Category Archives: News

Roman Catholic Wins Mock Trial of Philadelphia

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Roman Catholic High School won the annual John S. Bradway City-wide High School Mock Trial Championship Saturday, March 15 over Girard College that was held in the Beasley School of Law. The championship showcased both sides exhibiting their knowledge of law and the U.S. justice system.

“We worked pretty hard these last two weeks to get ready for this trial and I think we executed pretty well,” said Andrew DiCicco of Roman Catholic, who was voted as the best advocate for his team. “I went a little bit off topic on my cross [examination] of the witnesses because of the time constraints, so I was only able to hit one of the points I wanted to make.”

On the other side Brandon Dixon of Girard College was disappointed, but not distraught.

“Our causes were a little bit weak, and we did not adapt to what the witnesses were saying like we usually do,” said Dixon who was named the best advocate of his team. “I really thought we were going to win, but I am glad since we are all rookies, we made it this far.”

The fictitious case presented described a 2013 civil-suit of a man called Jordan Simon. Simon was a track star that had a promising future with the imagined Ruffed Grouse High School. Simon was found dead in May with high levels of erythropoietin. Erythropoietin is a drug that can be used to help improve endurance in races. The blame for Simon’s death was then up for debate between the school or Simon’s dad, Kelly Simon, who was also a former track star. The school could be blamed for their negligence of Simon’s drug symptoms or Kelly for doing the same and pushing Simon too hard.

The Roman Catholic team played the part of the prosecution, Kelly Simon, and the Girard College team served as the defense.

The scoring of the case was by 12 judges who graded the students on nine categories on a one to five scale. Some of the categories were the opening statements, direct examinations and cross examinations. These categories are based on clear and persuasive arguments and the time constraints given.

At the opening of the case, the prosecution came out with an argument that threw the defense off guard.

“We change our opening for every case, but the prosecution revealed some things I never heard before,” Dixon said.

Things continued to get away from the defense when the prosecution called their first witness. During the questioning of the witness, the defense objected two times out of apparent desperation and got overruled.

The defense got back on track when Girard College’s Anya Johnson cross examined the prosecution’s second witness. The questions that Johnson asked the witness were ones that made the witness seem to get on they’re heels.

By calling the witness playing the imaginary track coach to the stand, the defense continued to be aggressive. The prosecution countered with a good cross examination of the coach.

The closing statements of the two sides were both convincing, but the one delivered by the prosecution seemed better spoken.

The competition began back in January with 36 teams. After five rounds of competition the final two competed Saturday.

The case studies were written by Paul Kaufman, Jonathan D. Koltash and Jonathan Grode, the latter being a former valedictorian of Temple. Grode has been writing the case studies since 2007 and was presiding as the judge for the trial.

“I was thoroughly impressed,” Grode said. “Frankly I found today’s proceedings almost too difficult to call a winner. Regardless, both teams succeeded.”

 

Stephen Godwin Jr. can be reached at stephen.godwin@temple.edu.

Grenade-like device found in Conwell Inn

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Police responded to the Conwell Inn on Main Campus after a guest reported they found a grenade-like device in their room on Sunday afternoon.

Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said police arrived on the scene at 5:38 p.m. Philadelphia bomb squad units took the device to their lab to examine if it was real, a replica or another device.

Campus police closed down Liacouras Walk from Montgomery Street to 1940 Residence Hall, in addition to the portion of Polett Walk between the Conwell Inn and Sullivan Hall.

Temple issued a TU alert warning students of the investigation of a suspicious device at 5:54 p.m., at which time police on the scene were already beginning to take down caution tape and barriers.

An all clear was sent out through a TU Alert at approximately 6:06 p.m.

Justice for Monteiro holds meeting at Church of the Advocate

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Students and local residents held a meeting to discuss their support for ousted African American studies professor Anthony Monteiro, as well as issues surrounding Temple’s relationship with the nearby community at the Church of the Advocate Tuesday night, March 19.

The meeting, which was conducted by members of the group Justice for Monteiro, lasted more than two hours and focused around a group of demands the students have made to the university during ongoing discussions.

Among the strongest of the demands are the reinstatement of Monteiro to the African American studies department with full tenure – a position he did not hold when his contract was not renewed this January – and the firing of Dean Teresa Soufas, who signed off on Monteiro’s removal.

Unlike previous meetings held by the group, Monteiro was not in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting. Kashara White, a senior African American studies major led the discussion, which ranged from Temple’s impact on local housing developments to the ability of students to vote upon university matters.

In order to pressure the university into complying with the demands, the protesters discussed a number of demonstrations, including public protests during Experience Temple Days, when prospective students visit Main Campus, as well as sit-down demonstrations on Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

No agreement was reached for a specific type or date of demonstration, though a vote was held to create an “agitation committee” and discuss ideas at a later meeting.

During the meeting, Anthony Pressley, an African American studies student, further called for the group to demand the firing of African American studies Chairman Molefi Asante for his role in Monteiro’s dismissal.

Monteiro had been a public advocate for the promotion of Asante to department chair last spring, as well as a outspoken critic of Dean Soufas, who had placed Jayne Drake, a white woman, as interim chair of the department in 2012.

Many of Monteiro’s supporters also held public demonstrations in support of Asante last spring, but at Tuesday’s meeting the favor seemed to have swayed, with several voicing agreement with Pressley in their condemnation of Asante.

Ultimately, no vote was taken by the students whether or not to add Asante’s removal to their list of demands.

After concluding their meeting, the students agreed to a tentative plan to meet at the same time on March 25, though no location was set.

TSG meeting addresses issues with career center

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Students attending the Temple Student Government General Assembly meeting Monday discussed their experiences with Temple’s Career Center.

Some had problems with the center not being specialized enough for their field of study. Others had issues with events like job fairs being too specialized, as employers were only looking for a handful of majors.

The Career Center is preparing to revamp itself in an effort to become a nationally recognized program, Student Body President Darin Bartholomew said.

Also at the meeting, Marylouise Esten, associate dean of the Beasley School of Law, announced that the school will introduce undergraduate law courses in the fall semester. Esten said Beasley will host a mixer at Klein Hall on March 26, where VIP tickets to former-President Bill Clinton’s April 10 speaking event will be raffled off. Former-Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell will host a question and answer session after Clinton’s event, Esten said.

Andrew McGinley from the Office of Government Affairs encouraged students to devote time to lobby for Temple’s funding in Harrisburg on April 29. McGinley spoke about Owl Academy, a six-week crash course on Temple, government and lobbying the legislature, he said.

“We want you to get comfortable with talking with legislators,” McGinley said. “This is their chance to get to know the university and the students.”

The first Owl Academy session will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in 1810 Liacouras Walk. McGinley said there is no hard rule on how many meetings students have to attend before going to Harrisburg to advocate.

New technology to affect security personnel

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The project to add new security measures in Anderson and Gladfelter halls will force a redistribution of campus security personnel when delayed egress doors are implemented in the entrances to both buildings, according to Campus Safety Services.

Acting Director of CSS Charlie Leone said any officers who are not assigned to any of the two buildings will be reassigned to other parts of the campus. Once the doors are updated, it will be monitored electronically with the alarm system.

“It will include redeployment of the security personnel,” he said, “particularly using extra help during class changes with heavy pedestrian volume, as well as roving patrols.”

The idea to carry out the project came when a teacher from Anderson Hall was attacked last year in his office.

In late October, an 81-year-old professor was robbed and assaulted at knifepoint. Darryl Moon, 45, was later arrested by the Philadelphia Police about 12 hours after police officials identified the suspect via video surveillance.

TSG announces support system for athletes of cut teams

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At Monday’s General Assembly meeting, Temple Student Government introduced a plan to help student-athletes affected by the upcoming sports cuts.

Ray Smeriglio, TSG communications director, presented an overview of a new section of TSG’s website, which has features for affected student-athletes and students who want to support the sports that are slated to be cut.

The website has information for athletes who plan to transfer or to stay at Temple, including scholarship and financial aid resources, emotional and psychological aid and career help.

“We wanted to give them something to make the process easier,” Smeriglio said.

Additionally, Student Body President Darin Bartholomew announced a campaign to support affected student-athletes and their sports teams in the coming months. The university-wide Owl Days will be a partnership between TSG and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and will provide transportation for students to attend games. So far, dates have been set for rowing and crew, tennis, track and field, baseball, softball, lacrosse, and fencing.

Bartholomew said TSG has never before made a push for student support the sports, which normally see much lower attendance numbers than the university’s most popular sports, basketball and football.

“We hope to see tailgates at every event,” said Brooklin White, president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a member of the softball team.

Also at the meeting, TSG reminded students to attend Owls on the Hill Day on April 29. In the wake of Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposal to keep funding for Temple and other state-related universities at the same level as last year, Bartholomew said it’s important to consistently have a presence at the capitol and keep Temple’s needs in the minds of state legislators.

Captain Eileen Bradley of Campus Safety Services made an offer to all student organizations interested in talking about safety. For free, a team from CSS will make a short presentation on some of their lesser-known resources available to students, including a walk-in escort program and “to your door” shuttle services.

Crime logs Jan. 27 – Feb. 4

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Main Campus

A theft occurred on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. on the 1700 block of North Broad Street. No arrests have been made at this time.

A theft occurred on Jan. 27 between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Barton Hall. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of disorderly conduct occurred on Jan. 27 at 7:20 p.m. on the 1400 block of West Oxford Street. An arrest has been made in regards to this incident.

A theft occurred on Jan. 25 at 10:57 p.m. on the 2000 block of North Broad Street. An arrest was made in regards to this incident.

An incident of public drunkenness occurred on Jan. 29 at 12:20 a.m. on the 1300 block of West Oxford Street. An arrest has been made in regards to this incident.

A sexual assault occurred on Dec. 4 between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in White Hall. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of criminal mischief occurred on Jan. 29 at 9 p.m. in Anderson Hall. No arrests have been made at this time.

A DUI occurred on Jan. 30 at 3:50 a.m. on the corner of 16th street and Diamond Street. An arrest was made in regards to this issue.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Jan. 31 at 12:39 a.m. in 1940 Residence Hall. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Jan. 31 at 1:34 a.m. on the 2000 block of North Broad Street. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Jan. 31 at 1 a.m. on 1900 block of Liacouras Walk. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

A theft from auto occurred between Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 31 at 2:15 a.m. on the 1100 block of West Susquehanna Avenue. No arrests have been made at this time.

A theft occurred on Jan. 31 between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in Weiss Hall. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of underage possession occurred on Jan. 31 at 10:15 p.m. in White Hall. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 1 at 12:15 a.m. in 1300 Residence Hall. The incident was exceptionally cleared.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 1 at 12:25 a.m. on the 1200 block of West Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of harassment occurred on Jan. 31 at 11:30 p.m. on the 1300 block of West Cecil B. Moore Avenue. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of harassment occurred on Feb. 1 at 1:30 a.m. on the 1900 block of North 11th Street. No arrests have been made at this time.

A theft occurred on Feb. 1 between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. in the IBC Building. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of harassment occurred on Feb. 1 at 2:30 p.m. on Morgan Hall. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 1 at 10:45 p.m. on the 1800 block of North Broad Street. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 1 at 11:15 p.m. in Johnson Hall. The incident was exceptionally cleared.

An incident of criminal mischief occurred on Feb. 1 at 11:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of West Diamond Street. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 2 at 1:55 a.m. on the 2000 block of Marvine Street. The incident was exceptionally cleared.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb.2 at 1:15 a.m. in Temple Towers. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

A robbery occurred on Feb.2 at 1:30 a.m. on the 2100 block of North 15th Street. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of public drunkenness occurred on Feb. 2 at 1:50 p.m. in the Student Center. The incident was exceptionally cleared.

A theft from auto occurred on Feb. 2 between 12 p.m. and 11:40 p.m. on the 1600 block of North Park Avenue. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of underage consumption has occurred on Feb. 3 at 1:20 a.m. on 1300 Residence Hall. The incident was handled by the School Code of Conduct.

A DUI occurred on Feb. 3 at 4:20 p.m. on the 1800 block of North 10th Street. An arrest has been made in regards to this incident.

A theft occurred on Feb. 4 at 12:30 a.m. on the 1900 block of Liacouras Walk. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of fraud occurred on Feb. 3 at 3:30 a.m. on 1300 Residence Hall. No arrests have been made at this time.

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A theft occurred between Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. and Jan. 28 at 8:30 a.m. in the Outpatient Building. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of criminal mischief occurred between Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. and Jan. 29 at 7 a.m. in the Outpatient Building. No arrests have been made at this time.

A theft occurred between Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 8 a.m. on the New Medical School. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of harassment by communication occurred on Jan. 30 between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Rock Pavilion. No arrests have been made at this time.

An incident of harassment occurred on Feb. 2 at 4:35 a.m. on the 3000 block of North Broad Street. No arrests have been made at this time.

Bill Clinton to visit Liacouras Center in April

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A new fundraising lecture series hosted by the Temple University Law Foundation will start on April 10 at 5 p.m. with former President Bill Clinton as the program’s first guest speaker. Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is to moderate a question-and-answer discussion afterward. Tickets for the event range between $40 to $100.

According to the Beasley School of Law, the series is intended to “[benefit] student scholarships and the Barrack Public Interest Fellowship Program.” Clinton will be the ninth president to speak at the University, following John F. Kennedy, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman and more.

Corbett proposes zero percent increase in Temple funding

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Today, Gov. Corbett proposed the same funding for Temple as last year’s budget. Speaking at the State Capitol building in Harrisburg this morning, Corbett announced his 2014-15 annual budget proposal that included Temple’s appropriations level.

Corbett’s proposal would see Temple receiving a little over $139.9 million, the same funding that the university has received for the last two fiscal years. All of the other state-related universities – Pennsylvania State University, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University – had a zero percent increase in appropriations proposed as well.

The budget must still go through the General Assembly, which includes a series of subcommittee meetings and votes, then signed by Corbett. The new fiscal year begins on July 1, a deadline that has been narrowly met for every budget since Corbett has entered office.

Student debt discussed in meeting of democratic socialists, student groups

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Strike Student Debt and other organizations seeking to reduce or eradicate college student loan debt were on campus Thursday, Jan. 30 to discuss their movement’s goals for Temple.

Strike Student Debt, which was formed by the Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, held its Drop Student Debt Forum in collaboration with the United States Student Association, the Quebec Student Union and Jobs With Justice, which protests for workers’ rights.

“This movement must demand meaningful but realistic policy reform that puts us on the course toward universal free higher education,” said DSA member Michele Rossi, who began the panel. Much of the discussion was focused on neo-liberalism, which was the philosophy behind the economic policies begun under Ronald Reagan. The panelists argued that this philosophy has contributed to rising tuition costs and budget cuts in education.

Others argued that conservatives, such as Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, contribute to the attitude that “states no longer see education as a public good,” United States Student Association President Sophia Zaman said.

“If you’re from the state administration, you need to know that education is good for our society to invest in,” Zaman said. “An educated society is a much better society.”

“We should go to Harrisburg and demand a return of the money taken from our budget a few years ago,” Political Science professor and DSA member Joseph Schwartz said from the audience, referring to Corbett’s $25 million cut to Temple’s budget in the 2011 fiscal year.

Dustin Guastella, a Temple alumnus and communications director for the Philadelphia DSA, argued that President Obama’s income-based loan repayment plan is not extensive enough, since the movement’s ultimate goal is socialized higher education, comparable to the nationwide program in Finland.