Main Campus’ plan takes shape

You can see the blueprint slowly taking shape among the emerging Temple campus.

Both Alter Hall and the Tyler School of Art mark the latest additions to the growing oasis located in North Philadelphia.

Temple is in the process of executing its Master Plan for the university’s urban renewal.

Former Temple President Peter Liacouras’ vision for redeveloping the university’s Main Campus involved developing more student housing at both sides of the campus, including new classrooms and laboratories to replace the outdated facilities, adding shops and restaurants and building a sports arena on campus.

His plan, however, was sometimes criticized as an effort to insulate Main Campus from the surrounding North Philadelphia neighborhood.

The idea was never fully implemented, though. However, the campus has nevertheless undergone a major makeover including both renovation and innovation.

The Liacouras Center began the transformation that included Liacouras Walk, the spine of Main Campus.
After the area was completed, additions like Tuttleman Learning Center, a new Center City campus, multiple dorms, an expanded Student Center and the highly-touted TECH Center were included.

“We reshaped the message of the university,” said Liacouras, regarded by some as perhaps the most important figure in Temple’s 125-year history. “People said we were abandoning Philadelphia schools, but no, we were reshaping who we were structurally.

“We didn’t have a large enough base in Philly to increase our student body. So, we went out of the city, we developed partnerships with the community colleges. We were giving more opportunities, not less.”

Cope Linder Architects was asked to complete a rendering of what Liacouras’ idea would look like. The firm had used the idea of closing 13th Street and filling in streets intersecting the campus with brick, concrete and stone, including an organic overhaul adding trees, flowers and an area for the lunch trucks that now occupy 13th Street and Montgomery Avenue.

Cope Linder partner Robert Keppel described the group’s approach to the design.

“We were of the opinion that Temple should close 13th street, and should follow suit of John Hopkins and the University of Pennsylvania in improving community relations in order to expand.”

Temple’s future is bright, and with new buildings, new ideas and a restored venue to accentuate intelligence, the result will inevitably include inspiration and imagination.

Tom Rowan can be reached at thomas.rowan@temple.edu.

Solution Suggested

A hearing Wednesday was supposed to settle the matter of Temple students living in Yorktown and other neighborhoods surrounding Main Campus covered under the North Central Philadelphia Community Special District Controls.

Unfortunately, there was no decision. Instead, there was confusion, wrangling and long-winded expounding by lawyers.

We understand there needs to be a method for the landlords and community to settle their dispute, and the legal system is certainly equipped to do that.

That being said, the legal system, specifically the Zoning Board of Adjustment, has inherent limitations that make it a less than desirable solution to the Yorktown situation.

The first problem is one of mere logistics. The community wants to make its wishes known and wants to make a presence at the hearings for landlords’ appeals. But some are elderly and don’t have cars to drive to Center City to make the hearings. Others have jobs they can’t take days off from on a week’s notice. This is especially problematic considering the first hearing was held at 1 p.m., hardly a convenient time.

Another problem is the financial resources. The community does not have the money to hire the lawyers the landlords have. This leaves them at a disadvantage in the courts.

We believe there is another solution. Instead of involving the courts, the community and the landlords, this solution would change the players. First, the courts would be left out. Second, both Temple and students living in the community would be involved. As we see it, there are four different groups this affects. Those groups are the students, the community, the landlords and Temple.

Why not come together and find a solution ourselves instead of leaving it to obscure precedents and outside boards? The solution on Temple’s end could be to have any students living in special district boundaries sign a statement swearing to maintain the property and keep noise levels down. If too many complaints are fielded by Temple about a property, it could take punitive measures.

The landlords could agree not to change the aesthetic of the neighborhood by not paving over lawns or changing homes too much and keeping all their houses single-family dwellings.

Lastly, a board could be set up involving at least one member from Temple and the community, a landlord and someone from Temple Student Government. These people could be the go-to for any problems or complaints.

This would create a harmonious and functioning relationship among a model community, landlords and a world-class university, instead of leaving the decision up to courts and lawyers.

Professors deserve an adequate raise

After waiting in an agonizingly long line at the bookstore, paying for an expensive textbook is the last thing a student needs. Textbook prices seem to reach new heights every year, just like Temple’s tuition, a bill likely to make a student faint.

Then, I began looking at the numbers.

For a public university, Temple’s tuition rates seem a bit high.

Tuition is nowhere near that of a private university, like University of Pennsylvania’s tuition rate of $51,300 for the 2008-2009 academic year. Still, our school’s tuition is over-the-top compared to state schools like West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where full-time in-state undergraduates pay just $6,047.

For the 2008-2009 academic year, Temple cost most full-time in-state undergraduates $11,448 and out-of-state residents $20,468.

In fact, the price of tuition for Temple students who are out-of-state residents is driving some away.
Alex Roda, a sophomore education major and New Jersey native, applied to transfer to Rowan University, located near his home town.

At Rowan University, Roda will be paying roughly the same amount as Temple in-state-residents, $10,908 a year. Roda will also save money if he decides to live at home.

Roda is one of many students across the country who is resorting to transferring to in-state or community colleges as a way of shouldering the burden of higher education costs.

Because of the economic climate, I found it alarming when I heard that Arthur Hochner, president of the Temple Association of University Professionals, said it “makes no sense” that Temple cannot afford to give pay increases to faculty. But after speaking with Hochner, I realized he was not crazy for negotiating salary increases.

The human resource management professor mentioned that the state did not provide approximately $11 million out of the $190 million promised to Temple.

“That’s a chunk of the budget, but out of Temple University’s approximate $800 million budget for educational purposes, it’s a fairly small amount, and they’ve already said that they’ve accounted for it through a hiring freeze and a travel freeze,” Hochner said.

Hochner said TAUP spent time reviewing Temple’s annual financial statements, the analysis of the statements indicate that the university has a “healthy, robust budget.”

A healthy budget in the midst of this economic downturn makes it understandable that Hochner and TAUP are fighting for their share of the cherry and white budget pie.

TAUP has been in negotiations with Temple since Oct. 15, 2008. The latest offer made by TAUP regarding pay raises was offered in December 2008, to which Temple negotiators did not respond.

“Between the [faculty and students], we have the essence of a university,” Hochner said. “We’re not going to have a university without students, and you’re not going to have an education without the professors.”

The professors of this university are the ones educating us, guiding us in the field of study we choose. They deserve a decent increase in their salaries.

Joshua Fernandez can be reached at josh.fernandez@temple.edu.

It’s a hard rock life

Seven-year-old Samuel Coffin ran excitedly into the dressing room near the upstairs stage of West Philadelphia’s World Café Live.

“Did you see me playing the drums up there?” he asked, smiling from ear to ear.

His excitement made sense, given the young drummer had just stepped off stage after his first live performance. Coffin was the youngest of some 20 other products of the Paul Green School of Rock Music performing two nights in one weekend.

For this show, the students performed the Beatles’ White Album, in its entirety, from “Back in the U.S.S.R.” to “Good Night.” Different students rotated on and off the stage for each song, some playing multiple instruments throughout the set.

The kids, ranging in age from 7 to 18, played to a jam-packed room full of many of their encouraging families and friends.

Paul Green founded the Paul Green School of Rock Music in Philadelphia in 1998. It is now a national franchise, with schools in cities across the United States.

Before officially founding the school, Green taught music lessons from his living room.

Eric Slick was his first drum student then and is now a drum instructor at the Philadelphia school.

“I love hanging out with the kids,” said Slick, who directed the school’s Beatles performances. “They’re hilarious, intelligent and they like music as much as I do.”

Students enroll at rock school for a “season” and have 45-minute lessons after school, Monday through Thursday. Once a week, they attend longer group rehearsals, learning songs for upcoming shows at the end of each season. Options for shows have included Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Guns N’ Roses vs. Motley Crüe and Led Zeppelin.

Dave Pap, a drum instructor at the school, stood in the back of the crowded room, looking proudly at his students on stage and applauding their efforts. Pap attended the school for seven years before becoming an instructor.

“It’s great,” Pap said. “You get to see these kids improve so much [during their lessons], and then you get to see it on display in these shows.”

The talents of these many young musicians were on display, as they made their way through some of the most challenging Beatles songs in the band’s catalogue.

“This is the most challenging show I’ve directed,” Slick said. “The White Album is one of the hardest Beatles albums to play, and these kids did a great job with it.”

Steve Henderson, 16, a classically trained flute player, played lead guitar on some of the songs in the set, including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

“My dad used to put on The Who and Led Zeppelin, and I said to myself, ‘I want to do that,’” Henderson said about his start at learning guitar. “There’s so much leeway [with guitar] to create your own sounds, and it’s cool getting exposed to new things.”

The Paul Green School of Rock Music exposes its students to a lot of new things, while turning them into bona fide rock stars. Standout students from schools around the country have the opportunity to audition for the School of Rock All-Stars, who tour the country, often performing with famous rockers like Ann Wilson, Slash, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper and Eddie Vedder.

Students performing the White Album seemed to enjoy the challenge of learning the music and reveled in the chance to perform at World Café Live.

“I was worried about it for weeks,” said Emma Boone, 15, who played keyboards and sang in the show, “but it just got to a point where I was like, ‘this is awesome.’”

“It’s a lot more fun playing with a circle of musicians that you know,” Boone added.

Madeleine Stevens, Boone’s friend and fellow performer, said playing music provides a nice break from the normal high school routine.

“The biggest thing I do outside of high school is rock school,” the 16-year-old bassist and vocalist said. “This was a hard show to pull off, but it went well.”

One of the most animated performers on stage during the show was Pete Squadrito. At 18, Squadrito is the oldest in the group of students and shined under the spotlight. For his enthusiastic performance, he offered a very simple explanation.

“The Beatles are one of my favorite bands, so I felt a lot of pressure to play the songs well,” he said. “You can’t let down The Beatles.”

For Squadrito and many other students, Paul Green’s School of Rock Music has been much more than an after-school activity. It has been a major part of their lives, pointing them in positive directions.

“I mean this in a metaphorical sense,” Squadrito said, “but if it weren’t for rock school, I would probably be dead or something close. I’ve made a lot of good friends, and I really enjoy playing with them.”

Kevin Brosky can be reached at kevin.brosky@temple.edu.

Keeping Count

The first semester’s tuition for law classes at Temple in 1884 was $12.

Inflation really sneaks up on you sometimes. That’ll happen over the span of 125 years.

The Temple News is proud to bring you this special edition, featuring coverage of Temple’s 125th anniversary.

Each of us is here for a reason. For some of us, Temple was our top college choice. For others, it was farther down the list. And a select few might have come kicking and screaming.

Regardless, we are here receiving a top-notch education during the school’s 125th birthday.

When it comes down to it, we all deserve to celebrate this anniversary equally. Without Russell Conwell, none of us would be here. From the administration to the freshman class, we should all feel fortunate to be at Temple during this significant time, and we should all have an opportunity to reflect on the storied history of this university.

However, celebrating is hard to come by right now. The struggling economy has had an impact on most of us in some fashion, and Temple University is no different. Just a few weeks ago, The Temple News reported the university must cut $40 million from its operating budget for 2009-2010.

Where’s that money going to come from?

The university has already cut about $11 million. A hiring freeze is in place, and out-of-state travel is mostly restricted. Grants have been lost, and jobs may be in danger.

All the while, tuition is on the rise. This is nothing unusual, as tuition rates for many colleges across the country rise annually.

But anything that is perceived as frivolous spending will be perceived as coming from our bank accounts. Dollars that could have gone to scholarships or other academic needs were instead spent on tablecloths and special flags. We hope it doesn’t come to that.

Reaching 125 years is a milestone worth commemorating, but in these tough economic times, a close eye will be placed on the administration to see where money is going. Anything that seems excessive will be questioned.

Sacrifices must be made by everyone. As students, we should understand if the luxuries we once were given – Liacouras Walk picnics, ice skating at the Bell Tower – are temporarily put on hold.

Temple almost reached its goal of raising $350 million. Let’s see that money go more toward our academics and less toward party favors.

Zero credits teach skills, save money

Few students realize that Temple has a department that exclusively organizes classes for no credits.
Most students are confused by the notion of a zero-credit course. A few students might laugh at the idea because, after all, why would anyone want to take a class without receiving credits toward graduation in return?

“We offer courses for both professional development and personal enrichment,” said Kevin Wood, director of Temple’s non-credit program.

Personal enrichment courses offer endless possibilities, from personal finance courses to courses in cooking, dance, music and literature.

Center City Savvy, billed as the program’s “most fun course,” is taught by Center City Proprietors Association co-founder Tom Harris and includes behind-the-scenes tours of some of the city’s most venerated landmarks such as the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music.

Other courses like Beginning Your Novel allow working people to delve into hobbies they may not have otherwise pursued but always wanted to try.

Dancing for Weddings, Do-it-Yourself Home Repair and others teach important life skills, which could potentially save time and money.

The personal enrichment half of the program also offers a number of different languages, including multi-level courses in Polish, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic and Italian, with a special course on Spanish for those in the medical field.

The professional development half of the program is more conventional.

The culmination of each set of courses is a certificate that can only be received upon completion of all required courses. There are 10 different certificates ranging from Management and Leadership to Interior Design, from to Financial Planning to Business Writing.

Wood said the courses work on specific skill sets. He also said the final certificate is a nice resume addition, showing prospective and current employers that holders are serious about their careers and deserve that next job opening.

Students who register for classes with the non-credit program are working professionals who want to take the next steps in their careers or simply want to enrich their quality of life by acquiring new skills.
While the program is open to anyone, it is less directed at the general student body and more at the working residents of the city.

But nothing stops Temple students from taking them. Check out the TUCC Web site for more information on non-credit courses.

Michael Polinsky can be reached at michael.polinsky@temple.edu.

Postseason hopes on the line with challenging slate ahead

The calendar has turned.

Football season is over.

The focus, the attention, it all shifts to the world of college basketball.

And with 10 games to go until the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament in Atlantic City, N.J., things are starting to get serious for the men’s basketball team.

Sitting at 12-8 overall and 4-2 inside the A-10, the Owls now find themselves squarely on the bubble for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. They’ve had some good wins, some ugly wins, some tough losses and some bad losses. There’s been a little bit of everything thus far this season.

And this week, looming showdowns with No. 9 Xavier (19-2, 7-0) Thursday in Cincinnati and Rhode Island (15-7, 4-3) Sunday at the Liacouras Center could go a long way in determining the Owls’ fate.

Temple will also be looking for revenge in the later of this week’s two contests, as last Wednesday in Kingston, R.I., the Rams beat the Owls, 67-58, in a game where the Cherry and White shot just 2-for-15 in the second half from behind the 3-point line.

Xavier, which started the season outside the Top 25 and has since piled up wins over Virginia Tech, Memphis and Louisiana State, has been the powerhouse of the A-10 this decade, making the NCAA Tournament every year except the 2004-2005 season.

The Musketeers haven’t lost a conference home game since Feb. 28, 2005, against Saint Joseph’s, and the only team to beat them this year at the Cintas Center was No. 11 Butler. Combine that with the fact that the Owls have beaten Xavier just once on the road in school history and, this year, are a less-than-stellar 5-7 outside the city of Philadelphia, and things are about to get real tough for coach Fran Dunphy’s squad in two nights.

With all that looming, senior guard Semaj Inge took a more relaxed, controlled approach to his team’s big stretch of games.

“We’re going to take [Sunday] off and get back at it in the weight room Monday and practice in the afternoon,” Inge said after the Owls’ 74-65 victory over Richmond Saturday night. “We’re just going to go as hard as we can to get ready for this next week.”

That will have to be the case, as the Owls can hardly stand to fall apart with so little time remaining in the season.

Thus far, they have tallied up marquee wins over then-No. 7 Tennessee (13-7, 4-2 in the Southeastern Conference) and a road victory against Penn State (17-5, 6-3 in the Big Ten) but have also dropped games to the likes of Long Beach State (11-9, 6-2 in the Big West) and Massachusetts (7-12, 2-4). And sure, those teams might be better than their records indicate, but the selection committee probably doesn’t care about that.

It sees losses to teams it knows Temple is better than, and that counts negatively toward the Owls gaining an at-large bid. But, the Owls still have chances to make things look better with the two contests this week, two dates with St. Joe’s (12-8, 5-1) and road matchups with Duquesne (14-6, 5-2) Feb. 15 and Dayton (20-2, 6-1).

In addition to that, the Owls have some very winnable games against Fordham, St. Bonaventure, La Salle and George Washington — which could help them pile up victories they desperately need.

Temple’s RPI currently stands at 48, and its strength of schedule stands at 47 entering tonight’s games, which are numbers that are certainly good enough to be in the discussion come March. But the Owls’ résumé will go up against the résumés of about 100 different schools, and teams like Butler, Memphis or Gonzaga — squads that are assured of at-large bids — could also lose in their respective conference tournaments, opening the door for another team to grab an automatic bid.

So with all those elements in play, it’s pretty obvious what the Owls need to do.

“We need to win every game we can. We’re in the stretch,” Dunphy said. “I think every game from now on is going to be a hellacious war that we’re going to have to get ready for. And it starts with Xavier on Thursday.”

Todd Orodenker can be reached at todd.orodenker@temple.edu.

Pillow Talk: Win game of love with ’straight line’

I am absolutely terrible at playing games — every game.

Give me a Rubik’s Cube, and I’ll probably die of old age before I can solve it. Hand me a crossword, and I’ll fill in two words before tossing it aside in exasperation. Suggest putting together a puzzle, and I’ll laugh in your face. I’m pretty sure I’ve never even won a game of Mario Kart — kind of embarrassing.

I don’t really work in terms of logic. Building a hotel on Park Place using all of my hard-earned Monopoly money, only on the off chance that someone else playing should land on it and pay me, doesn’t make sense in my mind. I’d rather hold onto my small fortune, thank you very much.

Somehow, it doesn’t make sense to me that a little bit of twisting and turning in the process of any kind of experience could somehow lead to a better outcome. The quickest path between two places is a straight line, so that’s the path I like to take.

Mind games, in turn, are not my thing. I would be a horrible politician (I’m also bad at lying), and if Jigsaw decided to pass his legacy on to me for some reason, the entire Saw collection would quickly go down the tubes.

So, when it comes to mind games of love and sex, there’s one thing that I do: fail.

OK, maybe I’m being a bit hard on myself, but it’s pretty bad. My relationships until this point have been formed because I have bigger metaphorical balls than the guy I’m interested in and am willing to be the first to say, “Yeah, I like you. Do you like me?” I can’t deal with the whole hard-to-get thing – probably because I’m not hard to get. I’m not hard to get because I’m incredibly impatient, not because I’m incredibly desperate.

One of my girls once said mind games are all about “manipulating the equilibrium of power in a relationship” (yes, that’s an actual quote, and yes, our conversations sound that intelligent). Where I’m horrible at games, I’m really good at obtaining and maintaining power — it’s not too difficult when you’re headstrong and taller than half the men you date.

I guess I just don’t understand why relationships – physical and emotional – can’t be boiled down to the basics. Why is role-play a turn on? Why should I dress up like a French maid and make my partner dress like a butler named Jeeves if our clothes are going to end up on the floor anyway? And why should I wait between two and five days to call or text back someone I’m extremely interested in?

I want what I want, and I want it now. The fundamentals of attraction are lost on me, I guess. Maybe I should pick up a book or two on the male (or, for that matter, female) mind, but I’m a poor college student. Plus, I doubt Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus would tell me anything I don’t already know.

This is a public, possibly embarrassing way of exercising my demons, but at this point, it’s really my only complaint. I usually like complications; hell, I’m an English major! I live for sentences so contrived in symbols and metaphors that they’re almost past the point of recognition. I guess when I’m so busy analyzing the written word, I have no patience for the contrived human mind.

When it comes down to it, I know I’m going to have to deal with the annoying games so entwined with the basis of modern American relationships, but I don’t care who knows I’m not happy about it.

Libby Peck can be reached at elizabeth.peck@temple.edu.

On Stage: No sympathy for Asher Lev

It is always exciting when a new play premieres in our city. These works tend to be raw, daring and cutting-edge. The Arden Theatre Company’s world-premiere production of My Name is Asher Lev is no exception, in spite of a few too many self-indulgent moments and run-on monologues.

My Name is Asher Lev is based on the best-selling novel by Chaim Potok. The novel details the life of a Brooklyn-born Hasidic boy with aspirations of becoming an artist. His strict Jewish upbringing and environment serve as obstacles to his artistic passion, confusing and bewildering the young man.

The play opens with Asher, as an adult, explaining that “Torah Jews do not become painters,” that art is viewed by the Hasidim as sacrilege and foolishness.

The adolescent Asher, played by Karl Miller, must reconcile his faith with the love he has for making art.

In spite of clashes with his family (Asher is caught at the age of 10 copying images of nudes and a crucifixion), some of the adults in his life eventually realize he is gifted. He becomes a well-respected artist in the 1950s New York art scene but pays a personal price for his passion.

The 90-minute one-act play, adapted and directed by Aaron Posner, shows the turbulent relationship between parents and children and between religion and culture. The antipathy between Hasidic Judaism and contemporary culture is not often portrayed on the stage, making the play unique.

We see the struggle between what Asher calls his father’s “aesthetic blindness” and what his father calls Asher’s “moral blindness.” But the dialogue and seemingly endless monologues, as performed by Miller, tend to drag the story down and leave the audience aching for more action.

Posner is one of the co-founders of the Arden and in 1999 co-adapted Potok’s The Chosen.

“I respond deeply to the stories and worlds Chaim weaves so beautifully in his novels,” Posner said, “and I am pleased and proud to be able to bring another one to a new audience in a new form.”

Thankfully, Gabra Zackman and Adam Heller deliver commanding performances in My Name is Asher Lev. Zackman’s portrayal of Asher’s mother Rivkeh, a frail woman who is emotionally unstable for most of Asher’s adult life, is haunting. As Asher’s father, Aryeh, Heller is an enigmatic force, trying to instill the same faith in his son that he has sustained throughout his life. He also plays the rabbi and a famous artist who takes Asher under his wing.

In a coming-of-age story like this one, we need a title character with heroic qualities. But Miller’s portrayal of Asher, or perhaps the lengthy monologues, failed to draw me in, and I felt less sympathy for Asher than Posner intended.

A spare set, made up of a few chairs and tables, craftsman-style pillars and a few large gold frames scattered on the thrust stage, reflects the solitude of Asher’s journey and the innocence of his youth.

The flashes of gold throughout the set seem to speak of Asher’s creative genius in an otherwise drab existence. The austere costumes accurately mirror the spare life of the Hasidic Judaism, traditional and colorless. In contrast, the costume of the Manhattan gallery owner is eclectic and bold.

Posner’s direction of the play uses lots of symbolism, including blank canvases to represent Asher’s artwork, leaving your imagination to do the rest. I imagined surrealism and Asher as an American Dali.

My Name is Asher Lev, which marks the 29th world premiere at the Arden, is a fascinating story that focuses on the trappings and peculiarities of a particular religion but can appeal to just about anyone. Its universal themes – family, youth, identity, religious tradition and dogma – will tug at your emotions.

Max McCormack can be reached at edwin.mccormack@temple.edu.

Offbeat Academia: Identity comments don’t faze self-esteem

Winter has taken my identity, or what’s left of it.

On any day in February, at any time, I can be found wearing at least three layers of clothes – ratty clothes, at that. I get my brother’s hand-me-ups (he’s a mustachioed 13-year-old, already taller than I am), one being his black and blue nylon coat. And some boy ripped all the tassels off my gray hat in eighth grade.

If my chest wasn’t small enough, it’s virtually non-existent now. Whatever subjective curves I had – gone. I am now a little boy.

But this didn’t just start in December. I’ve been a little boy since I was 5. My mom dressed me up as a vagabond for Halloween, cutting the fingertips off my gloves and using her eye pencil to spot my cheeks and chin with stubble. At every house, they asked my sex before I got a piece of candy. What a hassle! That’s probably why I opted for Tinkerbell the next year.

I didn’t wear an underwire bra until I was 14 (even then, I had room inside an A-cup). I got along with boys in high school because I was one. Boys felt OK around me because I was one.

Once I came to college, I had matured enough to fulfill my feminine role or so I thought. My parents and I went out for breakfast the morning I moved into 1300 residence hall last year. The waitress chatted us up a bit after we’d finished our meals.

“How old is he?” she asked my mom in a hushed voice with a smile. I let it go and answered for her.

“I’m 18.” She wouldn’t believe me.

“You must be 12,” she laughed. She thought I was playing around, until my father stepped in.

“No, she’s 18, and she’s a girl.”

I felt uncomfortable because the waitress looked so embarrassed. She mumbled a few apologies, took the check and left. I laughed it off with my parents and forgot about it immediately. We were standing up when she returned.

“Oh, well, now I can see you’re a girl.”

Oh yes, because now that I’m standing, you can clearly make out my voluptuous female figure.

“Your hair’s so short, and you were slouching a bit, so I couldn’t tell.”

OK, lady, you’re making a scene. I didn’t cry or anything, so you don’t really have to apologize.

I’m tired of people feeling sorry for me or giving me that hand on the shoulder and saying, “You’re obviously a girl.” No one is going to know much about me on the first encounter, so what makes gender more significant than other aspects of my character?

I write this confession not only as a testimony to my experience, which may be shared by others, but also as an opportunity to come out of my androgynous closet. I can look like a boy. You don’t know anything I don’t.

So please, don’t try to sympathize when the clerk mistakes me for your little brother. You’re only creating tension. When the nursing home resident called me a “young man,” I felt no loss of pride or self-esteem. Don’t apologize for him or correct him. He might tell me a good joke or show me a magic trick.

And please don’t try to comfort me by reassuring me of my femininity. I create my own. I don’t care about the way I look. I appreciate a 12-year-old boy just as much as I do a 19-year-old girl, so I take it all the same. Who has time to get in a rut about gender identity anyway?
Don’t be so nervous about your pronouns.

Sarah Sanders can be reached at sarah.sanders@temple.edu.

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