Two-wheel safety is paramount

It’s your first morning biking to school and work. After three months of creeping fear and countless winter mornings of guilt-tainted glances at the sweet cruiser you bought on Craigslist, this is your moment of truth.

You step out on the curb, take a deep breath of sweet spring air, saddle up and hit the street. Passing your third, fourth and fifth blocks with relative ease, you’re amazed at how smoothly the traffic is moving.

“Say, this ain’t that bad. Not bad at all,” you say to yourself. After months of dread and deliberation, you smite yourself for being such a wuss.

Five minutes later, it’s “Good morning, Center City!”

There’s a double-parked beer truck ahead. Noted.

A SEPTA bus growls at your rear, and a jerk in a Hummer inches his way to your left. These sons of a…
The bike lane suddenly disintegrates, and out of the fog of traffic, a car door swings open. You’ve just been doored. Hello, Nurse.

It’s no great mystery that for many city dwellers, biking is the only way to travel. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia estimates that the city’s bicycle commuters make roughly 70,000 to 80,000 trips daily.

The perks of pedaling are seemingly endless. Say goodbye to shoveling 20 percent of your annual income into your car and selling your birthright to buy gas. And parking? Pfft, whatever.

For religious SEPTA riders, this means no more morning zone-out sessions with what looks to be blood streaming down the station walls of the Broad Street Line.

Unless you’re beefing up for the Highland games, you can cancel your gym membership. For every 40 minutes spent pedaling, bike commuters can burn anywhere between 250 and 300 calories, as much as you would shed doing low impact aerobics in the same amount of time.

Carbon footprint got you down? Don’t forget the environmental virtues of bike commuting. A quick four-mile round trip by bike keeps around 15 pounds of pollution out of the air, according to the World Watch Institute.

Yet, making the transition isn’t as simple as some will tell you. For first-time cyclists, going out ill-equipped and uneducated can be very dangerous and just plain stupid.

In the “city that loves you back,” the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimates that around 400 to 800 bicycle accidents are reported each year.

“One of the most common mistakes first-time riders make is thinking that automobiles, buses and taxis will give you room to ride,” said Russell Meddin, a community cycling advocate and contributing organizer of Bike Share Philadelphia. “They will not, even if you are in a bike lane.”

According to the Philadelphia Streets Department, the most common causes of bicycle-related accidents include riding against traffic (in either streets or bike lanes), riding on sidewalks, the absence of lights and reflectors, and confusion at intersections, typically when a cyclist is heading straight as an oncoming car is turning.

“Drivers do not always understand that a bicycle has the same right to use the road as a car,” Meddin said. “Also, keep aware of what is around you: front, back, left and right. And respect pedestrians. You are not allowed to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk if you are over 12 years old.”

Learning the tenor of the street can help you in the long run and might help you avoid certain life-threatening situations. Pick a route and stick with it for a week or two. The repetition will expose you to traffic patterns and drivers’ habits. Observe carefully and shadow other cyclists on your route.
Ultimately, the best ways to prevent an accident are to stay aware and stay focused. Keep the iPod out of your ears and your eyes on the road.

Michael Bixler can be reached at mmbixler@temple.edu.

National Day of Silence starting to lose gay voice

Since 1996, high school and college students have united every April to protest against homophobia. This protest, the National of Day of Silence, entails an entire school day of silence, acknowledging the many gay youths who remain silent as a result of the fear and anxiety brought upon by intolerance.

The Day of Silence, started at the University of Virginia by 150 students, played an incredible role in the gay rights movement in the 1990s. But now, especially after the Proposition 8 reaction, it’s time activists come up with a more proactive demonstration.

Having been a participant in the Day of Silence since high school, I know the amount of dedication it takes to remain silent. Nasty peers eviscerate you mentally — and, although I haven’t experienced it, physically — for taking a stand. Some teachers think you’re participating in the event with the intention of getting out of class and therefore treat you like a delinquent. The rest are confused and trying to understand the point of another day of silence.

It’s because of bullying that the Day of Silence managed to be such a success in the late ‘90s and until now. According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, in 2008, 86.2 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender youth experienced verbal harassment. Almost half – 44 percent – were physically harassed, and almost a quarter reported being physically assaulted.

These statistics are the fuel behind the Day of Silence and allow the event to grow each year, especially after last year’s, dedicated to Larry King, a teenager killed in February 2008 by a peer because of his sexual orientation. Channeling this tragedy into motivation made the event an enormous success, with hundreds of thousands of students nationwide participating, proving that as a nation, we are furious with this type of hatred and will no longer stand for it.

Deanna Wozniak, a senior biology major and former president of the Temple Queer Student Union, has coordinated the Day of Silence for three years. She said she believes high school is the perfect setting for an event like Day of Silence.

“It’s one of those things that is much more effective in a high school setting, where you can see people every day, and it’s always the same people who know whether you’re talking or not,” Wozniak said. “It’s always going to be more effective on a scale where people are more involved.”

The Day of Silence, although it has good intentions, has reached the end of its rope.

“On a college campus, it’s hard because you have to figure out a way to make a spectacle and make a splash without really making any noise. But the real reason why the Day of Silence isn’t effective is because we are past the point in our movement where silence is what we’re looking for,” said Deborah Hinchey, a senior political science and history major and former president of Pennsylvania College Democrats.

Until we, as a group of concerned citizens, can come up with an effective protest, all we can hope for is that the Day of Silence continues to spread its message and will reach that heartless bully, letting him or her know it is not OK to torment others because of who they are.

Nevertheless, we still need to come up with the next best thing to stop the hate.

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

Hip-Hop Funk an intense workout

Why go to Funkytown when the IBC is right on campus?

Cardiovascular workouts can make it difficult for participants to remain motivated as they exercise. The IBC Student Recreation Center offers a new cardio session that not only helps to burn calories but also improve dance moves.

Hip-Hop Funk is a workout offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the evenings to accommodate student participants’ busy school and work schedules.

“It is a lot of fun, even if I don’t get the routine right away,” said Aileen Rimando, a senior violin performance and music education major.

Rimando is a frequent dancer at Tuesday night sessions.

Tuesday night sessions of Hip-Hop Funk are taught by Alyssa Spangler, a junior kinesiology major. Spangler is also a member of Temple’s Diamond Gems dance team.

Each time, the class begins with a warm up, which isn’t difficult even for the rhythmically challenged. If the warm up is hard to understand at first, it can easily be learned with practice.

Each part of dances are taught and performed in counts of eight. After repeating the warm up several times in order to increase participants’ heart rates, dancers then move into a series of stretching moves.
Spangler said she wants to ensure every muscle is loose and each dancer is able to move without any tension in his or her body.

After simple stretching moves, it’s time to learn the dance routine.

Spangler goes over all the movements a few times to help make memorization of the routine easier. Although some of the routines can be long for those who don’t dance often, she always repeats the moves.

She also gives personal attention to anyone who is having difficulty with the moves. Spangler offers about 10 minutes of abdominal workout at the end of class for anyone who is interested, but it is not a mandatory part of the session.

“The Wednesday night sessions are such an intense cardio that I can barely breathe after that session,” said Rachel Halkias, a junior journalism major.

Halkais attends both the Tuesday and Wednesday night sessions with two different leaders. She does this to get the best out of the IBC Hip-Hop Funk experience.

Tuesday and Thursday night sessions have a more choreographed dance, and the routine is repeated a few times. Wednesday night sessions are typically made up of shorter dances, but the routines are repeated often to ensure a maximum cardio workout.

Don’t be discouraged from attending Tuesday and Thursday sessions because not everyone in the class is a skilled dancer. You won’t be the only one who will have to practice a few times before grasping it completely.

“Even if I don’t get the routine, it’s a great way for me to blow off steam,” said sophomore music education major Catherine Fish.

Stephanie Mullen can be reached at stephanie.mullen@temple.edu.

Ad Sense

Appearance may not be everything. But it’s a lot.

Flags displaying Temple’s celebration of its 125th anniversary fly not only around campus, but also around TUCC and City Hall. Additionally, ads containing random Temple trivia dominate numerous SEPTA subway cars.

As of now, the estimated cost of this campaign is approximately $115,000, a mere 3.1 percent of the university’s $3.7 million advertising budget.

As The Temple News reports this week, this advertising campaign is meant to be an extension – the “next logical step” – of the “‘T’ Means More” campaign that began last year.

In difficult economic times, however, it is important and worthwhile to look closely at budgetary spending. And the campaign’s total cost, which equates to the tuition of about 10 in-state students, is a bit excessive for what seems to be an aimless advertising campaign.

The ads in the subways each display one of what will eventually be 125 random facts about Temple. They tease their audience to visit the anniversary Web site for more information.

All in all, the ads and flags look nice, but they beg one question:

Why?

Temple officials say the advertising campaign is to publicize and brand Temple – as if the ubiquitous Temple ‘T’ isn’t enough.

It’s difficult to see who these ads are targeting. The “‘T’ Means More” campaign was mostly geared toward alumni and asked for donations. This campaign simply informs people about Temple.

Soon, Suburban Station will be inundated with more aspects of the frivolous ad campaign. Temple will spend $65,000 to immerse the station in random Temple facts.

Temple officials say the goal of the current campaign is to “shift the perception of Temple from what it used to be.”

The next question:

Does Temple need a campaign like this right now? The number of prospective students visiting Temple is at a record high, and enrollment has been satisfyingly steady. And, certainly, alumni have attended Temple and already have their perceptions based on their experiences.

Even after hearing Temple and advertising officials explain the campaign, it’s difficult to understand its purpose. It’s not asking alumni for money, and it’s not seeking to recruit students – perhaps the two most obvious and important reasons for colleges to advertise.

In the bigger picture, $115,000 is a minute percentage of the university’s total operating budget. But the way we see it – the money could have been better spent, perhaps updating classrooms in Ritter Annex or being added to some financial aid packages.

The ads are meant to make people think about Temple in a positive light. Unfortunately, they instead make students think about where their tuition dollars are going.

TU comics take the stage in national competition

The sign that read “standing room only” changed to “sold-out show” – and fast.

On March 24, Temple sent eight of its stand-up comedians to the second round of the RooftopComedy’s National College Comedy Competition.

A mixed demographic of audience members crowded the Helium Comedy Club, roaring with laughter from start to finish.

Some audience members could only find enough room to stand in the back of the club. Others were denied entry due to space limits.

RooftopComedy arranged to visit Temple for the first round of the competition.

Temple entered the competition after contest winner Aaron Miller contacted RooftopComedy and requested to participate in its competition with an already-participating school. But instead of competing with another university, Miller founded TU Comedy Club, Temple’s new club for student comedians.

“I really wanted to perform with a team, so I started up TU Comedy,” Miller said. “Three months later, [RooftopComedy] contacted me. They actually said they would love to come to Temple.”

In February, eight Temple contestants were selected to compete after winning the competition’s first round, which was held in the Underground.

The second round was termed the “Regional Rivals” round, in which Temple comedians competed against a team of students from the University of Pennsylvania.

Intercollegiate tension sparked more than one ivy-blasting joke from Temple’s performers and show host David James. This roused reaction from the Temple-majority audience.

Though the title “college comedian” may suggest inexperience, contestants said they remained confident.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Miller said. “I always feel a little antsy before I go on the stage, like really energetic. I really want to get out there. I really love performing.”

Winner Rudy Mezzy first performed stand-up comedy five years ago in high school.

Mezzy said he made his worst mistake while performing at an open mic night, when he forgot what he was saying. So he invented a new punch line on the spot: “Don’t you hate it when you forget your joke?”

“I try to limit myself on mistakes,” he said.

Mezzy said performers upped their works at the second round of the RooftopComedy festival, where their talent was “taken to a more professional level,” and everyone used all five minutes they were given to perform.

At the end of the show, audience members voted for their favorite comedians. The top four Temple contestants, junior BTMM major Matthew D’Avella, sophomore communications major Mezzy, junior advertising major Aaron Miller, and junior film and media arts major Nathan Jaiyeola, will proceed to the third round of RooftopComedy’s National College Comedy Competition.

Sophomore journalism major Brittany Miller met Aaron Miller on the subway, where he told her about TU Comedy.

“I really did enjoy myself,” Brittany Miller said. “I’d actually heard a lot of great things about Temple comics. I’m happy that I went to support it. I was cracking up, like my heart was hurting the entire time.”

Next is the “rival elimination round,” which will occur between April 9 and April 16.

Fans can vote for each comedy team at rooftopcomedy.com or send votes to Rooftop2009.com via mobile phone.

“You can just keep voting,” Aaron Miller said. “So I’ll send out a Web link to all my friends. Hopefully, I’ll [move] on out of the merit of my own comedy, not just because I passed it on to my mom.”

Caitlyn Conefry can be reached at caitlyn.conefry@temple.edu.

Teddi Tarnoff: Philly’s own heavy metal rockette

On her MySpace page, Teddi Tarnoff explicitly states, “I am a musician.” She may be a young addition to the rock scene, but she plays like bass player Jason Newsted of Metallica and sings – and screams – like Brian Johnson of AC/DC.

Tarnoff brings rage to the stage as the lead singer of the all-female tribute band Queen Diamond and the bass player of all-female tribute band Misstallica.  The 24-year-old’s dynamic onstage theatrics and aggressive talent have metal fans lining up for more.

The Temple News: How did you all find each other? Who’s in the bands?

Teddi Tarnoff: We all met at the Paul Green School of Rock Music. Queen Diamond [includes myself] and the Black Horsemen – Gina Gleason, 17, on lead guitar, Allie Thrower, 19, on lead guitar and backing vocals, Rosalie Hooper, 18, on bass and Kaleen Reading, 17, on drums. Misstallica is Gina Randazzo, 24, on lead vocals and guitar, Gleason on lead guitar, Thrower on lead guitar and Kaleen Reading on drums.

TTN: Why metal? Why not alternative rock or pop?

TT: There’s nothing better than heavy riffs and double kick in the world. Metal up your ass!

TTN: What bands did you listen to growing up? Who are your influences?

TT: King Diamond and Metallica are favorite bands for all of us, but we do love a lot of other music. Queen, Bowie, the Misfits, King Crimson – you know, just to name a few.

TTN: Why Metallica?

TT: Why not Metallica? I mean seriously, there was no one doing it yet, and it’s one of those bands with a ridiculous following. An all-girl tribute was something we knew would get people off and us, too.

TTN: Why did you change the name from Clitallica to Misstallica? Was it all for the sake of good manners?

TT: We were actually something else, something even worse, before we were Clitallica. But because some of our members are so young, their parents still get a say in their lives. Clitallica was just too much for one mom. So Misstallica it is. We had a lot of people who were upset at the more [conservative] name.

TTN: When people think of an all-female metal band, the only one that comes to mind is Kitty. Do you compare your group with Kitty? Do you look to them as a model for what you’re doing?

TT: I can honestly say I don’t think any of us really know anything about Kitty. Do they dress as cats?

TTN: What attracted you to playing in a band? Fame? Fortune potential? Groupies?

TT: Just the groupies. No, we are all very serious about playing music, and it’s the thing we love above all.

TTN: At your Allentown, Pa., show in February, a lot of guys in the crowd had the “let’s see what they got” attitude. How do you deal with skeptics?

TT: We started these projects for the fun of it. So when guys are being d—s, it truly doesn’t bother us, and we just go up and have fun as usual.

TTN: Do you think people come to see you play because you’re girls or because of your music?

TT: It’s definitely a mix. We are really young, which is a very different thing in the all-girl tribute band industry. But we can play, so we do the music justice. And people appreciate all that.

TTN: How do you prepare for a show? Are there any personal rituals or lucky rabbit’s foot keychains involved?

TT: We slice our arms open and bleed into goblets, drink each other’s blood. Then we take the sacrificial baby to the back alley and…No.

TTN: Why do you wear face paint the way KISS did when you perform as Queen Diamond? What is the theme you are trying to portray? Fear? Darkness? Or is it just a tool for entertainment purposes?

TT: Well, I wear King Diamond’s face makeup. I wouldn’t be Queen Diamond without it.

TTN: Do you practice outside the Paul Green School of Rock Music? What is the group dynamic that makes you desirable bandmates?

TT: Those of us who graduated from the Paul Green School of Rock Music also work there, so we get to use the practice space for free. But we are all just goofy girls who love metal and ice cream, and we have fun together.

TTN: You were recently on WMMR 93.3 FM’s Preston & Steve show. What was that like? Was it your first time on the radio?

TT: We have been on Preston & Steve twice now and Danny Bonaduce’s show on [94WYSP], too. It’s a very cool experience, and they’ve all been amazingly nice and supportive.

TTN: How far do you want to take your music career?

TT: We are serious about playing music. We love these bands, and we’ll take them however far they can go. We have a play or die attitude about what we do.

Meg Frankowski can be reached at megan.frankowski@temple.edu.

Saturday’s main event belongs to Valli’s nine

Some years, Cherry and White Day has been similar to a large-scale music festival, with the football team’s annual scrimmage serving as the main stage while various other smaller acts, like the baseball and softball teams, perform on adjacent fields at the Ambler Sports Complex.

This year, the event has expanded to two campuses, with the football team highlighting the festivities with its scrimmage here on Main Campus at Edberg-Olson Hall. But just like all those music concerts, sometimes the main attraction isn’t always the best show.

Though it likely won’t draw a crowd like the football team will, the baseball team’s game against Charlotte, scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Ambler Sports Complex, is Cherry and White Day’s most unheralded show.

This is not meant to take away from the football team in any way. Football coach Al Golden has built excitement and optimism among fans of his football team. We all know that’s been no small task.
With that said, baseball coach Rob Valli – who, like Golden, happens to be in his fourth season with Temple – has led a transformation among the baseball program, which certainly deserves notice.

Though Saint Joseph’s knocked the baseball team out of first place in the Atlantic Ten Conference with a sweep in last Friday’s doubleheader, the Owls (13-17 overall) currently sit in second place with an 8-3 mark.

Temple hasn’t won a regular-season A-10 title since 1985, when longtime coach Skip Wilson’s program was just concluding its own Golden Era. Believe it or not, Temple consistently participated in the NCAA Tournament during the 1970s and 1980s, even finishing third in the College World Series in 1972.

But, by the time Valli took over in the fall of 2005, the Owls had finished above .500 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament just once in Wilson’s final 16 seasons at the helm.

Under Valli, the Owls got (much) worse before they improved.

Much like Golden, he suffered through a painful rebuilding process, as the Owls posted their worst mark in program history (12-41) in 2006. Their box scores, the worst of which went to the tune of 35-1 and 23-4, made one wonder whether the opposing batters were hitting off a tee.

Thankfully for Valli, those days are gone.

Valli, who was a proven winner at Gloucester County College before coming to Temple, has the Owls playing some riveting baseball, and the season is heating up.

While the football team is busy running post routes and halfback draws in a glorified practice session, the baseball team will be taking on the pride of its conference, Charlotte.

Traveling to the Ambler campus can be a pain in the butt. However, if there’s any baseball game to get to this season, it’s one of them this weekend (the Owls and 49ers also face each other on Friday and Sunday).

Though the 49ers have struggled this season, they remain the class of the A-10, having won the last two A-10 Tournaments, spent time in the national rankings and qualified for two straight NCAA Tournaments.

The Niners might only be 5-7, but the weekend series is crucial for the Owls.

First, they need to recover from their recent five-game swoon, which featured their only three A-10 defeats.

Secondly, taking the series against Charlotte would not only further secure the Owls’ positioning at the top of the A-10 standings, but hand the Owls confidence. There’s nothing better for a team’s ego than beating the reigning champs.

If the Owls hope to win this year’s conference tourney and advance to their first NCAA Tournament since 2001, they’ll likely need to get by Charlotte in the postseason. If that scenario indeed plays out, it certainly helps to know you’ve topped them before.

While the baseball team hopes to beat a division rival Saturday, at Edberg-Olson Hall, the football team will only be beating itself (which, you may recall, it did three times in the regular season last year, too).
If you’re an avid football fan who digs the Xs and Os, enjoy the scrimmage. Just know the football team likely won’t be the only athletics team going deep on Saturday.

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

Hospital closure stirs area outrage

Temple may face extreme state funding cuts due to the unforeseen backlash received after the announcement about the closing of Northeastern Hospital.

Temple University Health System announced March 23 the hospital “will transition from an inpatient hospital to a multispecialty ambulatory care center by July 1, 2009.”

The university and its health system have been under intense scrutiny from both the community and elected officials since then.

“The decision was made in the face of declining utilization and mounting losses on health care operations at Northeastern Hospital,” said Rebecca Harmon, a spokesperson for TUHS.

The hospital is reported to have lost $6.6 million in the 2008 fiscal year and is projected to lose another $15 million in the 2009 fiscal year.

Temple officials are being criticized for not turning to elected officials for financial help to keep the hospital open. Community members are also outraged Temple did not include them in the decision process.

The common consensus is the change will leave thousands without a nearby emergency center, as well as cause hundreds to lose their jobs.

The change will primarily impact members of the Bridesburg, Fishtown, Kensington and Port Richmond communities. The hospital had approximately 60,000 emergency room patients and 1,800 baby deliveries last year.

State Reps. John Taylor and Michael O’Brien and state Sens. Michael Stack and Larry Farnes are the elected officials whose constituents will be most affected by the closing.

Stack held a meeting at his office with President Ann Weaver Hart and Edmond Notebaert, the president and CEO of TUHS, along with other local leaders after the announcement was made.

“Basically, they slapped us in the face and punched us in the stomach, and now they’re saying, ‘Can’t we all work together?’” Stack said after the meeting. “We all understand we have a health care crisis, but we’re not convinced closing Northeastern doesn’t add to it.”

The two parties did not reach an agreement on the fate of the hospital, Stack said.

“The elected officials and the coalition to save Northeastern Hospital are reviewing and considering all available options to keep Northeastern Hospital open,” he said.

Taylor, however, has already threatened to cut more than $150 million in funding, which Temple receives from the state. This would affect both TUHS and the university.

“No action has been taken, but [Taylor] has enough votes that the funding would definitely be cut from Temple,” said Paul Kaiser, an aid of Taylor’s.

Several community organizations are also jointly filing for temporary restraining orders with the hope of blocking the closure, Taylor said.

Northeastern is scheduled to begin reducing inpatient services in May and to end all emergency services by July 1. The hospital has been open for nearly 100 years.

Harmon said the new Northeastern Ambulatory Care Center will focus on prenatal care and family health, offer non-emergency walk-in care and provide outpatient specialty services.

Those in need are encouraged to seek inpatient services at Temple University Hospital.

“Northeastern Hospital has served this community for generations, and it is our intention to continue to meet the needs of our patients for years to come,” said Northeastern Hospital CEO John Buckley. “Those patients who require more complex care will continue to have access to their doctors at Temple University Hospital, as well as the hundreds of other specialty physicians at Temple University Hospital.”

Harmon said Human Resources will provide job search counseling to all affected Northeastern employees, but the closing of the hospital will create extensive job loss. It is estimated that approximately 800 employees will be given the axe.

“The creation of Northeastern Ambulatory Care Center permits us to continue to meet the current and future health care needs of the community with a financially sustainable model,” Notebaert said.

“Moving forward, we will continue to explore and consider additional options that would further enhance our ability to deliver health care services and education to the communities served by the new Ambulatory Care Center.”

Kathryn A. López can be reached at kathryn.lopez@temple.edu.

Greyhound with a convict

My first clue that the man sitting next to me on the Greyhound bus might not be just another law-abiding citizen was when he turned to me and asked, “You want two Xanies?”

The second was when he turned his back to me, and I saw the letters “D.O.C.” in bold print on the back of his shirt.

On a seven-hour trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, I had plenty of time to spend with my companion.
He was curious about phones.

“Let’s say I buy an iPhone on the street,” he said. “Could I use it if I have a SIM card?”

I had no idea but tried to answer him anyway. He asked about monthly plans, pre-paid plans, nights and weekends, and so on.

When I pulled a pair of headphones from my backpack, he really hit his stride. He asked me if I liked this or that song, and if I didn’t recognize the title, he would sing it. He covered everything from Toto to the Goo Goo Dolls.

“I love music, man,” he confessed.

Later, after holding a similar conversation with two African-American passengers across the aisle, he turned to me and said, “See, I can talk to them about black people music, and then come back to you with white people music.”

I didn’t bother to point out that, while I wasn’t a huge fan of the Goo Goo Dolls, he, a black man, had just told me he loved hearing its song “Give a Little Bit” on the radio during his two-year stint in jail. He even knew Supertramp had sung the original, which was news to me.

As he asked me about music, I asked him about jail.

He told me about guards who provoked him on his last day to try to get him to lash out so they could write him up and keep him longer.

He described a meal he said was great, but I wasn’t exactly convinced.

“Everyone who had money, we would buy bacon, cheese and those Oodles of Noodles containers. Cut up the bacon, cut up the cheese and cut up the noodles, and put it into a bag. Then, there were these water fountains that had 190-degree water. It would burn anything. You would cook it with that water,” he said.

My companion was a paradox, but maybe it was just how his life had shaped him.

He opted out of buying Burger King at a rest stop when he saw there was no dollar menu but repeatedly offered the bag of gum he bought to anyone in range, whether they had previously accepted or not. I ended up taking half a dozen pieces. He was polite, apologizing for his language.

He seemed to care about those around him. Every time the infant girl in the next seat dropped the paper she was holding, he picked it up for her. Every so often, after we had both been sitting in silence, chewing gum, he would turn to me.

“You OK, Eli?” he would ask. Early on, he gave me the nickname “Eli Manning” and stuck with it.

I never asked him what crimes he had been in jail for. He was in three times, once for five years.
Later, I looked up court records, which showed he had been convicted of breaking into a car and, another time, a home.

I’m not condoning what he was convicted for, and if it were my car, I probably would have felt less amiable during the trip. But college students so rarely get to see the other side, where people made all the wrong choices somewhere along the way, and now live out their lives one Greyhound bus ride at a time.

Stephen Zook can be reached at stephen.zook@temple.edu .

Name degrades softball

Oral sex jokes will never go out of style, but there is a time and place for them. Ninth grade sex-ed class, for example. Not on co-ed recreational softball team T-shirts.  But, I saw an entire co-ed intramural softball team wearing T-shirts that read, in bright yellow letters, “Co-ed = Mo’ head.”

Contrary to what some may think, this is not as innocent as some might claim. This type of language is both sexist and immature, particularly when demonstrated at a function that serves to blend men and women as equals in relation to sports, a goal that has been hard to accomplish.

To wear a shirt that disrespects women at a sports function also disrespects the sport and undermines what universities attempt to accomplish by providing co-recreational sports. That is, to think of men and women as athletically equal.

This team name is not only worn by an entire softball team, it is registered as the official team name on Temple’s Campus Recreation 2009 intramural softball schedule.

Director of Campus Recreation Steve Young said in the rush to create schedules after registration deadlines have passed, inappropriate team names are sometimes unintentionally overlooked. He said if a team name is blatantly offensive and the department catches it, teams are forced to change the name.

“This one, I believe, was an oversight,” Young said about the “Co-ed = Mo’ head” team name.
This might also explain another distasteful team name on the schedule, “The D.C. Snipers.”

But Young goes on to explain that while Campus Recreation can regulate team names to some extent, it can’t stop them from wearing the T-shirts.

“We’ll take responsibility for not catching the team name,” Young said, “but when they put the shirts on…we’d be hard-pressed to get involved in censorship.”

While Campus Recreation should have noticed the team name and prevented it from being registered, the responsibility lies mostly with the students wearing the shirts.

“When I first saw [the shirts], I was really offended,” said Kate Cody, a junior kinesiology major and former high school softball player. “I feel like [softball] is a sport that has become a woman’s sport. It’s like a slap in the face.”

Cody plays for a co-recreational intramural softball team at Temple and saw the shirts after a game a few weeks ago.

“No one has really been offended by the team name,” said Joe Soloski, captain of the “Co-ed = Mo’ head” team, via Facebook. “Some girls think it’s gross…but most people have just laughed.”

Gross? More like disgusting. While intramural softball is just a recreational game to pass the time and stay in shape, it shouldn’t be a free-for-all.

I’ve played softball for the past 12 years, and there was a time when it was one of the most important things in my life. This team name makes a mockery of female athletes and makes Temple look like a careless university.

“If someone came up to me and said [the team name] offended them,” Soloski said. “I would tell them to relax…it’s just a creative team name for softball, and if you’re offended, then I am sorry that you are that uptight.”

For the sake of female athletes everywhere, I hope others are just as “uptight” as I am.

Leah Mafrica can be reached at leah.mafrica@temple.edu .

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