Students fast for world hunger

Krishan Thadani never went more than 12 hours without eating.

 “I feel tired, I feel hungry and completely exhausted. But that’s the whole purpose of it,” said Thadani, a sophomore biology major.

Thadani is one of 10 Temple student volunteers in Crosswalk, the campus Christian organization, who chose to take part in 30 Hour Famine.

“[30 Hour Famine is] meant to put ourselves in these people’s positions to see what they go through. And I think we’ve successfully accomplished that,” Thadani said.

With a little less than 24 hours completed, and another six to go, toughing out the desire to eat gets harder as the hours pass.

30 Hour Famine, which was nationally held April 24, is “an international youth movement to fight hunger and poverty,” according to its Web site. As a part of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization, the event allows youths to experience what it is like to live in poverty every day.

Through this cause, volunteer members raise money to fight hunger and bring awareness to the problems facing developing countries around the world. At noon on Friday, Crosswalk volunteers began their fast, which lasted until 6 p.m. Saturday.

Students were allowed to consume water except in the event of fatigue, when they were allowed to drink juice.

“I think water is a more pure thing,” Thadani said.

The community service events during the two days for which the students fasted were split up with different volunteers at each event, some who weren’t fasting.

Fasting was the primary way volunteers were able to experience how it felt to physically suffer the effects of hunger. They also chose to further their experience by sleeping outside in tents.

On Saturday morning, five volunteers worked at a soup kitchen at St. Mark’s Church. They served food and socialized with the local patrons. Later that morning, they cleaned and gardened at Page Street, west of Main Campus.

Ross Williamson, a senior education major, experienced only a smidgen of what life is like for people in developing countries. He said he found serving people to be fulfilling because he is not only thinking about himself but about the needs of others.

“Going on 24 hours, I feel pretty out of it. But it’s exciting. I’ve never done this before,” Williamson said. “I just feel such peace when I’m able to do that. I think it’s hard for people in this country to understand how great [of a problem world hunger] is. You will be able to get along better in the world if you care about others.”

As clichéd as it may sound, America is truly a fortunate country, volunteers say. Living in this country is a luxury because of the amount of food available. According to 30hourfamine.org, 840 million people in the world do not get enough to eat every day, while 3.3 billion people live in poverty. Another 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty.

America has its share of people who are living in poverty, but unlike impoverished people in developing countries, they are given resources like soup kitchens, Williamson said.

Daniel Domanski, a junior film and media arts major, chose to volunteer for community service initiatives during the famine.

He said it’s hard to deal with not eating on a regular basis.

People from developing countries work hard with little pay and food. They are forced to provide their own and produce more physical labor than the strength they have to carry on.

“I don’t think we can fully comprehend,” Thadani said. “We’re only doing this for 30 hours. It’s nothing like what they go through.”

“[Third World countries] aren’t awarded the same kinds of opportunities that power countries like America have,” said Jamie Leather, a junior psychology major.

Leather said hunger is a psychological thing in America because [food] is so readily available to us.
Crosswalk has been organizing this event since January and will be receiving donations over the next month. All donations will be used to aid humanitarian efforts in underdeveloped countries like North Korea, Malawi, Peru, Haiti and Swaziland.

Esther Akintoye can be reached at esther.akintoye@temple.edu.

Boyer quintet showcases its many talents

The talent that comes from Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance may be considered a little known fact.

The presence and prestige of the college was recently acknowledged during a recital featuring the Conwell Woodwind Quintet, which is comprised of talented faculty members.

With a humble-sized audience scattered throughout Rock Hall’s auditorium, the performance began with professors presenting themselves with their instruments. After sitting with their music and performing a quick tuning session, the quintet began to perform without the assistance of a conductor.

Using their trained ear-and-eye contact with one another, the members began to play “Ancient Airs and Dances,” a 20th century work, which quintet clarinetist Lawrence Wagner said “was masterly transcribed from the orchestral version by Philadelphian Adam Lesnick.”

The woodwind ensemble includes Loren Lind, Peter Smith, Angela Anderson, Shelley Showers and Lawrence Wagner, all of whom are faculty members of Boyer. They use their knowledge on particular instruments to teach students about the art and passion of music.

“Most musicians love to pass on to students the skills and knowledge they have acquired,” Wagner said. “That is certainly the case with the musicians in the Conwell Woodwind Quintet.”

If the audience didn’t immediately notice the quintet’s talent after it performed its first musical selection, a passage in the recital’s program booklets noted that faculty members “were prestigious musicians, all current or past members of the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as other phenomenal music groups.”

Lind, Smith, Anderson and Showers are current members of the city’s orchestra, and each carries years of fine musicianship with other groups.

Lind was a member of the Honolulu Symphony and Philadelphia’s Lyric Opera Orchestra before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1974. Smith, Anderson and Showers have performed with greater city symphonies, orchestras and Grammy Award-winning musical groups before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra in the 1990s.

Wagner was also a member of many orchestral groups and the city orchestra before becoming a professor and artistic adviser at Boyer. His musical talents have taken him to Korea and Australia, where he served as a clinician and conductor.

Professors in the quintet take time out of their schedules as musicians to teach students about music.
The faculty quintet has to balance rehearsal times for its concerts with teaching students. Scheduling conflicts often arise, as four of the five members are active members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“A Conwell concert each semester has now given way to one a year as the orchestra schedule has become more demanding,” Wagner said.

But even with a busy schedule, the quintet finds time to rehearse.

In last week’s recital, the group performed a work by Franz Danzi, followed by a jazzy, blues-like piece by American composer Gunther Schuller. The Conwell Woodwind Quintet ended its program with a light-hearted piece by Italian composer Giulio Briccialdi. The selection celebrated the coming of spring.
Faculty members enjoy selecting pieces for their concerts.

“[It’s] a labor of love,” Wagner said. “We enjoy finding new pieces and revisiting the greats of the [woodwind] repertoire.”

Nicole Welk can be reached at nicole.welk@temple.edu.

Cop deaths fuel gun control debate

Public opinion on gun control and police officers tends to run in stark contrasts. Either gun control is absolutely necessary, or it is unconstitutional. Police officers are either heroic saviors who risk their lives to keep us all safe or are little more than uniformed thugs.

Gov. Ed Rendell is taking on one of these issues, gun control, and using the other issue to do so. Rendell has renewed his attempt to create stronger gun legislation – or at least give cities the ability to do so themselves. One of his arguments has been the deaths of police officers, many of whom were killed by assault rifles much stronger than the police officers’ own weapons.

A specifically harrowing incident was the shooting of three Pittsburgh cops who were responding to a domestic disturbance call. When they arrived, they were ambushed by Richard Poplawski, a paranoid 23-year-old who believed the government was controlled by Zionists and wanted to outlaw guns.

When the police officers showed up, they were already out-gunned. In addition to a long-range rifle and a pistol, Poplawski had an AK-47, an automatic weapon used by militias and small armies around the world.

Rendell has used this instance to highlight the need for tougher gun control laws. During a press conference, he stood next to Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper Jr. and said the triple homicide should, if nothing else, make people understand the need for stronger gun laws.

Rendell’s argument has some merit. Poplawski didn’t do drugs, wasn’t involved in a gang and wouldn’t have been deterred by the traditional solution argued for by gun-rights advocates, which is that tougher prison sentences and better enforcement is the real cause of America’s crime problems. Poplawski didn’t have a lengthy list of prior convictions, so the toughest law wouldn’t have stopped him.

Rendell is facing criticism, despite his support from Pittsburgh police brass. Critics say he is politicizing the tragedy of the Pittsburgh cops’ deaths.

This argument, that Rendell is politicizing a tragedy, may convince some people, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of substance. The police officers shouldn’t be used as pawns for political causes, but their deaths are relevant to gun control. It makes no sense that military weapons are floating around the gun market, waiting to be bought or stolen by a criminal who is looking for an edge.

Police officers can’t be expected to win the fight against crime when they are using handguns to take on machine guns. There is no legitimate use for a functioning AK-47, especially considering the horrendous task Poplawski used his for.

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

Fond Farewells

Dean of Students Ainsley Carry is leaving for Alabama’s Auburn University next month.

By: Joshua Fernandez

Therese Dolan, Tyler School of Art’s interim dean, announced she will resign June 30.

By: Chris Stover

Annual antiques show is a success

From San Francisco to London, 50 of the greatest art and antiques dealers came to exhibit and sell some of the world’s most precious items in the Philadelphia Antiques Show.  As the annual show celebrated its 48th year, locals and collectors from the East Coast were able to enjoy the presence of rare furniture, porcelain dishes, lamps, rugs and other forms of art and décor.

The Philadelphia Antiques Show is one of the premier antique shows in the nation. 

Patrick Conner, of the Martyn Gregory Gallery in London, said his gallery has been visiting Philadelphia for several years to display its antiques.

“This is such a well-organized show,” he said. “It is the right length of time for us dealers, and each year, we find it well worthwhile to come.”

The show ran from April 18 to April 21 in the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier One of the Navy Yard, located at South Broad Street. 

With big band and classical music framing its background, viewers can travel back in time, becoming better acquainted with the objects dealers have to offer.  Each gallery is given a space at the floor of the terminal, which is boxed off from the other dealers exhibiting.  This allows each exhibitor to display his or her collection as creatively as desired. 

Brant Mackley, a Temple alumnus, displayed his rare American Indian artifacts to show how attendees can use antiques to complement interior design. 

Mackley has a gallery in Hershey, Pa.

The show’s theme this year was “Presidents and Patriots: Philadelphia Portrait Miniatures.”  Each year, the Antiques Show committee designs a theme to bring together the exhibitions, as well as allow a loan exhibit to be displayed at the center of the show.  This year’s loan exhibit included a series of miniature portraits of various presidents and important people throughout American history.

The majority of the portraits were painted by the Peale family of Philadelphia in the 18th century.  The portraits were on loan from various private collectors, as well as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

For a college student, the show acts more like an extravagant gallery than a place to purchase rare artifacts.  The $10 admission price for students benefited the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Mackley’s gallery specializes in American Indian artifacts, while Conner’s gallery specializes in paintings from the China trade of the 18th century.  Other exhibitions specialize in English needlepoint, Chinese porcelain and Oriental rugs.

Blaize Lehane, a representative of the exhibit, said the gallery has been asked to come to the Philadelphia Antiques Show for more than 15 years.

“This is a prestigious fair, and we are honored to be asked to come here,” Lehand said. “We have a respect for all the dealers who come.”

With artifacts ranging from $500 to more than $65,000, the business is left to the dedicated collector and even to the world-renowned museums.  This is one of Mackley’s reasons he displays his works in the manner he does, as many of his pieces seem to belong in a museum atmosphere.

“Of course we sell to museums,” he said, “but there are a lot of private collectors as well that take a great interest in Native American art.”

Because his specialty is art and artifact, Mackley said museums are reluctant to purchase his works for economic reasons.

“There is reluctance from museums to buy Native American objects due to legal issues surrounding [the North American Gaming Regulators Association],” he said. “They are afraid Native Americans will ask for the objects back, which can cause a court case to develop.”

In addition to its diverse exhibitions and exhibitors, the Philadelphia Antiques Show had other events, including a series of lectures by Robert and Katharine Booth, curators of the miniature portrait loan exhibit and by Carleton Varney, a well-known interior designer from New York.  The show provided a small café for its attendees, offering gourmet sandwiches, homemade baked goods and a small bar.

The Philadelphia Antiques Show is described as “prestigious, well-organized and worthwhile,” as it has existed for more than 48 years.

The show is known as one of the longest-running antique shows in the nation.

The show displays appreciation for the arts and showcases the important people within the business, the dealers and collectors who care for the objects that make up our nation and world history. 

Nicole Welk can be reached at nicole.welk@temple.edu.

Relocated Reporting: Returning from abroad with broadened horizons

Oviedo, Spain – It seems as though my time in Spain is ending already.

Since the name of this column implies it should be about relocating, this week, I’m going to turn the tables a little and talk about the second relocation I’ll experience: going back to the good old USA — a re-relocation, if you will.

So, here are the top five things I look forward to returning to in a few weeks and how I plan to use my newfound Spanish culture to improve the quality of my life:

5. Traveling.
Traveling here was the first time I had so much responsibility to keep things in line – prices, times, dates, addresses and did I say prices? I also learned to shield any type of hardship by packing about six pounds of food every time, just in case.

So, maybe when I get back home I’ll consider traveling places farther than South Street. I feel as if I can handle it now. I now know I’ll never stay in a real hotel again – it’s just a waste of money. I prefer the finest of hostels, whether the room has a perpetual breeze flowing through its broken window or just a bidet where the toilet should be.

And when I do pack my things and head toward the subway on a Condom Kingdom adventure (or whatever it may be), I’ll know to buy plenty of lunchmeat and a few baguettes because you never know when the Phillies will win a World Series or a popular Democrat will win the presidency, causing the subway to shut down at City Hall.

4. Heating.
The majority of Spanish households doesn’t seem to believe in more than minimal heating, even on the most bitter of nights. When I get home, maybe I’ll invest in making sure my house always has heat.

Although lthough my bed here has two 20-pound fleece blankets, a sheet and a down comforter, somehow, I’m still forced to wear not only pajama pants and a hoodie to bed, but also long johns. I think it’ll feel nice to feel less like Ralphie from A Christmas Story while I sleep.

3. Eating.
In my first column, I explained why the Spanish have a healthier way of life, and I never thought it would be possible to continue that when I come home. But all it took was a little brainstorming, and I figured out that it’s totally possible.

Take a Jim’s cheesesteak, for instance, as my lunch. All I really have to do to mirror Spanish eating habits is to eat my cheesesteak, an entire baguette on the side and a piece of fruit for dessert instead of going across the street and having a slice of Lorenzo’s pizza (which I have done).

I have to do this at precisely 2 p.m. Then, I wait seven hours and make myself what Americans consider a classic breakfast – fried eggs, breakfast potatoes and meat, which happens to be a typical nighttime meal here – and have that for dinner.

Suddenly, I’m just as healthy as before. I should sell this diet to Weight Watchers.

2. Clothing.
In a way, I’m very relieved to be returning to super-modern America, where the only people with mullets are guys you can assume have purchased nothing but motorcycles since 1985. But at the same time, I’ll miss the distinctive style of Spain.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I may have let the style here affect me a little, but I think it was for the better. For instance, I did buy a pair of bondage parachute pants. They seem to be in style here.

They might really come in handy in the future, especially if I find myself forced to skydive into the Atlantic on my way home. I just hope I don’t forget to wear them that day.

1. Speaking.
After almost five months, I finally think I am at least proficient in Spanish. However, what I really pride myself on is being able to arrive home with a whole new vocabulary in English, simply based on what I have learned in my second language.

Instead of calling my friends “girl” or “man,” I will now call them “aunt” or “uncle,” because in Spanish, they use “tia” and “tio,” words that mean such. I think it’s catchier that way anyway.

Instead of just saying “everyone,” which is boring, I will use the term “all the world,” borrowed from the Spanish “todo el mundo.”

Clearly, I’ve learned what I came here to learn. I am officially ready for America now.

Carlene Majorino can be reached at c.majorino@temple.edu.

Q&A with Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw

The season never ends for an athletic director.

This coming June, Bill Bradshaw will begin his eighth year at the helm of Temple Athletics. Since taking the job in 2002, Bradshaw has hired new coaches in football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball, has aligned the football program in a new conference and has seen 22 Temple teams make the NCAA Tournament. His contract was recently extended through the 2011-2012 season.

With the academic year winding down, Bradshaw expounded on his highlights from the 2008-2009 year, the future of the football team, internal expectations, Temple’s media exposure and his plans for the coming semester.

The Temple News: What was the best moment this year in Temple Athletics?

Bill Bradshaw: Three years ago, I would have said it was five wins in football, but we’re all disappointed by five wins in football. [So], you’d probably have to say the men’s basketball team winning its second consecutive Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament title.

TTN: What was the worst moment this year?

BB: Oh, the Hail Mary in Buffalo, no question. That one play was the difference between Temple playing in Detroit in the Mid-American Conference Championship game and Buffalo playing. They were 6-2. We were 4-4. You do the math.

TTN: What adjustments have you had to make with Temple’s current economic situation?

BB: Well, a salary freeze, that’s one. We’ve had about a 10 percent reduction in our subsidy, 5 percent since the economic downturn. We had a half a million dollars taken out of our subsidy, so that’s been a significant challenge. It’s involved a number of cuts, and it’s going to involve some significant cuts on things that I can’t even announce right now for next year. Those will involve some significant changes in how we do business, without having to drop sports and cut a lot of positions.

TTN: What do you think about this year’s fan attendance?

BB: For student participation, it was exceptional. We had the third straight year of that trending up. In terms of attendance at games, we didn’t have the exceptional schedule we’ll have next year. [So], for football, not as much. For basketball, I would say a slight increase. I think we’ll see more next year.

TTN: Hyperbole aside, does football just need to win now?

BB: Yes. And that could have been done last year. Winning, no question, is what’s going to steer it. But it’s just a matter of time, in terms of winning. It’s all there to win.

TTN: With that said, how high is the ceiling, in terms of interest, for the football team in a city like Philadelphia?

BB: We don’t know. We’ve tested everything but winning. We’ve tried billboards. We’ve tried television advertising. We’ve tried everything here, except winning. So no one can say to you, if you win, you’ll put 30,000 a game [at Lincoln Financial Field]. We don’t know. What we think, and what Philadelphia says in this market, is if you win, we’ll come out.

TTN: Would it help to play more attractive teams?

BB: They wouldn’t come out for a West Virginia game from the Big East five years ago. So with the MAC and winning, it’s a whole new dynamic. It’s a whole new opportunity that we haven’t tested. I believe people will come out. Does that mean it’s going to be over 30,000 a game? I don’t think so. But I do believe that our formula of four non-conference games that you can drive to, and those fans can drive to Philadelphia, and a schedule of eight MAC games is a pretty good formula for us to be as successful as possible in this market. We are the only Division I-A college football team. And what is Philadelphia missing, in my opinion? College football. It’s the only thing Philadelphia hasn’t had, and that’s because of Temple. We haven’t been successful. We haven’t won. We haven’t made it important to go on Saturdays to the same place they’ll line up and wait on Sundays. And we haven’t tested that by winning.

TTN: How do you think the MAC’s television exposure is?

BB: Temple’s never had more exposure in football than we had since we joined the MAC. We’ve never appeared on those [ESPN] telecasts. Last year, we were on four times. This year, we’ll be on three or four. When we were in the Big East, we weren’t on television, so I think that’s going to develop as we win.

TTN: And with that, are you pleased with the television exposure the A-10 has?

BB: We’re not completely satisfied with that because some of the local television hasn’t been what it was in the past. That could be better. In terms of national exposure, ESPN cut the number of opportunities for the A-10 two years ago, but we’ve been able to get Temple some exposure by playing teams like Kansas or Duke that ESPN has wanted to do. We’ll continue to play a strong non-conference schedule, which will give us the exposure. Then, if we’re at the top of the conference, we’ll get a lot of those slotted ESPN national games.

TTN: Is just making the NCAA Tournament good enough for the men’s basketball team?

BB: In men’s basketball, we hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2001. Now, if you said when John Chaney resigned, you’ll be in the Tournament two of the next three years, people would have said, ‘that’s successful.’ But we’re here, and we’ve raised the bar. So, we’re raising the bar on what we consider success, and just getting into the NCAA Tournament is not enough.

TTN: Does that mean you want to get on the same level as the Pitt’s and Penn State’s of the world?

BB: We want to be the best we can be. That’s what I would say, without comparing us to anyone. Our expectations, internally, are very high.

TTN: Is there enough interest in women’s basketball in the Temple community?

BB: Most of the people on the Board of Trustees or people in the administration believe that we should draw more people for women’s basketball. Across the board in athletics, we feel we should be drawing more. I’m disappointed in how the area teams draw and how the conference teams draw [in women’s basketball], but we’re no worse. I still think we can do better.

TTN: Are you worried about losing Tonya Cardoza after the immediate success she’s had?

BB: We will never be insulated from losing successful coaches. You look around the country [with all the moves]. Why would we be insulated from that? I guess it says it’s a good thing when your program is so good that the person leading you someone else wants.

TTN: How important is winning for the non-revenue teams like soccer, lacrosse and tennis?

BB: We judge our sports by the commitment we have. So, you look at the kind of salaries we pay, the kind of scholarships, the facilities, the conference, all those things really tell us, internally, how we’re doing. That doesn’t mean those coaches have tenure, because we’re judging our coaches in those programs on academic performance, rules compliance and athletic performance. But we’re not as quick to make those changes just for teams not winning.

TTN: Is there one non-revenue sport that should get more attention?

BB: Sure, but we’re realistic enough to know that we’re not in Dayton, Ohio. We’re not in Champaign, Ill. We’re in Philadelphia. You really have to be exceptional here with the kind of competition not only in the intercollegiate area but [professionally] to capture this town. There should more attendance and more interest in our other sports. I wish there were.

TTN: Do you have a final word on the year?

BB: Just to reiterate how pleased we are with the student body’s participation. We have a lot to look forward to. The best days are ahead. I think we’re seeing some traction, some momentum.

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

Inmates seek justice through ‘Innocence’

Marissa Boyers Bluestine often stays up late wondering if a 16-year-old, who was charged with a life sentence 23 years ago, is innocent.

Bluestine, legal director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project at Temple, commits eight-hour work days, and sometimes nights, reviewing petitions from inmates, some of whom were sentenced to life in prison as young as 16 years old and may have been wrongfully convicted.

As part of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit corporation that works to exonerate wrongfully convicted inmates, Bluestine is in the process of reading hundreds of petitions she’s received since the project opened its doors on Main Campus earlier this month.

“My worst thought would be if we reject somebody at this point that really shouldn’t be rejected,” said Bluestine, who was a Philadelphia public defender for 10 years.

The project, which is still in the beginning phase of operation, expects to have students from the Beasley School of Law, as well as attorneys, to assist in reviewing applications from inmates serving at least five years in Pennsylvania prisons.

Richard Glazer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, said the project allows for advocacy among students interested in enhancing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.

“It’s really four things we’re really trying to accomplish: security, exoneration and release from imprisonment of people who despite their innocence, have been wrongly convicted,” he said.

“We anticipate having students with particularized training around investigation to get involved and start digging into these cases and start looking and seeing where are there provable claims of innocence,” she said.

The Temple office deals with all cases in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania outside a 100-mile radius from Pittsburgh.

“As soon as the doors were opened, the inmates’ letters were coming in rapid pace,” Glazer said. “The April 7 event showed that we touched a cord here in Philadelphia.”

The Innocence Project at Temple does not only focus on biological evidence like DNA testing, but on cases in which police informants, false testimonies and mistaken eye-witnesses and other forensic evidence are involved.

Nationwide, there have been 235 exonerations involving DNA, Bluestine said.

“Innocence Law is essentially the civil rights movement of our time, and for Temple to be the locust of that makes every sense in the world,” she added. “Police tend to focus on the wrong suspect early. We need to ensure that police initially are keeping the investigation open without focusing too early.”

Bluestine said relying too much on eyewitness identifications can lead to inmates being wrongfully accused.

Seventy-five percent of people who have been wrongfully convicted involve eye-witness testimonies, she said.

“All of those issues, which we see as causes of wrongful conditions, are coming out in these letters. Every letter has to touch you in some way,” she said, pointing to the eight-inch pile of petitions on her desk. “I know most of these clients are not innocent. They’re looking for a straw of hope, but some of them very well are.”

As piles of applications continue to pour into Bluestine’s office every day, she is reminded of the fact that there are innocent inmates who are serving life sentences for crimes they committed as teenagers.

“To lock somebody up for the rest of their life for something they did as a teenager is inhumane,” she said. “There’s really not a lot of difference between executing somebody for something they did when they were 16 and incarcerating them for the rest of their life for something they did when they were 16.”

Brittany Diggs can be reached at bdiggs@temple.edu.

Decreasing Increase

It’s time to give credit where credit is due and commend the university for instituting its lowest tuition hike in 13 years, along with a plan to increase the financial aid budget of the next three years.

The Board of Trustees implemented the tuition increase two months earlier than usual in order to better prepare students and parents in what is already a dismal economy. The 2.9 percent increase is the lowest since Fiscal Year 1997, when tuition for Pennsylvania residents rose 2.3 percent.

This means that come its Fall 2009 semester, in-state students will pay $11,174 per year, compared to the previous year’s $10,858. For out-of-state students, the tuition price will go from $19,878 to $20,454 per year.

The tuition increase coincides with a plan to “significantly increase the university’s financial aid budget.” Both come at a crucial time, as Temple is currently in a hiring freeze, employees are facing potential layoffs and American Federation of State, County, and Municipality Employees and the Temple Association of University Professionals are embroiled in contract negotiations that could result in a strike.
Despite the economic trials, administrators speculate an additional $21 million dollars in funding will go toward student financial aid over the next three years – Temple’s largest funding addition in history.

Administrators said the small tuition increase and addition funding were made possible by wise financial decisions and cost cutting. The overall budget for FY 2010 will be 5 percent – about $40 million – lower than the previous year’s.

It would be easy to criticize Temple for increasing tuition at a time when people all over the country are facing economic hardships they’ve never before dealt with. For some, attending college is becoming more of a pipe dream than a reality, due in large part to the cost. But the reality is Temple’s tuition is already significantly lower than other schools’ tuitions in the area.

At La Salle University, tuition for 2007-2008 was $29,200. A four-year education will cost more than $35,000 a year at Drexel University and more than $32,000 a year at St. Joseph’s University. Pennsylvania residents pay more than $13,000 every year to attend Penn State’s University Park campus.

Relatively speaking, Temple’s tuition rates are considerably lower than comparable universities, and the plan to increase the financial aid budget will only soften the blow.

Temple should be applauded for its efforts to help students get a first-class education as affordably as possible.

Letter: Horowitz protesters degraded discussion

Dear Editor,

Temple was fortunate enough to host a presentation by renowned political analyst David Horowitz on April 16. Unfortunately, the impression left by the university, its students and even its faculty was less than flattering. In response to our experience at the event, the article written by Matthew Petrillo and the commentary piece written by Kathryn López, we have authored this editorial in an effort to take a comprehensive look at the full picture, not just one side. Readers should note that the three of us maintain differing political ideologies: Democrat, Libertarian, and Republican.

David Horowitz recently released his latest work entitled One-Party Classroom. In it, he expresses his belief that it is not the responsibility of a university professor to impress any one-sided political issue upon his or her students and marginalize the dissenting students. Classrooms should be a forum in which both sides of an issue are presented. This teaches students to think critically and evaluate each argument.

Regrettably, any indecisive Temple student who went into Mr. Horowitz’s presentation with an open mind was most likely unable to discern his or her position, due to demonstrations by several inconsiderate members of the audience. Spectators were made aware that a Q&A session would be taking place after Mr. Horowitz’s remarks. What Ms. López described as a “silent protest” was, in fact, all but silent. Many of the protesters were also talking loudly among themselves, laughing and blatantly interrupting him. Questions that were asked during the Q&A period were presented in a confrontational manner. We have no problem with expressing disagreement. However, doing it in a way that infringes upon one’s rights to free speech is unacceptable. The protesters did a major disservice to everyone else who came to listen and pose thoughtful inquiries. They also injured themselves by demonstrating an obviously leftist agenda that was not open to alternative viewpoints. They effectively proved Mr. Horowitz’s points about indoctrination.

A notable instance of closed mindedness occurred when Mr. Horowitz was berated with grievances about his views on a gay studies course at Temple. Mr. Horowitz responded by stating that he is “one of the most outspoken conservatives for human rights for gay people” and admires all the efforts they have taken thus far. His objection to the course had to do with its political bias. The room went silent. Hopefully this silence signified that the protesters were aware of their ignorance in stereotyping this “conservative” individual.

Unfortunately, Mr. Horowitz became aggravated and defensive as a result of this said behavior and failed to improve the lowly level of discourse initiated by the protesters. He allowed them to detract from the main purpose of his speech by engaging in heated discussions about side issues that the protesters shoved in his face and eventually resorted to name calling. However, we believe this was in response to the incorrigibility of the protesters, not because of “flawed research,” as Ms. López claimed. Nonetheless, any failure on Mr. Horowitz’s part to prove his points was compensated by the protesters’ closed mindedness and overall rude conduct.

Michael Zinno, Secondary Education, Political Science
Eric Horst, Economics
Joseph Alpert, Philosophy, Political Science

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