Category Archives: Opinion

South Africa SCT Study Away Program Suspended

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The inaugural South Africa 2011 summer program, led by journalism professor Dr. Shenid Bhayroo, achieved more than Temple’s SCT ever thought possible.

Eleven journalism and research students conducted stories, produced news videos and documentaries, while completely embracing an entirely new culture more than 15,000 miles away.

News stories were published on the Department of Journalism’s news website, www.philadelphianeighborhoods.com, and the series itself was a finalist for the EPPY (Editor & Publisher) award in the Best College/University Journalistic or Documentary Report category. Research students presented final projects at the Global Temple Conference and student documentary work is still planned to be broadcasted on TUTV.

According to the South Africa Press Release issued this week by the dean’s office, Bhayroo and director of study away programs Erin Palmer, “conflicting commitments” have suspended the program for summer 2012.

The majority of South Africa Study Away alumni — me being one of them — are disappointed at the thought of suspending the program, and even have written several letters to the coordinators expressing our feelings toward the unfortunate decision. It truly was a life-changing opportunity that has given us so much real-life field experience. It is sad to see others unable to have the same chance.

I have high hopes that SCT reincorporates the program for 2013. It is too good to lose.

SCT South Africa students in Soweto, 2011

Will more money for Temple mean less money for public welfare?

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The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that House Republicans are looking to give Pennsylvania’s education system, which includes Temple and the three other state-related universities, more money – at the expense of the Department of Public Welfare.

A half a billion dollars could be taken from the department and “redistributed” to state education, according to the report. The state-related universities would receive 75 percent of what they receive now in state appropriation funds rather than the approximate 50 percent cut Gov. Corbett is proposing.

A lot of arguments against Gov. Corbett’s cuts to education and funding of the correctional system were that he had it backwards: To stay out of trouble, children need a quality education first. Where do you think possible cuts to the Department of Public Welfare to make up for lost education funds stand in this situation?

Philly named No. 9 most segregated urban area in the U.S.

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According to a slideshow article on Salon.com that analyzed 2010 Census data, the level of segregation between blacks and whites in Philadelphia  is declining at slower rate than it did in the 1990s.

University of Pennsylvania historian Thomas Sugrue credits Philly’s No. 9 status partially due to hegemony.

“The patterns of housing segregation in metropolitan Philadelphia are the legacy of discriminatory public policies and real-estate practices that played out for most of the 20th century,” Sugrue said in the article. “Though discrimination is now illegal, those patterns of segregation were so deeply entrenched that many people came to see them as ‘natural.'”

Why do you think segregation is so prevalent in Philly?

And the Yorktown debacle continues

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Today, the Philadelphia Daily News posted an article about a Q-and-A session hosted by Commissioner Fran Burns of the Department of Licenses & Inspections, which garnered about 50 residents of the Yorktown section of North Philadelphia to discuss an on-going conflict – Temple students disrupting the historically middle-class neighborhood.

The residents’ complaints aren’t new, and as the article suggests, they don’t seem to be going away.

Earlier this semester, Willie J. DeShields, president of the Yorktown Community Organization, told The Temple News that when students rent properties, sometimes owners do not properly maintain the upkeep of the homes if they are not residents.

The North Central Philadelphia Community Special District Controls prohibits private investors from renting homes to students in Yorktown and Jefferson Manor unless the owner is a resident of the home as well. In recent years, the rule led to eviction notices for many student residents, but no one was actually evicted.

To read more about The Temple News’ on-going coverage of the Yorktown conflict, click here.

Editorial correction

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Though we wrote Theresa Powell is former Dean of Students Ainsley Carry’s replacement in today’s editorial, we meant to say she is the vice president of student affairs that hired Carry. Please read the revised editorial here, and again – and especially to Dr. Powell, who we admire and respect – we apologize for the error.

Opinion section, the right version

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If you picked up a copy of The Temple News this morning, you noticed that the opinion pages seemed a little too familiar. Due to a technical error, we printed last week’s opinion section in this week’s paper. We apologize sincerely for this mistake.

Never fear, though, the Internet is here. Check out a Polish writer’s tribute, discussion of racial and gender slurs and more in the links below.

Opinion writer Jillian Weir-Reeves discusses the N-word in pop culture and its place in today’s society.

Opinion writer Anna Berezowska points out that Poland’s recent deaths will not be in vain, as people can learn about both the recent tragedy and the atrocities suffered by Polish officers in World War II.

Opinion writer and Qchat columnist Josh Fernandez discusses whether b—- is still an offensive word, or if it can be reclaimed by women as a source of strength.

The Temple News sure does print a lot of articles about the LGBTQ community. We’re glad you noticed. Our editorial on the purpose behind our LGBTQ coverage.

The Student Center loses thousands of dollars through theft of food each year, and that’s causing higher prices for everyone else. Our editorial on Student Center price increases and theft.

Opinion Editor Ashley Nguyen talks to a North Philly resident about the N-word in Community Voice.

TTN letter published in Inquirer

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In our final issue, the Editorial Board criticized the choice of President Ann Weaver Hart as the highlighted commencement speaker this year in the 125th anniversary.

In turn, Inquirer columnist Daniel Rubin criticized us saying “these speeches are not for [students].” He also implied many would be hungover for the ceremony itself.

Not ones to take such stereotypical criticisms lightly, TTN responded with a letter, which was published in Monday’s Inqurier. Take a look here (it’s the first one).

Reminder: Don’t forget Yorktown meeting on April 1st!

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This is a friendly reminder from your TTN staff. There is a meeting concerning Yorktown on April 1st. The meeting is at 1515 Arch St. and will be held at noon in room 18002.

Be there to see how the future of North Philadelphia’s most fought-over neighborhood will turn out.

P.S. In case you still wanted to go to the Lady Gaga concert on the same day, it’s been sold out for weeks. Sorry.

Stop killing the environment (or you’ll get charged)

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                                                                                                                          Ashley Nguyen/TTN

The bag boy at the end of the register who miserably asks, “Paper or plastic?” may be spared uttering the extra two words, “or plastic.”

The New York Times reported today that cities across the country are trying to curtail plastic bag use by charging its users.  Seattle is working on a 20-cent fee, while New York City is opting to push through a 5-cent charge through the State Legislature.

And Philadelphia may be following suit.

On Feb. 6, Councilmen Jim Kenney and Frank DiCicco revived their initiative to ban the use of plastic grocery bags.

According to a KYW report, DiCicco offered an alternative: charge 25-cents per bag.

Senior English major Scott Yorko didn’t support the idea of banning plastic bags altogether.

“Other than reuse [plastic bags] for my lunch and dirty, smelly clothes, I use them to clean up dog shit,” Yorko said.  “If there was a shortage of plastic bags in the city, there’d by dog shit everywhere.”

The proposed plan by the councilmen allows “compostable plastic bags.”

“I would say as long as the customer is aware, it would be okay,” said senior journalism major Gina Ryder, who was holding a styrofoam cup as she spoke.  Kenney and DiCicco are also hoping to curb the use of styrofoam in the city. Ryder added that she would prefer to bring her own bags anyway.

Whole Foods Markets in Texas, where the company is based, do not provide plastic bags for their customers, but still provide the alternative of recyclable paper bags.  The Whole Foods on South Street offers a 5-cent per bag discount that a customer brings in.

Yorko also mentioned that when he was visiting a Whole Foods in New York over the weekend, they asked him if he wanted a bag.  When he replied no, they gave him a 10-cent discount on his purchase.

Is charging for plastic out of line or just environmentally friendly?

Look, ma! I got a new tattoo and am getting paid!

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I may be an advertising major, but would I go THIS far to advertise an airline? For $777.00? Or a vacation to New Zealand. Hmm… Maybe!

I want to hear what you think of this new medium: the head of a human. Do you think it works? Do you think it’s stupid?

I think it’d be kinda sexy seeing a cute guy with a shaved head proclaiming an ad…