People you should KNOW

If Temple didn’t already have Hooter the Owl as its mascot, Temple Police Officer Michael McShane would be it. On patrol, McShane can be spotted steering around Main Campus throughout the day and, at times, the night, as he generously spreads his affable personality.
 
The Temple News: How long have you been working for Temple?

Michael McShane: I’ve been working with Temple since 1970, almost 40 years.

TTN: So, you must like it here.

MM: Well, they like me here, I guess.

TTN: How do you like the kids here?

MM: Well, they’re all right. They’re changing a lot, you know. They’re students, that’s what they are, not kids. Goats and llamas have kids, you know. What we have are definitely humans. We have students. But most of them are pretty good.

TTN: What changes have you seen since you have been on the force?

MM: I’ve just seen the expansion, the kids coming in and graduating, the computers and other stuff. There’s been nothing regular as far as crime and stuff. It’s kind of quiet. There are just a few small things that I have to deal with sometimes. There’s usually a few [small things] that you have to look out for, you know, but it’s not just here at Temple, it’s on [every campus]. It comes with the territory.

TTN:  How do you like your new electric car?

MM: I use it. It gets me around, and I enjoy it. I just wish I could use it better.

 Quentin Williams can be reached at quentin@temple.edu.

Japanese experience broadens horizons

In his debut multimedia column, Jimmy Viola expounds on the mystery of Tokyo.

Thin vapors of breath escaped in heaves from the furnace of my lungs, dissipating into the jeweled midnight sky. The glow of the full moon illuminated the Martian landscape and its red and black volcanic chunks. Looming above me at 12,388 feet sat the seemingly insurmountable Mount Fuji. Seven grueling hours of climbing later, I collapsed at Fuji’s summit to witness Japan’s rising sun emerge from a bed of clouds – and it was only my first weekend in Japan.

Tokyo can easily be a sensory bombardment, disorienting and overwhelming to an outsider. Familiar land marks by day morph into nearly unrecognizable neon-lit creatures by night. People sprint down the streets at all hours. The flashing lights and allure of the Tokyo nightlife attracts swarms of people like moths flying around a lamp post.

The Shinjuku prefecture is the main artery to Tokyo’s throbbing pulse. Shinjuku houses the world’s busiest subway station. More than 3 million people cross through the Shinjuku station each day. Hidden in the shadows of Shinjuku’s skyscrapers, behind the kaleidoscopic blur of red light district, is a maze of alleys known as Golden Gai, crammed with bars no bigger than walk-in closets. Locals, seeking an escape from the city’s dizzying size and tempo, flock to these intimate dives to relax after work.

I wandered into Golden Gai by chance. There is no such thing as being lost in Tokyo. Everything has its own place and time, somewhere, waiting to be discovered. From ramen shops, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples to international nightclubs, sushi restaurants and karaoke bars – Tokyo’s golden goose has laid its precious eggs at every corner of the sprawling metropolis for urban explorers to feast upon. One semester in Tokyo may only be enough to barely grasp all of Tokyo’s treasures, but I hope to at least capture through my words and images what can only be experienced.

[flickr: 14423699@N04 72157622225153393]

Jimmy Viola can be reached at jimmy.viola@temple.edu.

Dean of Students unveils new code of conduct

Ask any student on Main Campus about the university’s new code of conduct, and you may receive a blank stare, a shrug or some combination of the two.

The Office of the Dean of Students, however, expects to change this reaction, with the release of the modified code last Tuesday, Sept. 8.

The revamped regulations lay the groundwork for appropriate student behavior and state the rights of the student body. The code has been in the works since February of this year, said Associate Dean of Students and Code Administrator Andrea Caporale Seiss.

Structural changes made this year, including an overall decrease in word count, are intended to persuade more students to familiarize themselves with the code – which received its first major revisions since 2004.

“We realized that students just weren’t reading it from front to back,” Caporale Seiss said. “I think that the new code is much more reader friendly.”

According to Caporale Seiss, those involved in the adjustments invested much of their time and energy into the extensive process, which includes a member of the University Council taking a draft of the document to faculty committees, student groups through Temple Student Government and students who have previously sat on disciplinary boards for input.

It was then approved by the University Council, Provost Lisa Staiano-Coico and President Ann Weaver Hart. Students can access the code on the Office of the Dean of Students’ Web site.

“I’ve heard of it,” freshman Hillary Gargel said. “But I don’t think many people know all the bits and pieces of the code that actually apply to them, especially freshmen.”

The Office of the Dean of Students’ staff members are working to change this situation by developing new tactics, including attaching a booklet that urges students to check out the new code to the free movie tickets that the office distributes. They also sent an e-mail to students, containing information about the updated code, with the advertisement of the free tickets.

“We’re working on some other things here and there and as we get feedback from students,” Caporale Seiss said. “We want to do anything we can do to get the message out that even if you’ve already read the code once, you need to re-read it.”

Many students, including Gargel, have their own ideas about the significance of the code.
“I guess the code of conduct is a set of rules to follow,” Gargel, a biochemistry major, said. “I don’t think it will affect me personally because I’m well aware of my boundaries and what I basically should and should not do.”

The office expects to change the way students think of the code, by dispelling many common misconceptions.

“I want students not to think of it as a set of rules that they can’t do,” Caporale Seiss said. “It’s really about setting community standards and letting students know what their rights are.”

Students will be held responsible for familiarizing themselves with the code. Whether a student knows it or not, he or she can receive disciplinary action for breaking the regulations.

“Saying that you’re unaware of the code is not a defense or an excuse,” Caporale Seiss said. “We tell them that at the orientations. Transfer students even have to answer a question about it during their online orientation.”

Some students, including Gargel, find this policy to be unjust.

“I wouldn’t think it was fair to be punished without being aware of the code. It’s not like it’s well advertised,” she said.

Other students disagreed with this idea.

“I think they do need to try and get more students to learn about it,” junior accounting major Eric Conklin said. “But I still think every student should be held responsible for their own behavior.”

Brieanna Ogletree, a freshman biology major, said she agreed.

“If you were to break the rules, but you’ve never actually seen them,” Ogletree said, “how can you be held responsible?”

Time will tell whether or not students will become acquainted with the new Student Code of Conduct.

“I hope everybody at least skims through it,” Caporale Seiss said, “so that they get an idea of what their rights are as students.”

Melissa Nowicki can be reached at melissa.nowicki@temple.edu.

Geasey Field almost ready for competition

Field hockey should return to action at home Sunday.

Construction on Geasey Field has been behind schedule for three weeks now, but Karen Auerbach, associate director of athletic communications, said it’s nearing completion and will be ready some time next week.

The new turf is down and set. All that remains are drawing the lines used for field hockey, lacrosse, softball, football and soccer.

Geasey Field has been shut down for the better part of the summer as crews took their time to make sure the renovations were up to par, Auerbach said.

The field hockey team was forced to play its home games at Drexel’s Buckley Field, and the lacrosse team has been practicing at the Edberg-Olson Hall Football Complex.

Christian Audesirk can be reached at christian.audesirk@temple.edu.

Janney earns 50th win in thriller

Senior forward Mandi Ruth scored two goals, including the game-winning one, to lead the field hockey team to a 4-3 win against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

T-U-F-H. That’s the acronym spelled out on the field hockey team’s shirts, and it sounds just like it’s spelled – tough

The Owls (3-3) proved that toughness Sunday, as they won a 4-3 thriller against the winless Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-6), who were ranked No. 24 last year. The win gave coach Amanda Janney her 50th career victory.

Senior forward Mandi Ruth had two goals, the bigger one of which was undoubtedly the game winner with 1 minute, 47 seconds left in the game. Senior defenseman Kristen Wanner set up the game-winning goal and put one in the net herself earlier in the game.

“We played so well together,” Ruth said. “We had a deep bench, and everybody played a big part, not just the forwards, but the [midfielders] took good shots, too.”

It wasn’t an easy road to victory, though, as the Owls spent most of the match playing catch-up. Rutgers came out scoring with senior forward Sarah Dunn on a breakout rush. Ruth answered minutes later with her first goal, dribbling through four Scarlet Knights to set up a goal from 8 yards out.

Rutgers then took over the rest of the first half, as senior forward Jessika Hoh scored back-to-back goals on the Owls.

“I told them to pick up the intensity,” Janney said. “We played flat in the first half. We had to respond to their goals, and they just needed to wake up.”

The Owls seemed to get the message, as they pressed hard in the second half.
Wanner scored a goal off a penalty corner.

Senior midfielder Charise Young set up the goal, as Wanner beat Rutgers goalkeeper Vickie Lavell’s stick side.

Mandi Ruth’s sister, Kasey, got into the act off a one-timer from sophomore forward/midfielder Bridget Settles in the 55th minute to tie things up.

Janney’s squad kept up the rush off the restart, as the Owls got a two-on-one breakaway. Junior forward Taryn Nichols passed the ball to junior midfielder Kate Delaco to set up a one-timer.

Lavell made a highlight-reel save, though, as she dove from one side of the net to the other and took the shot right off the chest and out of play.

Following a combination of turnovers and penalty corners, Rutgers coach Liz Tchou made her way onto the field, yelling at her squad and eventually receiving a penalty of her own. Temple freshman Taylor Musser caused yet another penalty corner for the Owls.

Mandi Ruth and Wanner took over from there.

Janney took into account that the Rutgers defense would key in on Ruth and called in a play that had Wanner fake the shot, then pass it to Ruth for the game winner in the last two minutes of the game.
Rutgers had one last attempt, as the Scarlet Knights forced a penalty corner as time expired.

“I was scared,” Mandi Ruth said. “We scored late, and we lost our transition. We were all on the 50-yard line, praying it was over.”

Senior defenseman Kate Stewart said the communication in the box helped end the game and seal the victory.

“Communication is a big key,” she said. “We always play well when we’re talking and when we’re switching on cutters and knowing where the forwards are.”

“The strength of our team is the depth of our bench,” Janney said. “From the seniors to the freshmen down, we utilize all our players. Our forwards got aggressive. It was just a great job to win in the attacking end.”

The Owls are off until Friday, when they play at Delaware under the lights.

Christian Audesirk can be reached at christian.audesirk@temple.edu.

Rams brothers raise spring expectations

Filip and Kacpur Rams, who hail from Poland, finished the Navy Invitational undefeated in doubles matches. Kacpur Rams won all but one singles match.

The men’s tennis team traveled to Annapolis, Md., this past weekend for the Navy Invitational and left confidently after taking two out of three matches at the tournament.

The Owls took care of Duquesne on Friday, winning all but one match in the tournament opener. In two doubles matches, the Owls went 16-9, and in singles, freshman Kacper Rams and sophomores Filip Rams, Dmitry Vizhunov and Mansur Gishkaev each won their respective matches.

On Saturday, the Owls lost a close match to Marist, 5-4, but pulled out a 4-3 victory in Sunday’s match against a formidable Navy team, the host team, to close out the invitational.

In doubles, the Owls went a combined 22-19 against the Midshipmen with the Rams brothers and Gishkaev and Vizhunov winning their matches.

In singles, Gishkaev won the deciding match, losing the first set, 4-6, but coming back to win the next two sets with scores of 6-2 and 7-5.

Coach Steve Mauro said Kacpur Rams may have been the most surprising player of the whole tournament. Rams won all his matches except one, and Mauro said he seemed to help his older brother Filip feel more comfortable on the court.

Filip Rams led the Owls, going undefeated in three singles and three doubles matches throughout the tournament.

The Polish brothers also play doubles together and were undefeated as a tandem for the entire invitational.

“I have really good chemistry with my brother,” Filip Rams said. “Together, we are pretty solid.”
If there was a downside for the team this weekend, it came in the wake of a wrist injury to sophomore Matt King.

“We will have Matt sit out the rest of the fall and come back in the spring,” Mauro said.

With a young team, which includes five sophomores and two freshmen on the roster, Mauro said it may be tough to fill in for injuries. Nevertheless, he said his expectations for the team remain high.

“I am very pleased with the effort of my team,” he said. “We expect to be in the Top 50 in the country when the rankings come out in the early spring. I’m sure it’s probably been a long time since Temple’s been ranked that high.”

The Owls play again Oct. 10 and 11 at Lehigh, giving them time to regroup after the loss of King.

Ryan Rosengrant can be reached at ryan.rosengrant@temple.edu.

Plisko’s play lone bright spot for Owls

With a combined score of 603, the golf team ended its tournament in Annapolis, Md., 35 shots over par. The Owls return to the course Sept. 18 and 19.

The golf team opened the season in a somewhat disappointing fashion this past weekend in Annapolis, Md., at the Navy Fall Classic. Last year, the Owls finished the season in fourth place in the Atlantic Ten Conference, their best finish in seven years. Returning were all-conference golfers senior Eric Plisko and junior Andrew Mason, and expectations for the team were high, but the team got off to a rocky start.

The Owls finished 11th out of 17 teams. Their combined score of 603 was 35 over par. Northwestern won the Classic by collectively shooting a 552, or 16 under par.

“I am a little disappointed,” coach Brian Quinn said after his team lost by 51 strokes. “I expected us to be in the top 3.”

Instead, the Owls finished 29 shots behind third-place Seton Hall.

Of the 27 rounds under par at the tournament, not one came from anyone wearing a Temple golf shirt.
But if there was a bright spot for the Owls, it came in the form of Plisko. Plisko shot two rounds of 74 each and finished six shots over par, which was good enough for a tie for 30th place out of a field of 91 golfers in the event.

Andrew Mason was the next best on the team with a score of 150, which tied him for 44th place. Behind Mason was freshman David Bibeau, who shot a combined 151 and finished in 51st place. Junior Joseph Kim finished in 65th place by shooting 154, and freshman Alex McPherson shot 170 to finish in 87th place.

“The team is working really hard,” Quinn said. “It just didn’t come together this weekend.”

Northwestern’s Sam Chein was the individual winner with a score of 135, including a 64 on the final day of the tournament. That 64 was the lowest single-round score of the Classic. The top individual round for the Owls came from Plisko and Mason, who each had scores of 74. Villanova’s Brendan Kelly hit two rounds of 69 to claim not only the highest individual performance from a Big 5 player but also a third-place tie with Navy’s Ben Hayes.

The Owls return to the course on Sept. 18 and 19 in the McLaughlin Invitational in Farmingdale, N.Y. After that, they travel to Newport, R.I., for the Adams Cup of Newport on Sept. 21 and 22.

Last season, the Owls opened the season with a seventh-place finish in the Rutgers Tournament and went on to finish second at the tournament in Farmingdale.

Ryan Rosengrant can be reached at ryan.rosengrant@temple.edu.

67 years of futility and counting

The Owls last defeated Penn State on Oct. 18, 1941, with a 14-0 victory.

Last year, the football team lost to Penn State, 45-3.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the Owls came close to beating the Nittany Lions multiple times, losing to them by a combined score of five points in 1975, ’76 and ’78 and then dropping 23-18 and 27-25 decisions in 1983 and 1985, respectively.

In 1950, Temple tied Penn State, 7-7.

The last time the Owls came away victorious in the matchup was Oct. 18, 1941, less than two months prior to the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

On a rainy afternoon at Temple Stadium, then located at Mount Pleasant and Cheltenham avenues, the Owls took the field in front of 25,000 fans and defeated Penn State, 14-0.

The two teams first started playing each other in 1931, and Temple had won two of the first three meetings.

Owls back George Sutch scored the first touchdown in the first quarter. Back Andy Tomasic added another rushing touchdown in the third.

Temple gained 134 net yards, while Penn State racked up just 86, including only 21 yards from Johnny Petrella on 13 carries. The Nittany Lions turned the ball over four times, committed seven penalties and lost two players to injuries.

The Owls are 3-34-1 all-time against Penn State.

Jennifer Reardon can be reached at jennifer.reardon@temple.edu.

Four wins already match last season’s total

After defeating Albany, 4-3, the women’s soccer team improved to 4-1-1. Last year, the Owls finished 4-11-4.

After getting off to a fast start, sophomore midfielder Niki Conn and the women’s soccer team are hopeful that the problems of last season are a thing of the past.

Fueled by two goals from Conn, the Owls defeated the Albany Great Danes on Sunday, 4-3. With the win, Temple’s record now stands at 4-1-1. The four wins equal the victory total from last season, and the team’s success has been a result of a changed mentality, coach David Jones said.

“We returned a lot of players this year. Everybody came in pretty fit and with the right attitude,” Jones said. “Part of it is luck, but we’ve made a bunch of that luck for ourselves.”

“We want this for each other,” Conn added. “We’re playing for each other, which is a big difference from last year, when we were just playing for ourselves.”

As for Conn, her two goals in the win over Albany give her six for the year, which leads the Cherry and White. As the season progresses, Conn and Jones said they’re aware that opposing teams are likely to hone in on Conn defensively.

“We think we have four or five kids that can score at this level,” Jones said. “We hope people start keying in on Niki because I’ll tell you, there are other players on this team that can be dangerous.”
“I’m not the only one scoring,” Conn said. “We have about seven players this year that have scored for us, so I’m confident in their abilities.”

While Conn is the undisputed focal point of the offense, Jones will look to players like freshman midfielder Kate Yurkovic and sophomore forwards Allicia Yurkovic and Nicky Petrillo to provide a consistent scoring threat.

Defensively, the Cherry and White return senior midfielder/defenseman Carly Metzger and junior defenseman Julia Adden. Together, the duo combined to start 35 games last year. Also expected to see significant playing time are junior Liz Roper and sophomore Tiia Kuokka, who finished second on the team in assists last year.

In the net, junior goalkeeper Kara Williams has gone down with an injury, opening the door for freshman goalkeeper Gillian Kacsuta to start.

“Gil’s worked hard. She’s done well,” Jones said. “She was probably a little nervous the first game, but she’s gotten a couple of games under her belt now, so she’s fine.”

The transition from Williams to Kacsuta has been a flawless one, largely in part to the experience in the defensive backfield.

“We have pretty much everybody returning in the back,” Jones said. “They’re pretty comfortable with their positions, so it’s just another player in goal. Everybody’s been very supportive of Gil.”

As a whole, Jones appears to be confident in his team’s ability, but he does see a few weaknesses in the squad.

“Some of the girls are probably unsure about what they can and can’t do,” Jones said. “It’s all about building confidence week in and week out. Every game’s been a battle, so that’s helped.

“We also need to start feeling comfortable,” Jones added. “If we fall down a goal, we have to know we can come back and score the equalizer. It’s an attitude that’s going to take some time to learn.”

Despite these weaknesses, the Owls seem to believe they have the talent to make a postseason run.
“We can make the A-10 tournament,” Jones said. “Early on, we’re going to surprise some people. Once we get to the tournament, not too many teams are going to want to play us.”

“I think we have a pretty good chance at making the tournament,” Conn said. “We’re trying to go for the NCAA Tournament, but it’s a long journey to get there.”

The Owls travel to New York this weekend to play Binghamton and Niagara before starting conference play at Dayton Sept. 25.

Kyle Gauss can be reached at kyle.gauss@temple.edu.

Threats to watch out for at PSU

Penn State’s defense could cause havoc for Owls’ offense.

After a 16-day layoff, Temple returns to the field following a heartbreaking last-second loss to Villanova. The Owls travel to Beaver Stadium to play Penn State in hopes of putting their season-opening loss and last season’s embarrassing loss to the Nittany Lions behind them. Here are three keys for each team to watch for on Saturday.

Temple:
Want Revenge: The Owls travel back to Penn State with a bad taste in their mouths after getting dominated, 45-3. After hanging with the Lions through the first quarter, Temple lost starting quarterback Adam DiMichele to a shoulder injury and trailed 31-0 at halftime.

Turnovers: For Temple to stay close with Penn State Saturday, the Owls need to hold onto the football, which was a major problem against Villanova. Redshirt junior starting quarterback Vaughn Charlton threw three interceptions, the final one deep in Owls territory that set up the game-winning field goal as time expired. Running backs Kee-ayre Griffin and Lamar McPherson also turned the ball over.

Who Gets the Call?: If the Owls score a touchdown or are in field-goal range, it will be interesting to see who coach Al Golden sends out to convert the point-after-touchdown or field-goal attempt. Golden pulled redshirt senior kicker Jake Brownell after he missed his first field-goal try and replaced him with true freshman Brandon McManus. McManus converted a 25-yard field goal and added three PATs.

Penn State:
A Good Start: After crushing Akron, 31-7, to open the season, the Nittany Lions beat Syracuse, 28-7. Penn State opened the season ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press pre-season Top 25 poll and returns 10 starters after last year’s Rose Bowl appearance.

He Can Do It All: Quarterback Daryll Clark returns for his senior year and looks to beat up on Temple’s defense like he did last season. Clark, who threw for three scores last weekend, threw for two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown last year.

Sack Masters: The Penn State defense is already off and running. The Nittany Lions have six sacks in their first two games, and they look to add to that number Saturday. Temple quarterbacks were sacked six times last year against Penn State.

Pete Dorchak can be reached at pdorchak@temple.edu.

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