Bar Review: Monk’s Belgian Café

Monk’s Belgian Café
264 S. 16th St.
215-545-7005

In the heart of Philadelphia, just a few blocks from South Street, is one of the world’s greatest beer bars. Monk’s Belgian Café, located at 16th and Spruce streets, is truly a beer-lover’s bar.

Inside, dark-wood paneling and large mirrors set off the glow from candles in Chimay glasses that line the bar. Copper-hammered bars in the front room allow patrons to drink and peruse copies of the Ale Street News and Mid-Atlantic Brewing News. Monk’s booths, reminiscent of old English monastery pews, add authenticity and warmth to the friendly ambiance.

You’re sure to see plenty of boxed-frame glasses on tight jean-wearing hipsters sipping various brews – all served in a type-specific glass – as they mingle with tattooed beer lovers of various ages.

Monk’s always features beer and brewing-related dinners that specialize in the tasting of rare liquors and beers paired with exquisite cuisine. Be sure to make reservations, as these events sell out frequently. As for beer specials, there are none ¬– the selection and quantity of rare beers is special enough.

Almost all Monk’s food is cooked in different ales, beers and wines. The menu has much to munch on, including lamb, award-winning burgers, Belgian beef stew and mussels. The fresh mussels are a house favorite, and crocks are available in nine different flavors. Be prepared to pay anywhere from $10 to $40 for dinner.

Since Monk’s specializes in high-quality beers from all over the world and offers more than 225 kinds, the prices vary. You can get a domestic beer for $4.50. Other beers range from $6 (Monk’s Flemish Sour Ale) to $99 (Chimay Grand Reserve Jeroboam), most coming in 22- to 25-ounce bottles. If you feel like splurging, try the Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 for $30. This heavy, dank, almost syrupy beer is aged in a 30-year-old cask of Highland Park whiskey, served in a gigantic snifter.

Kali Wyrosdic can be reached at kali.wyrosdic@temple.edu.

Cardoza only focused on task at hand

Minutes before the top of the hour and the start of the Selection Show, Tonya Cardoza was all business.

Seated in the middle of her team, the first-year coach was quietly anticipating the start of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show last night in the Fox Gittis Room in the lobby of the Liacouras Center.

It wasn’t until approximately 7:45 that it was announced that the Owls would face the Florida Sunday afternoon in Storrs, Connecticut.

If the No. 9 Owls defeat the No. 8 Gators they will have a chance to play the top-ranked and undefeated Huskies in the second round of the Trenton Region.

“We’re not looking at UConn,” Cardoza said. “Our opponent is Florida and that’s who we’re looking at right now.”

Most outside the Temple locker room weren’t looking at the Owls to make a run at the NCAA Tournament this season. In the midst of a coaching change and losing their two top performers earned Temple a fourth place ranking in the pre-season Atlantic Ten Conference rankings.

Cardoza and her young squad silenced the critics by going 21-9 with an 11-3 mark in the A-10 to finish second in the conference.

With Cardoza coming to North Broad Street and leading Temple to a Tournament appearance in her first year, many on campus are hoping that the 20th women’s basketball coach in Temple’s history stays awhile.

Cardoza can’t look that far. In fact, she can’t even look past Florida and a possible second round match up with UConn. All she and her team can do is get back to practice and enjoy the experience for however long it lasts.

“One thing I’ve never been able to say is that we don’t have anything to lose,” Cardoza said. “Going in, we’re the underdog, whether coaching or playing. Just enjoy this and know that we could possibly go in there and upset some people.”

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

Women set to take on Florida

For the sixth year in a row, the women’s basketball team is headed back to the NCAA Tournament.
The No.9-seeded Owls will face the No.8-seeded Florida Gators Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in Storrs, Conn.

Yes, the same Storrs, Conn., where coach Tonya Cardoza’s former team, No.1-seeded Connecticut, resides and where she served as a 14-year assistant coach.

That matchup would loom large if the Owls and Huskies were to both make it past the first round.
But first thing’s first for Cardoza and her team.

“We’re not looking at UConn,” Cardoza said. “I don’t think anyone right now is looking at UConn. Right now, we’re just focused on our opponent, and right now, our opponent is Florida. When I was at Connecticut, we could do that and look past things. Right now, we’re not looking past Florida.”
The Gators defeated the Owls, 68-54, last season at the Liacouras Center.

In that game, four starters scored in double figures for Florida, which was led by then-junior guard Sha Brooks’ 23 points and then-junior forward Marshae Dotson’s 16 and nine rebounds.
This season, Brooks and Dotson are the only Gators to average in double figures, as Brooks scores 16.6 points per game and Dotson adds 13.7.

“Last year, it was a really good game,” senior forward Shenita Landry said. “They’re a very fast-paced team. I’m not sure if they’re deep. But they’re pretty fast, and they’re pretty good at the guard position.”

But the frontcourt could be one area the Owls could exploit against the Gators, as both Landry and fellow senior forward Shanea Cotton average in double figures, at 12.1 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Together, they pull down an average of just about 15 rebounds a game.

But it’s the prior NCAA Tournament experience, like last year’s 61-54 loss to No.6-seed Arizona State in College Park, Md., that the seniors said will help them most on Sunday and that helped them withstand the tension while waiting for the bracket to be revealed last night.

“I mean, experience allows you to be more calm. When it’s your first time, you get nervous,” Landry said. “I was scared we weren’t going to make it in, and it would’ve hurt my heart, so I had to take it all in.

But this [NCAA Tournament appearance] has to be the best one. Freshman year, I knew we were getting in because we won the [Atlantic Ten Conference] Tournament. This year, we lost to teams we shouldn’t have, so this year is a little different. A lot of people didn’t expect us to get where we got or beat teams we beat. I don’t think people really believed in us.”

The Owls were picked to finish fourth in a preseason A-10 coaches’ poll, largely due to having a first-year coach in Cardoza.

“This is really sweet,” Cardoza said. “A lot of people said that was a gift for us, so the fact that we were able to finish second [in the A-10 regular season standings] and make it to the NCAA Tournament says a lot about us.”

The Owls gained that at-large bid thanks in part to key conference wins at Charlotte and George Washington and at home against then- No. 13 Xavier.

The Owls will be back at practice bright and early this morning at 6 a.m., trying to continue to prove those critics wrong.

“I’m going to feel it tomorrow at 6 a.m. practice,” freshman guard Kristen McCarthy said. “But that’s OK because a lot of teams don’t have practice tomorrow morning.”

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

Double the pleasure

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.—Players hugged.

Fans cheered.

Students rushed.

It happened.

Again.

The men’s basketball team won its second straight Atlantic Ten Conference Championship last weekend at Boardwalk Hall. The fourth-seeded Owls downed seventh-seeded Duquesne, 69-65, Saturday night to capture the title. Senior guard Dionte Christmas hit for 29 points and was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Performer for the second year in a row.

The Owls advance to the NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. They’ll face sixth-seeded Arizona State in the first round Friday afternoon in Miami.

The win over the Dukes set off another joyous scene on the court, as the celebration was on with the Owls headed to NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in school history. The victory also went as the Owls’ eighth A-10 Tournament title, and they became the first repeat champions since the 2000 and 2001 squads of legendary coach John Chaney.

Overall, it was a pretty successful weekend for Temple (22-11).

“It’s a privilege to represent our league in the NCAA Tournament,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “We feel very fortunate to have come to Atlantic City and won three games. It’s a great feeling for us. We’re honored.”

Taking home the title made the players feel the same way.

“[The championship] shows not only a lot about the team but just the program in general,” Christmas said. “I’m definitely happy that we got a chance to get back to the Tournament this year.”

“I can’t describe the feeling,” senior center Sergio Olmos added. “This is amazing, an amazing feeling. I couldn’t ask for anything [else]. I just feel great.”

After gaining a first-round bye with a 12-4 conference record, the Owls beat fifth-seeded and archrival Saint Joseph’s in the quarterfinal, 79-65, Thursday afternoon. The next night, the Owls took down top seed and then-No. 19 Xavier, 55-53.

Due to the wins, the Owls had two players join Christmas on the All-Championship team in Olmos and junior guard Ryan Brooks. But, despite their contributions and the contributions of the other four players in the Owls’ rotation, the A-10 Tournament was very much the Christmas show.

Well, not to start.

The Owls’ co-captain struggled against St. Joe’s, hitting for just seven points while shooting an uncharacteristic 1-of-10 from the field. His first half against Xavier wasn’t a whole lot better, but late in the second half, with the game on the line, Christmas finally broke out of his shooting slump.

He hit not one, but two clutch 3-pointers to keep the Musketeers at bay. The first came with 1:50 to go and put the Owls up by four points. The second gave the Owls a five-point lead with 1:09 remaining.

Christmas even hit the game-icing free throw, which gave Temple a four-point cushion with just seven seconds left on the clock. He finished with 20 points in the contest.

“It was in my mind that my team needed a basket right now, and I’m a senior, I’m the leader of this team, I need to make this basket,” Christmas said. “Once I took one more dribble and [Xavier senior guard B.J. Raymond] backed up a little bit more, [the ball] was going up.”

There was no doubt in Dunphy’s mind, in Christmas’ mind, in anyone in the building’s mind, who was taking those shots for the Owls.

Christmas sinking the two treys certainly left his coach impressed.

“You need your best players to step up, and I thought Dionte did that late in the game,” Dunphy said.
That performance carried over into the first half of the A-10 final, as Christmas hit six 3-pointers before halftime. He finished 7-of-16 from beyond the arc, which was enough to tie an A-10 finals record and help the Owls tie an A-10 finals record with 11 treys.

Christmas even hit for 14 of Temple’s final 18 points of the first half, as he was simply on fire and rocked the largely Temple-supported Boardwalk Hall each time one of his 3-pointers found the bottom of the net.

“I thought every shot I shot today was going in,” Christmas said.

“He was spectacular in the first half,” Dunphy added. “It looked like everything was going to go in the basket that he shot.”

Christmas’ heroics helped the Owls reach the Tournament, and performing well there remained the Owls’ collecrtive goal.

“Let’s [get] this win behind us, get to the Tournament and have a respectable performance there,” senior guard Semaj Inge said. “I don’t want to go down there, fight hard and lose again. I want to win.”

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

Making amends for last year’s letdown

The longer senior guard Semaj Inge sat watching the Selection Sunday show, the sweatier his palms became.

The rest of the men’s basketball team felt the anxiety, too. Junior guard Ryan Brooks said the Owls joked they weren’t going to see their name called at all until, at last, they received their NCAA Tournament assignment: sixth-seeded Arizona State, Friday in Miami.

With that announcement, the anxiety hanging over the Owls evaporated into the air, and the Liacouras Center’s Fox-Gittis room became a sea of smiling players, coaches and fans.

The Owls must make sure that same nervousness doesn’t reappear against the Sun Devils. It did last year when they faced Michigan State, and their first visit to the Big Dance since 2001 ended with an uninspiring, 72-61, defeat.

“Of course, Michigan State had a lot to do with that,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “If I was trying to handle the ball or make a play against Michigan State, I’d be nervous, too.”

Fair enough. But the Owls should not be fidgety about playing such difficult competition this year. They have proven themselves capable of beating – not just competing against – NCAA-quality opponents.

The Owls deserve to be in this Tournament as much as any mid major does. No, they wouldn’t have gotten in without winning the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. But their attempt for an at-large bid wouldn’t have failed because of a lack of quality wins but rather for having too many clunkers.

The Owls are quite capable of upsetting a team or two. The talent is certainly there.

Senior guard Dionte Christmas might not be this year’s version of Davidson’s phenom guard Stephen Curry, but would it really surprise anyone if he caught fire and led Temple to a pair of wins this weekend? Not Philadelphians, at least.

But if Christmas is kept at bay, the Owls aren’t automatically destined to lose. It’s not ideal, but they did beat a legitimate Penn State team on the road while Christmas struggled. And, the defense kept Xavier in check long enough for Christmas to get hot in the final minutes of the A-10 semifinal Friday night.

Again, the Owls have the talent to make some noise. By talking with the players, the will appears to be stronger than it was last year, too.

“We definitely have a whole new attitude,” Christmas said. “Last year, I felt we held onto that [A-10] Championship a little too long. We took it over to Denver with us, not expecting what Michigan State was going to throw at us. But we’re definitely going to be prepared this year.”

“Last year, after we won the [A-10], I think guys just settled for that,” Inge added. “I think this year guys are getting up to go down there and actually win games and compete a lot better than we did last year.”

Inge cited the difference between the Owls’ postgame celebrations after they clinched the A-10 in each of the last two years. Last season, the Owls were full of elation, having clinched their first NCAA berth since 2001. Last week, their celebration was more subdued, realizing there was more work to be done.
There’s a lot of work, actually.

There are no breaks now. The Owls will have had four days to prepare for sophomore guard James Harden, senior forward Jeff Pendergraph and the Sun Devils, but those four days also will be filled with heightened media obligations and travel time.

As Christmas pointed out, that can be a bit distracting. And, playing against the best teams in the nation, a team can’t afford to lose its focus.

“You’ve got to be ready to come play,” Brooks said. “Every team is team fighting for survival to get to the next round. Every team is great.”

The greats head back to the airport. The greater advance, maintaining those same smiles the Owls displayed after hearing their name announced on CBS Sunday night.

John Kopp can be reached at john.kopp@temple.edu.

Big-game Brooks does it again

After the bedlam that comes with winning an Atlantic Ten Conference Championship subsided, coach Fran Dunphy stepped up to the podium to address the media.

To his right, sat two of the men’s basketball team’s three senior co-captains – guard Dionte Christmas and center Sergio Olmos. To his left, sat a potential captain-in-waiting, junior guard Ryan Brooks.

Brooks was asked about a 3-pointer he hit with 4:12 left in the game that halted a furious six-point Dukes’ run and put the Owls’ lead at eight.

Before Brooks responded, Dunphy looked at Christmas and whispered, “That was huge.”

The shot was just three of Brooks’ 14 points, but it was a microcosm of the type of performance that is built into his DNA. The pressure of an important game – or, in this case, an elimination game – only brings out his best.

“I was just trying to get a clean look for myself and try and put it in the basket, and fortunately, it went in,” Brooks said of his timely shot. “When you have certain opportunities like this in your hands and you can reach for it and grab it, just take full advantage of it.”

The Narberth, Pa., native has a penchant for winning. He won a state title with Lower Merion in his senior season, becoming the school’s third-leading scorer in the process.

“I would have to say during high school the coaching staff that I was with always preached to have a refuse-to-lose attitude. You don’t want to look back and say I could have done this, [or] I should have done this better,” Brooks said.

Out of high school, Dunphy knew Brooks would play a key role in any Owls’ success.

“There was something special about him. The thing that turned me on to him was again the quality of the person, and all he did in high school was win,” the Owls’ third-year coach said. “We couldn’t go wrong with having this kid on our program.”

Brooks quickly turned into Dunphy’s main man off the bench in his freshman season. By his sophomore campaign, he was third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game. In last year’s A-10 Tournament, Brooks averaged 10.3 points, shooting 47.8 percent from the field. He didn’t flinch in last year’s NCAA Tournament either, netting 14 points in a 72-61 loss to Michigan State.

It was only appropriate that Brooks’ career high came on a day when the Owls celebrated 10 years at the Liacouras Center. On Dec. 9, 2007, against city-rival and No. 21 Villanova, Brooks drained 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

“Ryan Brooks is the best clutch shooter that I think I’ve coached in my 20 years of coaching,” Dunphy said.

The praise didn’t stop there.

“He’s a winner in every sense of the word,” Dunphy added. “That kid has been unbelievable. He is the lowest maintenance guy I might have ever coached as well. Never an issue – and he has been tremendous in every sense of the word.”

Brooks’ work ethic is one of the reasons he is where he is at today.

A tireless gym rat, Brooks continues to strengthen his overall game. For this year’s A-10 Tournament, Brooks built in another dimension. In three games, he turned into a forward and pulled in 5.3 rebounds per contest. This, combined with 14 points per game, helped him earn a spot on the All-Championship Team with Christmas and Olmos.

The 6-foot-4-inch guard needed to elevate his offensive game at the college level, but he’s been known to most as a defensive stopper. Generally, Dunphy puts Brooks on a team’s best shooter or scorer.

Against Duquesne in the A-10 Final, that happened to be senior guard Aaron Jackson. Jackson, who can be deadly from all over the court, shelled the Owls with 20 points. A chunk of that output came when Brooks was sitting on the bench.

“The fact is we can’t be out on the court too much without him,” Dunphy said. “When he was out of the game, I think Aaron Jackson got seven points. I don’t like to be out on the court too much without him to be honest with you.”

The 11th-seeded Owls will take on sixth-seeded Arizona State in the tension-filled atmosphere of NCAA Tournament play on Friday in Miami. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if Brooks saves his best performance of the season for the Sun Devils. The even-keeled guard always seems to quietly rise to the occasion. So, the NCAA Tournament will simply be another stage for Brooks to shine on.

Anthony Stipa can be reached at anthony.stipa@temple.edu.

Study: history of violence leads to poor overall health for women

Researchers recently discovered older African-American women with a history of ongoing violence in their lives are more prone to suffer from poor overall health than males.

“Typically, younger women are healthier,” said assistant professor of medicine Anuradha Paranjape. “I’m looking at a group that is more vulnerable to health problems.”

Paranjape said violence is what makes the women more vulnerable. She chose to focus on African-American women primarily because they make up a significant portion of the patients she treats.

Paranjape and her team of researchers surveyed 158 of their female African-American patients, questioning them on their levels of exposure to physical violence as a result of financial troubles, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.

Researchers were then able to measure the level of family violence and overall mental and physical health their patients sustained based on the participants’ ages, races and genders. This demographic, researchers showed, is a triple threat to older African-American women’s health.

Women who reported longer intervals of exposure to family violence had worse overall health problems than those who reported low levels of exposure to abuse. And while Paranjape recognizes older women often outlive their male counterparts, she discovered the same women tend to have an overall worse health status. Depression, anxiety and chronic pain are among the long-term effects Paranjape saw in her patients.

“All women are affected,” Paranjape said, “but the problem of family violence as it affects older women has gone under-recognized.”

A continuation of the study has already been put into effect, examining how the same women suffering from the long-term effects of abuse have learned to cope with their symptoms. Social support availability, levels of spirituality and community outreach are among the coping methods being studied.
Paranjape said it may be too late to stop the violence these women endured, but it is never too late to offer them support.

“Realize that physicians are being trained to recognize the effects of violence, but they may not know how to ask,” Paranjape said. “Women need to know there are resources out there, and they’re not alone.”

Kylee Messner can be reached at kylee.messner@temple.edu.

Crime Report: March 17

March 8
Kardon-Atlantic Terminal Building
Campus Police arrested a non-Temple affiliated female for underage consumption.

2032 N. Broad St.
An underage student was transported to Temple Hospital by Medic 13 for treatment and observation of excessive consumption of alcohol. Referred to UDC.

TECH Center
Student reported an unknown person took his unattended backpack containing various items between 3:30 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. March 6.

Wachman Hall
Complainant reported an unknown person removed welding lead and a bucket of nuts and bolts from his work truck at 11:45 a.m. March 7.

Anderson Hall
Student reported an unknown person removed her Apple I-Phone when it was left unattended at 1:11 p.m. March 7.

2018 Alder St.
Non-Temple complainant reported an unknown male forcibly took $90 at 9 p.m. March 7. No injury.

1936 Liacouras Walk
Complainant reported a group of juveniles attempted to remove a box of candy from the store without making payment at 3:30 p.m. March 8. Complainant declined prosecution.

College of Engineering and Architecture
Student reported an unknown person removed her Apple iPhone when it was left unattended between 9:30 p.m. and 9:35 p.m. March 5.

March 9
1700 N. Broad St.
Complainant reported an unknown person took his unattended bag containing a cell phone and contact lenses between 11:45 a.m. and 11:55 a.m. March 9.

March 10
Liacouras Garage
Employee reported that $1,640 was missing from a bank deposit made on March 5.

March 11
College of Engineering and Architecture
Employee reported a balance instrument was missing from unsecured classroom between 4 p.m. March 6 and 8 a.m. March 7. No force found.

1601 N. 12th St.
Unknown person broke window and stole CDs from 2002 Mazda between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. March 11.

2029 N. Broad St.
Campus police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male for possession of marijuana.

March 12
2050 N. Broad St.
Campus police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male for an outstanding warrant.

Campus Safety Services Headquarters
Campus police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male for aggravated assault on police.

Phillies’ World Series trophy to appear on campus

As the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies train for their upcoming season, their 2-foot tall trophy will make a stop at Temple.

The World Series trophy, which the Phillies snatched after winning last October’s historic game against the Tampa Bay Rays, will be on display at the Bell Tower March 24.

The event, which will feature other attractions such as appearances from the Phillies Ballgirls and giveaways, is part of annual College Spring Fling Week, when the franchise travels to local colleges to help promote the Phillies’ upcoming season.

Jillian Ashton, a season and group sales representative intern for the Phillies, said the College Spring Fling Week will run from March 23 to 27 and will include visits to six local colleges during the five-day span.

“This year, as an added incentive, we are bringing the World Series trophy along for our Spring Fling Week as part of the World Series Trophy Tour,” said Ashton, who graduated from Temple in August with a degree in sport and recreation management.

Although the promotional event will mostly be centered on the trophy, there will be plenty of other activities in which students can take part. Free photo ops with the Phillies Ballgirls and the trophy will be available for the duration of the event. A prize wheel will be available for students to try their luck as well.

For fanatical Phillies fans, event coordinators will distribute rally towels while supplies last.

In addition to the activities, the 2008 Phillies Video Yearbook, The Perfect Season will be for sale.

“Students are the primary target for this tour because we are trying to get all of the local colleges excited about the upcoming Phillies season,” Ashton said.

The World Series trophy, which the Phillies clinched in a 4-3 win over the Rays in Game 5, has been on a national tour since January.

Craig Solomon, who works in marketing in the Philadelphia Phillies organization and graduated from Temple last year with a degree in sport and recreation management, was designated to be the official trophy keeper. So far, he has made more than 100 appearances and traveled more than 10,000 miles while showcasing the trophy.

He says he does not permit anyone to touch the sterling silver trophy.

“The tour is an intimate time with the trophy. After the tour, the trophy may be found sitting on a podium under glass, meaning people can’t even breathe on it. But during its tour, there is no glass cover and people can get extremely close,” Solomon said.

The event will be held at Bell Tower from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. next Tuesday. In case of inclement weather, it will be relocated in the Student Center Atrium.

The trophy will travel to Saint Joseph’s University and the University of Pennsylvania following its visit.

Sergei Blair can be reached at sergei.blair@temple.edu.

Class schedules to begin on the hour

In the midst of course numbers and course descriptions, students starting the selection process for Fall 2009 classes might notice one slight difference.

The times, they are a-changin’.

Beginning in the fall, 8:40 a.m. classes will instead begin on the hour, meaning some students will need to be in class by 8 a.m.

“To be honest, I don’t really care that I could have a class that starts 40 minutes earlier,” said Joe Veltri, a freshman music education major, “but I’m sure some students out there will.”

The length of classes will remain the same. Three-a-week classes will span 50 minutes, while twice-a-week classes will last an hour and 20 minutes, as before.

In order to squeeze an extra class in each day, the earliest classes offered will move to 8 a.m., allowing the university to run afternoon classes until 4:50 p.m. each day and evening classes until 9:50 p.m.

“This is really to provide more sections for more students so they can be more flexible,” said William Wilkinson, associate vice president for finance and space planning. “The schedule was so very full from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that there was no room to do anything. The idea was that when Alter Hall and Tyler were finished, we would open up the schedule so there would be more room at both ends of the schedule.”

Wilkinson said the planning behind the schedule changes predated him, but they were finalized in December with the posting of the changes on the Scheduling and Space Management Web site, after endorsements by the 17 school schedulers, each of the deans at the Council of Deans meetings and Provost Lisa Staiano-Coico.

“That’s what bothers me,” said Chris Hopper, a senior political science and BTMM major. “It’s not that it might change my routine because I don’t really care since I’m graduating in the fall. It’s that Temple doesn’t tell anybody anything. You’ve got to find out on your own.”

But it’s not just the students who could be unaware of the changes. Many professors remain in the dark, too.

“TAUP doesn’t really have a position on it,” said Temple Association of University Professionals President Art Hochner. “I am not sure that most faculty are aware of the change yet.”

And even those who are aware aren’t sure how it will be received.

“Temple has not talked to the professors about the time change,” said Patricia Moore-Martinez, a Spanish professor and Latin-American studies semester coordinator. “It was briefly mentioned to me by a chair, but we never received notification of the changes. Although the 8 a.m. schedule does not alter my day personally, for parents [both students and professors], 8 a.m. is much more difficult.

Elementary schools tend to begin between 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m.”

Wilkinson said every effort was made to accommodate commuters, both professors and students.
“We figured commuters would want to get here and get home,” he said. “Resident students like to spread their classes out during the day and take classes in the mid-afternoon.”

Hillel Hoffman, assistant director of university communications, said the university was trying to strike a balance between the two, as the number of students who live on or near campus has almost tripled since 2002, while undergraduate enrollment has increased 22 percent.

For Gary Pratt, assistant director of Mosaic, that’s the real reason behind the change.

“The decision was made because of a serious shortage of classroom space and the expectation that enrollments will continue to increase,” he said. “I’m hoping the administration will find other ways to address these conditions and still enhance student learning.”

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

Next Page »