My last news article published in The Temple News.

CHRIS STOVER
Editor in Chief

Attending Temple was a “last resort” for Kendrick Davis.

“But when I was faced with making a decision after high school graduation, I took a second look at it,” he said.

“I thought, ‘Maybe this is a good place for me. I could fit in. There are opportunities for me to grow and plenty of things to get involved in.”

Davis, a senior mechanical engineering major, took advantage of the opportunities at Temple, prompting a panel to choose him to represent the graduating class as Temple’s student commencement speaker on May 14.

Having one person speak for the 4,270 graduates is no easy task. But Davis is up for the challenge.

“My goal is to take a look at where we are as a nation, as a world and as a university and bring those things together to come up with something optimistic, something that gives a promising tone to the graduates as you sit there wondering, ‘I spent these four or five years here, what is my degree worth?’” he said.

Davis grew up in an inner-city, low-income section of Pittsburgh.

“That’s why it was more important for me to get out and try to expand and broaden my horizons,” he said.

He was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and became interested in Temple because of his brother, Cornell, a 2005 alum.

Though he has pride in his hometown, Davis said it’s not the most ideal place to root yourself or start your career.

“My mom told me this since I was young,” Davis said. “She said, ‘Once you leave here, don’t come back.’”

He has kept busy during his years at Temple. In his freshman year, he was the chairman of the judicial panel in his residence hall. That led to becoming a resident assistant, which he has been doing since his sophomore year.

Last year, he got involved with Phi Sigma Pi, the national honors fraternity, and he was vice president of Temple’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers in his senior year.

Going through the process of applying to be commencement speaker allowed Davis the chance to introspect. Being chosen, he said, has been a “humbling experience.”

“[I thought] if I’m chosen, based off my experiences here at Temple, based off my outlook on the Temple community and the potential we have as graduates, that really speaks to maybe I did the right thing, maybe I took the right steps, maybe I influenced the right people,” he said.

Davis said many people at Temple have influenced his time here, including Honors Program Director Ruth Ost.

“I know what commitment and achievement look like. Kendrick could serve as the prototype,” Ost said. “Beyond his scholarly expertise, Kendrick is a major inspiration around these parts. He models excellence and involvement.”

Dean of Students Ainsley Carry, who helped Davis structure his speech, called Davis “an outstanding student and member of the Temple community.”

“He has separated himself inside and outside the classroom through his commitment to service, academics and leadership,” Carry said.

Davis’ efforts paid off. Last year, he won a Diamond Award, the highest recognition for an undergraduate at Temple.

Through his speech, Davis said he wants the graduates to do some introspection of their own, similar to how he did when preparing the speech.

“Think back to what people you touched, what people touched you, what experiences you had,” he said. “No matter what discipline you’re in, you have the ability to do great things and touch the people around you.”

Davis will start graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis next year, and he said Temple has given him the necessary experiences to transition into the next phase of his life.

“There’s time for you to grow in other places,” Davis said. “Once you’re done in that place, move on to the next. The world’s out there.”

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

Original post from The Temple News.

CHRIS STOVER
Editor in Chief

At a time of change and excitement for the Tyler School of Art, its interim dean announced her resignation.

Therese Dolan, the interim dean of Tyler, made the announcement Thursday. Her resignation will be effective June 30. Dolan assumed the position in January 2008.

“We are extremely grateful to Terry Dolan and wish her well as she returns to the faculty,” said Lisa Staiano-Coico, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, in an e-mail interview. “She is a respected art historian and a beloved teacher.”

Perhaps one of the biggest accomplishments during Dolan’s brief tenure as interim dean was overseeing the move of the art school from its Elkins Park campus to its new $75 million home at 12th and Norris streets.

The building, which had been in the works for years, is one of the Temple’s biggest selling points.

“Terry Dolan did a superb job guiding Tyler through the challenging transition into its fabulous, new, state-of-the-art facility on Main Campus,” Staiano-Coico said. “And, as President [Ann Weaver] Hart said, she did so with grace.”

Dolan, who was unavailable for comment by press time, has been a faculty member with Temple’s art history department since 1980. Her specialties are 19th-century French art and contemporary art.

In January, under Dolan’s reign, Tyler snagged the Jack Wolgin International Prize in the Fine Arts, the world’s largest monetary award for a fine arts institution. The prize represented a monumental highlight of both her one-and-a-half years as interim dean and of Tyler’s history.

“We have such a high-ranked art program, and we have such a high reputation,” Dolan told The Temple News in January. “People only give to success.”

According to U.S. News and World Report, Tyler’s fine arts program ranks 14th in the nation.
Her tenure as dean also saw a small controversy.

In August 2008, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on alumni donations to Tyler. Dolan was quoted as saying while alumni from the medical and business schools “have deep pockets, ours are still waitressing” and aren’t able to give as much back.

In a response on the Tyler listserv, Dolan said she was “dismayed” that her words were “taken out of context.”

The article struck the wrong chord for some Tyler students, but others are upset to see her step down.
“It’s a shame,” said Liz Schneffer, an undeclared freshman at Tyler. “I liked the way the school was run.”

Robert T. Stroker, dean of the Boyer College of Music and Dance, will perform double duty and serve as interim dean of Tyler. Staiano-Coico said Stroker brings “tremendous expertise and knowledge of the arts to the position.”

Before arriving at Temple, Stroker served as the associate dean at the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University from 1996 to 2002.

“Terry Dolan has provided exemplary leadership as interim dean,” Stroker said, “and I look forward to working with Tyler’s outstanding students, faculty, administration and staff.”

Because of the university’s hiring freeze initiated in January by Hart, all searches for deans are on hold, Staiano-Coico said.

Hillel Hoffman, assistant director of news communications, said having other schools’ deans fill in as temporary replacements is not uncommon.

“It is not unprecedented for the dean of a Temple school or college to stand in as interim dean,” he said.
Prior to serving as interim dean, Dolan served as the art history department chair for two terms. She will eventually return to teaching in an art school quickly gaining international acclaim.

“With their wonderful, new building, Tyler is on the rise,” Staiano-Coico said. “We look forward to working with Dean Stroker to ensure Tyler continues to move forward on its current exciting trajectory.”

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

Original post from The Temple News.

CHRIS STOVER
Editor in Chief

Shannon McDonald stands by the 22nd Police District headquarters. A story she wrote on an officer recently garnered media attention (Julia Wilkinson/TTN).

Shannon McDonald thought a ride-along with a Philadelphia Police officer would make a good story for her capstone journalism class.

Though she received an ‘A’ on the report, she is now embroiled in a controversy that might not have been worth the grade.

“I just wanted to get some crime specifics and information on [the neighborhood] and … to see how the officer interacts with the community,” said McDonald, a senior magazine journalism major and managing editor of The Temple News.

McDonald wrote the article, titled “Black and Blue,” for the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab, the capstone course for journalism seniors. The article was published to MURL’s Web site in early February.

In it, she quotes Officer William Thrasher, 24, as using derogatory terms and expletives in describing the district he patrols, which has a large African-American population.

“These people are f—— disgusting,” Thrasher reportedly said per McDonald’s article. “It’s like they’re animals.”

Additionally, McDonald reported that Thrasher allegedly talked with his lieutenant about what they called “TNS,” or “typical n—– s—.”

“I remember being surprised that he was acting so openly when he knew it was being published. I was sitting there with my pen and my pad,” said McDonald, a lifelong Northeast Philadelphian.

The story began surfacing to Philadelphians and media outlets about two weeks ago. Thrasher has since been put on desk duty by Commissioner Charles Ramsey pending an Internal Affairs investigation, said Lt. Frank Vanore of the Philadelphia Police Department.

“If it’s true, [Ramsey is] going to take it very, very seriously,” Vanore said. “He immediately removed Officer Thrasher from street duty. He ensured there was an investigation under way into the comments that were made.”

Thrasher has not spoken publicly about the article since he was put on desk duty more than a week ago.

“I didn’t know he was going to say all these things, so I went in there thinking I was just going to do an article on crime in Strawberry Mansion and how cops go about making the community safer,” McDonald said.

McDonald rode with Thrasher on Jan. 30. She signed a waiver with the 22nd District, which encompasses Strawberry Mansion, for the ride-along. She said Thrasher knew she was doing a report for a class and that the story would be published.

McDonald said she didn’t respond directly to Thrasher’s comments.

“I was there to learn and not to judge,” she said.

Throughout the ordeal, professor Christopher Harper, co-director of MURL, has supported McDonald.

“I feel proud with the way Shannon handled herself – reporting the story well, handling the pressure of being in the media’s eye,” Harper said. “I’m proud of how Temple and its faculty and staff stood behind a journalist.”

Harper offered to remove the article from MURL’s Web site, but McDonald didn’t mind keeping it live.

“It is 100 percent accurate,” she said. “Everything I included in the article came directly from my notes, which came directly from my observation and interactions with the officer. Nothing was ever off the record.”

Harper said McDonald’s reporting is the epitome of MURL.

“I think that what Shannon does is representative of what MURL is all about. We have people go out and cover stories in neighborhoods that are under-covered, except when something bad happens,” he said. “We have people out there in the streets of all kinds of neighborhoods, and we come up with good stories.”

As of Monday, Thrasher remains on desk duty in the 22nd District. The Internal Affairs investigation continues.

“If it’s discovered the comments were made, [Ramsey is] going to take the appropriate action,” Vanore said. “That’s up to him.”

The controversy surrounding McDonald’s article is more of a frustration than anything else, she said. Though some have pegged her as a naïve student journalist, McDonald continues to stand by her reporting while focusing on other things in her future.

“I’m graduating in 40 days,” she said. “Here I am, this person who is still very connected to what I’m supposed to know about journalism and trying to start a career. So you’d think I’d be a little more on my game than people are giving me credit for.”

FULL DISCLOSURE: As stated in the article, McDonald is the managing editor of The Temple News. Other than the interview, she played no role in the writing or editing of this story. TTN is committed to accuracy and objectivity in its reporting.

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

The Temple team who spent Spring Break 2007 sleeping on Fairfax Avenue just to see Bob Barker in 'The Price is Right.' From left, Kaitlyn Kurosky, Courtney Clarahan, Chris Stover, Amanda Laskoskie, Greg Nothstein.

Four years ago today, I experienced a life-altering moment.

I saw Bob Barker live.

So, to reminisce about this experience, my article about the experience which appeared in The Temple News is after the jump.

A ‘Price’-less experience
Published March 13, 2007

CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

I lived on the streets of Los Angeles for nearly 30 hours during my spring break to hear three simple words: Come on down.

A group of five Temple students, including myself, went to Los Angeles with the goal of trying to get on one of America’s highest rated daytime game shows: “The Price is Right”.

There is an unwritten rule that that Americans are obligated to watch “The Price is Right” when they are home sick from school or work. But when host Bob Barker, 83, announced his pending retirement last October after serving as the show’s host for 35 years, I knew I had to fly across the country to see him in person.

We left Philadelphia en route to Los Angeles Sunday, March 4. As we landed at Los Angeles International Airport, we knew that the process of becoming a part of the show’s live audience was long and tedious, but we were prepared. By 7:30 p.m. that night, we had visited the CBS studio where the show airs to get our bearings. We planned to return to the studio around 3 a.m. to claim our spot in line.

But when we saw a line of almost 75 people already waiting, our plans changed.”Oh, we have to get in line,” I said with hesitance and excitement.

CBS pages told us that despite having tickets for the show, you are not guaranteed a spot in the audience until you are actually sitting in the studio.

The pages also said that prior to Barker’s retirement announcement, people typically did not line up more than 12 hours in advance to see the show.

Sunday at 9 p.m., we took blankets and pillows from our hotel, made a stop at 7-Eleven for caffeine and other necessities and headed back to CBS to take our places in line for a 15- hour wait until entrance to the studio was granted.

“It’s not too bad being homeless in California,” said freshman Courtney Clarahan, one of the students who went along. “I feel like a celebrity. A really poor celebrity.”

We had figured that since we had a lot of time on our hands, we should meet others in line. We talked to the people waiting in front of us and behind us, people from Fort Lauderdale and Sacramento.

We met a couple from Lancaster, expecting their first child in five months. It was nice to see Pennsylvanians while being 3,000 miles from home.

The first woman in line, who had gotten there at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, saw the show live more than 30 times but has never been a contestant.

She said she was going to try some wordplay to get into Contestant’s Row.

“I’m going to tell them, ‘Do you know how long I’ve been waiting in line? When I got in line, I was 67. Now I’m 68.’ Today’s my birthday. We’ll see if it works,” she said.

But we won’t know until April 4 if it did because she attended a different taping.

Everyone in line had one common bond: We were all there to see Bob Barker in his final season on “The Price is Right”. We all got to know each other and in a way formed temporary friendships, ones we knew wouldn’t last beyond the show but would be fun until then.

The crowd became quiet around 1 a.m. as most people tried to get some sleep. By morning, the crowd was extremely rowdy as people ran down the bleachers in the audience holding area giving high-fives to everyone along the way.

Everyone received their handwritten name tag, which was a lot smaller than you might imagine it to be. For me, receiving the yellow price tag was 20 years’ worth of validation – I was about to see a show and a living legend that I grew up with since I was an infant.

Around 1 p.m., it was time to enter the studio. I expected that it would be much smaller than it appears on television, but
I was still stunned. I estimated that it was about the size of Founder’s Garden on Main Campus.

Rich Fields, the announcer, came out to warm us up for a few minutes, and then the show began. My ears have never had more damage done to them – the audience’s screams were unbelievable.

And then, Barker walked out. The screams got even louder as the audience chanted, “Bob!” He looked good for 83, at least with makeup.

Although no one from our Temple group got into Contestant’s Row, the show was amazing and some of our temporary friends from line even made the show. The camaraderie among the entire audience was so strong that we would genuinely cheer for the contestants.

During the commercial breaks, Barker talked to the audience and answered questions. Though he is hard of hearing, his sense of humor and wit are great.

When the show finished, the audience, speechless and exhausted, filed out of the studio and the CBS lot in a subdued manner.

After recuperating in our hotel for a few hours, we had an idea: “Let’s do it again.”

At 10 p.m. Tuesday, we got back in line for the taping of Wednesday’s show.

I thought the camaraderie was strong for Monday’s show, but Wednesday seemed so much more powerful. Chuck Dukas, the page who acted as a crowd warmer for Wednesday’s show, told us that we were one of the best audiences he had ever seen.

A girl named Laura Stinar from Michigan was behind us in line. She had the purest, most genuine excitement about seeing the show and meeting Barker. We all thought she would be selected as a contestant.

Steiner made it to Contestant’s Row and was selected to play.

When she got on stage, she pointed to Barker and said to the audience, “It’s really Bob!”

The entire audience stood behind Stinar as she played the Card Game for a 2007 Ford Focus. Everyone was pulling for her, giving her advice. Today, Stinar is the proud owner of the Taurus.

The highlight of Wednesday’s show was seeing Plinko in person. A contestant won $3,000 playing one of the most popular games on the show. I thought to myself, “My life is complete.”

Two women from Philadelphia were in the audience. One of them, Denise, got called down to Contestant’s Row. She made her way up on stage after winning some banjos and played the Balance Game.

Though she lost her chance to a new spa, the unexpected experience was still priceless, she said.

“I didn’t go expecting to get on,” she said. “I just wanted to see the show and see Bob.”

I was able to ask Barker what his most memorable moment was in his 35 years of hosting “The Price is Right”. He answered with no hesitation.

“Oh, it’s the tube top,” he said, referring to a contestant who was so excited to get called down to Contestant’s Row that she didn’t realize her tube top had slipped down a little. “She came on down and they came on out.”

I went to “The Price is Right” hoping to be a contestant, but by no means did I leave disappointed. I had an experience that not too many other people will have.

I saw Barker, a game show icon of mine since childhood. I met so many others who camped out on Fairfax Avenue to have the same experience. And I got to hear those three words in person – “Come on down.”

Chris Stover can be reached at chris.stover@temple.edu.

Originally from The Temple News

CHRIS STOVER
Editor in Chief

Harvesting caviar in the swamps of Louisiana is just another day on the job for South Philly’s Adam Gertler. In fact, it’s just one of many jobs.

“People are going to be shocked that some of these jobs exist,” he said.

South Philly’s Adam Gertler may not have won The Next Food Network Star, but he blends comedy and his passion for food in his new show, ‘Will Work For Food’ (Courtesy Food Network).

It’s Gertler’s mission in his new Food Network show, Will Work for Food, to showcase overlooked jobs of the food industry. On the show, which premiered last night, Gertler combines comedy with his passion for food to give an accurate depiction of what these jobs entail.

“People can expect to see me do every kind of job in the food world imaginable, from working on a lobster boat to milking goats to make cheese,” Gertler said. “I have that first day [on the job] repeated and repeated and repeated.”

Gertler, 31, said food was always more of a hobby than a career goal. He grew up on Long Island and went to Syracuse University, majoring in theater. After graduation, he moved west to Los Angeles to give showbiz a try.

“I didn’t really choose food as a career,” Gertler said. “It was my passion, my hobby. I always thought I was going into performing arts. But I made more of a living doing cooking than my job as a performer.”

In 2004, an opportunity arose for Gertler and his brother to open a restaurant in Philadelphia. The Smoked Joint, located at the Academy House near 15th and Locust streets, quickly became a popular destination.

Gertler moved back east to South Philadelphia and served as the executive chef at the Center City restaurant, which served as his “grad school,” he said.

Craig LaBan, restaurant critic at the Philadelphia Inquirer, had few negative things to say about the cuisine in 2005.

“Good barbecue is all the draw an establishment like the Smoked Joint really needs, and it delivers,” LaBan wrote in his review. “Considering the recipes here were conjured by a bunch of childhood friends from Long Island, where, as Adam Gertler says, ‘the only rib places we knew were Chinese restaurants,’ it is not surprising that the food mixes and matches barbecue traditions rather than sticking to any specific regional style.”

The Smoked Joint closed in 2006, however, and Gertler put his food career on hold. It wasn’t until another opportunity arose that he pulled out his barbecue spice rubs again.

Gertler was one of 10 finalists on the fourth season of The Next Food Network Star, a reality competition where contestants vie for their own cooking show.

“It was just very exciting, an enormous amount of fun,” Gertler said. “I’m more comfortable performing than not. In a show like that, you’re asked to be on all the time.”

His cooking chops and personality propelled Gertler to the final three. His demo, called Hungry in Philadelphia, was an interactive show where viewers submitted questions to Gertler while he prepared meals. Ultimately, though, he lost to Camden native Aaron McCargo, Jr.

Gertler returned to Philadelphia after the show and waited tables at Amada in Old City. Shortly after the finale of TNFNS aired, Bob Tuschman, the network’s senior vice president of programming and production, called Gertler to offer him Will Work for Food.

“It was very exciting to hear from them. Imagine your life’s dream coming true in front of your face,” Gertler said. “My expectations were pretty much gone. To be offered Will Work for Food, I wouldn’t have imagined it in a million years.”

Tuschman, who also served as a judge on TNFNS, said the network had been discussing the concept of WWFF internally, and Adam’s “quick humor, guy-next-door quality and willingness to try anything made him the ideal host.”

“We were lucky to find several great new talent during season four [of TNFNS],” Tuschman said. “We wanted to do a ‘food jobs’ show for some time, but we couldn’t move forward until we found the perfect host, which was Adam.”

Now, Gertler travels across the country, exposing the food jobs typically overlooked by consumers. On the show, he has collected truffles in Oregon, created ice sculptures using a chainsaw and harvested caviar from Louisiana swamps.

“I will have varying degrees of success with these jobs,” Gertler said. “It’s the kind of thing where you’re not trying to goof off for the audience in any way, but a lot of humor and fun comes out of the fact that I’m dealing with masters and trying to tackle that job in a day.”

The only difference, though, is that the cameras are always rolling.

“When I make an ass of myself,” Gertler said, “it’s for the whole world to see.”

For Gertler, it’s just another day on the job.

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

It’s a few days before Christmas, which calls for an update. Despite my thinking it was impossible for Larry Mendte to get boring, I’m sure staring at it for a month isn’t too pleasing. So here are my holiday wishes.

First, I will share on behalf of The Temple News (featuring LeAnne Matlach and Dave Isaac).

And here’s a quote which, in hindsight, truly concludes my thoughts on the holiday season (as told by me to Dave through Gchat, fittingly):

“it’s awful. very boring. i’ve spent the past two days organizing my itunes and adding album artwork. and for those that don’t have album artwork…i’ve created my own in photoshop.”

So as the holiday season quickly approaches and passes, please keep a few things in mind: Google is still going to take over the world at some point, mostly with the help of Wikipedia. The Wannamaker’s/Lord & Taylor’s/Macy’s Light Show runs until New Year’s Eve. And Garnet Valley, Pa., is as boring over break as Lubbock, Texas, is all the time.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

There’s nothing like cutting down your own Christmas tree. I headed to Landenberg, Chester County, to see what draws people to Schmidt’s Tree Farm.

Fishtown has quickly become one of the most gentrified neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Through these two video packages and one interview clip, the Fishtown MURL team checks out the old-timers’ views of the “yuppies” moving in. Even Philebrity got in on the action (and to defend myself — 1) It is my own blazer, and 2) No one claimed this was breaking news).

Some Fishtown lifers don’t seem to mind the incoming younger generation.

Ed Herron has lived in Fishtown his entire life. He’s not going anywhere any time soon.

An excerpt from Herron’s interview about the rising cost of a bottle of beer.

Chris Stover
MURL

Heating prices in Philadelphia have risen 77 percent in five years, causing many to cut back. Some Fishtowners are feeling the pinch.

Chris Stover
MURL

The Fishtown Area Business Association gives local businesses the opportunity to express concerns and ideas about the local economy.

Original post from The Temple News.

Produced for the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab (MURL). Dated Sept. 17.

Private Practice star Kate Walsh decided to pop in the Draught Horse at Temple last weekend. And, of course, TTN was there.

And I shook her hand.

Original post from temple-news.com.

Audio report available here.

CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

TSG President Nadine Mompremier prepares for the upcoming semester. Motivation and action are two of her biggest goals. (Tim Bennett/TTN)

At first, it wasn’t for her.

Before getting involved in campus activities, Temple Student Government President Nadine Mompremier planned to graduate in three years. College seemed more of a necessity than an interest.

“I originally did not like school,” Mompremier said. “My involvement [in TSG] and my friends are what kept me here at Temple.”

Last year, Temple students elected the Owl V.O.I.C.E.S. slate as the 2008-2009 leaders of TSG, led by the soft-spoken Mompremier.

What began as a stint on the homecoming committee in 2006 led to her role as last year’s vice president of student affairs, and now as president of the student body.

“I’ve been watching and learning since freshman year,” the senior law and business major said.
One main goal of TSG this year is to involve more students in the legislative process, Mompremier said. It’s important to get students’ voices heard to initiate change, she said.

“Our whole goal is to get more of the student input and student voice into the TSG meetings,” she said.

A notable change to TSG this year is the inaugural Senate, a group of 32 representatives from Temple’s nine schools and colleges. Non-members can bring up concerns to the Senate, who will follow up on the issue and even pass a bill to be presented to Temple administration.

“TSG is definitely going to be the voice of the students,” Mompremier said. “We came in with a vision, and we knew what we wanted to do. And now we’re leaving it up to the students to tell us what to do from here on out.”

Mompremier is joined on the executive board by Vice President of External Affairs Nexus Cook and Vice President of Services Farzad Firoz.

Cook, a senior psychology major, will be focusing on TSG’s commitment to the community and what the organization can do to expand itself.

Firoz, a senior finance major, will be responsible for researching special projects that could potentially be brought to Temple, Mompremier said.

“It’s definitely exciting to work with both of them,” she said. “The three of us together – I feel like we make a really great team.”

What Mompremier hopes will make them a great team is their dedication and willingness to interact with students. She quit her job so she can focus more of her attention toward the issues of Temple students.

“I’m available,” she said. “Just talk to me.”

Hailing from Brooklyn, Mompremier has embraced her home in North Philadelphia, which is why she wants to accomplish so much for Temple students.

“Since I came to Temple, I’ve fallen in love with the school,” she said. “I’m definitely passionate and I definitely know we can do more.”

Mompremier speaks like she’ll be the people’s president, promising to support student organizations by attending various events and “being the best me I can be.”

“One thing that has been instilled in the TSG environment … is helping to build future student leaders,” she said. She said she had been inspired by past presidents Raysean Hogan and Juan Galeano.

The decision of whether to run for student body president was difficult for Mompremier, but she has the confidence to represent the university’s 19,000 undergraduates.

“When I came to Temple, I did not plan to be the president,” she said, smiling. “For me, it was knowing that I could do more [by] learning from everyone else.”

Now sporting sentiments opposite those she had in her freshman year, Mompremier has some simple advice for incoming students.

“Don’t be afraid to open yourself up and learn something new every day,” she said. “Get it from Gandhi – be the change you want to see at Temple.”

Mompremier’s positive attitude toward the upcoming academic year is evident when she speaks, but she’s humble about her role in TSG.

“I’m definitely trying to leave a legacy, but it’s not my main goal,” she said. “It’s to reach those one or two students who said, ‘I could never do something.’ If I can just motivate those one or two students, that’d be a great accomplishment.”

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

Original post from temple-news.com.

LEANNE MATLACH
CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

After cramming what managers called “six months of work” into 18 weeks, the newly renovated Johnson & Hardwick cafeteria is ready for business.

The Louis J. Esposito dining court will operate full service beginning this afternoon, general manager David Tolbert said.

Food stations are placed throughout the larger, new space. A permanent vegetarian and vegan display is the first station diners see upon entering, and it will be equipped with a daily vegetarian cooking display.
As the semester gets underway, Tolbert said new menu options under the Balanced Way program will begin to help students get healthy if they so choose. The program is being driven by a group of professors from Drexel University and Sodexo.

The newly renovated Johnson & Hardwick cafeteria will be fully operational by this afternoon. (Chris Stover/TTN)

“There’s way more that we can offer than we could before,” Tolbert said, emphasizing that students had previously expressed a desire for healthier fare through comment cards.

Old favorites such as the deli station, fast food station and salad bar have been revamped but will still be offering student favorites. In order to meet the most recent Philadelphia health codes, the deli and fast food stations will no longer be self-service.

Sandwiches will be made to order and hot dogs and hamburgers will be preassembled for students. Tolbert said the salad bar will now be double-sided so lines won’t be as long.

“We really tried to address all of the line issues we had before,” he said, “Everywhere we had a backup, we changed the lineup.”

To deal with flow issues, three beverage stations are spaced throughout the dining area.
The popular “sizzling salad” station has been expanded and is a permanent fixture to the dinner menu. The wrap station has also been expanded to include two extra sandwich choices and an extra salad option.

Returning students will hardly recognize the space, which has greatly increased its seating capacity from 454 to 708 seats. A building expansion of 20 feet increased seating capabilities. The dining area has booths and tables that can accommodate groups of varying sizes.

“We lost that old grade-school seating where all of the tables were lined up and the same size,” Tolbert said.

Hoping to throw away as little as possible, management gathered the old tables that were in the best condition and sent them to the Ambler Campus and the Diamond Club in Mitten Hall. Tables and chairs were also donated to local churches.

“We tried not to throw anything away that people could use,” Tolbert said.
The Valaida S. Walker Food Court in the Student Center acted as a pseudo-J&H during the summer months.

“It was an awkward setup because we were doing resident dining in a place that wasn’t built for it,” Tolbert said.

The last upgrade to the J&H cafeteria occurred while school was in session in 1993. Over more than eight months, construction crews worked to complete renovations.

“We were setting up tables in the back as people were coming in the front,” Tolbert said. “[The current project] is an amazing feat to get done in 18 weeks.”

New laminate flooring and carpet complete the modern look of J&H. Instead of one main walkway in the dining area, the laminate flooring is shaped into paths leading to all seating areas. All paths lead to the tray return, which now has sound barriers so the noise of clanging dishes no longer resonates throughout the dining hall.

“It’s like following the Yellow Brick Road in and out of the dining room,” Tolbert said.

LeAnne Matlach and Chris Stover can be reached at news@temple-news.com.

Original post from Broad & Cecil.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article Tuesday about the Tyler School of Art’s relocation to Main Campus.

One source interviewed was interim dean Therese Dolan, who was discussing funding for the school — and implied that alumni aren’t able to give much for the effort.

“I wish I was the law, medical or business school dean,” said interim dean Therese Dolan. “Their alumni have deep pockets. Ours are still waitressing.”

That quote prompted an e-mail from Dolan to the Tyler listserv about the article. She said she was “pleased” to see the long article featured but “dismayed” that her words were “taken out of context.”

She goes on to list a series of notable Tyler alumni and to mention the 56 grants available to Tyler students.

Before providing a link to the article, Dolan ended the e-mail by saying the following:

I could not be prouder to be Interim Dean of our nationally anked art school with its extraordinarily talented faculty and students.

Original post from The Temple News.

CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

Temple has been dethroned.

According to the Princeton Review’s annual list of the nation’s best colleges, Temple has dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in the most diverse student body category.

The nation’s most diverse school is now Baruch College of the City University of New York.

Diverse population is the only category of 62 in which Temple placed. The Princeton Review lists the top 20 schools in each category.

Meanwhile, Penn State University in University Park, Pa., ranked No. 3 in terms of party schools, with the University of Florida and the University of Mississippi taking Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

Other local colleges ranked, but not necessarily for positive reasons. Drexel University fared well in poor categories, like least beautiful campus (No. 3), long lines and red tape (No. 7), poor professors (No. 13) and least accessible professors (No. 15).

The University of Pennsylvania ranked 14th in best college newspaper and 20th in strained town-grown relations. On the other hand, they made the list of colleges with a conscience.

The book, which hits stores tomorrow, surveys 120,000 students from 368 colleges – two more than last year – on everything from financial aid and admissions to intramural sports and job placement.

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.

Philly.com showers us with gifts every day. And today is no different.

The Philly tour guides are suing the city because city officials believe they should be certified in order to spout out random trivia about the nation’s first capital (see, I could be a tour guide).  Obviously, the tour guides are not happy.

I side with the city on this one, for reasons the Inquirer sums up, but that’s neither here nor there.

But, the quiz is here. Try it out. See if you could be a Philadelphia tour guide. It may not be as easy as you think.

PHOTO: Attorney, Robert McNamara, talks to members of the media, as tour guides Ann Boulais, far left, Michael Tait, far right, and Josh Silver, second right, watch on, during a news conference at the Independence Visitor Center’s lawn in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. The three tour guides filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a city law that will require them to pass a history test and get a license before speaking to groups about the history of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and other landmarks. (AP Photo/Justin Maxon)

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A few posts down, you saw how my colleague LeAnne Matlach and I covered a shooting on the immediate outskirts of Temple’s campus.  As a refresher, here are the links to all the stories:

Shots fired at 15th and Norris – spot news coverage of shooting
Temple responds to shooting – e-mail sent to Temple students
Search still underway for shooting suspect – after some researching, I found some priors
No TU-Alert a louder message after shooting – colleague Shannon McDonald gives her take on the response

So…here’s the story…

It was 12 a.m., and I was in bed.  My phone rang, and I ignored it.  I listened to the voicemail, used a profanity and quickly called LeAnne.  The conversation went something like this:

LM: “Do you want me to go to the scene?”
CS: “Well, I don’t want you to go if you don’t want to.”
LM: “Do you want me to go to the scene?”
CS: “Only if you want to.”
LM: “If you tell me to go to the scene, I’ll go to the scene.”
CS: “OK.  Go to the scene.”

So, the brave girl that she is, LeAnne sends me cell phone photos to upload to the Web site immediately — just shows the need to be prepared always.

I didn’t go to bed until 3 a.m. that night.  The Philadelphia Police yelled at me a few times.  Temple Police didn’t answer their phone.  And, as you read in Shannon’s piece, no TU-Alert was sent.

Since this is my blog and not The Temple News, I will give my opinion.  Temple should have sent a TU-Alert — a text message, voicemail and e-mail to all Temple students, faculty and staff.  They say they determined it was not a random incident and appeared to be a domestic dispute.  Therefore, Temple students were not threatened.

BS they weren’t threatened.  Students live at the corner of 15th and Norris streets.  The suspect fleed toward Broad Street, the street that Temple students use to get to and from class, lunch, home.  And who could’ve known his true intentions at the time?  How could police know that his only intent was to shoot the victim?

At last check, the victim is in critical but stable condition at Temple Hospital.  The suspect, Marshall Thomas, is still at large.  And he has priors — charges that were dropped after four months for no apparent reason.

But what’s done is done, I suppose.  I hope that Temple has learned something about this.  Even if they don’t feel it’s necessary to send an alert, the students still want to be informed.  And the way to do that is through this system.

It’s up to Temple to use it wisely next time.  But let’s just hope there isn’t a ‘next time.’

Read original post from The Temple News.

Originally from The Temple News. Photo by Julia Wilkinson.

CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

Changes are coming to the Johnson & Hardwick cafeteria this summer, and it’s not in the turkey tetrazzini recipe.

The Louis J. Esposito Dining Court will see a major facelift, literally from the floor to the ceiling.

“It’s going to be a total transformation,” said Jeffrey Brown, marketing director for Temple Dining Services.

The dining hall will close at 7 p.m. tomorrow, the time when all students will be moved out of the residence halls. Lingering students will see the demolition crew arriving at that time as the construction will begin immediately, General Manager David Tolbert said.

The construction, the first structural change the building has seen since 1993, is scheduled to be finished by the fall semester, giving contractors a 19-week window to complete the renovations.

“Just like any other business or home, you definitely want to do a renovation in a timely fashion so that it’s a pleasant area,” Brown said.

The $4.2 million expansion, funded by Sodexo, will create 250 more seats in seven seating areas, bringing its total capacity to 704 people. The wall facing Annenberg Hall will be removed, and the structure will be expanded to the loading dock, Tolbert said.

The food will mostly remain the same, Tolbert said, but its availability will likely increase. A vegan bar, breakfast bar and omelet bar will be permanent features. Both the salad bar and fast food bar – which typically contains hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled cheese and french fries – will have two stations to ease overcrowding, Tolbert said.

“Just from the nature of the setup, it’s going to allow us to be more diverse and to do more things with our menu,” Brown said.

Additionally, a third beverage station will be added to the back of the dining hall. A display cooking station is planned to be added within the dining hall, which will act as a “teaching kitchen,” Tolbert said.

“We’re in the food business,” Operations Manager Dolores Abbonizio said. “I want food to be seen­—not flowers [or] statues.”

The overall goal of the new floor plan is to decrease congestion, Tolbert said.

The renovations over the summer mean new arrangements for students taking courses during the two summer sessions. Operations will be moved from J&H to the Student Center’s Valaida S. Walker Food Court.

The Burger King and Einstein Bros. Bagels will be open to use with the meal plan for cash equivalency, just as they are now. Inside the court itself, a J&H-style buffet will temporarily replace the current operations, Tolbert said.

Otherwise, no major changes will be coming to the Student Center food court. Signage updates and new food boards are the extent of the renovations, Brown said.

Posters featuring the new layouts adorn the walls as students exit the cafeteria. Brown said feedback has been positive so far.

“From what I have observed, students are excited about the dining hall being renovated,” he said. “They’re really happy to see that we’re putting our best foot forward in that area.”

Freshmen Samantha Fare and Matthew Surden, regulars at J&H, both said they are happy to see the overdue upgrades.

“I come in here a lot when it’s busy,” said Fare, a pre-pharmacy major. “We usually have to sit all the way in the back corner.”

A fan of the occasional omelet station, Fare said she is excited to see it become a permanent fixture.

“I think it’s going to be good for the cafeteria,” said Surden, a journalism major, adding that the larger areas will help the flow of traffic at the food stations.
Kristenne Perelion, a freshman accounting major, echoed the need for a change, saying the cafeteria “is kind of dull as it is.”

“It looks more like a real cafeteria,” she said, commenting on the blueprints. “And it looks really stylish – a good upgrade.”

Chris Stover can be reached at stover@temple.edu.
Staff writer Kurt Hirsch contributed to this report.