Logistics for Harrisburg trip announced at TSG meeting

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Temple Student Government Student Body President David Lopez announced the final schedule for Owls on the Hill Day in Harrisburg planned for today, March 19, at Monday’s General Assembly meeting.

The group of students is scheduled to depart Main Campus at 9 a.m. today, hear from Senior Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Ken Lawrence upon arrival in Harrisburg, meet with legislatures for about two hours and return to Main Campus about 4 p.m.

Following the Owls on the Hill logistics, Director of Academic Affairs Patricia Boateng announced the creation of an academic affairs round table that will be held March 28, at 4 p.m. in Student Center Room 220.

The round table will focus on academic advising, transfer and non-traditional student experiences, the general education program and requirements for undergraduate majors.

The academic affairs round table idea stemmed from a meeting Lopez and his fellow officers had with Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Hai-Lung Dai.

At next Monday’s meeting, the candidates for the 2013 TSG elections will not only kick off their campaigns, but will also be introduced to the General Assembly.

Check temple-news.com for a full recap of yesterday’s TSG meeting.

Gimme some of Your tots, tot truck

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On Sept. 10, 2011, a Twitter account named “The Tot Cart” tweeted, “A food cart. With tater tots. Just tots. Is coming. Soon. To a street corner near you. Philadelphia here we come.”

Less than two years later, the vision has come to fruition, as The Tot Cart had its grand opening in front of Speakman Hall on Saturday, March 16. The truck was scheduled to be open from 3 p.m. to midnight, but closed early at 8 p.m. due to weather conditions. Still, Julie Crist, the woman behind The Tot Truck, said she sold approximately 150 orders of tots.

“It went really well, despite the weather and students being on spring break,” Crist said. “It was a really good soft opening.”

The Tot Truck, as you might expect, serves only tots. In addition to the standard high-school cafeteria side dish, Crist’s menu offers specialty flavors, including buffalo, garlic parmesan and Indian-spiced tots. Her “drunk cheese tots,” are covered in cheese whiz, what she calls her “special cheese recipe.” Original tots cost $3 and those with toppings are $4.

Crist is a 2002 alumna of the School of Media and Communication and is employed full time by Fox School of Business as the Associate Director for the MBA program. She said she got the idea for The Tot Truck from her own experience in graduate school.

“I went to Drexel for grad school and there was a taco truck that was open from 11 p.m. to 7 in the morning and it would have students lined up in front of it,” Crist said. “I started getting the idea of doing something similar but didn’t know what to do, so I started messing with tater tot recipes.”

The truck will be open only on Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Crist said she might take the next couple of weekends off as she waits for the weather to clear up before doing another “full blown” opening on the first weekend of April.

Crist said the process she had to go through to get her own food truck on campus took about two years. She had to buy a truck, get approved by the Department of Health, take a food safety class and acquire a permit from the Department of Licenses for a “non-permanent vending location,” in addition to a vending license.

“It’s a lot of paperwork,” Crist said.

Why do all of that work for tater tots? Crist said she wanted to appeal to the schoolboy and schoolgirl in everyone.

“Why not tater tots?” she said. “Any type of person likes tater tots, anyone from a 4-year-old kid, to a college student, to adults. People have a nostalgic thing about tater tots. They were served them in the cafeteria in elementary school. I think they’re one of those things. People of all types like them.”

#Tubigchairs

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While this year’s Groudhog’s Day promised an early spring, the real sign on Main Campus that warmer weather is on its way soon is the return of the Adirondack chairs.Students making their way back to Main Campus from spring break yesterday were greeted with two oversized chairs that replicated the ones found throughout areas on campus – one cherry colored, one white colored with #TUbigchairs printed on the chairs.

“Sometimes you have to see things through the eyes of people that are students,” said James Creedon, the senior vice president for construction, facilities and operations.

Creedon got the idea after his son texted him a photo of a pool and hot tub retailer that had a giant Adirondack chair in a display. Since Creedon’s son, who isn’t a Temple student, knew Adirondack chairs were laid out throughout Main Campus he suggested that Creedon should commission the chairs and include a hashtag to make them more interactive.

“I sent the picture down to our facilities management [team, which] runs our carpentry shop, and the guys down there loved it,” Creedon said. “Next thing I know we’re up and rolling.”

The large chairs were installed on Saturday, March 16, before classes resumed and that same day people began using the hashtag. Employees of the admissions office took the first picture that appeared under #TUbigchairs.

“We were at [the men’s basketball game] on Friday night, and [my son] told me, ‘Oh, it started!’ and he showed me stuff that was coming in over Twitter,” Creedon said.

The hashtag has also yielded results on Instagram, and there is even one video posted to Vine including the hashtag.

“Temple’s student body [and faculty] has shown time and time again that it’s very engaged in social media and very vibrant,” said Hillel Hoffmann, director of university communications.

Hoffmann said the first tweet with the hashtag was from the Temple Twitter account, @TempleUniv, on March 13, which teased to the return of the chairs.

One criticism the chairs have incited on Twitter is that the university could have spent money on more productive things. One tweet from @Its_DevinBurke said, “#TUbigchairs screams poor money management.”

Creedon said the total cost of both chairs was $400. The chairs were designed to seat four people, but more than that can be supported by the structures. The chairs are seven feet high and weigh between 250 to 300 pounds, Creedon said.

Temple Rome students witness Papal Conclave

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Amongst the crowd gathered yesterday in St. Peter’s Square to witness the announcement of the next pope, stood several Temple students studying abroad in Rome who were able to witness the historic event first hand.

Several of these students spoke to The Temple News about their experiences, sharing tales of crying, cheering, and sheer excitement after the white smoke began pouring out of the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel.

If Mike Madeja, who is spending his spring semester at Temple Rome could describe the event in one word, it would be “surreal.”

The conclave, which ended on March 13 after just two days and five rounds of voting, elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina to become Pope Francis.

The conclave was scheduled following the stunning resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 28.

Two Temple students in the square, identified only as Mike and Mark, were interviewed on national television by NBC News.

For the complete story and more student testimonies, check the print copy of The Temple News on Tuesday, March 19.

John Moritz can be reached at john.moritz@temple.edu, or on Twitter @JCMoritzTU.

TSG gears up for Owls on the Hill

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Temple Student Government is preparing to hold it’s third annual Owls on the Hill day in Harrisburg on Tuesday, March 19, along with what it hopes will be a record number of student attendees and the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs.

TSG Student Body President David Lopez said that he hopes 100 to 150 students will show up for the event, and that 268 have already registered online. Lopez said that last year, about 70 students showed up out of a registration of 158.

To increase turnout, Lopez and TSG reached out to students at the Ambler Campus, as well as recent alumni.

While in Harrisburg students will be split into groups of 10 to 15 and  meet with state representatives or their staffs and share their Temple stories with the hope of encouraging state funding for the university.

To prepare for this year’s event, TSG founded the Owl Advocate Academy to train student leaders for the event. The 45 students who went through the academy this year will help lead the student groups that traverse the state capitol lobbying for higher education funds.

In February, Gov. Tom Corbett proposed to flat fund the university at $139.9 million, for the commonwealth’s 2013-14 fiscal year budget. The budget must still be passed by the State Senate and House of Representatives.

While Lopez said that the flat funding is better than the governor’s previous proposed cuts, TSG is not content with flat funding and will continue to fight for Temple’s funding.

TSG is still accepting registration for the event. Students who wish to do so can at http://www.temple.edu/government/onthehill/. Transportation and lunch are provided by TSG.

Police identify third suspect in robbery, assault of students

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City police today publicly identified the third suspect sought in connection with last week’s robbery and assault of four Temple students as 24-year-old Elijah Washington.

Elijah Wahington is the third suspect believed to have robbed and assaulted four Temple students last week. | COURTESY PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

Elijah Washington is the third suspect sought in the robbery and assault of four Temple students last week. | COURTESY PHILADELPHIA POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Philadelphia Police Department in a press release asked for public assistance in locating Washington, who may be in the area near the Wilson Park Housing Development, at 25th and Jackson streets, or in Southwest Philadelphia, near 52nd and Pentridge streets.

Last Monday, March 4, three men followed a Temple student to her off-campus apartment around 7:30 p.m. on the 1800 block of North 18th Street.

When she opened the door to her apartment, a man stuck a black revolver to her head and told her to keep walking, authorities said. After they gained entry to the apartment, one man duct taped the student while the other two bound the other three roommates in the front bedroom and took cash, computers, credit cards and cell phones from the students, police said.

Days after the incident, city police identified two other suspects in connection with the robberies: Tyree Johnson, 19, and Malcolm Murray, 18, both of North Philadelphia, were charged with aggravated assault, robbery and false imprisonment and related offenses.

Their bail was set at $800,000 each and they are scheduled to have a preliminary hearing on March 21, Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office, said.

Anyone with information on Washington’s whereabouts are asked to contact the PPD’s Central Detective Division at 215-686-3093, or dial 911.

Police release names of two arrested in robbery of four students

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Police identified two suspects who were arrested Wednesday in connection with Monday’s robbery of four roommates west of Main Campus.

Tyree Johnson, 19, and Malcolm Murray, 18, of North Philadelphia were charged with aggravated assault, robbery and false imprisonment and related offenses. Their bail was set at $800,000 each and they are scheduled to have a preliminary hearing will be held on March 21, Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for the District Attorney’s Office, said.

On Monday, three men followed a Temple student to her off-campus apartment around 7:30 p.m. on 1800 block of North 18th Street. When she opened the door to her apartment, a man stuck a black revolver to her head and told her to keep walking, police said. After they gained entry to the apartment, one man duct taped the student while the other two bound the other three roommates in the front bedroom and took cash, computers, credit cards and cell phones from the students, police said.

A third suspect is still at large, though police said Wednesday that they know who the suspect is.

Car crashes into steps between Anderson and Gladfelter

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This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

This minivan crashed into the steps between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday. | TYLER SABLICH TTN

The driver of a minivan that swerved off of 11th Street and into the steps on Polett Walk between Anderson and Gladfelter halls Wednesday afternoon will soon be charged with DUI, said Deputy Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone.

The crash occurred at approximately 12:20 p.m. and no students were injured. All three people in the minivan were taken to Temple University Hospital for precautionary evaluations for head and neck injuries, Leone said.

“We are very fortunate no one was walking along Polett Walk at the time of the accident,” Leone said in an email.

The area of the steps was cornered off as of Wednesday evening as Facilities Management cleans up. Leone said minimal damage was caused to Temple property and people walking through the area can utilize the ramp adjacent to the steps.

Craig: New Twitter brilliantly documents party hookups

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Close your eyes for a second. Well, keep reading this, so don’t close your eyes. Never mind, just clear your mind for a moment.

Picture yourself in a filthy basement, your vision fuzzy and personal censor removed. Drenched in sweat, a remixed version of some top-40 hit is blasting so loud you can feel your eardrums trying to pop out of your skull.

Your friends are texting you frantically to come get Chinese food with them, but you’re a bit preoccupied. There’s no room in your mouth for General Tso’s chicken, because it’s currently being occupied by the tongue of someone you’ve just met. They taste like a combination of flat keg beer and cigarettes, but that doesn’t stop you from groping and necking like the world is about to end and this is the last person you’ll ever have any intimate interaction with again.

Chances are, you’ve been in this situation before. A party, a dance, a random hookup; most have enjoyed  – or regretted, depending on who you ask – the occasional consequence of party life on a college campus.

Yet no worries, because this embarrassing display is just a moment lost in time, a brief footnote in the history of your college career to laugh about the next morning. Right?

Wrong. So, so wrong. Because an incredible new Twitter account, @TempleMakeouts, is documenting these scenes from the underbelly of Temple’s weekend nights, and you’re only a friend’s iPhone away from being exposed to almost 2,000 followers for your actions.

“If someone doesn’t want to be put on @TempleMakeouts, they have to realize we have created a campus-wide social networking game on the weekends,” said one of the six admins for @TempleMakeouts, who all remain anonymous, “People go out targeting to submit pictures of people getting freaky on the dance floor.”

That’s right, partygoers. Watch out, because @TempleMakeouts is the new social equalizer. It doesn’t matter who you are, because the camera shows no mercy. @TempleMakeouts gives us the gritty portrayal of a side of Temple that you won’t find in the school brochure; a beautiful canvas filled with brief encounters of lust and substance fueled acts of desire. And I can’t get enough of it.

For a longer commentary piece on @TempleMakeouts, check out the Opinion section of the March 19 issue of The Temple News.

Daniel Craig can be reached at daniel.craig@temple.edu.

Pearson & McGonigle Halls outfitted with posters

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The exterior of Pearson & McGonigle halls were recently adorned with several giant posters of Temple student-athletes competing in various sports.

The planning and design staff of university communications worked with facilities management to put up the signs, which contain the likenesses of student-athletes from the basketball teams, the field hockey team and the lacrosse team, among other sports.

The posters, which are displayed on the south side of McGonigle Hall on Montgomery Street and on the west side on 15th Street, were put up as a final touch of the construction on the recreation halls that were completed last year.