creating a positive college experience. LGBTQ students have an additional layer to the process as they try to find roommates who will accept their identity.

LGBTQ people of color face more discrimination than their white LGBTQ counterparts and are more likely to experience housing discrimination or have an unstable housing situation, according to the Williams Institute, an LGBTQ-focused research center.

One-fifth of transgender people have faced discrimination while looking for housing and more than one in 10

have been evicted because of their gender identity, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Kuzma considers Temple to be an LGBTQ-friendly place, but several of her LGBTQ friends have had problems finding roommates, she said.

One of Kuzma’s friends, who is gay, attends Northeastern University and lives with a homophobic roommate, Kuzma said.

“That’s just kind of an unsettling environment to live in, and it’s toxic and you’re scared, and the person obviously doesn’t have a high opinion of you and like, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she added.

Jackson Burke, who is transmasculine nonbinary and president of Students for Trans Awareness and Rights, applied for Gender-Inclusive Housing and lived with other transgender people in 1940 Residence Hall last year. Burke currently lives off campus, also with transgender roommates.

“I am really, really thankful that I had access to queer organizations on campus because that’s where I found the roommates that I have this year, and without those safe spaces, I have no idea who I would be living with now,” wrote Burke, a sophomore fine arts major, in an email to the Temple News.

Gender-Inclusive Housing allows students to share a living space re-

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

gardless of gender and is not strictly for LGBTQ students, according to the Office of University Housing and Residential Life.

Androu Luzader, a gay man, has struggled in the roommate searching process.

After his roommates’ friends directed homophobic slurs toward Luzader because of his sexual orientation, he transferred from Temple at the end of his first semester, he said.

“There’s just a lot of stigma on Temple’s campus,” said Luzader, a freshman public health major at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “I didn’t like the atmosphere that Temple provided, so I switched to a school that was more accepting in my opinion.”

Crystal Wolfe, an incoming freshman finance major who is bisexual, is dealing with bias related to heteronormativity and gender sterotypes as she searches for a roommate for the Fall 2021 semester. She plans on living in the Honors Living-Learning Community in 1300 Residence Hall.

“It kind of bothers me that everyone just assumes that the standard is straight,” Wolfe said. “No one really asks.”

Because LGBTQ people weren’t as widely accepted in her hometown of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Wolfe feared

she’d be judged because of her sexual orientation by potential roommates, she said.

“I don’t know how other people are gonna react to that or perceive that if I mention it,” Wolfe said.

Like Wolfe, Amaya Adams, a freshman neuroscience major who is bisexual, has had people assume she is straight because of her gender identity. As a person of color, Adams faces additional stigma, she wrote in an email to the Temple News.

“Being a POC is something people can already know when they meet me,” Adams wrote. “In other words, it’s not something I have to share and wait to see how someone will react.”

Adams found people labeling themselves as “LGBTQ-friendly” online to be a positive sign that these individuals would not try to “save” her from her bisexuality, a frequent occurrence in her Catholic high school, she said.

Ensuring that a potential roommate will be accepting of their LGBTQ identity is an important step in choosing a roommate as an LGBTQ person, but it is not the sole focus, Kuzma said.

“You just want to find people who are going to respect you and your space and your property and who you are,” she said. samantha.brennan@temple.edu

The Temple News

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PAGE 23

A thank you to Disability Resources and Services A graduating senior reflects on how Disability Resources and Services helped her.

BY VALERIE DOWRET Assignments Editor When I think of the purple pleather booths, harsh LED lighting and sound of vending machines of the Rad Dish Co-op Cafe in Ritter Annex, I am filled with warmth and comfort. Although I am living at home in New York City now, when I lived on Main Campus, the Rad Dish Cafe was my home. It’s where most Disability Resources and Services student organization meetings I went to took place.

While DRS helped me get assistance from professors to accommodate difficulties I face with school work due to my attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, the office has played an important role helping me navigate college. It connected me with a community of students facing struggles like mine and taught me how to confidently talk about my disability and manage my time and assignments.

During my sophomore year, I joined Students Helping Others Understand Temple, a peer mentoring group made up of students registered with DRS that meets each month. It’s online now, but before the pandemic we gathered in person with pizza in the Rad Dish Cafe. After SHOUT meetings ended, we would stay in the cafe, talking out problems and exchanging advice until we had eaten or packed away the leftover food.

I was having an identity crisis that year and had been questioning my ability to successfully pursue a career in journalism with the high stakes of the industry and declining newsroom employment.

In Fall 2018, I switched my major from journalism to undeclared.

Through SHOUT, I met upperclassmen also struggling with learning disabilities who were overcoming their challenges and achieving their academic and career goals. These students inspired me to follow my passion for jour-

VALERIE DOWRET / COURTESY Students Helping Others Understand Temple members eat dinner together at a meeting before fall break at the Rad Dish Co-op Cafe in Ritter Annex on Nov. 25, 2019. Valerie Dowret (second from left) was a member of SHOUT through three of her years at Temple.

nalism, switch back into the major and apply to Temple’s Honors Program, and they showed me that someone could get through the difficulties of college even with a learning disability.

As I talked with other students in SHOUT who struggled with ADHD, I realized they were facing the same challenges I was. I found I was not the only one who would lose focus on assignments every few minutes. What I was going through was somewhat normal.

This helped me learn how to get over my internalized stigma against learning disabilities because I no longer felt like a burden talking to others about my struggles.

Throughout the pandemic, I have met with SHOUT members on Zoom for virtual study sessions. I couldn’t have worked through my remote classes without them. They reminded me that even while I was miles away from Main Campus, I still could connect with my

community.

I can’t say “thank you” enough to the amazing DRS student service coordinators for counseling me through my time management crises and helping me figure out action plans when I was so overwhelmed I didn’t even know how to begin.

After feeling crushed by overlapping deadlines and exam dates my junior year, I ran to the Rad Dish Cafe for DRS drop-in hours, where student service coordinators answer students’ questions or help students find resources.

I felt overwhelmed and inadequate with tasks, and I cried as I explained this to a student services coordinator. I pressed my head to the pleather booth we sat at and faced away from the door, hoping no one I knew would walk through the cafe and see my mascara running down my face.

The student services coordinator helped me make a study plan and

communicate with professors to ask for extensions. They reminded me that no matter what I was struggling with, I would be able to get through it as I had before. This visit to drop-in hours opened a door for me into a world of figuring out how to plan and manage my time. As I continued to meet with them, we talked about how to balance wellness with work and school. This has helped me manage the thin boundaries between virtual work at home and free time throughout the pandemic.

As I prepare to walk across the stage at the Klein College of Media and Communication’s commencement ceremony on May 6 and begin my first full-time journalism job, I’ll remind myself of what DRS has taught me and affirmed to me: that I can get through the challenges I face. valerie.dowret@temple.edu @vdowret

PAGE 24

INTERSECTION

The Temple News

ESSAYIST

I have two moms. There’s nothing wrong with that.

A student shares how growing up with lesbian parents made her who she is today.

BY SAMANTHA BRENNAN For The Temple News When everyone else was reading “Green Eggs and Ham,” I was reading “Molly’s Family.”

It was a children’s book about a little girl named Molly who was bullied at school by a boy named Tommy who told her she couldn’t have a “mommy and a mama.”

I guess he never heard of assisted reproductive technology or second-parent adoption. Stupid Tommy.

In middle school, kids in my class would yell “that’s so gay” to anyone who did something which they deemed to be weird or stupid. If they noticed that I was in the vicinity when they said this, they would form a small huddle with whoever was closest to them, hunch over slightly, as if doing so would suddenly make them invisible, and they’d whisper, “Shhh, Sammy’s right there.”

They acted like I was the gay police, armed and ready to arrest them for using the word “gay” improperly in a sentence.

Unfortunately, wearing a badge was against my middle school’s dress code.

The kids in middle school would say I was a lesbian because my parents were.

I understand now that these things they said weren’t true, but back then I didn’t get it.

I didn’t understand why some kids had a dad and I didn’t. I didn’t understand why my baby book was filled with scribbles crossing out the words “Mommy and Daddy” for “Mommy and Mommy Donna.”

It confused me that no one else in art class was making two cards for Mother’s Day. I know all of this sounds a bit traumatic for a child to experience, but my moms were able to turn these instances into teachable moments.

They told us how some kids have mommies who like men, but I have mommies who do not. They told us why

SAMANTHA BRENNAN/ COURTESY Samantha Brennan, 9, (center) with her two moms Donna (left) and Shannon (right) in a family picture outside their home in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

having two mommies is so much better than having just one, and that we must forgive these other kids because they just don’t know how cool our two mommies are.

They taught us not to take the things these other kids said personally and not to be afraid to stand up to them when they crossed the line.

My moms taught me to be strong and independent because they had to be.

I didn’t have a dad to teach me how to throw a baseball, so my mom Donna taught me. She also taught me how to cook, ride a bike, mow the lawn and argue with car salesmen to get the best price.

My other mom Shannon taught me how to use a drill, send a formal email, drive stick shift and walk in heels. She

took me to school every day and dropped me off at all my sports practices. She took me prom dress shopping every year and sat for hours as I tried on dozens of dresses.

I grew up hearing this misconception that having gay parents meant you’d end up “damaged” or you’d miss out on things, but that’s not true. Despite what everyone said, my childhood really was just like everyone else’s, minus a dad and plus another mom, and maybe plus a few more gay adults and drag queens than other kids knew.

Maybe it was a little different, but different isn’t a bad thing.

My childhood, my parents, my family: as different as they were, they made me into the person I am today.

I don’t rely on others to fix my prob-

lems because my moms never did. I’m not afraid to be who I am because my moms never were.

I work two jobs to save money for tuition and traveling because my moms taught me that if I want something, I have to earn it. Most importantly, I don’t judge people because of who they are, what they look like or where they came from because I know what that feels like.

Because of my moms, I really am a better person— a little weirder and probably more open than I should be with sharing details about my life, but better nonetheless.

In the wise words of my parents, having two mommies really is so much better than having just one. samantha.brennan@temple.edu

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 25

LACROSSE

Midfielders could take Temple far in tournament Belle Mastropietro and Bridget Whitaker lead Temple women’s lacrosse in scoring this season.

Temple University women’s lacrosse (114, 7-3 The American Athletic Conference) is the third seed in The American. The Owls won seven of their last eight games, which allowed them to jump ISABELLA DIAMORE from fourth seed to Assistant Sports Editor third.

Temple’s recent surge is due to the strong play of midfielders sophomore Belle Mastropietro and senior Bridget Whitaker, who thrive in one-on-one offense, don’t force bad shots and win the draw. This all will help the Owls go far in The American Athletic Conference Tournament on May 6.

Whitaker and Mastropietro excel at clearing the ball up the field from the defensive end to the attackers, but they take it a step further by frequently joining the rush. They’re the team’s best offensive players and lead the Owls in scoring this season with 67 combined goals.

After sprinting up the field to Temple’s offensive end, Mastropietro and Whitaker are able to maintain their pace to make shots from the top of the circle.

During the team’s recent stretch of strong play, Mastropietro scored 11 goals, while Whitaker scored 22 goals.

“When we’re on the field together, we do a lot together, we work in twos,” Whitaker said. “Having someone that kind of knows what moves you are going to make before you make it, so they can either not be in your way or do something to be open, is extremely helpful.”

In Temple’s win against East Carolina University on April 18, Mastropietro and Whitaker scored six of the team’s 11 goals.

Mastropietro scored the first goal of that game on an assist from Whita-

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore midfielder Belle Mastropietro cradles the ball as she runs down the field during the Owls’ game against Saint Joseph’s University at Howarth Field on March 13.

ker after they joined the rush with the attackers. Whitaker waited for Mastropietro to run in from the top of the circle before making the pass, setting up a better shot attempt than if she’d charged the net herself.

“They are both so strong at handling the ball, so you can’t just take the ball away from them easily,” said head coach Bonnie Rosen. “They can handle sending the ball with defenders on them and double-teaming. They can handle that pressure and either get around it themselves or move the ball to a teammate who’s free.”

Temple’s ability to win draw controls will be imperative in the AAC tournament because it will give them more opportunities to score on a fast break.

In their win against Vanderbilt on April 23, the Owls won 14 draw controls compared to the Commodores’ 13. Mastropietro and Whitaker combined for

six of Temple’s wins, allowing Temple to score two goals right off the draw.

“You can tell from the way their feet set, which way they’re trying to go, so just depending on that, [Whitaker] can decide what she wants to do,” Mastropietro said. “Then she’ll tell the circle of people what to look for and vice versa for myself.”

Mastropietro’s and Whitaker’s physical play styles allow them to succeed in one-versus-one and in free-position shots, which are player-versus-goalie.

Both use a fast tempo at the eight-meter line to beat defenders and use a stick fake to throw off the goalkeeper’s idea of shot placement.

In Temple’s loss against the University of Florida on March 19, Mastropietro and Whitaker combined for seven goals in a 15-9 loss. However, each of them converted on free position shots.

Mastropietro made 1-of-1 free position

shot and Whitaker made 2-of-4 free position shots.

“We just try to get off the line quickly, if you have a good first step you have a better chance of outrunning your defenders,” Mastropietro said. “Then throwing in a fake and finding that awkward spot that the goalie leaves.”

Whitaker and Mastropietro’s ability to communicate with teammates to execute the right play and their understanding of an opponent will carry to other positions on the field and lead to success in the tournament.

“We’re dependent upon them for taking care of the draw, being strong solid defenders and offensively handling the ball, we expect them to be goal scorers right through the end,” Rosen said. isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore

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‘Inseparable’ seniors built friendship with soccer Senior midfielders Julia Dolan and Emma Wilkins met on the soccer field at six years old.

BY DONOVAN HUGEL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter Senior midfielders Emma Wilkins and Julia Dolan have done the same four-step handshake before every soccer game for the last 11 years.

During that time, they played together on the same travel teams for Absegami High School and now Temple University women’s soccer. But after a 3-0 loss to the University of Houston on April 2, Temple’s season came to an end, along with Wilkins and Dolan’s soccer careers together.

The two first met when they were six years old in the Galloway United Community Soccer League in Galloway Township, New Jersey. Wilkins’ coach was her dad, Stephen Wilkins, who drafted Dolan onto his team.

“Both Julia and I, our whole entire lives, have been soccer,” Emma Wilkins said. “We’ve put a lot of our time and effort into not just Temple but sports in general since we’ve been really young. It was important for us to end all this together and to take a step back and realize how far we’ve come.”

There were key moments when they played together in Galloway Township that established that Dolan and Emma Wilkins would always have each other’s backs, Stephen Wilkins said.

“Emma’s always played with a little edge to her, so when I was unsatisfied with maybe some of her efforts, she and I would have words back and forth to say the least,” Stephen Wilkins, who has watched them play for 16 years, added.

“So it always worked out between them and they backed each other up.”

Even though Emma Wilkins and Dolan played on the same travel teams in middle school, they never went to school together until high school.

“Once high school hit, our friendship just became a lot different and we got a lot closer,” Dolan said. “We got to do everything together. Play high school soccer together, travel soccer together.

We were just pretty much always to-

STEPHEN WILKINS / COURTESY Emma Wilkins (second from bottom left) and Julia Dolan (fourth from top left) pose for a photo with their youth soccer team.

gether. Ever since high school, we’ve just been pretty much inseparable.”

Elizabeth Lee, the girls’ soccer coach at Absegami, won’t forget seeing them take the field together as freshmen, she said.

“You can’t even say their names separately,” Lee added. “Every story and every statistic in high school was Emma assisted Julia and Julia assisted Emma. It was really nice to see two kids who were so close off the field get to continue playing in college. That doesn’t usually happen.”

Their bond transferred to their play styles on the soccer field. Like Stephen Wilkins noticed when they were six years old, Emma Wilkins is more aggressive and usually stands up for Dolan.

“Against Memphis this year, I got

into a little fight, and when you watch it back, Emma’s the first person there and is right behind me ready to back me up for whatever,” Dolan said. “She’s always there in my corner. Even if I don’t need her, she’s there.”

After high school, the two were unsure if they could continue playing soccer together. Dolan already had a connection to Temple because her sister, former defender Kelcie Dolan, played soccer at Temple from 2015-18 and was recruited by then-head coach Seamus O’Connor.

Julia Dolan committed in Fall 2016 while Emma Wilkins was still deciding where she would play.

Emma Wilkins wasn’t interested in Temple at first because she wanted to “branch out and meet new people,” she

said. She eventually committed after O’Connor recruited her more seriously and Julia Dolan helped convince her.

“After Emma got an offer, she was still a little skeptical about coming here, but I told her that it’d be the best thing ever,” Julia Dolan said. “My best friend coming to the same school as me. We could live together and just experience the best four years of our lives together.”

Having Julia and Kelcie Dolan on the team allowed Emma Wilkins to easily adjust to college, she said.

“We’ve always found our way back to each other unintentionally,” Emma Wilkins said. “Your first year of college is always intimidating initially, so it was really nice to have people I knew and could rely on to be there.”

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They both played significant minutes in their four years at Temple. In the 66 total games between their freshman and senior years, Julia Dolan played in 65 games and Emma Wilkins played in 56.

“The impact Emma and Julia have had both individually and collectively on the Temple women’s soccer program will be felt for years and generations to come,” said head coach Nick Bochette.

Bochette hopes other players on the team will use their friendships to push each other to improve their game like Julia Dolan and Emma Wilkins did, he added.

Halfway through their junior year, Emma Wilkins tore the ACL and meniscus in her left knee, causing her to miss the final 10 games of the season.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I would ever come back,” Emma Wilkins said.

“I’d always think of if that was the last game I ever played and if it was our last game together. But I definitely didn’t want to end on that note and wanted to make sure it wasn’t our last game together.”

Julia Dolan felt “weird” being on the field without Emma Wilkins while she was hurt, she said.

Emma Wilkins progressed to the “full-on running stage” of her rehab, consisting of field work like cutting and agility exercises, but when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, she had to move back home.

Because the two lived so close to each other, Julia Dolan helped Emma Wilkins with her rehab. Emma Wilkins received a packet of drills and exercises to aid her recovery, and Julia Dolan helped her with all of them.

“During COVID, we’d work out

together at our local field,” Julia Dolan said. “She was working back from her ACL and I wanted to help her, and she helped me too. We wanted to make each other better for this season because we knew that it was our last together.”

With their collegiate careers at an end, the two plan to stay in Philadelphia next year, Julia Dolan said.

After graduation, Julia Dolan has a job lined up in West Philadelphia with the facilities services company Cintas.

Emma Wilkins was accepted into Temple’s pre-physician assistant post-baccalaureate program for 2022 and will apply to graduate school.

The end of Julia Dolan and Emma Wilkins’ time together on the soccer field is difficult for Stephen Wilkins, he said.

“There’s a lot of miles on their legs and bodies,” Stephen Wilkins added.

“It’s bittersweet to have something that they’ve been doing for 16 years come to an end. It’s just all been a real joy to watch.”

Looking back at their college careers, they both wish they won more games and had a few deep playoff runs.

The two are sad their soccer careers are over, but being next to each other through it all makes it hurt less, Emma Wilkins said.

“We’re very different people, but at the same time, we’re the same and we truly get each other,” Emma Wilkins added. “She’s kind of the yin to my yang really. She balances me out and I help to balance her out. She’s a part of my family and she will be for the rest of my life.”

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reps with the first team defense and is “pushing” Reid for a starting spot, said Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach Jeff Knowles.

However, Knowles is comfortable playing Wilson at multiple linebacker spots because he played multiple spots last season, he added.

Wilson and Reid are competing for the same position, weak side linebacker, which involves playing in zone coverage and defending against screen passes.

Despite this, the two have created a strong relationship both on and off the field. “[Wilson] is my guy,” Reid said.

“We always are joking, talking, and then

Wilson recorded 13 total tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defended and one forced fumble last season.

The playing time Wilson received helped him improve his patience and understanding of opposing offenses this spring, he said.

“It had a tremendous effect for me,” Wilson added. “Having those mess-ups in the game that allowed me to go into summer, you know, kind of know what I needed to work on more.”

Wilson is currently behind Reid on the Owls’ depth chart but is taking some

donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel

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STEPHEN WILKINS / COURTESY Senior midfielder Julia Dolan (left) and senior forward Emma Wilkins stand near the field after their last collegiate soccer game against the University of Houston on April 2.

when we are on the field, we are serious.

We always push each other to do better on the field.”

Wilson likes to joke around by calling Reid “the old one” because he frequently talks about his body aching, but their focus is always pushing each other to compete harder, Wilson said.

Graduate student linebacker William Kwenkeu believes Wilson’s consistency in practice and overall energy is the reason he’s become a leader so early in his career.

“He’s extremely high energy and very consistent as well as off and on the field,” Kwenkeu added. “You know, just seeing that brings a smile to everyone’s

face, and you can always respect that.

He’s not nearly at his ceiling yet. It will be good to see how far he can go, and I know he will go far.”

Although Wilson is impressing his fellow linebackers and coaches this spring, he is still focused on improving his game even more before the start of fall camp in August.

“I got to keep progressing,” Wilson said. “I find the little things I mess up in and practice and try to progress and keep getting a better player.” dante.collinelli@temple.edu @DanteCollinelli

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‘I KNOW HE WILL GO FAR’

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Kobe Wilson is competing for a starting spot during spring practices.

BY DANTE COLLINELLI Sports Editor

I

n his five years with Temple University football, graduate student linebacker George Reid has never seen a freshman player like linebacker Kobe Wilson.

“The last person that I just really seen step in and just lead was [former cornerback] Rock Ya-Sin,” Reid said. “That’s the last dude I really just seen walk in and take that leadership role.

I am really happy for Kobe, and I am really excited to watch his future.”

During spring practices, Wilson is a vocal leader for the Owls. He’s improving his play through his understanding of opposing offenses and competing for playing time during the 2021 season.

People have always called Wilson a natural leader, he said.

“I kind of bring guys along

with me,” Wilson added.

“I try to motivate the team m e m bers to do better for themselves like, to do better overall.”

Wilson, a member of the 2020 recruiting class, joined the Owls as a threestar recruit and picked Temple instead of the University of Georgia after decommitting from the University of Memphis in December 2019.

Last season, he was one of only two freshmen to start on defense.

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COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman linebacker Kobe Wilson runs to assist a tackle during the Owls’ game against Southern Methodist University at the Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 7, 2020.

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