Category Archives: News

Temple Fest incident settled with numerous penalties

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Abdel Aziz Jalil, the student who was accused of striking senior management information systems major and Jewish student Daniel Vessal at Temple Fest in August, was admitted into a six month Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program, among other penalties today.

The Commonwealth-run ARD program is intended to help first offenders who are charged with minor crimes. Aziz Jalil was also given 10 hours of community service, included in anger management counseling and required to pay numerous fees.

Aziz Jalil was charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. Despite accusations of the incident being driven by anti-Semitic views, Aziz Jalil was not charged with a hate crime.

The Commonwealth proposed the penalties today in a Municipal Court status hearing, which Aziz Jalil attended with his defense attorney, Raymond C. Geary. The judge overseeing the hearing, Nazario Jimenez Jr., accepted the agreement between the parties and urged Aziz Jalil to complete the program and “stay out of trouble.”

Geary said that Aziz Jalil has already given Vessal a formal letter of apology and the two will shake hands at Geary’s office at a later date.

Aziz Jalil is still listed as a student in the university’s directory.

If Aziz Jalil completes all of the required programs, the Commonwealth will expunge the incident from his record as part of the agreement.

Marcus McCarthy can be reached at marcus.mccarthy@temple.edu or on Twitter @marcusmccarthy6.

TSG discusses campus safety and community relations

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By Lian Parsons

Charlie Leone, executive director of campus safety services, spoke about taking action against sexual assault at the Temple Student Government General Assembly meeting Monday evening.

“Alcohol is almost always a driving factor,” Leone said. “It’s time to step in.”

Leone emphasized bystander intervention and what people can do to keep friends and fellow students safe.

Leone also spoke of the importance of Temple’s relationship to the surrounding community and asked students what could be done collectively to improve this relationship.

“We can make a better community [and] see a cohesiveness start to build,” Leone said.

Regarding a policy for security guards on their cell phones, Leone said that phones are considered a distraction. Leone said there are also about 15 students who are hired by Campus Safety Services to check different buildings on Main Campus and send reports about cell phone usage.

Jalen Blot, director of campus life and diversity, unveiled a draft of a new unity statement. The statement stressed the significance of diversity and tolerance at Temple.

“TU is diverse in numbers, but not action,” Blot said. “The purpose [of the statement] is to change the perception of campus.”

The meeting outlined the Homecoming activities for next week and introduced the Homecoming Court.

The Student Organization of the Week was the Pan-Hellenic Organization. Over the course of recruitment for the five sororities in the Pan-Hellenic Organization, 290 new members joined sororities.

Lian Parsons can be reached at Lian.parsons@temple.edu.

Trial date to be determined for brick assault defendant

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Zaria Estes, the 15-year-old who is accused of assaulting a Temple student by hitting her in the face with a brick in March, will schedule her trial on Oct. 1.

Estes’ scheduling conference was confirmed in a decertification hearing held in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County around 10 a.m. Friday, attended by Estes and her parents.

Prior to Friday’s proceedings, Estes’ most recent court activity was a Sept. 9 hearing which confirmed she would be tried as an adult.

Judge Benjamin Lerner, who has presided over Estes’ pre-trial hearings since May, will hand over the role to Judge Michael Erdos for the October scheduling conference.

Estes, who was arrested March 26, faces charges of aggravated assault, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime with intent, terroristic threats with intention to terrorize another, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person.

The maximum sentence for aggravated assault in Pennsylvania is 20 years in prison.

The March 21 incident happened in the 1700 block of Norris Street when Estes and two 16-year-old girls allegedly harassed a Temple student before Estes hit her in the face with a brick. The student suffered a mild concussion and a fractured jaw.

The two 16-year-olds were initially charged as adults, but those charges were later dropped.

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

Patricia Madej contributed reporting. 

Trustees’ Athletics Committee holds first meeting of Fall 2014

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The Board of Trustees’ Athletics Committee met in back-to-back sessions at Sullivan Hall Wednesday afternoon — a roughly 20-minute public meeting followed by executive session.

Athletic Director Kevin Clark said his department is searching for a new primary apparel vendor for the schools’ Division I programs. The university’s contract with Under Armour, which began in 2010, will run out after Fiscal Year 2015 ends on June 30, 2015.

“I’ve decided to take it to the market,” Clark told those in attendance. “Not that we’re dissatisfied with Under Armour, but … you have Adidas out there, you have Nike out there and to create that competition within those vendors will really help us get a better deal.”

In the meeting, Clark said the department will assess various vendors within the next 30 days, and will likely have one selected by the end of the 2014 calendar year. The new apparel contract will take effect starting July 1, 2015.

Clark also cited Temple’s increased television coverage with its football and basketball programs as reason to test the market.

“Under Armour’s been a great partner for us,” Clark told The Temple News after the meeting. “It’s always good to take to the market to see how competitive it is. … It’s a deadline I set, in a sense, so we have enough time to do an assessment. After 30 days, we get to go through our assessment and see what’s best for our department.”

Clark said that while he is shopping for other potential vendors, a potential contract renewal with Temple’s apparel supplier of the last four years is still a possibility.

“We have a great relationship with Under Armour and they see the movement,” Clark said. “They see that we’re doing things to take our program to the next level and they could be a major player in this deal.”

Other items discussed at the meeting included a fall sports review and a preview of the men’s basketball schedule.

Anderson Hall robber sentenced to 17-35 years

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The man who beat and robbed an Intellectual Heritage professor in his Anderson Hall office last October will face 17 to 35 years in prison, according to court documents.

Darryl Moon, 46 of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault and robbery in a June hearing. He received his sentence yesterday, and today the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County released Moon’s criminal docket.

Moon entered Anderson on Oct. 29, 2013 and went up to the Intellectual Heritage offices on the second floor. He punched the victim in the face, demanding his wallet before putting a knife to the professor’s throat, according to a post on the Philadelphia Police website. After obtaining the wallet, Moon hit the victim again.

The 81-year-old professor suffered lacerations to his face and head in addition to swelling and bleeding in his brain. He is not scheduled to teach classes this semester.

A security camera caught Moon leaving Anderson through the second floor mezzanine doors, which were sealed off this summer to improve security.

Philadelphia police arrested Moon on Oct. 31.

Itchy rash affects more than 100 students

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At least 100 Temple students in the past year reported having a rash on the backs of their legs which caused itchiness, redness and large bumps, according to reports by CBS 3 and the Philadelphia Daily News.

Some students told the Daily News they suspected the rashes were caused by sitting on benches at the Cecil B. Moore subway station while wearing shorts. The direct skin-to-surface contact may have transmitted the rash.

One student who spoke to the Daily News noticed the rash develop within 10 minutes of sitting on a bench at the station. She went to Student Health Services and was given a topical cream and later oral steroids as treatment. She redeveloped the symptoms after sitting on the bench again.

An SHS administrator told the Daily News the rash is not a major threat and there is no certain correlation between the rash and the subway benches.

The Broad Street Line station is one of the last in the city with wooden benches along the platforms instead of metal ones. It is the only location where SEPTA has received complaints about the rash.

A SEPTA spokeswoman told CBS 3 that in response to the complaints the benches were powerwashed, disinfected, painted and then sealed.

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

Student charged after Welcome Week incident

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The student accused of assaulting a Jewish student and using anti-Semitic slurs on Aug. 20 during Welcome Week was recently charged, as confirmed by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.

The defendant, Abdel Aziz Jalil, is being charged with simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, said Tasha Jamerson, a spokesperson for the DA’s office.

On Aug. 20, senior managing and information systems major Daniel Vessal alleged that Jalil punched him after approaching the Students for Justice in Palestine table at Temple Fest to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza.

Five days after the incident, President Theobald announced a university investigation of the events that transpired. The investigation’s findings were then passed on to the DA, Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said on Sept. 2.

Marcus McCarthy can be reached at marcus.mccarthy@temple.edu. 

Six university buildings lose power

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By Joe Brandt

Six Temple buildings lost power yesterday after city crews inadvertently cut a power line while digging in North Broad Street, according to a TU Alert.

A university spokesman said Carnell, Conwell, Sullivan, Shusterman and Pearson-McGonigle halls all lost power around noon yesterday.

Crews from Facilities Management were able to provide power to Pearson-McGonigle around 12:40 p.m., according to a later alert. The building was the only one scheduled to host classes that day.

Office workers in the other buildings either went home for the day or relocated to other buildings, the spokesman said.

Around 11 p.m., crews from Facilities Management successfully rerouted old existing lines to restore power to the remaining buildings.

The spokesman said the old power lines will be replaced in the future.

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

Temple investigating attack on student

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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.

University investigating reported anti-Semitic assault on student

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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.