THE TEMPLE NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
WHAT’S INSIDE FEATURES, PAGE 17 Students created artwork to destigmatize substance use disorder. SPORTS, PAGE 27 In this year’s Basketball Preview, a look at a freshman point guard expected to become a key player.
TO STAY OR TO GO VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 7 NOV. 17, 2020
As COVID-19 cases rise and new city gathering restrictions go into effect, students weigh the decision to remain near Main Campus or travel home for fall break. Read more on Pages 12, 13.
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The Temple News
PAGE 2
THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.
Madison Karas Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Correa Managing Editor Colin Evans Digital Managing Editor Tyler Perez Chief Copy Editor Valerie Dowret Assignments Editor Jack Danz News Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant News Editor Amelia Winger Assistant News Editor Christina Mitchell Opinion Editor Magdalena Becker Essay Editor Emma Padner Features Editor Natalie Kerr Assistant Features Editor Lawrence Ukenye Assistant Features Editor Dante Collinelli Sports Editor Isabella DiAmore Assistant Sports Editor Adam Aaronson Assistant Sports Editor Rayonna Hobbs Co-Intersection Editor Eden MacDougall Co-Intersection Editor Rjaa Ahmed Audience Engagement Editor Iris Wexler Asst. Engagement Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Asst. Engagement Editor Colleen Claggett Co-Photography Editor Jeremy Elvas Co-Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Matthew Murray Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Hanna Lipski Assistant Design Editor Tyra Brown Alternative Story Format Editor Maryam Siddiqui Web Editor
ON THE COVER
Sid Dua, a senior management information systems major from Delhi, India, stands by the door to his apartment on Bouvier Street near Berks on Nov. 16.
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS 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.
COVID-19 CASES As of Nov. 16, Temple has 49 active cases of COVID-19 among among students and employees on campus. Temple recorded 46 new cases last week, and 40 cases the week prior with a 3.37 percent and 3.35 percent positivity rate, respectively. Philadelphia averaged 721 cases a day last week, the highest weekly average since the pandemic began. Philadelphia averaged approximately 625 new cases a day from Oct. 29 to Nov. 12. For the latest information, visit our COVID-19 case dashboard at temple-news.com/trackingcovid19
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The Temple News
NEWS
PAGE 3
CORONAVIRUS
How to stay healthy during this year’s flu season Health experts recommend Tem- as many as they had during the summer, ple students get their flu shots Bettiker said. To accommodate the surge in cases, the hospital may convert rooms and quarantine if they travel. BY AMELIA WINGER Assistant News Editor
R
unny noses and sore throats have taken on a much more dangerous tone as common cold and flu symptoms coincide with Philadelphia’s recent surge in COVID-19 cases, which reached 55,302 total cases on Monday. “You compound both of them on top of one another and it can lead to some very significant negative outcomes,” said Krys Johnson, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor. “We’ll probably see an uptick in the [COVID-19] death rate just because of the potential for co-infection.” As the nation faces flu season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Temple University medical experts recommend students practice the following tips to keep themselves and others healthy, especially as many prepare to travel home for the holidays. First and foremost, students should get a flu shot, which are offered at many of the drug stores and grocery stores near Main Campus, wrote Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services, in an email to The Temple News. Students can make an appointment to get a flu shot through Student Health Services, Johnson said. Students can also visit the Rite Aids near Main Campus, like on Broad Street near Oxford or Broad Street near Susquehanna Avenue, to receive a flu shot. “You don’t want to get the flu, a bad case of it, and end up in the hospital,” said Robert Bettiker, a medicine professor. “We’re already stretched for that.” COVID-19 cases at Temple University Hospital have surged to 78 patients as of Nov. 10, which is about 2.5 times
like the post-anesthesia care unit and outpatient offices into COVID-19 treatment spaces. Temple reported 49 active COVID-19 cases among students and employees on Monday, The Temple News reported. Philadelphia averaged 721 new cases of COVID-19 per day last week, the highest since the pandemic began. This prompted city officials to announce new restrictions on Monday, like closing indoor dining and limiting outdoor gatherings, The Temple News reported. COVID-19 shares many symptoms with the flu, meaning students can prevent the spread of both diseases by practicing Temple’s four public health pillars, which include wearing masks, social distancing, frequently washing hands and health monitoring, Denys wrote. Another step students can take to protect themselves from either virus is purchasing a humidifier for their bedrooms and setting it to 50 percent, which will prevent cold weather from drying out their throat and nose, Bettiker said. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 near Main Campus, Temple is opting to modify or suspend most in-person operations on Nov. 20, so students returning home for fall break will not have to travel back to campus and risk spreading the virus in the process, The Temple News reported. Students choosing to leave campus for fall break can get tested for COVID-19 at Mitten Hall through Nov. 20 and will receive their results within the same day, The Temple News reported. While traveling, students should take precautions like wiping down their seats with disinfecting wipes and sitting near open windows when possible, Johnson said.
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Students can make appointments to receive flu shots at drug and grocery stores near Main Campus, including the Rite Aid at Broad and Oxford streets.
After arriving home, students should try to quarantine for at least a week and connect with extended family virtually, rather than in person, to minimize the number of people they come into direct contact with, Johnson said. “You can utilize Zoom or other methods of video-calling that can help you have that social interaction but keep everybody safe this year,” Johnson said. “You can have the big Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah next year.” Virtually connecting with others is one of the best ways students can take care of their mental health, particularly during the stress of finals season and the holidays, Bettiker said. “Some of the normal things that we do to relieve stress and to maintain connectedness to other people are frowned upon now and are no-nos,” Bettiker said. “So you need to make sure that you’re still connected to your friends and your family, and the people that are important to you.”
Students can also avoid gatherings during the holiday season by shopping online rather than in person and ordering takeout from restaurants instead of dining indoors, Johnson said. Anyone returning to Main Campus after fall break should quarantine when they arrive, even if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms, and get tested for COVID-19 after quarantining for four to seven days, Johnson said. Because people can contract COVID-19 and the flu at the same time, following these steps could help prevent both diseases from surging in the Temple and North Central communities, Johnson said. “It will be good to protect you, and to protect the people around you, and help make you a good citizen,” Bettiker added. amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger
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NEWS
The Temple News
CAMPUS
City COVID-19 restrictions could impact Temple The city will shut down many indoor facilities, which will change Temple’s plan for after fall break. BY JACK DANZ and AMELIA WINGER For The Temple News Philadelphia will close libraries and in-person college instruction beginning Nov. 20 until Jan. 1, 2021, in an effort to combat rising COVID-19 cases, the city announced on Monday at a press briefing. Daily new cases in Philadelphia reached 960 on Nov. 10 for the first time since May 2, and the city recorded a 13.4 percent positivity rate among those tested last week, according to city data. “All across the city, museums, libraries and gyms will shut down by Friday,” wrote James Garrow, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, in an email to The Temple News. “These restrictions apply to places on Temple’s campus, like the library and Student Center. Philadelphia is also requiring high schools and colleges to move to virtual instruction, Garrow wrote. Temple University already planned to modify and suspend most in-person operations beginning Nov. 20. However, Temple intended to keep Charles Library, the Howard Gittis Student Center and the TECH Center open through the university’s study days and final exams week on Dec. 16. “We’re still trying to figure this out ourselves over the next few days,” said Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university. Charles Library has not announced new operating plans yet but will decide later this week, wrote Sara Wilson, assistant director of outreach and communications for Charles Library, in an email to The Temple News. “We’re planning to remain open as much as possible within the framework presented by city and state officials,” wrote Jason Levy, senior director of Stu-
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS As COVID-19 cases rise, Philadelphia announced it would shut down indoor facilities, including libraries, on Nov. 20, which could affect Charles Library on 13th Street near Norris.
dent Center operations and conferences, in an email to The Temple News. The Philadelphia Credit Union branch, bookstore, UPS store and front entrance should remain open from Nov. 23 to 25 and again after Nov. 30, Levy wrote. “We’ll be reevaluating all other operational and programmatic endeavors as we learn more in the coming days,” Levy added. Temple recorded 49 active cases of COVID-19 among students and faculty on Monday, The Temple News reported. Students who choose to return home for the rest of the fall semester can schedule a COVID-19 test in Mitten Hall until Nov. 20 and receive results the same day, according to an announcement from the university. “We lasted with this virus eight months now,” said Health Commis-
sioner Thomas Farley at the city’s press briefing on Monday. “We can last a few months more. A vaccine will be available in the coming months. We simply need to tide ourselves over until then.” Philadelphia will also suspend indoor dining, close gyms and museums and ban indoor gatherings between people of different households, Farley said at the briefing. Outdoor venues must limit attendance to 10 percent occupancy, or a maximum of 2,000 people, and cannot serve food or beverages, Farley added. Outdoor dining will be allowed for between four or fewer members of the same household. Retail stores can remain open, but occupancy will be reduced to five people per 1,000 square feet and stores must enforce mask wearing, Farley said. “In all these meetings, every single restriction and change was discussed
with the understanding that they will impact businesses, they will impact jobs and impact people’s lives,” said Mayor Jim Kenney at the briefing. Religious institutions can operate in person at five percent occupancy, but the city recommends that services are held virtually, he added. “God can hear you from anywhere,” Kenney said in response to a question about worshipping in religious sites during the holiday season. Residents should work from home whenever possible, Farley said. The city will not close any of the more than 60 testing sites in Philadelphia, Farley said. john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger
The Temple News
NEWS
PAGE 5
CORONAVIRUS
Contact tracers track Temple’s COVID-19 cases
The Contact Tracing Unit has five full-time contact tracers and six student volunteer tracers. BY JACK DANZ News Editor Contact tracing allows Temple University and the City of Philadelphia to track COVID-19 outbreaks and contain them by reaching students and residents who may have been infected before they spread the virus further. Temple’s Student Health Services developed the Contact Tracing Unit during the summer to conduct interviews with students who are COVID-19 positive and advise other students who’ve been in close contact with them to quarantine and get tested. With Temple planning to test 26,000 students and faculty per week next semester, the university’s COVID-19 Contact Tracing Unit will add more full-time tracers. The Contact Tracing Unit now has five full-time tracers and six student volunteers, said Kara Reid, the manager of the Contact Tracing Unit. “Contact tracing is the foundation of disease surveillance,” Reid wrote in an email to The Temple News. “It’s the core component of disease control and key to understanding the spread of disease especially when dealing with a novel disease and a lot of unknowns.” Reid, who has a master’s in public health from George Washington University, worked in disease surveillance for five years with communicable diseases, including measles, mumps and Ebola. She joined Temple’s Contact Tracing Unit in early September and oversees the contact tracer recruitment and training. “Having Kara come on board to manage, direct and focus on the contact tracing has been a fantastic asset to Temple University,” wrote Mark Denys, the director of Student Health Services, in an email to The Temple News. When the Contact Tracing Unit is alerted to a positive student case, Reid assigns it a contact tracer, who tries to reach out to the student by phone or email within 24 hours to set up an inter-
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kara Reid, the Contacter Tracing Unit’s manager, stands in her office inside the Student Health Services building on Broad Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue on Nov. 16.
view, she said. In the interview, contact tracers ask about students’ infectious periods, other students who had close contacts with them and where they were during their infectious period, Reid said. “[Students] understand the importance of being honest with where they’ve been and what they’ve done, so that we can try to slow down the spread, and everyone can go back to a relatively normal college experience,” Reid said. A close contact is defined as spending 15 cumulative minutes within six feet of someone who tests positive for COVID-19, Reid said. Contact tracers also give COVID-19 positive students information about quarantine and isolation housing at Johnson and Hardwick halls, Reid said. Contact tracers interview any student with a close contact, while the Philadelphia Department of Public Health interviews non-students with close contacts, Reid said. Contact tracers keep the COVID-19 positive student’s identity anonymous to other students.
Asymptomatic students should get tested seven days after a close contact, while symptomatic students with a close contact can get tested earlier, Reid said. “I think most students are cooperative, so [I’m] very proud of Temple,” Reid said. Reid estimates that 95 percent of students who test positive for COVID-19 respond to the Contact Tracing Unit’s request for interviews. Until September, the City of Philadelphia assisted the university with contact tracing, but since mid-September the university’s Contact Tracing Unit has handled all the cases for Temple students, Reid said. The Contact Tracing Unit shares all of its cases and close contacts with the city so it doesn’t reach out for duplicate interviews, Reid said. University contact tracing helps ease the burden on the city’s contact tracing program, Reid said. “[University contact tracing] has been a boon to the city because the high number of new cases these days means
that there are too many people for our staff to contact trace,” wrote James Garrow, a Philadelphia Department of Public Health spokesperson, in an email to The Temple News. “Teams like Temple’s are providing a valuable service to help stop individual outbreaks and to learn about how the disease is being transmitted.” The College of Public Health designed Temple’s contact tracing training course, a 10-hour online overview of COVID-19, ethics for contact tracers and isolation and quarantine measures, Reid said. The program ends with a mock phone call to a close contact student. Reid trains contact tracers with more mock scenarios after the contact tracers have completed the College of Public Health’s program, and she oversees their calls until they’re comfortable, she said. john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz
NEWS
PAGE 6
The Temple News
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 departure testing opens at Mitten Hall
Temple is offering a limited number of COVID-19 tests with same day results until Nov. 20. BY JACK DANZ News Editor With Temple University modifying and suspending most in-person operations for the fall semester after Nov. 20, the university is offering a limited number of free COVID-19 nasal swab tests at Mitten Hall to students who are leaving campus for fall break. Departure testing at Mitten Hall began Monday and will continue until Friday, Nov. 20, The Temple News reported. “The fact that there’s rapid testing available for students is really great,” said Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major and Student Body President, who got tested on Monday morning. “I think it’s good that the university is making sure that students are being responsible when they get home to have a safe break.” Students will receive same day results by email. If they test positive, Student Health Services will direct them to the Morgan Hall testing center for further testing, The Temple News reported. The first day of testing coincided with new restrictions from the City of Philadelphia on gatherings, including a prohibition on indoor dining and indoor gatherings with different households and restrictions on outdoor dining, retail stores and religious institutions, The Temple News reported. Philadelphia averaged 721 new COVID-19 cases per day last week, the highest weekly average since the pandemic began, The Temple News reported. Temple reported 49 active cases of COVID-19 among students and faculty on Monday, The Temple News reported. “Being tested for COVID-19 is not a preventive measure,” wrote Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services, in an email to Temple students on Nov. 9. “A negative test prior to Thanksgiving does not guarantee that you will not have COVID-19 on Thanksgiving.”
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major and Student Body President, stands outside Mitten Hall after receiving a COVID-19 test on Nov. 16.
Students can sign up for a COVID-19 departure test on the Student Health Services portal the same way they would for a test at the Morgan Hall testing center. Daniel de Castro, a junior industrial and systems engineering major who got tested on Monday, wanted to get tested after Halloween and the celebration following the presidential election on Nov. 6. He is glad Temple created a testing site that is convenient, he said. “Early in the semester, I couldn’t get a test here unless I, like, tested positive and jumped through all these random hoops,” he said. “But they seem to be handling it better now, which is nice to see.” Students can also find testing options through Temple’s Student Health Services on Broad Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue, or near Main Campus at myDoc Urgent Care on Broad Street near Wallace, Project HOME on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 22nd Street and Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Health Center 5 on 20th Street near Berks, The Temple News reported. Students who tested positive for
COVID-19 in the last 90 days and completed an isolation period should not get tested again, Denys wrote. Student Health Services will continue to test students for COVID-19 at the Morgan Hall testing center and Student Health Services building during fall and winter break, wrote Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university, in an email to The Temple News on Nov. 13. Meagan Mendoza, a senior biology major, got tested at Mitten Hall because she is very worried about returning home to her mother who has leukemia and is at risk for COVID-19, she said. “I know everybody else seemed to be partying, but I’m trying my best to just stay and be with my roommates,” she said. “So I’m pretty confident that I’m negative, but you never know with everything that’s going on. So I just wanted to be cautious.” The university recommends students quarantine for two weeks before leaving Main Campus and practice the four public health pillars while they are home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to their families, Denys wrote.
“We want your return home to be a happy one that allows you to hug your loved ones and enjoy low-risk activities with them,” Denys wrote. “I know this will take some effort and sacrifice, but your health and the health of your family is worth it.” Additionally, students who return to campus after Thanksgiving for the end of the semester should quarantine upon their return, Denys wrote. Ari Gewirtzman, a sophomore gender, sexuality and women’s studies major, got tested before visiting their partner for Thanksgiving, they said. “I definitely wouldn’t be doing it without being able to get a test, and I wouldn’t be able to do it if he didn’t get a test,” they said. “I feel better because I know that both of our roommates are either going to be away or quarantining safely.” john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz
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OPINION
PAGE 8
EDITORIAL
Maintain pandemic precautions On March 11, Temple University suspended all in-person operations and moved classes online as Philadelphia reported its first case of COVID-19 the day before. Eight months later, the city is reporting 55,302 COVID-19 cases and has deemed that the city has a “high risk of community transmission,” according to the City of Philadelphia. Some Temple students will soon be heading home on Nov. 20 for fall break, and the university will modify or suspend most in-person operations for the remainder of the semester. While students are more than ready for their much needed break, the Editorial Board urges students, whether they’re going home for break, coming back to Philadelphia or staying near Main Campus, to continue exercising COVID-19 precautions as cases rise nationwide. On Nov. 13, the United States recorded 184,000 new COVID-19 cases, the fourth consecutive day the country has set the record for daily infections, NPR reported. That same day, the U.S. reported more than 1,400 deaths, the most any country has seen in a given day, NPR further reported. The Editorial Board cannot stress enough the severity of this pandemic and the importance of following local COVID-19 protocols. The City of Philadelphia recommends celebrating the holidays by hosting small gatherings with household members, ordering groceries and doing holiday shop-
ping online, as well as connecting with friends and extended family virtually, according to a Nov. 10 press release. Philadelphia will ban indoor gatherings, reduce capacity limits for outdoor dining and retail stores and close high schools, gyms, museums and libraries beginning Nov. 20 until Jan 1, 2021, as a result of rising COVID-19 cases, The Temple News reported. With cases rising, the Editorial Board wants students to take the pandemic as seriously as they did at the beginning. Students should continue to wear masks in indoor public spaces and in outdoor spaces and remain less than six feet away from people who do not live in their household. While the virus has inevitably brought its way into our everyday lives, as mask-wearing and frequent hand-washing have become a new normal, we still need to acknowledge that COVID-19 has not gone away within the last few months, nor will it in the near future. Students should get tested and begin quarantining if they haven’t already if they’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, according to the City of Philadelphia. The university is offering free testing from Nov. 16 through Nov. 20 at Mitten Hall, or students can visit one of several testing sites near Main Campus. No matter where we may be going or staying after Nov. 20, it is imperative we continue to follow COVID-19 protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Temple News
LETTER
See you in print next semester
The Temple News will stop News will stop printing again unprinting until spring, but will til the spring semester. We will continue coverage continue coverage online. BY MADISON KARAS Editor-in-Chief Dear readers, We began this academic year knowing it may be one of the most volatile experiences of our collegiate careers, and as we near the end of the semester, the COVID-19 pandemic grows increasingly severe. While balancing our lives between online classes and in-person responsibilities this semester, The Temple News produced its print paper again in a new biweekly edition. We thank you for your continued readership as we returned to newsstands this fall while working under new, safe newsroom precautions. Due to Temple University’s Main Campus modifying and suspending in-person operations from fall break to the end of the semester as many students return home until January, The Temple
of the Temple and North Central communities online and hold steadfast in our commitment to bringing readers the latest information throughout this time. As always, we encourage you to stay up to date by following us on social media, subscribing to our newsletter and visiting our website for the most recent updates. Let us know how online finals, adjusted holiday celebrations and changing pandemic circumstances are affecting you and what questions you have: you can reach me at editor@temple-news.com. We’ll see you back in print next year. Until then, stay safe, keep in touch online and make responsible choices throughout the colder months. Sincerely, Madison Karas karas@temple.edu @madraekaras
The Temple News
OPINION
PAGE 9
STUDENT LIFE
Consider taking a leave of absence next semester
A student argues Temple should provide more resources for those who need to take a semester off. Online learning has been a challenge. I have trouble focusing on screens for a long time or verbally participating in class, and I am more exhausted at the end of the day than I ever was with MONICA MELLON For The Temple News in-person classes. Students cannot effectively learn online, nor can they justify taking out student loans or paying full tuition to learn from home. Following Temple University’s announcement on Nov. 2 that the majority of courses would be held online next semester, the university should have reminded students of the option to take a leave of absence, along with the necessary steps to do so. This could be worthwhile for students, especially if they are not receiving the education they paid for, as they could work full-time and save money before coming back. I took a one-and-a-half-year break after receiving my undergraduate degree in 2018. The time off allowed me to explore an unconventional job path and figure out what my goals actually were. Students can take a leave of absence for up to two consecutive semesters without having to reapply for enrollment. They must fill out a self-service form on TUPortal and can only be approved for the next semester, according to the Office of the University Registrar. Online learning wasn’t necessarily what I was hoping for when I enrolled in a Master of Journalism program in 2020. I would’ve liked to have known more about the opportunity to defer my enrollment until I could receive an in-person education at a later date through emails or information sessions. When students disenroll from classes, they stop paying tuition and, likewise, stop receiving financial aid, according to the 2020-21 bulletin. Students are eli-
SCREENSHOT / TUPORTAL ENROLLMENT SERVICES
gible to reapply for financial aid upon their return, but there is no guarantee they will receive the same amount, if anything at all, creating a barrier for students from low-income backgrounds. Scholarship policies vary, but some may require constant enrollment and disqualify students who take a leave of absence, said Daniel Berman, the vice provost for undergraduate studies. “There are drawbacks to taking a leave of absence,” Berman added. “It sets you back in your progress toward your degree. Sometimes there are financial aid implications.” Additionally, the Office of the University Registrar is required to report a student on leave as withdrawn to the United States Department of Education, and students must begin repaying federal loans after six months, said James Mundie, the associate registrar for the Office of the University Registrar. “Students who have taken a yearlong year of absence will get halfway through and be surprised to learn they have to start paying back loans,” Mundie added. “The other problem is they are extend-
ing their time to graduation, which in the long run could end up costing them more money.” But an online education may seem like a waste of money with interruptions like technological issues or background noise from an unmuted microphone. “Some students aren’t 100 percent comfortable with online coursework,” Mundie said. “Others are experiencing financial stress because their parents have lost their jobs and cannot afford tuition right now. Others have contracted COVID-19 and cannot participate.” If students are struggling, regardless of the reason, they should be encouraged by the university to take time off and return under more ideal circumstances. Tara Bran, a 2018 psychology alumna, took a medical leave in Spring 2015 after the sudden death of her father. Despite emailing the Dean of Students that she wouldn’t be returning the following semester, she failed every class, she said. “In order to have the F’s overturned, I had to go to campus and write out my extenuating circumstances,” Bran said. “It was extremely difficult to come back
between the paperwork and the emotional toll, but I do recommend students take a leave of absence if they need to.” Temple has since facilitated the process by moving the application online, and students will have an additional week to apply compared to other semesters because of the delayed start of the semester, Mundie said. However, Temple should be more supportive of students who need a leave by allowing students to retain their financial aid disbursements and enrollment verification, as well as emphasizing the psychological value a leave of absence may offer them. Students have been asked to compromise their education and mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As online learning will be the new normal for the foreseeable future, students should consider whether or not the benefit of receiving a degree in four years is worth giving up the college experience. monica.mellon@temple.edu
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OPINION
The Temple News
SCREENSHOT / PROCTORIO
TECHNOLOGY
Trust students to be honest without proctoring
A student argues against instructors requiring students to use Proctorio to monitor exams. While taking my proctored Research Methods midterm, I was more terrified of being flagged by Proctorio for looking down at my calculator than I was of failing the exam. My low class averCHRISTINA MITCHELL age reflected this unOpinion Editor ease. Upon collecting unanimously negative feedback, my professor decided against using Proctorio for the final exam. The universal complaint from students was the violation of privacy: not only does Proctorio have access to screen activity, but proctors can also see students’ personal spaces by observing them through their webcam. Professors shouldn’t force their students to download Proctorio, and Temple University’s departments should discourage the use of this program, as the benefits of the perceived prevention of cheating are outweighed by the ethical and practical
concerns of using it. Proctorio is an online program that allows professors to virtually monitor students during an exam. Faculty can enable browser permission to read data on websites visited, modify data copied and pasted, capture screen content and prohibit downloads during an exam. Proctorio is concerning for all students from a privacy perspective, said Bari Dzomba, a health information management professor. “It’s even worse for students that may be living in unsafe home environments and have domestic or substance abuse going on in the background,” Dzomba added. “But it’s also invasive because students are in their bedrooms, which is a private space, even if it’s the most Pinterest-ready perfect room.” Students with neuromuscular or developmental disorders may be flagged because they cannot sit for extended periods of time. Students with visual impairments may be penalized by eye-trackers, and Black and brown students have been asked to shine more light on themselves to verify their identity, Hybrid Pedagogy reported.
Dzomba only uses it for one quiz in an undergraduate course because the program she is teaching requires it. “I don’t use it in anything else because there’s been a lot of research and evidence that the technology compares what the student is doing to a normal human being: a white, heterosexual, able-bodied male,” Dzomba said. John Sorrentino, an economics professor, uses Proctorio for his undergraduate courses to raise the integrity and discipline of online assessment, he said. “Students brought up issues with privacy, so I did some research,” Sorrentino added. “There was a lawsuit against Proctorio in the Netherlands, but Proctorio won across the board, so I feel pretty good about it.” Although some faculty may be in favor of Proctorio, students are not so keen. Tanaka Mada, a first-year epidemiology master’s student, has had issues with Proctorio in a few of her classes, she said. “I was asked multiple times throughout my exams to rescan my room,” Mada added. “This made me waste so much time, time that I could’ve spent doing the
actual exam.” Patrycia Winiarz, a sophomore health professions major, said Proctorio makes her more nervous because she can’t even look around her room without being suspected of cheating. “I have to stare at the screen the whole time, and that’s not how I take my exams,” Winiarz said. However, professors do have the option to disable room recording and other features, Sorrentino said. “People get high suspicion rates because they turn their heads or mouth the answers,” Sorrentino added. “When I give multiple choice or spreadsheet exams, I customize the settings.” Professors may be apprehensive to allow students to take exams unproctored because they worry about maintaining academic integrity, but proctoring will not stop cheating. Proctorio is a sobering glimpse at a future in which technological trespassing is acceptable, and professors should not be enforcing this onto students. christina.mitchell@temple.edu @clmitchell1799
The Temple News
OPINION
PAGE 11
THE ESSAYIST
I don’t feast on Thanksgiving or any holiday
A student describes how her anxiety makes Thanksgiving festivities especially difficult for her. BY ALLISON NIKLES For The Temple News Thanksgiving has always been my least favorite holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I am extremely grateful to spend the day with my family. Many of my relatives live far away, so I am not able to see them as often as I would like. Even though I am fortunate enough to see my family, my eating disorder overpowers the happiness I feel from their presence. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a picky eater. My food palate is very limited because I only feel comfortable eating “safe foods,” or foods I have had before and I know won’t give me a stomach ache. My anxiety-induced eating disorder makes it difficult for me to try new foods, as I panic that they will make me sick. As a result of my eating disorder, I struggle with body dysmorphia. Anytime I eat a meal, I fear I will gain weight. In high school, I would avoid the cafeteria by spending my lunch break in an empty classroom. It was too humiliating for me to eat in public, especially during soccer season. I was worried eating before practice would slow me down. I could barely face my school cafeteria, let alone Thanksgiving, a holiday centered around gluttony. We typically celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom’s side of the family. My extended family is very big, and they uphold their Italian culture and traditions by hosting larger-than-life dinners. Although my family’s smiles fill me with joy as they slice into the Thanksgiving turkey, the sight of the bird makes my stomach turn.
OLIVIA SCHROEDER / THE TEMPLE NEWS
My Thanksgiving meal usually consists of a roll or two of bread. It’s not the most extravagant, but I know it won’t leave my stomach feeling uneasy. I still find it difficult to attend Thanksgiving every year, but it isn’t even the day itself that is the most anxiety-ridden. My relatives realized it’s a challenge for me to consume new foods, so they no longer pressure me. What causes me the most stress is the week that follows. It’s not uncommon to see Instagram stories and tweets flooding with post-holiday diet plans because Thanks-
giving is usually compiled with extravagant, bountiful and filling dinners. I don’t eat much on Thanksgiving, but the social media posts around bingeing and dieting still prompt my body dysmorphia. Not only do I fear gaining weight during the holiday season, but these posts also prevent me from trying new foods. I worry that if I expand my palate, I’ll inevitably gain weight too. This post-Thanksgiving social media content pushes me to maintain stricter diets and longer workouts throughout the rest of November and December. Although I cannot physically gain weight if
I abstain from eating on Thanksgiving, my obsessive-compulsive disorder tells me otherwise. Dieting posts may only seem like a few words or a harmless picture, but it can be extremely destructive to the mental health of struggling teens like myself. I am learning to be kind to myself during the holidays. While others may be watching their weight after Thanksgiving, if my heart tells me to eat more or spend a lazy day in bed, I will listen. allison.nikles@temple.edu
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LONGFORM
The Temple News
COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jessica Barber, a sophomore international affairs major, sits outside of her house on 18th Street near Monument on Nov. 16.
OFF CAMPUS
Students prepare for fall break amid rising cases As COVID-19 infections spike, students are weighing where and how they should spend break. BY ASA CADWALLADER Longform Editor
N
ormally a highly-anticipated pause from coursework and an opportunity to catch up with family, fall break just doesn’t feel the same this year. “I wish I was more excited for break and this semester to be over, but honestly I think it’s going to be just as stressful as being in school with everything going on,” said Kynoebi Simpson-Hankins, a senior engineering major. Simpson-Hankins, a resident assistant at Morgan Hall, was looking forward to a much needed breather from both his academic and work responsibilities. But as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, break may not be as stress-free as he hoped. With fall break next week and final exams in sight, Temple University stu-
dents are feeling mixed emotions and grappling with the choice of staying in their residences on and near Main Campus or returning home as an unprecedented fall semester reaches its final stretch. To limit travel to and from Main Campus, the university plans to modify or suspend most in-person operations starting Nov. 20 and finish the remainder of the semester remotely, The Temple News reported. The current rise in COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia and nationwide further complicates a week typically filled with the start of holiday season travel plans. On Nov. 13, the city reported 1,158 new cases, breaking its record for single-day infections, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Philadelphia’s spike follows a larger nationwide rise in cases, after the United States reported a record-breaking 184,000 new single-day infections last Friday, with those numbers projected to increase in coming weeks, CNN reported.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that this is now the peak of the pandemic,” said Jessica Barber, a sophomore international affairs major. “We’ve all been dealing with this for so long and I guess I just expected things to get better instead of worse at this stage.” The university is offering free COVID-19 tests to students returning home and will offer testing for students who plan on traveling through Nov. 20 at Mitten Hall, The Temple News reported. Whether returning home or staying near Main Campus, most students are facing the difficult decision to either stay put or travel home as the pandemic enters what may be its most intense phase yet.
THE TRAVEL RISK
Almost a year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, the U.S. is now facing the largest spike in cases yet, and public health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warn-
ing that it will likely worsen in coming weeks, especially as people travel for the holidays, CNN reported. This leaves students with the tough choice of either returning home and potentially exposing themselves and their family members to the virus or staying put in off campus housing, spending most of their break in relative isolation. Temple’s Director of Student Health Services Mark Denys urged students to avoid any in-person gatherings and to quarantine for two weeks prior to their departure from campus, The Temple News reported. Current CDC guidelines advise against any in-person holiday gatherings with people living outside their immediate housing unit, which includes college students returning home from campus. Because higher infection rates are tied to small, in-person gatherings, public health officials say events like Thanksgiving can be dangerous, especially if attendees are not wearing masks or practicing social distancing, the Washington Post reported.
The Temple News
Chloe Pantazelos, a senior ceramics major, has opted to stay at her off campus apartment at 18th Street near Berks out of fear she may bring the virus back to her parents’ home in Bel Air, Maryland. “It just doesn’t seem worth the risk right now,” Pantazelos said. “I may reevaluate in the next couple weeks, but for now I’m pretty set on staying here.” Some students’ fall break plans hinge on their ability to get tested for the virus, but despite the reassurances offered through testing, there’s still worries about the possibility of contracting the virus while traveling home. Traveling by plane, bus or train increases risk of contracting COVID-19, with infection rates higher in tight indoor spaces with poor ventilation, BBC reported. “I absolutely plan on getting tested before returning home, but a negative result only tells you if you’re infected or not at that exact moment,” said Zoe Andersson, a junior film and media arts major who plans on returning to her home in Northwest Philadelphia for break. “Between getting my results back and traveling home, a lot can happen.”
TO GO HOME
For students living on campus, there are few choices but to return home after all residence halls close on Nov. 21. Simpson-Hankins plans on returning home to his parents’ home in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, but still has serious concerns about the virus. “My grandpop died from the virus last April, so I know how deadly it can be,” he said. Simpson-Hankins is planning to get tested for COVID-19 at Mitten Hall this week. “My mom is 60 years old though and potentially at risk, so I really need to be sure,” Simpson-Hankins added. Sabrina Dormer, a senior history major, plans to go back and forth between her apartment on Broad Street near Girard Avenue and her parents’ home during the break, and plans to be tested for the virus periodically. To avoid exposure, she intends on leaving both locations as little as possible and taking precautions while travel-
LONGFORM
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ing in between, like wearing masks and washing her hands, Dormer said. “I’m pretty much planning on just staying inside,” she added. “I’m still working on my grad school applications, so at least that will give me something to do.” TO STAY NEAR CAMPUS Barber altered her original plan to return home to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family in Rochester, Pennsylvania, instead opting to stay in her apartment at 18th Street near Monument. “I’m not only afraid of getting my family sick, but I also just learned that both my aunt and uncle tested positive for the virus, so it just does not seem ideal to go home right now,” Barber said. “It’s not that I don’t miss my family, I really do, I just think going home will make things a lot more stressful for everyone.” With both of her roommates gone, Barber said she would most likely spend Thanksgiving and the remainder of break with her boyfriend’s family, who lives in North Philadelphia. Patrick Gallagher, a sophomore business management major, is surprised the pandemic is accelerating at the rate it currently is. “When the virus first started, I never guessed almost a year later we would be seeing the most cases,” he said. “I’m just so tired of it at this point.” Gallagher, who lives in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, is opting to stay in his apartment at 18th Street near Page as opposed to returning home for break. “I had originally planned on doing a snowboarding trip with some of my home friends for a week or so, but that got chalked,” Gallagher said. “Honestly, I’m going to be bored at home or bored here, but I think there’s a little more going on here socially.” However, some students don’t have the choice to return home, like Sid Dua, who plans to stay near campus for fall break but travel home at the end of the semester. Despite already purchasing his plane tickets to Delhi, India, his childhood home where his family still resides, it remains unclear whether or not he will be able to return home due to the possibility of new travel restrictions.
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Chloe Pantazelos, a junior ceramics major, stands outside her apartment on 18th Street near Berks.
“It’s really just going to depend on whether or not there’s another travel ban,” said Dua, a senior management information studies major. “The way cases are looking right now, both in the states and in India, I’m pretty doubtful I’ll be going home.” Travel between the U.S. and India is still possible, but the U.S. is currently advising against any non-essential travel, with the possibility of tighter restrictions if cases continue to rise, according to the CDC. If unable to return to India, Dua said he plans to stay with family in Long Island, New York, but only after he is tested for COVID-19. “The other risk of going back to India is that I won’t be able to reenter the states for the spring semester if the pandemic continues to get worse,” he added. “It’s stressful, but it’s something I really have no control over.”
BRACING FOR HOW LONG
On top of an already long list of unknowns for students, the larger question is how long — how long to stay home or near campus, how long this spike in cases will last and how long the pandemic and precautions will last as a whole. Dormer’s attitude to the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March was quite different compared to how she is
approaching the large increases in infections happening now, she said. “I remember when the first outbreak happened in April, I was washing my hands nonstop and lysoling like everything,” Dormer added. “Now with this current spike, which I know is super concerning, I think more people are maybe cutting corners because they’re so tired of lockdown.” One of the few things some students are excited for is a break from online learning, which has been taxing on their motivation and mental health. “I’m counting down the days till I don’t have to Zoom anymore honestly,” Simpson-Hankins said. “I don’t think I’d mind any of my classes in person, but just the way I operate has made online really difficult and draining.” A Monday announcement regarding a possible vaccine offers a glimmer of hope to some students, after a trial by the drug company Moderna showed promising preliminary results, NPR reported. “I’ll absolutely get the vaccine once it’s available,” Gallagher said. “My hope is that if enough people get it, we may be able to have a more normal spring semester, but that still seems really up in the air.” asacadwallader@temple.edu @asacadwallader
LIVE Philly in
BY JEREMY ELVAS Co-Photo Editor
HOPE ON THE SIDEWALK
Local artists painted chalk murals on sidewalks throughout Kensington and Fishtown on Saturday at the Philadelphia Chalk Festival.
O
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Rushawn Stanley works on his chalk mural outside the Monkey Club on York Street near Amber.
n Saturday, 14 artists scattered throughout East Kensington and Fishtown took part in the 2020 Philadelphia Chalk Festival, a street painting event connecting local artists, businesses and community organizations. Sponsored by Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Painted Bride Art Center, the festival took place from 12 p.m. until sundown outside several venues and businesses. Artists worked on their murals all day and set up materials and supplies along the sidewalk. Festival founder and director Rushawn Stanley, 27, who lives on Morris Street near 13th, came up with the idea for the chalk festival after remembering a street painting festival he attended as a child growing up in Elmira, New York. “Philly didn’t have anything, so I thought there was a way to do it and promote the arts, while allowing people to be socially distant,” Stanley said. Working with his friend and festival producer, April Rose, 23, who lives on Tasker Street near 8th, the two organized a form for artists to submit their ideas for chalk murals. After choosing the artists, they partnered them with businesses and venues in Kensington and Fishtown to create the pieces outside on sidewalks. Through sponsorships and collaborations with the Community College of
Philadelphia, Coral Streets Arts House and other organizations, artists were paid a $300 stipend and provided supplies for the festival. Cory Kram, 31, a multi-disciplinary artist who lives on Larchwood Avenue near 49th Street, painted a piece called “Journey” outside neighborhood bar Martha on Martha Street near York. Kram described her mural as an “interpretive dance” that unfolded naturally and used a variety of colors and abstract shapes, like orange-yellow flowers and blue-green raindrops. “This event creates hope and adds color to a very scary time in history,” Kram said. “It’s therapeutic for the community to see art being created.” De’Von Downes, 23, a portrait artist from Glassboro, New Jersey, found out about the chalk festival through Mural Arts Philadelphia and submitted his idea for the mural “Girl with the Hoop Earring,” which he worked on outside The Boom Room studios on Front Street near Thompson. “People can still enjoy art, not just art from their phones, laptops or tablets, but art in person,” Downes said. “It keeps it alive, keeps it fresh, and seeing it in person is way different than seeing it digitally, you get a little more soul out of it.” jeremy.elvas@temple.edu @jeremyelvas
MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP RIGHT Mariam Konate works on her piece “Baobab Moon” on the sidewalk by Palmer Park on Frankford Avenue near Palmer Street. De’Von Downes’ piece “Girl with the Hoop Earring” is featured outside the Boom Room studios on Front Street near Thompson. Brian Langan works on his chalk mural outside Pizza Brain on Frankford Avenue near Dauphin Street. Cory Kram works on her chalk mural outside Martha, on Martha Street near York.
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FEATURES
The Temple News
ON CAMPUS
Students adjust Thanksgiving plans, traditions
As COVID-19 cases rise, students alter celebration plans with family and friends for the holiday. BY MATTHEW AQUINO For The Temple News
I
n past years, Ricardo Fortuna spent Thanksgiving at home in Brazil or with his host family in Ohio, but this year his plans are still undecided. “I am talking to a few friends of mine to see if I can possibly spend it with them,” said Fortuna, a junior neuroscience major. “Worst case scenario, I will probably just stay here.” As COVID-19 cases rise in Philadelphia and around the country, students are changing their traditional Thanksgiving plans to reduce the risk of possibly spreading COVID-19. Some students plan to travel home and host smaller celebrations with immediate family, while others may stay on campus. Families should host dinners with people in their household to lower the risk of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Philadelphia reported a seven day average of 721 cases on Nov. 13, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. National cases increased by more than 177,000 on Nov. 13, bringing total United States cases to almost 11 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. Yesterday, Philadelphia announced a ban on indoor gatherings with people from different households until Jan. 1, 2021, The Temple News reported. Emma Hines, a sophomore theater education major, said her family is planning a smaller Thanksgiving at home this year. Usually, 12 to 14 people come, but she expects only four people this year, she said. “Normally my extended family comes here, or we go there, but this year it’s just my immediate family,” Hines said. “I think we’re ordering Chinese. It’s not going to be a big Thanksgiving this year like it normally is.” DeAhna Fisher is also expecting a smaller get-together this year to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19. “Usually it’s just immediate family, except I think my grandmother is not going
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Emma Hines (left), a sophomore theater education major, and DeAhna Fisher, a sophomore biology with teaching major, sit on the lawn outside the Paley Hall on Nov. 9.
to come this year,” said Fisher, a sophomore biology with teaching major. Fisher and her family always pick out a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, but this year they aren’t going because it may be crowded and they want to ensure they are following social distancing recommendations, she added. Mitten Hall will conduct COVID-19 testing between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20 for students planning to leave campus for the fall break, The Temple News reported. Students planning to return to Philadelphia should self-quarantine for 14 days after traveling during break, The Temple News reported. Hines and Fisher are roommates off campus and neighbors back home in West Hartford, Connecticut, so they plan to get tested before traveling home to spend the holiday there.
“We have decided that we’re going to get tested before we go home,” Fisher said. “As long as we’re COVID-19 free, I think we should be okay.” Shannan Lowe goes Black Friday shopping every year with her mom and her best friend, but they won’t be going this year, she said. Instead, they plan to go shopping online for Cyber Monday. “We are going to get our hot chocolate and coffee and probably just sit at my kitchen table,” said Lowe, a senior biology major. Stores like Walmart are changing Black Friday protocol by separating it into three events throughout November and giving shoppers the chance to order gifts online, CNBC reported. John McCoy, a sophomore journalism major, is upset because this year his family will not hold their annual family football game, he said.
“My family usually goes to Mullin Playground and has a big family football game, and because a couple people are away at college and the pandemic, we won’t be playing that game this year,” McCoy said. Maryam Muhammad, a sophomore journalism major, said while there are not any special traditions she does, she and her mom are upset they won’t be able to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” on ABC because Apple bought the rights to the special. Muhammad is excited for the upcoming break and to take time away from schoolwork to relax, she added. “Especially this semester, I am really excited for the break because I have been overwhelmed doing all this schoolwork,” Muhammad said. matthew.aquino@temple.edu @MatthewAquino20
The Temple News
FEATURES
PAGE 17
ART
Students use art to destigmatize opioid epidemic
‘Art for Change’ is a virtual exhibi- addiction, she wanted to use art to create tion to start conversations about positive change in her community, she said. substance abuse disorder. BY SCOTT BLENDER For The Temple News After family experiences with substance abuse disorder, Zoe Sohenick decided to show her support through her writing, she said. “I don’t think many people really realize how serious of like, an issue and disease that it is unless people are directly affected by it,” said Sohenick, a sophomore media studies and production major. Sohenick became a student leader for Art for Change, which is the third part of the My Lens project, aimed at ending the stigma associated with opioid addiction in Philadelphia and creating meaningful conversations through artwork by Temple University students. The Art for Change exhibition was posted virtually on Nov. 12, showcasing poems, collages, digital designs and infographics from 12 Temple students. It will remain online indefinitely, and the artwork will be posted on My Lens social media pages like Instagram and Facebook. Sohenick wrote a poem called “Finding Solutions” about educating people to understand the effects of the opioid epidemic, and how to support people experiencing substance abuse disorder. By illustrating how people within the Temple community can be personally affected by substance abuse disorder, ‘Art for Change’ hopes to spark conversations that can help to support people experiencing it, said Leeannah McNew, a senior advertising major. Substance use disorder is a disease that causes people to be unable to control their use of legal or illegal drugs, according to The Mayo Clinic. McNew’s piece is a digital drawing called “Interpersonal Conflicts” depicting pill bottles and needles with the words “pain,” “shame,” “blame” and “dependence”’ written on them. McNew got involved with the project through her professor, and though she hasn’t personally experienced opioid
“I just want to use my art for good and to create conversations,” said McNew, a student leader for the exhibition. “I’m realizing at 21 that I have the privilege to do that and be a part of a small change, even if I’m just a small factor in the larger conversation.” In 2017, out of the 1,217 overdose deaths reported from all types of drugs, 1,074 involved opioids, according to the City of Philadelphia. Since 2017, the city responded with multiple initiatives, including the Philadelphia Resilience Project, which utilizes 35 city departments to combat the opioid epidemic, according to the City of Philadelphia. Temple uses community-based efforts by introducing prevention, harm reduction, education and treatment services to people experiencing opioid addiction, according to Temple Health. “We need to be educated so we don’t spread misinformation and stigma around substance abuse disorder,” Sohenick said. Deirdre Dingman, a social and behavioral sciences professor, and Marsha Zibalese-Crawford, a social work professor, began the My Lens project this year after applying for State Opioid Response grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a U.S. Department of Health agency that tries to reduce instances of substance abuse and mental illness. The start of the program provided campus presentations on how to handle overdose situations and administer Narcan, a medication that can reverse overdoses, and gave students and faculty connections to treatment and other resources, Dingman said. “The overarching goal is to increase access to prevention, treatment and recovery services for opioid use disorder, especially by reducing stigma around substance use and harm reduction efforts,” Dingman said. Viewers can comment through a discussion board on the platform until Friday, Nov. 20, to engage with artists.
ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Leeannah McNew displays her piece “Interpersonal Conflicts” on Pollett Walk on Oct. 30.
ALLIE IPPOLITO/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Zoe Sohenick displays her poem “Finding Solutions” in the Johnny Ring Terrace on Nov. 2.
One anonymous comment on the exhibition read, “This is such a beautiful set of pieces, I am super impressed and inspired by all the artists. Awareness for the opioid crisis should never stop.” Dingman and Zibalese-Crawford will draft a research publication sharing the results of increasing access to prevention, treatment and recovery through the My Lens project to the sci-
entific community, Dingman said. “If we can talk about people with this illness like we talk about people with other illnesses, maybe there will be more empathy and understanding, especially around treatment,” McNew said. scott.blender@temple.edu scott_blender
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FEATURES
The Temple News
ON CAMPUS
Students plan classes for hybrid spring semester Temple plans to hold some classes in person next semester, with most still offered online. BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor Liam Smith woke up yesterday at 7 a.m. to schedule his spring semester classes only to have the website crash, he said. “I didn’t sign up for my classes until like 7:45,” said Smith, a junior Spanish major. “I was really like on my laptop for 45 minutes which usually isn’t the case.” Priority registration opened yesterday for students after Temple University announced on Nov. 2 they will hold a mix of in-person and online courses for the Spring 2021 semester. As students plan their schedules for next semester, some are hopeful to return to in-person classes, while others look to continue with online classes for safety reasons. Smith doesn’t have any in-person classes scheduled for the spring semester, and he is taking more asynchronous classes than this semester because he is worried about his health, he said. “If there were only like a couple students plus a professor in it and it was in one of the larger lecture halls, then probably I would feel fine like staying in person or like a hybrid class,” Smith added. “But with the spike in cases in Philadelphia, I honestly feel more comfortable online now.” As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the city, Philadelphia banned indoor dining and indoor gatherings with people from different households from Nov. 20 until Jan. 1, 2021, The Temple News reported. On Nov. 2, Temple opened the Spring 2021 course catalog, pushed priority registration to Nov. 16 and announced the spring semester would begin on Jan. 19, The Temple News reported. Priority registration this semester was delayed because the university wanted to ensure decisions for spring classes would be sustainable, said Raymond Betzner, a spokesperson for the university. “We’re sitting here in late October, early November and trying to figure out
what the world is going to look like in January,” Betzner said. “If there are any lessons that we’ve learned from COVID, it’s that you can work really hard, you can put in some great plans, but then sometimes, you have to alter these plans.” Samantha Padilla had to rearrange her schedule after being waitlisted for a general education course on Monday morning because the website wouldn’t load, she said. Padilla, a sophomore health professions major, opted for asynchronous and online classes because she is worried about the increase in COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia, she added. “I do miss the kind of in-person contact, but I think for next semester, considering how crazy these cases are getting, I think I definitely prefer them online,” Padilla said. The university is unsure how many in-person courses will be held in the spring semester. If in-person classes have more student interest, Temple will open more sections of the courses, Betzner said. “It’s how students want to learn, how students want to be involved and interact, whether they want to be in person on campus or whether they want to continue largely an online experience,” he added. The decision to hold in-person or virtual classes for the spring semester was largely left up to the schools and colleges, Betzner said. Schools like the Tyler School of Art and Architecture and the College of Public Health will likely have more in-person operations because art courses and clinicals require hands-on learning, he added. Amelia D’Andrea, a junior recreational therapy major, said she is unsure of how the spring semester will look because she has a dance minor and will need to take those classes in person. This semester, she is taking a class focused on the history of dance that doesn’t require physical movement, so it transitioned to online, she said. But in the spring, she needs to take a class to learn dance production, which will require in -person meetings. “There is one class I did want to take next semester and I don’t know how it’s not going to be in person,” D’Andrea said.
COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Liam Smith, a junior Spanish major, sits along Polett Walk outside of Charles Library on Nov. 16.
there were only like “a Ifcouple students plus a
professor in it and it was in one of the larger lecture halls, then probably I would feel fine like staying in person or like a hybrid class. But with the spike in cases in Philadelphia, I honestly feel comfortable online now.
”
LIAM SMITH Junior Spanish major
“Right now I think that’s actually in person. It’s like a very small class.” Courses will continue to be held in buildings with larger rooms, like Paley Hall and the Howard Gittis Student Center, to ensure students are at least six feet apart from each other and their professor, Betzner said. Emma Paige, a freshman early childhood education major, made two schedules before priority registration on Monday: one with in-person classes and the other with mostly online options, she said. She ended up scheduling mostly online, asynchronous classes after deciding she enjoys the freedom asynchronous learning gives her to complete lessons, she said. The only in-person class she plans to take is band. “I was looking for as much asynchronous as possible because now I just have class on Tuesdays and then whenever they put band,” Paige added. “That worked out well for me and I’ll be here on campus no matter what.” emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner
FEATURES
The Temple News
ALUMNI
Film explores ways to fight climate change Ben Kalina and Jen Schneider’s documentary highlights international environmental research. BY JOELLE DELPRETE For The Temple News In 2019, PBS asked Ben Kalina and Jen Schneider to create a documentary about something they have been interested in for years: climate change. “We’re not doomed,” said Schneider, a 2009 film and media arts alumna. “There’s still so many decisions we can make to make a difference.” Schneider and Kalina, a 2011 film and media arts alumnus, collaborated on the documentary “Can We Cool the Planet?” which examines technology that reduces the impacts of climate change, like geoengineering in the atmosphere to block sunlight and using carbon to create solid materials. The film premiered on PBS’s science program NOVA on Oct. 28 and discussed climate change issues through interviews with researchers and professors from across the globe. Part of “Can We Cool the Planet?” takes place in Iceland, where Kalina and Schneider interview Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir, a geologist who is redirecting carbon dioxide into the volcanic rock the island is built on so gas is not released into the atmosphere where it could contribute to atmospheric warming. In Zürich, Switzerland, they talk to scientists researching locations where it might be possible to plant a trillion trees to absorb some carbon in the atmosphere. While these new technologies are fascinating and exciting, Schneider said the interviews showed her that reducing carbon emissions to zero is the first priority for climate activists. “If we don’t do that, none of these technologies matter,” she said. “There is no silver bullet solution to climate change.” Climate change is a long-term change in weather patterns that define Earth’s climate, according to NASA. New technology addresses climate change by reducing fossil fuel emissions and making climate effects more manageable and less disastrous, Kalina said. Kalina and Schneider said they were already researching technical solutions to reduce fossil fuel emissions and had con-
nections with people working on climate change technology, so when NOVA approached them, they just needed to make phone calls and organize interviews. The pair met in Temple’s film and media arts graduate program where they worked on Kalina’s senior thesis, a documentary called ‘Shored Up’ that Kalina directed and Schneider worked on as cinematographer. Kalina’s career focus has been mainly on environmental projects, including producing films for The Nature Conservancy, a global nonprofit environmental organization, and is currently finishing a short film about the effects of acid mine drainage in Western Pennsylvania, he said. “[Climate change] is probably the biggest issue that we need to think about and struggle with,” Kalina said. Schneider typically takes cinematography roles for film projects, she said. In 2017, she was awarded Emerging Cinematographer by the International Camera Guild for her work on a short film “Unbound” about a woman who works at a silk factory to save her family, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. More than a decade after they were students at Temple, Scene Analysis for Writers and Directors, a class with Jeff Rush, is still influential in transitioning his storytelling into films, Kalina said. Rush, a film and media arts professor, enjoys seeing former students use their skills as a foundation to speak on important issues like climate change, he said. “[Kalina] and [Schneider] are looking at the world that they are inheriting or have inherited, that has unfortunately many issues that need to be addressed,” Rush said. “Fortunately they are finding ways in their own mode to address them, so that really is terrific.” The urgency of climate change’s impacts on the environment and human life means action has to be taken as soon as possible, Kalina said. “Be out there, be visible, be vocal, write your representatives, do all the things to try to force this to happen,” he said. joelledelp@temple.edu
PAGE 19
VOICES
What are your Thanksgiving plans?
SOPHIA CELANO Sophomore psychology major I am staying home with my immediate family and just my grandparents are coming over.
JOE COTILLO Freshman business management major Going home, hanging with my family and then coming back to Temple in January.
OLIVIA SARIANO Sophomore public relations major I am actually working. I work at Sephora, so I will be there for Black Friday. I haven’t been to Thanksgiving since I was 16, so I guess this is normal, but my coworker normally brings us a plate of food.
LILY TOWLE Freshman psychology major Just going home to see my family and my cats.
INTERSECTION
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The Temple News
HOLIDAYS
Students anticipate Thanksgiving dinner debates Students are navigating political disagreements with family members weeks after the election.
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BY TYLER PEREZ Chief Copy Editor
olitics haven’t always been a big talking point in Devyn Keane’s household. This Thanksgiving, which is only weeks after a contested presidential election, she feels the topic is inescapable. “In 2016, when [President Donald] Trump won, the Thanksgiving table was just like, ‘Welp, there it is, that happened,’” said Keane, a junior media studies and production major. “But now there’s a lot of controversy on whether or not it was a fair election, or if there was any cheating, so now it just feels like it wasn’t finished.” With the election over, political polarization still grips the nation, and students at Temple University are anxious about whether they’ll come home to a Thanksgiving dinner dominated by talk of voter fraud, civil rights and the COVID-19 pandemic. On Nov. 7, former Vice President Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States following a dayslong ballot counting process, CNN reported. Biden beat Trump with 306-232 Electoral College votes and outpaced him in the popular vote with a 5,635,000 vote margin, the New York Times reported. Trump has not yet conceded the election and mounted lawsuits in states like Pennsylvania, The Temple News reported. “When Joe Biden was announced the next president of the United States, my parents, they didn’t throw a fit, but they were very upset about it,” said Maya Skettini, a sophomore health professions major. “They haven’t really brought it up, so I hope it’s not going to be a huge issue, but I know they were upset about it.” While Democrats and Republicans tend to agree on issues related to the
OLIVIA MUSSELMAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
economy, their beliefs differ on issues like climate change, racial inequality and law enforcement, according to a Nov. 6 report by the Pew Research Center. One of the largest areas of polarization relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 82 percent of Democrats and 24 percent of Republicans saying the virus was a very important factor in who they voted for in the election. As cases of COVID-19 rise, Skettini feels it’ll be tough to have a conversation this year without talking about the politics of it. Because her parents are older, they have strong opinions on how the president should be handling the pandemic, she said. “I don’t think it’ll cause that many arguments because we all have the same agreement that we should not be going out, at least in large groups,” Skettini added. Keane voted for Biden but her parents are conservative, so she said it’s hard to avoid political conversations this year with issues like racial equality, health care and women’s rights always in the news. “The Thanksgiving dinner table is
definitely not the right place to have a political conversation,” Keane added. “Since politics is becoming a part of everyday conversations, it’s a lot harder to have good conversations about it.” Eighty percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans fundamentally disagree with the other party about core American values, and about 90 percent of both parties said that if the other candidate won, it’d cause lasting harm to the nation, according to an October report by the Pew Research Center. Political issues this year tend to focus on issues of moral beliefs, which makes it more difficult to compromise when talking about topics like abortion or racial equality, said Kevin Arceneaux, a political science professor. “The fact that all these questions this year have become more and more moralized, whether you wear a mask, and certainly the election makes things worse, it’s really hard to have a polite conversation about it,” he added. Although Skettini, who voted for Biden, disagrees with her parents about Trump, she doesn’t anticipate arguments about politics coming up during
Thanksgiving dinner, she said. “Since we’re family-oriented people, we like to spend our time with happiness and friendliness since we don’t get to see each other so often,” Skettini added. “We just prefer to keep it more on the positive side, that’s at least what’s happened so far.” Despite sometimes arguing with her family about politics, Keane tries to balance these disagreements with her love for her parents, she said. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking more than 246,000 American lives, Keane said this Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for her health and safety, and it’s an opportunity to spend more time with her family. “At the end of the day, you’re always still going to eat with them, you’re always going to live in the same house as them, so I think it’s important to try to meet eye-to-eye with them in some sort of way,” she added. tyler.perez@temple.edu @tylerperez___
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DIVERSITY
Students, faculty discuss Latino representation
Individuals with Latino heritage are often stereotyped in mainstream American media. BY TIFFANY RIVERA For The Temple News Samantha Rodriguez realized from a young age that people who looked like her were not on television. “I would watch MTV growing up as a kid with my English-speaking friends, I never saw anyone on television that looked like me,” said Rodriguez, a senior international business major. “There weren’t any Latinos on MTV.” Rodriguez was born in Englewood, New Jersey. She moved to Chalatenango, El Salvador, with her family when she was two years old and moved back to New Jersey when she was six. Many Temple University students noticed that respectful representation for Latinos is rare in American media. Several students are disappointed by the way their ethnicity is portrayed in modern media. Across top-grossing films in America from 2007 to 2018, Latino actors only filled 4.5 percent of speaking roles, the New York Times reported American television does not have enough Latino actors in mainstream television and film, which made Rodriguez feel like she had nothing in common with her friends while growing up, she said. The only Latino lead actors that Rodriguez related to were telenovela actors like William Levy and Carlos Ponce, she added. “Now in college, my roommates are starting to see a well-known show called ‘Power,’” Rodriguez said. “The only Latina in the show is casted as a mistress. This is not representing us in the right way at all.” Latinas are often sexualized on screen, according to a 2014 study by Arizona State University. Of the most popular films in 2016, Latino actors made up 3.1 percent of speaking characters while 25 percent of female actors wore sexy attire or appeared with some nudity, according to a 2017 report by the University of southern California. “We can never be a successful CEO
HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS
or a woman in the medical field,” Rodriguez said. “We always get casted in these roles that look down on us.” Kathy Piperno, a junior film and media arts major of Argentine descent, discussed how there was no Latino representation while she was growing up. She noticed how shows on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel didn’t have relatable characters. “When I was little I always wanted to be an actress,” Piperno said. “I felt discouraged because I didn’t see anyone who was Latino. This made me not want to act because I didn’t believe that I could achieve it. There was no one coming from the same background as me.” Piperno said this lack of representation is the reason why she wants to become a filmmaker. With her goal of representing the Latino community, Piperno has an upcoming project with an entire Latino crew. Guillermo Caliendo, a communication and social influence professor, said the lack of diversity in the film industry
hasn’t changed. “Growing up in Chile, we watched American television, and all of the actors were white,” he said. “There was not one person that I could relate to. ‘I Dream of Jeannie,’ ‘The Addams Family’ had no Hispanic actors. I was making white Americans my favorite actors as a kid.” Caliendo said one of the most controversial yet influential movies that cast white actors to portray Puerto Ricans living in New York City was “West Side Story.” Natalie Wood, a white actress of Russian descent, landed Maria’s leading role. Only Rita Moreno, who played Maria’s sister-in-law, was Latina. Caliendo suggested that this could be because directors feel more comfortable casting the same actors, as big names could attract the audience. “If you take Brad Pitt out of a Hollywood film, and replace him with Ricky Martin, is the movie going to sell? Probably not,” Caliendo said. Latinos make up 18 percent of the United States population, according to a
July report from the Pew Research Center. Only three percent of producers in 2018 were Latino. The overall percentage of Latino directors for top-grossing films in the past 10 years is four percent, the New York Times reported. “To change this, we need to make sure people in these boardrooms are Latino,” Caliendo said. “If we are not in these boardrooms calling some shots, there will be a lack of representation. It is vital that we demand change.” Piperno believes that there needs to be more resources for Latinos so they can enter the film industry. “Aside from having representation in American media, we need to encourage and empower young Latinos and tell them that they can achieve their dreams and do whatever they want to,” Piperno said. “Latinos need the proper resources and a fair opportunity to create films that show our everyday life.” tiffany.rivera@temple.edu @tiffany13730789
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The Temple News
THE ESSAYIST
Following the presidential election 5,000 miles away
HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS
A student discusses watching the U.S. presidential election from her home in Brazil. BY RENATA KAMINSKI For The Temple News Every Election Day growing up, I went to vote with my parents. I remember they let me press the buttons with their candidates’ numbers in the electronic ballots. I remember going back home and knowing by the end of the day who had won the election. This month, even though I was not physically in the United States, I experienced my first American presidential election while watching from Brazil. Brazilians know that this American election will have an impact on the Brazilian election in 2022 and on our diplo-
macy as the changes happening in the U.S. this year may happen soon in our country. Both presidential candidates had different thoughts about international students, so my possible professional future in the U.S. was on the line in this election. The first week of November filled me with anxiety. For the first time, I followed the whole process of counting votes and delegates. It is intriguing to see how some states are more important because of their “swing states” title. We don’t have anything like that back home. For a few days, I paid more attention to U.S. states like Wisconsin and Michigan than I have to any other Brazilian state for a while. Similar to Americans, I woke up every morning after Election Day overwhelmed with stress, not knowing if I
would know who won by the end of the day. While we were waiting for the results from my home in Porto Alegre, Brazil, my dad asked me again and again if the votes were really cast through the mail. For my father, who voted through electronic ballots for so many years, it doesn’t make sense that people vote using paper ballots in the U.S. This election was even important to my mom, who almost never sits to watch television. She had the TV on the 24-hour news channel during the first week of November waiting for the updates because she also knew this would impact my life in the U.S. I was living in another country, but my attention was all focused on the American election. Despite being physically in Brazil, many of my plans include
living and working in the U.S., so it is important to me to know who will run the country and how. For a few days after Election Day, it was like I was back on American soil because the only thing I could think, research and talk about was who is going to be the next American president. Pandemic aside, I wonder if one day the American system will change and become more like Brazil’s with electronic ballots, no Electoral College and mandatory voting. What I do know is that on Nov. 15, we had municipal elections in Brazil and I had a completely different election experience. I didn’t vote with paper ballots and I knew my vote didn’t depend on an electoral delegate. renata.kaminski@temple.edu @renatabkaminski
The Temple News
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HEALTH
LGBTQ students face bias in health care access The bias in health care toward LGBTQ people adds to overall poorer health for the community. BY EDEN MACDOUGALL and JENNIFER PENNISE For The Temple News Approximately three in 10 LGBTQ Americans faced difficulties last year accessing necessary health care due to cost issues, more than half of them including transgender Americans, according to an October report by the American Center for Progress. Some LGBTQ Temple University students have shared this difficulty finding medical care. Discrimination in the health care system contributes to LGBTQ people having worse health outcomes compared to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts, according to a report from the American Center for Progress, a non-profit policy institute in Washington, D.C. Fifteen percent out of the 1,528 LGBTQ adult respondents reported they postponed or avoided seeking care due to anti-LGBTQ discrimination, according the report. Sinh Taylor, a junior secondary education major who identifies as nonbinary, has avoided seeking treatment because of discrimination. Taylor has been misgendered and deadnamed, when someone refers to a transgender person’s birth name instead of their preferred name, by doctors and was told their identity is the reason for their depression, they said. These experiences have made them reluctant to seek care, they added. “Unless I’m literally dying I don’t go to the doctors,” Taylor said. Rebecca Zalkin, a sophomore mathematics major who is transgender, had a similar experience with medical professionals invalidating her identity. When
she was hospitalized for a panic attack last year, a nurse was rude to Zalkin and asked invasive questions about her gender, she said. The nurse attending to Zalkin asked if she was on her period, something she does not experience as a transgender woman. “I told him I was transgender, and he started to look at me as if I had three heads,” she wrote. “After a grueling time waiting there, trying to figure out my health insurance, and crying my eyes out to a new doctor, I was allowed to leave. I vowed never to go back to that hospital.” In order to begin medically transitioning, Zalkin needed a note from her therapist, she said. When she was first coming to terms with her gender and wanted to medically transition, Zalkin was turned away by therapists because of her gender identity and learning disability, she said. Zalkin said that because most medical professionals either act like treating her is proof of how accepting they are or try to avoid her, she will not see any new doctors unless her current one can vouch for them. “I’m just exhausted at this point,” Zalkin wrote. Taylor and Zalkin’s experiences are part of a larger trend. The American Center for Progress found 32 percent of the 1,528 respondents had a doctor or provider who intentionally misgendered them or used the wrong name. “Discriminatory health care practices, bias and stigma contribute to disparities and inequities in health care among LGBTQ+ individuals,” wrote Omar Martinez, a social work professor, in an email to The Temple News. “Health and social service professionals are bound by professional and ethical standards; these should be enforced and further expanded to better serve and protect LGBTQ+ patients.” One in three transgender patients
HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS
had to educate their doctors about their identity in order to receive the necessary care, according to the American Center for Progress report. “Providers’ bias and lack of training on inclusive care contribute to these inequities. For example, transgender people face barriers to accessing health care, resulting in population-level disparities in health outcomes,” Martinez wrote. LGBTQ individuals are also more likely to have fewer insurance options, delayed access to proper care and be refused services by medical professionals, according to Cigna, a global health insurance company. “Stigma and discrimination continue to disproportionally impact LGBTQ+ individuals,” Martinez further wrote. To bridge the health care gap, health care professionals must understand the role discrimination plays in LGBTQ people’s health, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “When providers use heteronormative terminology and don’t recognize they are doing so, that is immediately a
barrier for patients,” said Jennifer Aldrich, a medicine professor. Aldrich said she has tried to include space for nonbinary pronouns in the electronic record system at Temple Health and make note of preferred names for transgender patients on their forms. Martinez worked on projects led by Kimberly McKay, a social work professor, to make the curriculum more inclusive, like creating two graduate-level courses on responding to the specific needs of LGBTQ people. It is vital that health care workers understand the role being a minority plays in LGBTQ health and that there is nothing inherently wrong with LGBTQ people, Aldrich said. “Queer individuals must stop being viewed as a lesser person, they should be treated the same in the medical field and respected as any other person,” Taylor said. jennifer.pennise@temple.edu @jenpennise8
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SPORTS
The Temple News
FOOTBALL
Owls’ season is lost cause after big loss to Knights The Owls are guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the first time in seven seasons.
Temple University football’s season is a disaster. With their 25-point loss to Central Florida (5-2, 4-2 The American Athletic Conference) on SaturDANTE COLLINday night, the Owls (1ELLI 5, 1-5 The American) Sports Editor secured their first losing season since 2013 when they finished 2-10. “We dug ourselves a hole we didn’t have the firepower to get ourselves out of,” said head coach Rod Carey after the game against the Knights. Temple has valid excuses for their poor play, caused by factors both outside and inside of their control. They’ve missed a number of key offensive players to both COVID-19 protocols and injury, but at the end of the day the only thing that will be remembered is the Owls’ record. Graduate student quarterback Anthony Russo missed Saturday’s game due to COVID-19 protocols and missed two games due to a shoulder injury this season. Before he got hurt, Russo had recorded 868 passing yards and nine touchdowns. Russo also threw six interceptions, which cost the Owls games early in the season, but at least he gave them a chance to win. With Russo starting, Temple’s offense averaged 32.33 points per game. Since redshirt-sophomores Re-al Mitchell and Trad Beatty took over starting with the Tulane game, the offense is only averaging 13 points per game. Beatty missed Saturday’s game with an injury, but Mitchell struggled mightily. He threw for 107 yards while also throwing two interceptions. After some positive signs in their game against Southern Methodist, Mitchell never looked comfortable against the Knights.
COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple University football head coach Rod Carey stands on the sidelines during the Owls’ game against Southern Methodist University at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 7.
The game looked like it was moving too fast for him. He wasn’t feeling and reacting to pressure well enough, and he missed easy throws to open receivers at times. There’s a reason Mitchell isn’t the starter in the first place, but injuries happen in a normal season and players need to be prepared to step up. Right now, it doesn’t look like he’s been prepared. Mitchell is in a tough spot because of the injuries to players charged with protecting him. Backup redshirt-freshman offensive lineman David Nwaogwugwu started at right tackle on Saturday and redshirt-freshman Wisdom Quarshie had to come into the game after an injury to senior offensive lineman Joseph Hooper.
Predictably, the offensive line struggled with the new players. They were unable to generate movement in the running game and struggled to keep Mitchell clean in the pocket leading to him taking some big hits. “They are out there giving their best effort and that’s all you can really ask for,” Mitchell said. “We are all on the same page as far as trying to put points on the board and that’s what we tried to do.” The Owls were dealt another injury blow on Monday when Carey announced Mitchell is out for the season with an undisclosed injury and Russo would not be available to play until at least Nov. 23 due to COVID-19 protocols. Freshman quarterback Matt Duncan will start in his first game ever this week
at home against East Carolina (1-6, 1-5 The American). Despite the injuries, poor quarterback play and shuffling of the offensive line, the Owls’ best chance to end their losing streak is against the Pirates. The Pirates’ scoring defense ranks last in The American, as they are allowing teams to score 39.7 points per game this season, and they rank 10th in total defense while giving up 486.7 yards per game. However, even if Duncan plays well and the Owls beat the Pirates, it won’t save Temple from their disappointing season. dante.collinelli@temple.edu @DanteCollinelli
The Temple News
SPORTS
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WOMEN’S SOCCER
Owls coaches navigate restrictions on recruiting Nick Bochette can’t travel to meet with potential team recruits due to COVID-19 precautions. BY DONOVAN HUGEL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter Normally in the fall, Temple University women’s soccer head coach Nick Bochette is planning for the recruiting season, which takes place throughout the spring and summer at local high school games and club tournaments worldwide. Instead, he’s preparing for a competitive spring season and a recruiting season all at once. The Owls’ season can begin as early as Feb. 3, The Temple News reported. “It’s going to be really difficult and hellish for our staff,” Bochette said. “But we’re going to do everything we can to be here for our team now, but also to keep an eye toward bringing other people in and moving forward.” The NCAA Football Oversight Committee instituted a recruiting dead period on March 13 and is recommending the NCAA dead period for all sports be extended to April 15, 2021. The dead period made Bochette change his recruiting tactics and prevented some players already on the team from taking their campus visits this summer. The recommendation is likely to be approved by the NCAA next week, CBS Sports reported. If approved, it will be the seventh time they’ve extended the dead period this year. During a dead period, Bochette and his staff are not allowed to watch recruits in person, talk to them face-to-face or invite them for an on campus visit. He’s instead relying on watching taped games and using Zoom to speak with recruits, he said. “We’ll get as creative as needed,” Bochette added. “Obviously we’re now relying on film a lot, which is more readily available now than it’s ever been, but it doesn’t make up for being there live and in person, getting to see the size and speed of recruits.”
MICHAEL VECCHIONE/ COURTESY Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Vecchione punts the ball during Choate Rosemary Hall’s game against Phillips Academy Andover at Maguire North Field in Windsor, Connecticut in Sept. 2019. Vecchione stayed at her home in Connecticut, and has yet to come to Main Campus to practice with the Temple women’s soccer team.
Instead of only watching film, Bochette would normally take close to two dozen trips to watch recruits play between January and April, he said. Bochette asked the team’s media department to create virtual tours of the team’s facilities for potential recruits that they can view through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions because he can’t be directly involved, he said. In a normal year, juniors in high school are able to start taking official or unofficial campus visits starting on Aug. 1, but the 2021 or 2022 recruiting class won’t be able to because of the extended dead period. Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Vecchione, a member of the 2020 recruiting
class, hasn’t been to Main Campus yet or met the team and staff because her tour was canceled and she is currently living at home in Foxborough, Massachusetts, she said. “When looking at schools, not being able to come to campus was a downside, but I just had to take that risk due to the circumstance,” Vecchione added. Freshman defender Jillian Allgood committed prior to Bochette being hired. She planned to have a second official visit in March once Bochette was hired, but it was canceled, and she didn’t get to meet him until the team’s preseason began in August, she said. “I’d talked to them on the phone, but I hadn’t met them in person before,”
Allgood added. “I met the team when I went on my first official visit last September with the old coaching staff, but obviously it’s not the same team as it is right now.” Regardless of the dead period’s effects on recruiting, Bochette is continuing to maintain the relationships he’s already created with 2021 and 2022 recruits, he said. “It’s going to be better off for them if they’re willing to wait a little longer to be able to do those visits and make it a complete recruiting process,” Bochette added. donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel
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The Temple News
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Owls hope new ‘team bond’ strengthens defense
Temple’s defense finished near the conference bottom in opponent field goal percentage. BY JOSH GRIEB Women’s Basketball Co-Beat Reporter Temple University women’s basketball finished last in The American Athletic Conference in scoring defense last season. “We never really bought into defensive concepts or the idea of just sitting down and guarding someone and trying to stop them from scoring,” said head coach Tonya Cardoza. The Owls believe their extra focus on defense during fall practices and renewed “team bond” will help them improve for their upcoming spring schedule. The Owls’ schedule hasn’t been officially announced yet, despite AAC play beginning as early as Dec. 14, The Temple News reported. Not only were the Owls last in scoring defense, but they finished seventh in field goal percentage defense and 10th in 3-pointer defense last season. Cardoza thinks the team’s emphasis on defense will lead to improved finishes in those categories this coming season, she said. “Our mindset defensively is a lot better,” Cardoza added. “I think so far this year just in the two, three months we’ve been able to work with them they want to play defense, they want to get stops.” The players have seen improvement on the defensive end during practices, said senior forward Mia Davis. “We want to get better, we want to help each other out,” Davis added. Temple will also have more defensive-minded players who will see more playing time compared to last year because guards Marissa Mackins and Ashley Jones are no longer on the team, Cardoza said. Their minutes are anticipated to go to freshman guards Jasha Clinton and Kash Ayuso, as well as transfer gradu-
ate student guard Jada Graves, Cardoza added. Clinton averaged 3.9 steals per game during her senior season at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Graves led Elon University with 58 steals during the 2019-20 season and was named the 2017-18 CAA Defensive Player of the Year while at Elon. As a team, the Owls only averaged 4.4 steals per game last season, while Mackins led the team with just 29 total steals and Jones finished second with 23 steals. “Clinton is definitely a defensive-minded person,” Cardoza said. “Ayuso, she doesn’t have a loud voice, but she’s more committed to trying to do the right thing on the defensive side, and Graves as well.” With a number of new players expected to get playing time, the team’s chemistry and bond will be important this season, Cardoza said. “They really rely on one another,” Cardoza added. “I think they’re extremely close and more importantly, I think our mindset on the court is trying to make sure we understand and get things.” Both Davis and junior forward Alexa Williamson believe the team’s close relationship allows them to better handle criticism from the coaching staff and other team members. Davis is the team’s captain, meaning she is responsible for leading the team both during games and off the court. “I feel like since we’re so close it’s easy to tell each other what we’re doing wrong without getting offended,” Williamson said. The Owls have never won the AAC regular season or tournament championship since joining the conference prior to the 2013-14 season, but they’re still setting it as the main goal this season. “I want to win the conference and go as far as we possibly can,” Williamson said. josh.grieb@temple.edu @JGrieb10
NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple University women’s basketball players celebrate on the court during their game against the University of Central Florida at McGonigle Hall on Jan. 29.
The Temple News
SPORTS
PAGE 27
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Temple freshman point guard ‘oozes confidence’ Jasha Clinton is working on her said. “[Princess Anne High School] got shooting to prepare for the upboring, you winning all the time, you coming basketball season. BY BRIAN SAUNDERS Women’s Basketball Co-Beat Reporter
Jasha Clinton earns her stripes on the defensive end of the court. The freshman guard averaged three steals a game during her senior year at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and she plans to have a similar impact on the Temple University women’s basketball team this season, she said. “She’s fast, super fast, and her hands are quick, she very rarely gets in foul trouble, but she gets a lot of picks,” said Darnell Dozier, Clinton’s high school head coach. Clinton, who won the 2019-20 Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year award, which recognizes athletic and academic achievement, is practicing with the Owls for their upcoming season, which has not been announced yet. American Athletic Conference play can begin as early as Dec. 14, The Temple News reported. Clinton is ready for the new collegiate level challenge after finishing with a record of 80-4 in high school, and she expects to play a key role this season, she
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 MEN’S BASKETBALL To replace the contributions of previous key players, the Owls will turn to new arrivals on campus, including four freshmen and three transfers. “I love what all of our freshmen bring,” Moorman II said. “I’m excited to play with those guys and watch them learn and grow.” Due to COVID-19 protocols, the
don’t have any competition, it’s not fun,” Clinton added. “Here, even if you win or lose, you’re going to learn from it.” Last season, in 25 games, Clinton averaged 14.5 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 steals and 2.7 rebounds per game for Princess Anne High School. Clinton also won three straight state championships in high school. Like Dozier, Temple women’s basketball head coach Tonya Cardoza raved about Clinton’s defensive intensity and the swagger in her “on-the-court persona.” “She had an arrogance about her,” Cardoza said. “She doesn’t lack confidence, and I like that. She’s going to work at trying to be the best, and she wants to challenge the best, play against the best, defend the best. She’s not gonna shy away because she oozes confidence.” Even though Clinton’s strength is defense, she’s been competitive in shooting drills, earning her a key rotation spot, Cardoza said. “She’s definitely in the rotation,” Cardoza added. “She’s someone that gets a lot of reps in practice. So she’s going to be playing on the ball, off the ball, but she’s definitely going to be playing, and she’s going to be playing a lot for us.” Cardoza was familiar with recruiting in the area because that’s where she
recruited former Temple star Feyonda Fitzgerald, who played for the Owls from 2014-17. She’s also from Virginia and played on the Williams’ team, Cardoza said. Owls’ associate head coach Way Veney, who is from Virginia, also helped recruit Clinton to Temple. Cardoza believes Clinton slipped “under the radar” because she was not heavily recruited, despite the success her teams achieved, Cardoza said.
After her senior season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clinton is eager to play in a game again, she said. “I just want to actually play,” Clinton added. “I feel like I’m going to be nervous in the first game. After that, I’m going to be warmed up and ready.”
team didn’t practice much during the summer. This makes building chemistry especially difficult for a team already undergoing roster turnover, McKie said “It’s going to take some time for the guys to get used to each other,” he added. “We’ve got to work from behind, but as long as we get the opportunity to get out there and play, everybody is going to be happy.” McKie is looking for his most experienced players to step up as leaders in the gym and in the locker room, he said.
“Your leaders are not always the guys who score the most points,” McKie added. “It’s the guys who have the most impact daily. That’s who guys respect the most.” Mark Macon, who starred for the Owls from 1987-91, returned alongside McKie as an assistant to the head coach when McKie was hired in 2019. Macon has the chance to provide players with an example of how to lead the team, he said. “My job is to mentor players,” Ma-
con added. “I’m an elder statesman. It gives me an edge.” Despite having a young roster and a different schedule structure, McKie believes he is prepared for the challenges of navigating this season, he said. “The one common denominator is when you come to the gym, be coachable and compete every day,” McKie added.
TEMPLE ATHLETICS / COURTESY Freshman guard Jasha Clinton dribbles the ball during practice at McGonigle Hall on Nov. 1.
brian.saunders@temple.edu @Sportswriter_BS
adam.aaronson@temple.edu @SixersAdam
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SPORTS
The Temple News
ROSTER OVERHAUL BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Several key players left the Owls this summer, including their leading scorer and leading rebounder.
BY ADAM AARONSON Assistant Sports Editor
T
GET IN THE GAME Read up on new recruits and players to watch this season at temple-news.com/basketball-preview-2020
he date is April 4, 2019, and Aaron McKie, Temple University’s new head men’s basketball coach, is being introduced to the media before starting his “dream job.’’ “I’m a proud Philadelphian and I’m Temple-made,’’ McKie said during his introductory press conference at McGonigle Hall. “I want to make Temple proud.’’ McKie is now entering his second season leading the Owls, hoping to improve a team that finished 14-17 in 2019-20. But as McKie and his staff aim for progress, they will have to adapt to a new schedule structure, find new team leaders and integrate a roster with eight new players. The Owls’ season begins on Nov. 28 with a matchup against Virginia Tech University, followed by a game against the University of Rhode Island on Nov. 29
in the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The team will also play a 20game, double round-robin conference schedule beginning as early as Dec. 14, The Temple News reported. When the Owls take the court for the first time, their lineup will look much different than it did at the beginning of last season. Of Temple basketball’s 11 players who logged at least 100 minutes last season, only four are returning: senior forward J.P. Moorman II, junior forward Jake Forrester, senior forward De’Vondre Perry and redshirt-sophomore forward Arashma Parks. Former guards Quinton Rose and Nate Pierre-Louis both left to enter the NBA draft. The Owls relied on them last season, as the two led the team in minutes played, field goal attempts and points scored. MEN’S BASKETBALL| 22
COLLEEN CLAGGETT/ THE TEMPLE NEWS The net of a basketball hoop sways after a ball passed through it during the Temple men’s basketball practice at the Liacouras Center on Oct. 29, 2019.