As has been routine for some time now, students gathered around a man equipped with a suitcase filled with gas masks on Liacouras Walk, today.
The man is reportedly the same man who crafts balloon structures on campus, too. Some students said they believe he is a student in the Tyler School of Art.
While students looked on, the man wrote messages on a small dry erase board, one being “F*** Capitalists.”
What do you know about the gas mask guy?
Temple University in Center City (TUCC) will no longer offer 100 non-credit courses after the fall semester, according to what university officials told the Philadelphia Inquirer this week.
Many of the classes involved personal enrichment and personal development. The reasons for the cuts were due to declining enrollment and a declining economy, according the Bill Parshall, executive director at TUCC. Credit courses will not be affected. Non-credit courses will still be available at the Ambler and Fort Washington campuses and online at www.ed2go.com/tucc.
Yesterday, the 16 university presidents in the Big East Conference voted unanimously to expand its football roster from eight teams to 10 teams, according to the associated press.
The conference will begin looking for candidates to fill the two open spots. Potential targets include Texas Christian University in the Mountain West Conference, Houston and Central Florida from Conference USA. Temple and its inner-city rival, Villanova, are also among the list of candidates.
Temple currently plays football in the Mid-American Conference and signed an extension to remain in the MAC for two more years in September. A move to the Big East would place the Owls in a Bowl Championship Series conference, meaning in the event Temple were to win a conference championship, they would receive an automatic bid to be in one of the five major BCS bowl games, such as the Orange Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.
It would also mean a change in who the Owls play on Saturday’s, with teams like Rutgers, Pitt and Syracuse replacing MAC opponents like Ohio, Kent State and Miami of Ohio.
The Owls were members of the Big East from 1991 to 2004. The Big East voted to expel the team at the end of 2004 football season.
If you’re registered in Philadelphia and not sure where your polling location is, use Google Maps’ handy voter information application.
As for those who needed to apply for absentee ballots for Pennsylvania elections, better luck next year. Applications for Pennsylvania absentee ballots were due Friday, Oct. 29.
According to the creator’s twitter, Thug Life Shirts, which produced and sold shirts based around the Temple T, has been shut down.
Greg Gant, who created the company during his sophomore year, posted on his twitter, “Turns out Temple University doesn’t enjoy the Tshirts I make. They’re shutting me down. RIP Thug Life Shirts.”
Gant was featured in the “People You Should Know” segment of the Oct. 26 issue of The Temple News. In the article, Gant was quoted as saying, “I’m always worried Temple is going to shut me down or not let me graduate because I’m using the Temple ‘T.'”
President Barack Obama will be swinging into Philadelphia yet again this month, but this time he will be stopping by Main Campus.
Hosted by Temple College Democrats, the president is expected to canvas at the Student Pavilion Saturday, Oct. 30. Doors will open at 10 a.m. and there will be a security check point at 16th and Berks streets. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are strongly encouraged to RSVP here.
Be sure to check in with temple-news.com for photos and a recap of the event.
On Thursday, Oct. 28, former President Bill Clinton is expected to visit Main Campus to encourage students to vote in the upcoming election and endorse Joe Sestak, Pennsylvania’s Democratic senatorial candidate. Details on the event are unconfirmed, but it is expected to take place at the Bell Tower at 8 p.m.
Clinton has spent the past few months in Pennsylvania in an attempt to push Sestak’s name to the politically volatile state. Clinton’s wife, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, won over Pennsylvania in the 2008 Presidential primary elections.
For more information on the upcoming Nov. 2 election or the importance of voting, pick up the Oct. 19 or Oct. 26 issues of The Temple News.
In Fox Sports’ preseason poll, released today, the men’s basketball team was ranked No. 21. Duke was ranked first overall.
Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman had this to say about the Owls.
“The Owls return four of five starters from last year’s team that won 29 games. Brooks will be difficult to replace, but Fernandez has a full year under his belt and will move to his natural spot with the ball in his hands. Allen is a threat in the paint and has emerged as one of the top big guys in the country.”
For the rest of the rankings, click here.
Junior offensive lineman Steve Caputo has been lost for the season due to a leg injury, the team announced Sunday.
Caputo, who started at left tackle for four of Temple’s first six games this season, suffered the injury in the Owls’ loss to Northern Illinois. Caputo started nine games at left guard last season.
Season-ending injuries are hardly new to Caputo. His freshman season was cut short by a torn ACL. Caputo also tore his ACL twice in high school.
With Caputo out, redshirt-junior Derek Dennis will likely take over in the starting lineup.
Two Temple police officers were injured in a car accident yesterday morning at 13th and Oxford streets, according to 6 abc News. No one was seriously injured, but the accident is being investigated.
Check out the rest of the story here.
