Bail has been reduced for two men charged with murder in the Jan. 14 beating of 2010 Temple alumnus, Kevin Kless.
Judge Benjamin Lerner approved the reduction of the bail for Steven Ferguson, 21, from $500,000 to $150,000 agreed upon by Assistant District Attorney Brendan O’Malley and defense attorney Stephen Patrizio. He also reduced bail from $500,000 to $40,000 for Felix Carrillo, 23.
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-Dominique Johnson
[Updated at 11:55 a.m. on 7/3/2012]
Richard Englert, current provost and soon-t0-be acting president, announced today that Hai-Lung Dai will be taking the role of interim provost, according to University Communications.
Dai, the dean of the College of Science and Technology, will assume the post from Englert on July 1, when Englert becomes the acting president of the university.
Dai will serve on an interim basis until the selection of a new provost under a new president, according to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Check back with The Temple News for more on Temple’s new interim provost.
The Board of Trustees announced today in a press release that tuition will remain at its current level for the 2012-2013 academic year. The freeze would keep tuition at $13,006 for in-state students and $22,832 for out-of-state students.
The board also announced today that they are starting a campaign to raise money through alumni and friends of the university as well as an additional $8 million in financial aid which would be made available to students.
“Rising student debt is one of the major issues facing this nation today. Temple is committed to being a national leader in the effort to offer an affordable quality education,” Patrick J. O’Connor, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in the press release.
Check back with The Temple News for more on the tuition freeze for the upcoming year.
The FBI and Philadelphia Police Department are investigating what they say are connected bank robberies that occured on the outskirts of Main Campus between June 8 and 12.
Police said in a press release that on Friday at 12:09 p.m., a man walked into the United Bank of Philadelphia at 1501 N. Broad St and handed the teller a threatening note. After obtaining an unkown amount of cash from the bank, the suspect fled the scene on foot.
Yesterday, a similar incident occured at the Bank of America at 1600 N. Broad St., where a suspect entered the bank at 10:00 a.m. and gave the teller a demanding note. The suspect obtained cash and fled on foot from this incident as well, according to police.
Police said that they believe the suspect who robbed the Bank of America yesterday is the same man who robbed the United Bank of Philadelphia on Friday.
He is described as a tall, black male around 40-years-old and of medium build. Anyone with information is asked to call the violent crimes task force at 215-418-4000.
This man is suspected by police of robbing two banks near Main Campus. Courtesy Philadelphia Police Department
Khalif Wyatt, the men’s basketball team’s second-leading scorer last season, was arrested along with 27 other people in Atlantic City, N.J., Sunday morning.
Wyatt is reportedly facing charges that include soliciting a prostitute and resisting arrest, according to multiple news outlets. Charges assert that a prostitute who was actually an undercover police officer was solicited in the New Jersey town. Others arrested at the time are facing drug charges.
“I apologize to my family, teammates, coaches and Temple University for the embarrassment that I have caused,” Wyatt said in a statement. “I was in Atlantic City this past weekend celebrating my 21st birthday with friends and exercised very poor judgment by allowing myself and my friends to be put in a compromising situation. I intend to cooperate with the authorities during their investigation and the legal process.”
Whether Wyatt will face disciplinary action from the university stemming from the incident is currently unknown.
“We have just become aware of the charges and are still gathering information at this point,” Larry Dougherty, senior associate athletic director for communications, said in a statement.
Check temple-news.com for more information.
[Updated at 11:23 p.m.]
The Atlantic Ten Conference has released its schedule for the 2012-13 season, identifying the 16 games that the men’s basketball team will play in conference.
Temple will play home games against Duquesne, La Salle, Rhode Island, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis and new conference member Virginia Commonwealth University.
The Owls travel to Butler, Charlotte, Dayton, Fordham, George Washington, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph’s University and Xavier to fill the rest of their in-conference schedule.
Temple’s lone home-and-home matchup in the A-10 will be with Charlotte.
Police shot a man who fired at Philadelphia and Temple Police officers overnight, according to a TU Advisory sent out by the university.
The advisory email, which was sent at about 6:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, said that the incident started after an motor vehicle accident near Ninth and Norris streets overnight. One of the vehicles fled the scene and, after hearing gunfire from the area, Allied Barton security officers called for police units to respond.
Philadelphia and Temple Police officers responded and were fired upon by the suspect. Philadelphia Police chased the man into the Norris Homes community, according to the advisory, where he allegedly fired at police, who subsequently shot and disabled the suspect.
The suspect is currently being treated at Temple Hospital.
Check back with The Temple News later for more on this incident.
Praise Martin-Oguike, a freshman and former linebacker with the football team, has been released on bail amid allegations of rape and sexual assault, among other charges.
Police say Martin-Oguike raped and sexually assaulted a 21-year-old female Temple student in his 1940 Residence Hall dormitory on Saturday, May 26. Martin-Oguike has been suspended from the university and the football team while facing charges of aggravated assault, forcible rape, sexual assault, unlawful restraint and false imprisonment.
“Our chief concern is for the safety of our students,” Ray Betzner, assistant vice president of university communications, said. “We worked with the victim of this case to help her as much as we could.”
Temple students, who are informed via TU Alert of shootings or other dangerous activity occurring on campus, are not notified by the university of sexual assault or rape that occurs on campus until a report is filed annually as mandated by the Clery Act. Betzner said the university would not be releasing a statement on the matter.
“Had there been a reason for us to believe that students are not safe once we learned of this incident, we would have taken the appropriate actions,” Betzner said.
Martin-Oguike played in games against Buffalo and Ball State last season, registering three total tackles. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 14.
The Liacouras Center will upgrade its fan experience with a series of high definition video screens for the start of the 2012-13 men’s basketball season.
The upgrade will include four Diamond Vision, HD screens measuring 7 feet high and 10 feet wide that will replace the current center-hanging structure and face each side of the court.
The HD screen will be used to display live-action replays, player introductions and real time game stats. The center-hang structure will be complemented by an LED ribbon system that will spread across the 200 Level façade.
The move, made possible by a multi-year agreement between Temple and ANC Sports Enterprises, was made in preparation for the Owls’ move to the Big East conference at the start of the 2013-14 season.
The residence hall complex being built at Broad and Cecil streets will be named after Board of Trustees member Mitchell L. Morgan and his wife, Hilarie.
Mitchell and Hilarie Morgan Hall, set to be finished building in 2013, will have a 26-story tower along with a 7-story mid-rise complete with a dining facility, retail stores and 1,200 beds.
Morgan earned degrees in business administration and law from Temple and has been a member of the BOT since 2002. As chair of the facilities committee, Morgan oversaw the Tyler School of Art move to Main Campus and the building of a new School of Medicine.
Morgan is a member of Temple’s Chairman’s Circle, recognizing donors that have pledged more than $1 million to the university. A $5 million donation from Morgan to the university was approved at the Dec. 13, 2011 BOT meeting.
