Fencer honored

After a 27-10 individual record, a second place finish in the U.S. Fencing Junior Olympics, the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Regionals in the epee competition, seventh in the NCAA Championships, and becoming Temple’s first epee All-American, sophomore Kristin Howell can add another honor to the list.

Howell was named Female Student Athlete of the Year at the sixth-annual Breakfast of Champions on April 23 for her role in leading the Temple women’s fencing team to a 24-6 overall record and No. 8 ranking in the nation.

“This is such a huge honor, especially for me being a sophomore.” Howell said about the award. “The only thing I can really do is continue to work hard and do my best to have an equally good, or even better, season next year.”

There were eight nominees up for the award. The criteria to win included a combination of academic and athletic performance.

Howell not only excelled in meets, but she also got it done in the classroom, posting a 3.06 cumulative grade point average as an undeclared university studies major.

At the Breakfast of Champions, she and fellow sophomore Melissa Parker were honored for achieving All-American status for 2007-2008. Parker became the Owls’ first second-team All-American since Lisa Honig in 1994.

“Making All-American this season was exhilarating” Howell said. “Last season, I narrowly missed the championships, so making it this year and doing so well [felt good].”

Howell, Parker, co-captain Christie Griffith and fellow epee player Grace Wu were recognized for participating in the NCAA Tournament, an event in which Howell placed ninth.

The Penn State Multi-Meet on January 26 was also a highlight of Howell’s season. Not only did Temple have a perfect 4-0 record during the meet, defeating North Carolina, Haverford, and Drew, but the Owls also knocked off the defending NCAA champions, Penn State, 14-13.

“We hadn’t beaten Penn State for years, so that was a great moment.” Howell said. “We fought so hard and we succeeded. I will never forget that day.”

Assistant coach Bradley Baker said the win proved to the team that they can beat anyone in the country with a little effort and focus.

With the award, Howell and the rest of the fencing team look forward to the upcoming 2008-2009 season.

Joe Polinsky can be reached at jpolinsky@temple.edu.

Close to the postseason

The baseball team can clinch its first Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament appearance two days from today.

With a win over St. Louis Thursday or losses by both Fordham and George Washington, Temple (23-26, 14-10 A-10) would enter the six-team playoff for the first time since 2002.

The Owls, who through Monday were fifth in the 14-team A-10 standings, took two of three games from visiting Dayton (29-23, 11-13) at Skip Wilson Field this weekend, a jumpstart of sorts after the team lost eight of their last nine games before their series against the Flyers.

Junior picthers Matt Mongiardini and senior Arshwin Asjes combined for a complete game shutout of the Flyers in a 1-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. The Owls lost the second game, 11-2, but recovered the next day with a 9-7 win.

The Owls have four games remaining, including a non-conference match-up against Villanova today at 3:15 p.m. in Plymouth Meeting.
If the season were to end today, the Owls would play Rhode Island (27-22, 14-9), who are fourth in the A-10 standings.

The Owls swept Rhode Island in a three-game series earlier in the season in Kingston, R.I.

The A-10 Tournament will take place in Camden, N.J. starting May 21.

Tyson McCloud can be reached at tyson@temple.edu.

Sports Rewind for 5/13

Football
On May 6, the team was one of 218 Division I programs to not reach a sufficient score for the annual Academic Progress Rate, which was established by the NCAA in February 2005.

The Owls needed a score of 900, but only had an average score of 868. The team will lose four scholarships and four hours a week of practice/workout time as the penalty. The Owls have applied for a waiver request. If the team doesn’t reach 900 next year, a postseason ban is possible.

Men’s Crew
The Varsity 8 upset 15th-ranked Georgetown by a half length on May 4.

On May 10, the Owls took home two medals at the 70th Annual Dad Vail Regatta on the Schuylkill River. The Freshman/Novice 4 won silver medals, while the Varsity 8 won bronze.

The team will close out the season at the IRA Regatta in Camden, N.J. which runs from June 5-7.

Women’s Crew
On May 9, the Varsity and Freshman/Novice 8 joined the Owls’ Lightweight 8 to reach the semifinals of the Dad Vail Regatta, but all three failed to reach the finals the next day. It was their last meet of the season.

Men’s Track
The squad finished sixth in the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track Championships at the University of Massachusetts, which ended May 4. The team placed fifth last year at the same event.

Sophomore Tim Boeni placed fifth and sixth in the long and high jumps, respectively. The team will travel to Princeton, N.J. to compete in the IC4As this Friday and Saturday.

Women’s Track
The team had its best finish in five years as the Owls placed fourth at the A-10 Championship.

Sophomore Melissa Gale won the pole vault while junior Devon DuPont finished first in the heptathlon and freshman Assata Cowart came out on top in the 400m hurdles.

The squad will compete in the ECAC Championship Friday and Saturday at Princeton, N.J.

Golf
The team had their best performance at the A-10 Championship since 2002 with a seventh place finish, shooting 877 (+13) in 54 holes.

Junior Paul Amess finished one above par and tied for 14th place. The event ended the season.

Softball
The Owls ended their season on a two-game winning streak after sweeping Charlotte May 2 and 3 with scores of 2-0 and 7-4.
The squad finished the season with a record of 15-21 overall and 5-17 in the A-10.

On May 6, Junior Courtney Norene received Atlantic 10 second team honors and made the All-Academic team. Norene also won a share of the 2008 Diamond Award along with Candice Borrows of the basketball team.

- Kevin Smiley

The host Blue Devils downed the A-10 champs, 4-0, Friday.

The score didn’t do the Owls any justice. The home crowd wasn’t very supportive either.

The women’s tennis team was ousted from the NCAA tournament after losing to No. 9 Duke, 4-0, in the first round in Durham, N.C. Friday.

Despite the loss, the young Owls (16-5), gained some precious experience against the Blue Devils (19-4).

“We haven’t had that exposure, that experience needed to really compete at that type of level,” assistant coach Darrin Cohen said. “It’s a great stepping stone, building block.”

Boasting two of the country’s top individual players, the Blue Devils took care of business early.

In singles matches, the Owls were swept in straight sets. Sophomores Christine Clermont and Anastasiia Rukavyshnykova were each defeated 6-1, 6-1.

Junior Dina Senkina was down 6-1, 5-1 but did not finish before the overall match ended.

It was déjà vu in doubles action as the Owls duo of Rukavyshnykova and Clermont was beaten, 8-2.

Freshmen doubles pair Lucie Pazderova and Theresa Stangl were grounded 8-0 against the Blue Devils’ tandem of Ellah Nze and Reka Zsilinszka. Nze is the 21st-ranked player nationally, while Zsilinszka is the 24th.

Senkina and sophomore Elyse Steiner were locked in a 4-4 stalemate, but it was too late, as the overall outcome was already decided.
Despite these shortcomings at Durham, it was a season of promise and improvement for the Owls.

The team, which is comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores, took home the Owls’ first Atlantic Ten Conference Championship since 2002-2003.
All nine players will be returning to defend that title next season.

“We fought hard as a team, but Duke was just too tough an opponent,” said first-year Temple coach Jill Breslin. “It was an outstanding season, and with our entire
team back, we look forward to even more success next year.”

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

In their first NCAA appearance since 2005, the Owls lost to No. 3 Maryland, 20-7.

They say that things come in threes.

For the Temple women’s lacrosse team, that saying couldn’t ring truer.

Not only were they making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in three years on Sunday, but with it, they faced a familiar opponent:  No. 3-seeded Maryland, the same team that ousted them from the first round of the tourney the last two times they made it.

It turned out the third time against the Terrapins (18-2) wouldn’t be the charm for the Owls (13-7), as they fell again in the first round by the score of 20-7.

To top it off, not only did Temple fail to stop that streak, but another one as well — the Owls were winless against ranked teams this season.  The previous two contests, against No. 6 Princeton and No.4 Penn, ended in 15-7 and 15-2 defeats, respectively.

“We know that Maryland is a tough opponent,” coach Bonnie Rosen said prior to the game.  “But our season has definitely prepared us to see them.  We are not going into this game to lose.  We are planning to make an upset.  And so we’re working really, really hard to be prepared for that game.”

That preparation, however, couldn’t upset a Maryland squad that finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation with a record of 17-2, sporting both a Top 10 defense and offense.  Their No. 7 offense, in fact, boasts 2007 All-American and current senior midfielder Dana Dobbie.

This year, Dobbie set a new NCAA single-season record for draw controls with 114, but her damage on Sunday came when she scored all three of her goals in the second half to supplement a 12-2 Maryland run.

“[Senior midfielder] Whitney Richards did a great job on Dobbie and limiting her cuts to her left,” Rosen said. “But give credit to Maryland.  They had a lot of other players step up.”

Twelve different Terrapins scored at least one goal during the match.

“In the second half they came up with draw controls and easy fast break opportunities to score.  We made a few mistakes and needed to possess more to score,” Rosen said.

Even with the loss, the team will still take away a positive outlook from this season and experience.

“It’ll be fun to say that we got to play in the NCAAs,” senior goalkeeper Bridget McMullan said before the loss.

“But I’ll miss it [lacrosse], the team, and the coaches a lot. It’s not just some fun game we play, it’s our lives and we’re not going to be able to do it ever again.”

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

2007-2008: A Year In Review

A return to glory.

That was the feeling that radiated throughout Boardwalk Hall as the men’s basketball team secured its first NCAA Tournament berth in seven years by defeating its city rival and arch-nemesis, Saint Joseph’s, 69-64, in the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship game in Atlantic City, N.J. on March 15.

As friends, family, fans and media members flooded the court, the players each took turns cutting down the nets, savoring every second of their victory.
The accomplishment was one of many memorable moments that highlighted the 2007-2008 athletic seasons.

Among the others:
The women’s lacrosse and tennis teams both won A-10 Tournament championships in April. Lacrosse junior Britney Hoffman scored four goals to help the Owls beat Massachusetts, 10-3, in the title game, while first-year coach Jill Breslin led the tennis team to a 4-0 victory over Xavier for the A-10 crown.

Field hockey senior midfielder Alli Lokey was selected as a Second Team All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association after leading the Owls and the A-10 in goals with 18 last season, a mark which was second-best in the nation. She also led the A-10 in eight other categories.

Led by seniors Luke Vexler and Sterling Kramer, the men’s gymnastics team won its second consecutive Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship title. It was coach Fred Turoff’s 16th ECAC Championship victory.

Here’s a look back at other memorable moments of the 2007-2008 athletic year:

BIG BUCKS — SEPT. 12
Ann McKernan Robinson, a former Temple field hockey, basketball and lacrosse player, and her husband, Armand I. Robinson, pledged $1.1 million to the newly-created Ann McKernan Field Hockey Endowment Fund, the largest gift Temple Athletics has ever received.

“I hope to be on the sidelines when Temple field hockey returns to the Final Four,” said McKernan Robinson, a 1958 Temple graduate, in a statement. “But most of all, I hope that our gift will get other Temple alums to think about the assets they have and the legacies they could leave.”

UCONN-ED — SEPT. 15
Trailing host Connecticut, 22-17, with 40 seconds remaining, the Owls ran a trick play where sophomore wide receiver Dy’Onne Crudup’s pass to red-shirt junior quarterback Adam DiMichele deflected off of Huskies free safety Robert Vaughn and landed in the hands of junior wide receiver Bruce Francis, who caught the ball in the back of the end zone.

Although it appeared that Francis’ left foot may have been inbounds when he caught the deflection, referees called the play incomplete. After an extensive video review, officials upheld the call. Following the game, Big East Conference replay official Jack Kramer said there was “not enough video evidence to reverse the play on the field.”

The controversial call put the Owls in a 0-3 hole to begin the season. The two teams will meet again next season, this time at Lincoln Financial Field, on Saturday, Sept. 6.

LOKEY ERUPTS — OCT. 14
Senior midfielder Alli Lokey shredded Rhode Island for four goals in a 6-1 win at Geasey Field.

The hat trick-plus one was the most goals scored by a Temple player since Toni Byard accomplished the feat in 1992. Furthermore, Lokey, who earned A-10 Player of the Week honors based off her performance, scored the goals against M.J. Britts, who entered the game ranked first in the nation in save percentage.

UPSET, UPSET! — JAN. 16
Second-year coach Fran Dunphy got his first win over a ranked team at Temple when the Owls blew out No. 20 Xavier, 78-59, at the Liacouras Center. Junior Dionte Christmas became the 44th member of the 1,000-point club after scoring a game-high 23 points in the victory.

After beating the Musketeers, The Owls won 14 of their next 18 games on their way to an A-10 Championship.

UPSET, UPSET! PART DEUX — JAN. 19
After losing 2007 A-10 Player of the Year Kamesha Hairston, who was drafted by the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, expectations weren’t high for the women’s basketball team this season.

But, after struggling through a tough non-conference schedule, the Owls pulled off a surprise 68-66 victory over No. 13 George Washington at the Liacouras Center.

It was the Owls’ second victory in a seven-game win streak. The squad would go on to win 12 of their last 13 regular season games en route to the program’s fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth.

COLE: RECORD BREAKER — JAN. 18
Junior thrower Amanda Cole broke her own school record in the indoor weight throw with a distance of 52-2 ½ feet at the Gotham Cup at the New York Armory. She finished in first place in the weight throw at that competition.
The next week, Cole won the weight throw again at the Great Dane Classic, this time coming within less than an inch (52-1 ¾) of tying the record she just set.

SHOWDOWN AT THE
PALESTRA — MARCH 2
The men’s basketball team engaged in a three-round heavyweight bout with Saint Joseph’s this season, losing the first engagement at the Liacouras Center, 68-67, on Pat Calathes’ three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left.

The rematch proved to be just as close. In front of a capacity crowd at the Palestra, the Owls pulled out a tough 57-56 come-from-behind victory on senior guard Mark Tyndale’s game-winning lay-up with 21 seconds remaining. The Hawks missed three shots in the final seconds before sophomore guard Ryan Brooks hauled in the final rebound of the game to secure the win for the Owls.

Thirteen days later, Temple would go on to win the rubber match, 69-64, in the A-10 Championship game.

FENCERS SOAR —
MARCH 15
After finishing the season with a 24-6 overall mark and ranking eighth in the United States Fencing Coaches Association Women’s Fencing Coaches Poll, the fencing team had four athletes participate in the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio. The Owls finished ninth out of 23 teams at the two-day competition.
Sophomore Melissa Parker, a second-team All-American, finished seventh in the foil, while her teammate, fellow sophomore Kristin Howell, an honorable mention All-American, also registered a top 10 finish, placing ninth in the epee. Sophomore Christie Griffith and freshman Grace Wu finished 23rd and 19th in the sabre and epee competitions, respectively.

MARROW DRIVE —
APRIL 16
The Temple football team helped register more than 600 potential bone marrow donors during a day-long drive at the Howard Gittis Student Center to break the regional record previously held by Northeastern University.

In conjunction with Fox Chase Temple, players and coaches from the team assisted donors in filling out paperwork. Temple Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw, men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy and Provost Lisa Staino-Coico were among the donors.

LONG GONE DAWN —
MAY 10
After eight seasons on the Temple women’s basketball sidelines, Philadelphia native Dawn Staley agreed to become the coach of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team. Staley amassed a 172-80 record and led the Owls to six NCAA Tournament appearances during her tenure.

Tyson McCloud can be reached at tyson@temple.edu.

Looking to 2008-2009

As the 2007-2008 academic year winds down, let’s take a look at what the 2008-2009 campaign has in store for the football and basketball teams.

Football
Sure, the Owls didn’t win a game three years ago, but they won four — all in the Mid-American Conference — last year and are expected to be one of the top teams going into the 2008 season.

Coach Al Golden’s squad is returning all but two seniors and his team is playing a much more winnable schedule, including non-conference games against Connecticut at home and Army and Navy on the road.

Combine that with the expected return of red-shirt senior quarterback, and team captain, Adam DiMichele, and the football team — yes, the football team — is set for what should be a competitive and entertaining season.

Men’s Basketball
It will be the Dionte Christmas show.

With senior guards Mark Tyndale and Chris Clark exiting, the junior guard will undoubtedly be the go-to-guy for coach Fran Dunphy.

Freshman forward Lavoy Allen and sophomore guards Ryan Brooks and Luis Guzman will also see increased roles, with Brooks possibly entering the starting lineup.

In the fight for supporting roles, incoming freshman Michael Eric will duke it out with junior center Sergio Olmos in the frontcourt, while incoming recruits Andrew “Scootie” Randall and T.J. DiLeo and two of last year’s benchwarmers, freshman guards Martavis Kee and Ramone Moore, will compete for playing time in the backcourt.

The Owls are looking to repeat as Atlantic Ten Conference champions and return to the NCAA Tournament after missing the Big Dance the previous six seasons.

Women’s Basketball
First things first, the Owls need to find a new coach.

With Dawn Staley leaving for South Carolina after eight seasons on North Broad Street, the Owls have set out to find her replacement.

Two intriguing names that have been whispered as candidates are former star Marilyn Stephens, who also graduated from Simon Gratz High School, and Ervin Monier, a former assistant for Staley. While both have ties to Temple, the list will surely expand beyond that.

On the player’s side, gone are seniors Ashley Morris and Lady Comfort, and stepping up and taking their places will be sophomore guard LaKeisha Eaddy and junior forwards Shenita Landry and Shanea Cotton.

The Owls have made the NCAA Tournament each of the last five seasons and have routinely been a top team in the A-10 during Staley’s tenure.

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

Staley leaves for South Carolina

“We were looking for a gem and we found a bright diamond right in our own backyard.”
– Former Temple Athletic Director Dave O’Brien after hiring Dawn Staley as Temple’s women’s basketball coach on April 20, 2000.

The diamond is gone.

In a move that may shake the women’s basketball program for years to come, Dawn Staley agreed to become coach of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team Saturday.

The 38-year-old Philadelphia native and former WNBA all-star is the winningest coach in Temple women’s basketball history, amassing a 172-80 record in eight seasons with the Owls.  She signed a six-year contract extension with Temple last year and earned $500,000 this season.
Staley agreed to a five-year deal with South Carolina — which includes a $500,000 buyout — with a base salary of $250,000 and a total package reaching $650,000 per year, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

She will take over a team that went 16-16 overall and 4-10 in the Southeastern Conference last year under former coach Susan Walvius, who resigned last month.
“My vision is to bring national prominence to South Carolina,” Staley said Saturday in a press conference in Columbia, S.C. The Gamecocks, who have made trips to the WNIT the past three seasons, last made the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and advanced to the Elite Eight in 2002.
“It’s a bold move,” Staley said, “but challenges are things that drive me.”

At Temple, the Dobbins Tech High graduate took on a challenge when she inherited a program that suffered through a decade of losing campaigns before she arrived in 2000.

Staley, who had no previous coaching experience when she took the job, quickly turned things around, leading the Owls to six NCAA Tournament appearances and four Atlantic Ten Conference Championship wins, including three consecutive league titles between 2004 and 2006.

For her efforts, the three-time Olympic gold medalist was awarded A-10 Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2005. She also coached two A-10 Player of the Year winners in Candice Dupree (2005 and 2006) and Kamesha Hairston (2007), both of whom were first round selections in the WNBA Draft in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

This year, the Owls finished 21-13 overall and 12-2 in the A-10, losing to Arizona State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite fielding six 20-or-more-win teams including a program record 28-win squad in 2004-2005, Staley’s Owls never advanced past the second round of the NCAAs during her tenure.

Now, Staley, perhaps the greatest Philadelphia-born women’s basketball player ever, is leaving her backyard for a new home.

“It was a very difficult decision but sometimes things happen,” Staley said. “I think professionally I like to be challenged just to reassure myself as a coach. I thank Temple University for giving me the opportunity to hone my skills as a coach. This opportunity fits me.”

“Dawn Staley has had a strong record at Temple University,” Temple Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw said in a statement. “We wish her the best at South Carolina.”

The Carolina region isn’t unfamiliar to Staley.

The Virginia University graduate played for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting for six full seasons before finishing out her professional career with a short stint with the Houston Comets in 2005.

“Personally, I have a lot of family members supporting me today,” Staley said. Her mother, Estelle, was born in Seneca, S.C. “Professionally, I want to coach against some of the best coaches in the country, and this is one of the best conferences in the country.”

In the SEC, Staley’s Gamecocks will play against powerhouse programs like the reigning national champion Tennessee Lady Vols, Lousiana State and Georgia on a yearly basis.

While Staley prepares to face some of the top teams in the country, the Owls will conduct a national search to find a new coach. The hunt to find Staley’s successor is slated to begin this week, Bradshaw told the Inquirer Friday.

Potential candidates include Patty Coyle, coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty and a West Catholic High graduate, and young assistants from nationally ranked teams such as Jamelle Elliott or Tonya Cardoza of Connecticut or Carlene Mitchell of Rutgers, Inquirer women’s basketball writer Mel Greenberg reported Friday.
The Owls may also target a high-profile coach from another college, Greenberg wrote.

“What is most important is we go from the great work Dawn did at Temple and find the right bridge to take us to the future,” Bradshaw told the Inquirer.

Tyson McCloud can be reached at tyson@temple.edu.

Crime Report for 5/13

May 5
University Village
Female student reported being harassed by a male student from February to April 2008. PFA advised. Student refused to give the male students name.

1940 Residence Hall, Third Floor
Students reported an unknown person removed a Dell laptop and two digital cameras from their residence hall room between 9:25 a.m. and 10 a.m. May 5. No force found.

2033 N. 10th St.
Window broken on a 2001 Volkswagen with a Kenwood car radio and a iPod Nano taken between 8:20 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. May 5.

Wachman Hall
Student kicked a water fountain, causing it to break and leak water. Referred to UDC.

1940 Residence Hall, Fourth Floor
Student reported an unknown person removed a Gateway laptop computer from between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 5. No force found.

1650 N. 15th St.
Student reported an unknown male struck her car with his hand after she refused to give him her phone number at 6:45 p.m. May 5. No damage found.

May 6
TECH Center
A student admitted to taking another student’s iPod when it was left unattended at 3:30 p.m. May 6. Referred to UDC.

Opthamology, Sixth Floor
Employee reported another employee forged a doctor’s signature on a prescription pad in an attempt to obtain Percocet at 8:30 a.m. May 2. The employee was suspended pending termination. Criminal investigation continuing.

Rock Pavilion, Ninth Floor
Female employee reported she was scratched on the face and had her hair pulled by another female employee at 10 a.m. May 6, 2008 after a verbal altercation. Private Criminal Complaint advised. Referred to HSC Labor Relations.

Dental School, Second Floor
Patient reported an unknown person removed her hand bag containing $45, N.J. driver’s license and credit cards between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. May 6.

May 7
1531 Norris St.
Campus Police arrested a male student for criminal mischief after he broke a window to the entrance door of 1531 Norris St. during a physical altercation. Referred to UDC.

1531 Norris St.
Campus Police transported two male students to Temple Hospital for treatment of minor cuts and bruises suffered when they were assaulted by another group of students after a verbal altercation.

1809 N. Ninth St.
Campus Police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male on an outstanding warrant.

Barton Hall
Student reported an unknown person removed a Samsung cell phone when it was left unattended in the lobby between 12:30 p.m. and 12:35 p.m. May 7.

Hardwick Hall, Ninth Floor
Student reported an unknown person removed a purse from the student lounge when left unattended between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. May 7. The purse was recovered. A Canon digital camera was reported missing from the purse.

1940 Residence Hall, Basement
Student reported an unknown person removed a digital camera from beside her while she was sleeping between 4 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. April 20.

1675 N. 12th St.
Window broken on a 1995 Volvo between 7 p.m. May 5 and 1:30 p.m. May 7. Nothing reported missing.

Temple Towers, Parking Lot
A non-Temple affiliated female reported being hit in the face by her ex-girlfriend after a verbal altercation. No injuries reported. Private Criminal Complaint advised.

May 8
Student Center, Room 200
Student reported an unknown person removed an unattended radio case containing keys, Pennsylvania driver’s license, credit card and $7 when between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. May 7

1850 N. 15th St.
Student reported an unknown person walked on her 2005 Honda resulting in scratches to the hood and dents on the roof and trunk between 6 p.m. May 5 and 5 p.m. May 8.

1605 N. 16th St.
A non-Temple affiliated male reported being punched by several unknown males and had his cell phone taken at 9:20 p.m. May 8. No injuries reported.

Johnson & Hardwick Cafeteria
A male student reported being slapped by a female student. Referred to UDC.

Boyer Pavilion
Employee reported an unknown person removed a wallet containing $250, personal checks and a Pennsylvania driver’s license from her unattended purse between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. May 7.

Jones Hall, First Floor
Employee reported another employee forged a doctor’s signature on a prescription pad in an attempt to obtain Vicodin on April 18. The employee was suspended pending termination. Criminal investigation continuing.

May 9
Hardwick Hall, Second Floor
Residence hall employees found alcoholic beverages in the room of underage students. Referred to UDC.

TECH Center, Second Floor
Student reported an unknown person removed an unattended backpack, containing a wallet, keys, bank checks and health insurance cards between 7 p.m. May 8 and 2 a.m. May 9.

SEPTA Regional Rail Platform
Student reported an unknown juvenile took his phone after he gave it to him to make a call at 11:05 p.m. May 8.

Student Center, Food Court
Student attempted to leave the food court concealing food item without making payment at 11:10 a.m. May 9. Referred to UDC.

Student Center, Food Court
Student attempted to leave the food court concealing food item without making payment at 1:04 a.m. May 9. Referred to UDC.

1500 N. 15th St.
Tires slashed on a 2001 Hyundai by an unknown person between 5 p.m. May 8 and 11 a.m. May 9.

2050 N. Broad St.
Student reported an unknown person made unauthorized charges on her Visa debit card at 6 p.m. May 8.

Rock Pavilion, Second Floor
Employee making harassing statements toward another employee at 3:40 p.m..

May 10
1300 Residence Hall
Window broken on a 2006 Austin Martin between 2 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. May 10. Nothing reported taken.

May 11
1700 N. Broad St.
Student reported an unknown male juvenile took his cell phone at 5:40 p.m.

1700 N. 15th St.
Campus Police arrested a non-Temple affiliated male for disorderly conduct at 7:20 p.m.

NBC satellite studio to benefit North Philadelphia

The Beech Interplex Inc., a nonprofit community development corporation, was founded to enhance the quality of life for the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood through private and public partnerships. The unveiling of the Beech NBC 10 Satellite Studio is the latest demonstration of that effort.

The studio, located at 1510 Cecil B. Moore Ave, is part of the revitalization plans for the avenue and the 26-square-block neighborhood surrounding it. NBC 10 in Philadelphia, one of the corporation’s partners, sponsored the development of the studio.

Primarily public service announcements will be filmed in the studio and broadcasted by NBC 10.

“You have to run to the station every time you want to film a public service announcement,” said Kenneth Scott, president and chief executive officer of the corporation. “But to have the news here in North Philadelphia, we can just film it.”

The establishment of the studio in the neighborhood serves to improve the image of a once neglected community.

“The idea came about to do something because you always have negative news on TV. We can try to change the image of the area so it’s not just a shooting on the news every night, because where are the positive stories about everything that’s going on?”

Up-to-date news from the Associated Press is displayed on a live ticker on the exterior of the studio. Channel 10’s daily line-up and a calendar of community events are visible on four plasma screens adjacent to North 15th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

“Obviously we want to make it a landmark, but give [the neighborhood] a more positive spin and help some of the other nonprofits get their stories out instead of letting the station dictate what stories they are interested in running,” Scott said.

The studio will also stream video on Channel 10’s Web site on services and events sponsored by Beech.

Digphilly.com, a social networking site that features current events in Philadelphia, is scheduled to film live broadcasts in the studio on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. beginning this summer.

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

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