Student is robbed on Polett Walk

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This morning at 1:30 am., a Temple student was robbed in the 1200 block of Polett Walk, right by the Bell Tower.

The suspect was described via a TU Advisory from Temple Police as a black male in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6 feet tall, medium build, medium complexion, wearing dark clothing with a gray hood underneath. He was armed with a black handgun.

Both Philadelphia and Temple Police are investigating this crime. No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information that could be helpful are urged to contact Temple Police at 215-204-1234.

Temple and Drexel team up at Philly Cup

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On Saturday, Temple and Drexel’s chapters of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity (PSP) teamed up to raise money and awareness for Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy group.

Phi Sigma Pi is a co-educational national honor fraternity with 120 active collegiate chapters throughout the country.

Philly Cup took place at Temple’s Geasey Field, where 200 brothers, 30 from Temple’s chapter, participated. Twenty-two chapters were present at the event with brothers from as far away as Louisiana State University.

Temple and Drexel have been working together for the past six years for this annual soccer tournament. It also happens to be the fraternity’s largest inter-chapter fundraiser in the fall.

A representative from Autism Speaks attended the tournament to share about the foundation and autism in general.

After entry fees, t-shirt sales and raffles, Philly Cup raised $2,400.

For more information about this organization or Philly Cup, contact Phi Sigma Phi president Diana Weiss at DianaTWeiss@Temple.edu or Allison Gill at Allison.Gill@Temple.edu.

Saturday PSP brothers from 22 chapters played soccer to raise money for Autism Speaks.

Temple president Diana Weiss (left), Drexel vice president Vince Zaccone (middle), Temple alumni Tim Eboli (right) take a break to pose for a picture.

Knowing the basics for the ballots

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Philadelphia’s general elections take place today, Nov. 8, and the city is implementing more than 1,680 polling places. Below is some basic information voters should know before entering the poll booth:

Mayor

The elected official who represents Philadelphia to the commonwealth and works with City Council to improve the quality of life in the city.

DISTRICT Council members

Elected officials who serve on City Council and live in the city’s 10 councilmanic districts.  Around Temple’s campus, Councilman Darrell Clarke represents the 5th district (on the west side of Broad Street) and Maria Quinones Sanchez represents the 7th district (on the east side of Broad Street). Both are running uncontended.

Council At-Large members

The seven individuals who serve on city council and represent the city as a whole.

City Commissioners

Elected officials who are in charge of running elections.Voters can cast ballots for two of the city’s three city commissioners.

Sheriff

Elected officials who manage the city’s foreclosed properties.

Register of Wills

Elected officials who maintain the city’s estate, will and marriage records.

Local Judicial Offices

Judges who review civil and criminal cases.
Ballot Questions

Shall The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to provide for a mandatory Budget Stabilization Reserve, more commonly known as a “rainy day fund,” and to provide for restrictions on deposits to and withdrawals from such Reserve?

Should the City of Philadelphia borrow $111,295,000 to be spent for and toward capital purposes as follows: Transit, Streets and Sanitation, Municipal Buildings, Parks, Recreation and Museums, and Economic and Community Development?

-Matthew Petrillo

Voting matters

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Temple’s American Civil Liberties Union and the Black Law Student Association held an event yesterday, Nov. 7, titled “Your Vote Counts,” to explain the significance of student voices and the importance of voting.

“It’s important to basically have a voice. We have a lot of concerns, but no one really does anything about it,” senior risk management major Christina Abebreseh said, who is also president of the Black Law Student Association. “People think that only the primary elections are important, but every election is important.”

Approximately 20 students were present, including senior education major Alyssa Pinder.

“We all have concerns and we need to voice our opinions on certain issues that affect us,” Pinder said. “We should get the right people out there who are going to do the right stuff.”

The event also featured Harold Jordan, from the Pennsylvania branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Voting matters. It determines who gets elected and who runs things,” Jordan said. “People tend to think of voting when they’re talking about mayor or president. But there are a lot of officials who are running, like city commissioners [or] judges, who have a direct impact on all aspects of life.”

He added that students should be concerned about the cost of education, financial aid and zoning laws.

-Matthew Petrillo

Temple student robbed

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Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Broad Street and Cecil B Moore Avenue, a 20-year-old female was approached from behind by an unknown male in a black hooded sweatshirt.

After the male told the complainant to give him her phone and that he did not want to hurt her, she handed over the cell phone.

There were no injuries and the phone was valued at $500.  No arrests were made.

“The How and the Why” hosted at Adrienne

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For Interact Theater, which has had its home in Philly for more than 20 years, plays and live performances offer a venue for discussion and presentation of lesser-known/discussed issues throughout society. They dually act as a tool to effect social change in all facets of the community.

Their current production, “The How and the Why,” housed at the intimate Adrienne Theater between 20th and 21st streets on Sansom, stays true to the company’s mission. Set at a university in Massachusetts, the play’s storyline works on two different levels. Zelda is an accomplished professional in her field of evolutionary biology, with years of experience behind her. When her daughter — who she gave up for adoption and had never previously met — ends up in her office one day, the story continues on to explore the sentiment of reuniting mother and daughter.

The other level that the play works on is a discussion of gender and science. Rachel is also studying evolutionary biology, like her mother, and has formed a ‘revolutionary’ hypothesis regarding female menstraution — not your typical discussion of science, or evolution, if you ask me. The play delves deeper, not only into the two women’s relationship, but into the constructs of scientific exploration and gender in today’s society.

The women act continuously through two 45-minute halves during the show, and as the only two characters, their discussions provide the basis for the show. Interact stays true to their mission with the concepts explored in the play, which will run at the Adrienne through Nov. 13.

 

Electronic devices hinder new relationships

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This is what our lives have come to.

Free wireless Internet in the Amtrak station, although extremely convenient, has changed the way Philadelphians are interacting.

After taking a seat on the bench to wait for my train today, I whipped out my laptop with happy intentions of scoping my social network world and checking my e-mail.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have a smart phone that free WiFi in the train station makes me one chipper college student, but as I looked around, I noticed dozens of people with their iPads, iPods and laptops out, while talking on their iPhones! Virtually no one, at least in close proximity to me, were communicating with each other.

And now, it gets even more extreme, there is free WiFi on the train – not just in the train station. I used to get so much work done for my classes on the train being cut off from the Internet.

. . .

I by no means am saying I don’t appreciate Amtrak’s efforts to give us riders free internet, heck they charge us enough for each ride – we definitely deserve it!

But, it’s important to realize – if you haven’t already – the impact our obsession with electronic devices are having on our lives. Sometimes I just want to shut off my phone, deactivate my Facebook and Twitter and forget about my e-mail every once in a while so I can enjoy peaceful, uninterrupted time with friends and family – and maybe even make a new friend during a train ride.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I did that, and I bet 99 percent of you reading this can’t either.