By Joe Brandt

Temple is investigating an attack on a student who was punched in the face yesterday and allegedly called anti-Semitic and religious slurs.

The student, managing and information systems major Daniel Vessal, told Truthrevolt.org that at the student activities fair Temple Fest, he spoke with members of Students for Justice in Palestine about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

After the students discussed possible ends to the conflict, Vessal said some students called him a “baby killer” and not long after that “this kid just rocks me in the face as hard as he can,” Vessal told the site.

“My glasses flew off. After a two-second blur I had no clue what had happened. I couldn’t believe the kid actually hit me,” Vessal said.

Two of Vessal’s friends told Truthrevolt that while Vessal was on the ground, a student called him “kike,” a slur for people of Jewish heritage.

SJP released a statement on the incident yesterday, which contended that Vessal was slapped, not punched, after allegedly calling the group’s members “terrorists” and saying “I can’t believe this group exists.”

SJP also said the assailant was not a member of SJP but a friend of some of the members.

Additionally, the group said the incident was “unnecessary and deplorable, and does not represent the principles of our organization.” The group says no slurs were used in the incident.

Around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Vice President for Student Affairs Theresa A. Powell emailed a statement to students, faculty and staff.

“In the coming days, we will work with students and local leaders—particularly those in our religious communities—to ensure that everyone understands and conforms to the principles of freedom valued in our nation and guaranteed by our Student Conduct Code,” Powell wrote. 

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.

Temple said it is investigating a reported attack against a student on Main Campus Wednesday afternoon that allegedly included “physical violence, anti-Semitic statements and religious slurs.”

In a statement released Wednesday night, the university said officials have communicated with leaders of the Temple Jewish and pro-Palestinian communities in an effort to find a “best path for moving forward.”

In a letter sent to students on Thursday, Vice President for Student Affairs Theresa Powell condemned the attack.

“The university will not tolerate violence of any kind directed toward members of the Temple community,” Powell said in the letter.

Campus Safety Services is continuing to investigate the assault, and the university is asking anyone who witnessed the incident to contact Temple police at 215-204-1234.

By Joe Brandt

The plane crash that killed Temple trustee and Philadelphia Inquirer owner Lewis Katz on May 31 may have been caused by an override of the jet’s fail-safe system, according to the Inquirer.

The Inquirer obtained a copy of a letter dated Aug. 18 which Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. sent to pilots and owners of its jets.

The letter cautioned that Gulfstream fail-safe systems, which normally limit the plane to taxi speed while the gust lock is engaged, can be overridden if “proper [tail flap] unlock procedures are not followed.”

The movable tail and wing flaps are a crucial part of a plane’s takeoff, providing lift, but many planes have gust-lock systems to hold the flaps in place and protect them from potentially damaging wind while the plane is parked.

In June, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board found through analysis of the  flight data recorder in Katz’s plane that no pre-flight control check was performed and that “[tail and wing flap] position during the taxi and takeoff was consistent with its position if the gust lock was engaged,” according to an NTSB report.

The Inquirer article, posted online August 20, quoted from Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics and astronautics professor John Hansman Jr.

Hansman said the pilots should have turned off the gust-lock and then started the engines, but instead started the engines before disengaging the lock, overriding the fail-safe system and allowing the plane to reach greater speeds. The plane reached about 190 mph before it crashed.

Additionally, a professional pilot of Gulfstream jets, Steven M. Janos, told the Inquirer: “[m]y understanding is that if you start the engine, you will not be able to release the gust lock.”

Katz’s plane crashed and burst into flames at Hanscom Field near Boston, Mass. after he attended a fundraising event at the house of author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Four days earlier, he had won control of the Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and philly.com with fellow Temple trustee and business partner H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.

The three passengers and three crew members on board died in the crash, along with Katz.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@temple.edu or on Twitter @JBrandt_TU.