Category Archives: News

Temple Hospital employee robbbed on Health Sciences Campus

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A female Temple Hospital employee was the victim of an armed robbery around 11:10 p.m. Saturday outside Shriner’s Hospital, in the 3500 block of North Broad Street at the Health Sciences Campus.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said in an email that the suspect is a male about 5 feet 5 inches tall who wore a black hat and black jacket at the time of the incident.

Leone added that the suspect showed the employee a gun and demanded money, and then took the victim’s phone and handbag. He then fled north on Broad Street toward Venango Street.

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident around 11:40 p.m.

According to the alert, no injuries were reported. Temple Police is checking to see if Shriner’s Hospital has any footage of the robbery, Leone said.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steven.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

Philadelphia Police begins body camera pilot program

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By Bob Stewart

The Philadelphia Police department has begun its body camera pilot program in the 22nd district, which covers Temple. On Dec. 1, 30 officers and one sergeant volunteered to start wearing the cameras and help the department select the best model.

“We chose the 22nd district because it is one of our busiest districts,” said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. “Whatever issues may come up as a result of having body-worn cameras we’ll find out pretty quickly here.”

The officers will try out six different models of body cameras. One model features a front-facing screen so subjects can see what the officer is recording.

Lieutenant Thomas McLean said the picture and audio quality falls below the level of the average smartphone but manufacturers try to improve the equipment about every six months.

McLean said the department is still trying to figure out what Temple students can expect from the system.

“We’re new at this,” McLean said. “We really haven’t had a big weekend where we’ve been out interacting with the Temple students. So this is new ground … but if a crime is being committed obviously we’re going to record it as evidence.”

The main reason for the pilot program is to determine the the most cost-efficient equipment. The cameras range from $300 to $1000, but file storage fees can be high. Taser, one of the manufacturers being tested, charges $40 per camera per month for storage.

The feedback from officers will also help determine who gets the contract. Some of the models are large and difficult to secure to a uniform, which includes a radio, badge, and bullet-proof vest.

“If I have it on my shoulder, it’s [only secured by] a clip,” said Officer Lisa Figueroa. “If I’m struggling with someone, if someone grabs me … it [may] fall.”

If students have concerns about potentially being on camera, McLean said they are not alone.

“[Officers] don’t want to get in any kind of trouble,” McLean said. “It’s a new technology. They don’t want to have a slip of the tongue or a uniform violation … something that they normally wouldn’t get in trouble for but now it’s documented.”

“No one likes being on camera,” McLean added. “Everyone’s behavior changes. It makes you so uncomfortable, even though you have nothing to hide. It’s no fun under the bright light. It’s a permanent record for what you say and do.”

 

Bob Stewart can be reached at robert.stewart@temple.edu or on Twitter @bstew74

Fox School to use budget surplus for new scholarships

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Temple’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved the allotment of $3.5 million to match donation for endowed scholarships in the Fox School of Business.

Moshe Porat, Fox’s dean, wrote in a September memo attached to the board meeting’s agenda that the school had a $7.5 million surplus which came from a tuition differential – in other words, higher tuition than most of Temple’s other schools and colleges – that was first implemented in 2007. The surplus later grew to $8.25 million.

According to a Fox press release, the differential stemmed from a need to add faculty, advisers and new technology quickly, in order to accommodate the growing demand for attending the school. While in-state tuition for a lower-division undergraduate in the College of Liberal Arts is $14,006, Fox students in the same financial category are charged $18,084 before financial aid.

Of the surplus, $3.5 million will be used for matching endowed scholarships, so potential donors can be reined in with the promise that donations greater than $25,000 to scholarship funds will be matched by the university. In total, $7 million will be added to the scholarship fund for the school.

Five new professorships will be offered as well, Porat said in a statement released to The Temple News.

In the memo, Porat wrote that he was requesting new professorships since Fox’s six were already occupied.

“In an extremely competitive landscape of the Top 50 quality business schools, our best faculty members are constantly being recruited to other schools with offers of chairs and professorships,” Porat wrote. “The only tool we have in our war chest is to be able to offer them named professorships to stay in the Fox School.”

The professorships will be named after deceased former presidents of the university, including Charles Beury, Millard Gladfelter, Paul Anderson and Marvin Wachman, the namesake of academic buildings on Main Campus.

 

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

 

SEPTA to add card system, phase out tokens

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SEPTA Key, the organization’s new smart card system that allows its subway, bus, and trolley riders to pay by debit or credit card, will begin testing this month, the Associated Press reported.

Several computerized kiosks, turnstiles, and fare boxes have appeared in subway and trolley stations and on vehicles, which allow riders to pay with a debit or credit card, and also through microchipped bank cards or a cell phone app.

The new Key cards – which won’t be fully available until 2015 for subway, bus, and trolley services and 2016 for Regional Rail – will mean the end for SEPTA tokens, which are still used by 22 percent of riders, according to SEPTA officials from the AP story.

Philadelphia is one of the last major U.S. cities still using tokens in its public transit system. Boston stopped selling them in 2006, and New York stopped in 2003, fully switching over to their current CharlieCard and MetroCard systems, respectively.

Steve Bohnel can be reached at steven.bohnel@temple.edu or on Twitter @Steve_Bohnel.

TSG holds weekly meeting on Cosby resignation, winter weather preparedness

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Temple Student Government’s general assembly meeting convened Monday evening to discuss safety and winter weather preparedness and the resignation of trustee Bill Cosby.

Sarah Powell, director of emergency management, presented the assembly with tips for remaining safe. Powell emphasized campus resources like the walking escort program and encouraged students to think ahead for “everyday readiness.”

“Just remember that you’re thinking from the bottom up,” Powell said.

The TUmobile app and Temple’s social media supplies users with up-to-date information about emergencies on campus.

The Resident Housing Association is petitioning to bring gender-neutral housing to campus. A pilot program for gender-neutral housing will be in place for the Fall 2015 semester.

Ray Smeriglio, student body president, announced that Bill Cosby resigned from Temple’s board of trustees. Smeriglio read Cosby’s statement and Temple’s reply to the assembly.

“I have always been proud of my association with Temple University,” Cosby’s statement read. “I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees,” Cosby said in a statement released by the university.

The dance competition “Battle on Broad” will be on Dec. 9 at the Temple Performing Arts Center. Proceeds will benefit cancer research.
Lian Parsons can be reached at lian.parsons@temple.edu or @Lian_Parsons on Twitter.

Universities split ways with Cosby amid allegations

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Other universities around the country have cut ties with Temple trustee and alumnus Bill Cosby after a recent surge in allegations of rape and other sexual misconduct dating back to the 1960s.

At administrators’ request, Cosby on Wednesday stepped down as honorary co-chairman of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst’s $300 million fundraising campaign. According to the Washington Post, Cosby had through a benefit performance and personal donations helped raise almost $2 million for the school where he received master’s and doctoral degrees in education.

Cosby, who has never been charged with a crime for any of the allegations, also saw High Point University in North Carolina temporarily remove him from an advisory board. Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee canceled a scheduled appearance at a Dec. 5 fundraiser.

Joe Wiley, president of FHU, told the New York Daily News that “names we have seen in the media represent real people who will be affected long after FHU’s dinner has passed.”

The Berklee School of Music in Boston removed Cosby’s name from a scholarship it awards.

A Temple spokesman told The Temple News last week that Cosby remains a trustee, but declined to comment further on the allegations or the comedian’s future on the Board.

Cosby was re-elected unanimously at the Board’s October meeting.

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

TSG discusses amending Constitution, community service in weekly meeting

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On Monday night, Temple Student Government’s general assembly met to discuss community service opportunities, askattendees for suggestions in dining changes, and announce the amendment process to the TSG Constitution.

TSG’s General Auditor Camille Bell will review the organization’s Constitution. The changes will be voted upon after fall break and must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the general assembly.

One of the potential changes includes a removal of  Section 3 of the constitution, which authorizes the use of TSG funds by the organization’s Officers. All the amendments will be posted on TSG’s website.

“We want to be transparent,” Bell said. “We want to show that we’re not doing anything behind [the assembly’s] back.”

Committees discussed issues within Temple, including possible changes to dining services. Students suggested improvements in Sodexo employees’ customer service, longer operating hours for retail locations like Cosi and the vendors in Morgan Hall, and lower prices and better quality food at the Student Center food court.

Community service opportunities were announced, including the Children’s Holiday Party on Dec. 7 at the Liacouras Center. Volunteers are needed for the event, as well as for wrapping presents prior to the day.

The Battle on Broad Street will be on Dec. 9. The dance battle will be to raise money for the Lucy Fund, the National Foundation for Cancer Research.

The Student Organizations of the Week were Kappa Alpha Psi and Delta Sigma Theta. The two organizations collected 250 water bottles in their water drive last week.

Lian Parsons can be reached at lian.parsons@temple.edu or @Lian_Parsons on Twitter.

 

Two suspects sought in robbery on Berks Street

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Philadelphia and Temple police are searching for two male suspects in connection with an armed robbery which occurred on the 1600 block of Berks Street around 10:30 p.m. yesterday, police said.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said in an email that a non-Temple-affiliated male was turning onto Berks Street from Willington Street to retrieve items from his vehicle when the suspects approached him and brandished weapons.

The suspects obtained two iPhones before fleeing north down 16th Street in a red sedan, driven by a third male, Leone said. The victim told police that one suspect wore a blue hoodie and the other was wearing orange running shoes.

Detectives from Temple Police are working with Philadelphia police to review security camera footage from the area and search for potential witnesses, Leone said.

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident around 11:00 p.m. which encouraged anyone with information to call 911. The alert said the incident occurred on the 1800 block of Willington Street since the victim was turning off that block onto Berks Street, Leone said.

UPDATE: Leone said the suspects may have been involved in a robbery of three students which occurred near 18th and Diamond streets on Nov. 12 around 11:10 p.m. One suspect from the Nov. 12 robbery ran past the students walking east on Diamond Street and turned around and pointed a gun at them.

The students dropped their bags and cell phones on the ground, and the suspects fled east towards Broad Street in a dark-colored sedan that was parked, Leone said.

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

 

Student robbed near 11th and Susquehanna

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Temple Police responded to the robbery of a student around 11:10 p.m. yesterday at the student’s residence near the corner of 11th Street and Susquehanna Avenue, Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said in an email.

The student told Temple Police that a 20- to 25-year-old man who was wearing a black hoodie and dark pants pointed a gun at him and demanded his cell phone, which he surrendered before running home.

Leone said the student could not recall exactly when or where the robbery occurred and was drinking a beer when an officer came to his house to take the report. The robbery is believed to have occurred in the 2100 block of North 12th Street around 10:40 p.m.

A TU Alert was sent out about the incident around 11:50 p.m. which said the incident occurred at 11:15 p.m. and urged anyone with information to call 911.

The victim did not want to prosecute and declined to report the incident to Philadelphia police, Leone said.

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

 

Attendees at TSG meeting offer opinions on TU Alerts, dining options

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On Monday afternoon, Temple Student Government surveyed attendees at its weekly meeting with a poll via text message. Students were asked about possible improvements in TU Alerts and dining options.

In light of this weekend’s incident in which a Temple student was shot, participants of the poll expressed concerns about TU Alerts. Students suggested faster response times from both the Philadelphia and Temple police, and greater Temple Police presence at late hours.

The poll also surveyed ideas for possible improvements to Temple’s dining choices. Healthier options like more fruit, vegetarian meals and adding a Saladworks on Main Campus campus were popular opinions. Later hours for the dining area in the lower level of Morgan Hall and the food court at the Student Center were also suggested.

During the next week, TSG is filming organizations taking a pledge as part of the It’s On Us campaign, which seeks to keep people safe from sexual assault.

There are around $80,600 available in allocations for events, and it was announced at the meeting that organizations must apply by Thursday to be considered.

The Organization of the Week was Hootathon, which raised more than $119,000 this past weekend for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The organization is also expanding its executive team and is seeking applications.

TSG is considering applications for a new elections commissioner and auditor.

Lian Parsons can be reached at lian.parsons@temple.edu or @Lian_Parsons on Twitter.