Hubbard’s book event fizzles

For one day, 30th Street Station was transformed.

One hundred thirty-eight posters and banners hung on every wall that’s available for promotional space. Faber Books, a newsstand in the station, became an impromptu bookstore. As they walked inside the store, customers became subjects for overeager photographers.

The crowd was there to celebrate a person well-known in pop culture: L. Ron Hubbard, the famous author and founding father of the Church of Scientology.

The lavish decorations kicked off the launch of Hubbard’s 80 newly republished books. All pulp fiction, they range from stories about cowboys and space aliens to swashbuckling buccaneers. For the event, some people dressed up as their favorite characters, most of whom were pirates.

Galaxy Press, the company responsible for releasing all of Hubbard’s literary works, organized the event. To get an idea of how much literature that entails, the 2006 Guinness World Records declared that Hubbard was the most published and translated author in the world, with 1,084 fiction and non-fiction pieces.

When the event at the station began on Sept. 2, Galaxy Press’ public relations representative Claude Goodwin hovered around a book stand, lauding Hubbard’s publications. The stand was where TV personality and director of the audio books Jim Meskimen would have been giving autographs. But Meskimen was late.

To distract onlookers from Meskimen’s tardiness, Goodwin talked about how revolutionary this event was – in the insular world of cheap ‘40s literature. These short stories are now prototypes for some of today’s most popular fantasy and science fiction films. Before he ever released a religious text, Hubbard was famous for these works. The books on display were part of a series released by Galaxy Press known as the Golden Age Stories.

Goodwin explained a few of the novels’ plots, including one that had a cover illustration of the rum mascot Captain Morgan. Pirates are a mainstay in Hubbard’s texts, which use suspense to garner an audience.

“Classic pulp fiction is about telling a good yarn,” Goodwin said. “It pulls you from page to page. Otherwise, you aren’t going to pick up the same author twice.”

Hubbard’s ability to tell a good tale wasn’t discernable at this event, however. Even after Meskimen showed up, the lines remained short.

“Hubbard creates vast environments and brings his characters to life,” Meskimen said. “It puts you there.”

Meskimen helps create that lifelike quality, too. The audio books feature talented voice acting, movie-quality sound effects and a unique musical score. Meskimen was able to transform mid-20th century fiction into a full listening experience, and he hopes Hubbard’s books will go further than that.

“I hope it will inspire people to make films,” Meskimen said.

Throughout the entire event, one thing seemed to be missing: Scientology. It wasn’t mentioned once. When questioned, the Galaxy Press representatives wouldn’t address the Church of Scientology directly.
“I asked if it had anything to do with Scientology, and they sort of avoided the question,” said a Faber Books employee, who wished to remain anonymous. “I think it’s pretty subversive.”

Scientologists didn’t attend the event, either. Instead, it attracted a small collection of nerds, commuters and people who just wanted a free poster. While the launch may not have started with the bang they were hoping for, it won’t stop Galaxy Press. The event will be touring the country for the next eight years.

Passers-by seemed largely unimpressed, but one particularly annoyed man seemed to sum up the public’s reaction when approached by the pushy pirate.

“Don’t work so hard,” he said.

James Barbeau can be reached at james.barbeau@temple.edu.

A tremendous urban turnaround

For years, commuter students swarmed Temple’s campus, coming and going each day.

But over the past 10 years, the North Philadelphia university has made the incredible transition from commuter campus to residential school. Now, most students opt to make the move to Main Campus.
Looking back on the history of the university, Temple has always been growing and changing.

Temple was first founded as a night school in 1884 and has been on the rise ever since. Enrollment figures are rapidly increasing, and the number of students living on or near Main Campus has more than doubled since 2000. Temple’s worldwide student body has now peaked at 33,695.

The university’s actions help illustrate this turnaround. By hiring 150 new professors over the past two years and investing $500 million in building new facilities, the university is dedicated to improving the campus’ appeal.

These changes have brought about major construction projects such as Alter Hall, Presser Hall, the Baptist Temple and the Tyler School of Art. Carolyn Adams, a geography and urban studies professor, attests that these changes were not accidental.

“The profile of Temple was raised not only regionally, but nationally as well,” Adams said. “This was done deliberately by raising its criteria and looking for higher quality applicants. The campus was improved, making it a more welcoming and impressive environment.”

Martin Fisher, a 1987 Temple graduate, said he was shocked during a recent visit to Temple.
“I was very surprised that so many students live on campus,” Fisher said. “When I was studying at Temple, there were barely any on-campus facilities.”

More prospective students are choosing Temple because of its urban location, as the perception of the school has changed. Philadelphia is a destination city, and Temple is now a destination school.

“Urban campuses are now more popular throughout the United States,” Adams said. “High school students are attracted to cities, where they are much more exposed to culture.”
Instead of apologizing for being located in a city, Temple now boasts it.

Senior tourism and hospitality management major Alexandra DuFrayne said she chose Temple just for that reason.

“I picked Temple because it is in the city, and that gave me more opportunities to experience new things and meet new people,” DuFrayne said. “I also knew they had an excellent academic program.”

The once-commuter college has worked to raise the bar in all areas by providing more than 300 degree programs, constructing a welcoming campus for students, raising academic standards and becoming more involved with surrounding communities.

Amanda Hill can be reached at amanda.sue.hill@temple.edu.

Overseas soccer talent flocks to Ambler

International students make up 2.69 percent of Temple’s undergraduate student body.

That’s 687 students once you do the math, and five of them play on the men’s soccer team.

Those five, who make up just about one-fifth of the 26-man team, come from Germany, France, Senegal, Nigeria and the Bahamas.

And one thing is for certain: they take their soccer – and education – seriously.

“I definitely think that the international guys take soccer more seriously than guys in America do,” said senior defender Mackenson Altidor, a native of the Bahamas. “While I want to continue playing soccer after I graduate, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll still get a degree, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Sophomore midfielder and forward Kenechukwu Nwanah, who hails from Nigeria, echoed those thoughts.
“I would love to play soccer here [after graduation],” he said. “It’s a dream I want to do, but just in case it doesn’t work out, that’s why I’m in school as an accounting major. It’s something I would actually like to take back to my home country. Before I came to Temple, I’d never even played organized soccer like this.”

That’s just one of the many differences Altidor, Nwanah and cousins Augustin Coly and Francois Sagna have adjusted to since they arrived in the United States.

“For me, it’s not that the U.S. has been different, because I’ve been in Oklahoma and Miami,” Altidor said. “It’s just been harder adjusting to the lifestyle in Philadelphia. It’s been crazy. It’s kind of a culture shock.”

“The hardest part for me was learning the language because English is not my first language,” said Sagna, a junior midfielder and France native. “Soccer is different in France than in America. Here it is about winning, but there it’s just about having fun.”

Junior forward Coly, who calls the country of Senegal his home, differs with his cousin on adapting to American culture.

“I’ve been missing my family, but I’ve enjoyed my time here,” Coly said. “I’ve learned the language way quicker and I’ve had a lot of opportunities come my way. It’s all been a lot of fun.”

Having fun is one thing all of the international soccer players interviewed wanted to get across – that, yes, they’ve had fun, but part of that enjoyment stems from feeling so comfortable on Temple’s campus, one that’s ranked No. 5 in diversity by the Princeton Review.

“First of all, I came to Temple because I came here with Augustin,” Sagna said. “But I also came because Temple is a good school for international students because of the diversity. You see all of these people from different countries on campus and you make a lot of friends.”

“I’m still missing the Bahamas, especially my parents and friends,” Altidor said. “And, of course, I miss going out on the beach every day in the nice weather. Here it’s not cold, it’s freezing.”

Yet, it seems that a little slice of home has managed to find its way to North Broad Street.

“Temple has a lot of variety,” Altidor said. “You’re surrounded by so many internationals, so many diverse people. It gives you a homey feeling.”

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

Behind Amess, hopes are high

After finishing an impressive 2007-2008 campaign, the men’s golf team opened this season at the Rutgers Invitational in Piscataway, N.J. Last year was highlighted with three second place finishes and a first place tie in the opening round of the Yale Spring Opener.

The Owls, returning all eight starters from last season along with newcomer freshman Devin Bibeau, completed Friday’s round in seventh place with an 8-over-par 292, putting them 11 shots behind the defending champions USC Upstate.

Senior Kevin Busteed shot a 36 on the front nine and a 34 on the back nine, giving him a career-best finish of a 1-under-par 70. It topped his previous best of 71, set at the Treasure Coast Classic in March 2007.

Day 2 saw the Owls shooting a 5-over-par 289, their lowest score since the final round of last season’s Atlantic Ten Conference Championship, where they shot a 1-under-par 287. It was also the second-lowest round under coach Brian Quinn.

Junior Eric Plisko finished the day tied for 21st at 2-over-par while shooting a 2-under-par 69, one stroke off his career best set at the Princeton Invitational. With a career-best round of 3-over-par 74, was sophomore Joseph Kim, who along with fellow sophomore Andrew Mason, had the most consistent outings of the Invitational with a 75-74 and a 72-73 respectively.

Kim’s previous record of 75 was set in the Princeton Invitational, while Mason came within five strokes of topping his career best set during the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational.

Weather played a huge factor in round one, but not so much in round two. Senior Paul Amess said weather conditions require a lot of adjustments by the golfers.

“The main thing to do is be as positive as possible, as you know other guys around the course will be struggling and blaming the weather,” Amess said. “Also, make sure to bring extra gloves and towels.
“The main thing is to keep a positive attitude and welcome challenge and [in my opinion], it can even make the game more fun,” he added.

As a team, the Owls finished 13-over-par, shooting a 292-289=581, which left them in eighth place, 14 shots back of Seton Hall, who defeated USC Upstate by a stroke. Amazingly, the Pirates were down six strokes entering the second round, but carded a 279 to USC’s 287 to pull out the win, thanks in part to freshman Troy Spencer’s tournament-best 67. Earning individualist medalist honors was Towson’s Chris Scialo with a 5-under-par 68-69=137.

Not competing in the Invitational was the 2007 Temple Male Student-Athlete of the Year, ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-American, A-10 Academic All-Conference Selection, and Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Golfer Amess.

Amess, a graduate student, finished last season with a stroke average of 73.9 and a 14th place finish in the A-10 Championship.

“If I make the team [this season] I hope to win a tournament individually for the university, especially after a few close shaves last year,” he said. “My main focus is to see the team do as best as they can from the classroom to the course, where I can lend a hand with low scores and share some of my golfing knowledge.

“I expect the team to win several tournaments, strongly contend in the Atlantic 10 Championships and become the best team in the region.”

Amess’ success in the classroom, posting a 3.9 GPA as a business finance major, has prompted him not only to strive for commitment and dedication, but has motivated other golfers as well.

The Owls will begin a five-day road trip at the McLaughlin in Farmingdale, N.Y. on Sept. 19 and 20.
After the two-day tournament, the team travels to Newport, R.I. for the Adams Cup of Newport on Sept. 22 and 23. The Adams Cup is one of the top tournaments on the East Coast.

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

Duke and Rutgers headline 08-09 women’s schedule

Hoping to return to the Atlantic Ten Conference Championship and reach the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season, the women’s basketball team will have the opportunity to flex its muscles or fall flat with a new lineup during the 2008-2009 season.

Welcome to Temple
Replacing a legend like Dawn Staley, who left Temple for South Carolina after eight years, is no small task. But first-year coach Tonya Cardoza is up for the challenge. Her first game at the helm is at the Liacouras Center on Nov. 14, when the Owls host Bowling Green.

Tournament Tough
The Owls have the opportunity, or tough task, of facing six teams who were in the NCAA Tournament last March. That includes Sweet 16 teams Duke, Rutgers and George Washington. If the Owls can tough out a few of these games, or even stay close, it can help their standing in the polls.

Revenge on their minds
Temple will have two dates circled on its calendar, as it hopes to erase bad memories from last season. The Owls were embarrassed by Rutgers 70-34 in late December and fell to Xavier 47-42 in an ugly A-10 Championship game. The Owls play the Scarlet Knights at home on Dec. 1 and also host the rival Musketeers on Feb. 25.

Pack your bags
A seven-game road trip from the middle of December to early January gives Cardoza and her new team a chance to build chemistry. However, it also could be overwhelming for a team that lost its two best players to graduation and now have just two seniors on the roster.

March your engines
The Owls begin the month of March by hosting GW to end their season. This game could have a meaningful impact on the A-10 standings for both teams. Don’t expect anything less than a competitive match between these two rivals. It could be a must-win for the Owls, as a healthy mix of NCAA Tournament teams and a three-week road trip during the season could prove daunting.

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

Track and field finds a new coach

With a new job and loads of confidence, Eric Mobley is ready to go.

After coming off a successful four-season run that included 16 conference championships with the Division III College of New Jersey, Mobley was named the coach of both the men’s and women’s track and field teams.

“I’m looking to bring that same success and attitude,” Mobley said. “We were able to dominate our conference and do very well at the national level.”

While Mobley may be the new coach, this is not his first coaching gig at Temple, as he was an assistant coach during the 2002-2004 seasons. In addition, Mobley was an assistant for La Salle and Akron before stepping foot on Temple’s campus.

Having prior experience with the university was helpful when he applied for the coaching position. On top of being able to work in the city where he grew up, Mobley also brought new ideas on how to help athletes academically and athletically.

“It’s close to home and I’m a Philly guy,” he said.

To help the team improve, Mobley plans to bring in a winning culture and a new sense of team unity, which was what he had at The College of New Jersey.

He credits that kind of atmosphere as a key reason for the teams’ success.

“It was a family-type atmosphere,” Mobley said. “Just like any family, you have differences, but when it was time to come together, everybody had each other’s backs.”

Moving from Division III to Division I was not that difficult for the Owls’ new coach, since the differences between the two levels mostly involve the amount of paperwork, scholarship opportunities given to students and the level of athletic talent.

“Not everyone can be a Division I athlete,” Mobley said.

There is also the difference in philosophies that Division I and Division III schools have regarding athletic programs. Division III schools emphasize participation, while Division I schools are more result and competition oriented.

“I had seven years of Division I coaching experience prior to being a Division III head coach,” Mobley said. “So it’s not that big of a transition.”

Mobley has met with the majority of the members on the teams and has seen some of their potential by watching a few meets.

“I have inherited a very solid team. There is a lot of potential to do some really good things at the [Atlantic Ten Conference] level and at the NCAA regional level,” he said.

Throughout his career, Mobley has produced 61 all-American athletes. While he has seen some Temple athletes that have the talent to possibly succeed at the national level, it is still a daunting task to become an all-American athlete at the Division I level.

For Mobley, “being a Division I all-American is tough.”

“You have to be in the top eight out of every Division I program in the country,” he added.

Mobley is confident that his teams can turn their talent and potential into actual results, not only in the A-10, but in the national competitions as well.

He is looking to turn these teams into serious contenders for the A-10 title and a shot at national success.

“Our goal is to make a push at the regional and national level,” Mobley said. “This is going to be one of the better programs in the country. You just have to give us some time.”

Brian Dzenis can be reached at brian.dzenis@temple.edu.

Weekly grades for an ugly loss to Buffalo

Quarterback
What more can redshirt senior Adam DiMichele do?

The Owls’ leader was superb, throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another 58 yards on 12 carries. When the game was on the line, DiMichele calmly led the team down the field, throwing what should have been the game-winning touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bruce Francis with 38 seconds remaining.

He also picked up a key fourth down on that drive, taking the ball himself and running for the first down. In all, the team captain played superbly.
Grade: A

Backfield
Redshirt freshman Joe Jones and sophomore Marquise Liverpool combined to get just 13 carries in the contest, a clear sign that the Owls are a passing team.

The duo ran for 52 yards on those carries, but neither proved to be capable of getting the Owls into the endzone when the team had four chances from the 1-yard line in the first quarter.
Grade: C

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Francis led the way by catching five balls for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Dy’Onne Crudup added five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

This group was solid, and open, as DiMichele was consistently able to hit his first read on most plays. When that man wasn’t open, he looked for the reliable Francis, who made a number of key catches in the contest.

There were a few drops, but the group fed off DiMichele and were largely responsible for the team’s four touchdowns.
Grade: B+

Offensive Line
The group had a few silly, unnecessary penalties and some missed blocks, but all told, they were solid.
However, the bulk of the blame for Buffalo’s goal-line stand in the first quarter falls on their shoulders, as they have to find a way to push forward and get the Owls that yard they need for a touchdown.
Grade: C+

Defensive Line
Even without junior Junior Galette and sophomore Morris Blueford Jr., this unit came to play.
After last week’s embarrassing performance against Connecticut, the Owls’ front four gave up just 110 yards on 31 carries (3.5 yards per carry).

Senior Terrance Knighton and junior Andre Neblett deserve a lion’s share of the credit, as they led the way and made up for last week.
Grade: B

Linebackers
Playing without Elijah “Peanut” Joseph, the unit allowed Buffalo junior tight end Jesse Rack to dominate the middle of the field, as he caught six balls for 75 yards in the contest.

Redshirt senior Omar McDonnaugh-Hales filled in and had eight tackles, including one for a loss, while junior John Haley had another solid game with eight tackles.

But there were a lot of missed tackles, missed assignments and the Bulls utter domination of the middle of the field, so it was a real mixed bag.
Grade: C

Secondary
With senior Evan Cooper Jr. injured, you had to figure this group would be in trouble.
Buffalo senior quarterback Drew Willy threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns, and junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt caught eight balls for 132 and one touchdown.

But it was the game’s final play that ultimately decided everything, and sophomores Jamal Schulters and Jaiquawn Jarrett and redshirt junior Dominique Harris were unable to knock the ball down or box out Roosevelt on the Bulls’ Hail Mary completion.
Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Grade: F

Special Teams
Senior wide receiver Travis Shelton had some nice returns, but lost a fumble. In addition, redshirt junior kicker Jake Brownell missed a 43-yard field goal in the second half.
However, sophomore punter Jeff Wathne’s kick-off out of bounds in the last minute simply can’t happen.
Grade: D

Coaching
Behind coach Al Golden, the run defense was largely improved, and the offense was stellar, easily making their way down the field in three and four wide receivers formations.

Defensive backs know better, so the blame for the Hail Mary completion can’t be put on their shoulders.
Grade: B

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

Owls stunned by walkoff Buffalo TD

Every year, the college football gods smite their share of helpless victims.

You know how it goes. One play left. A towering throw followed by an unbelievable catch. It’s the type of play that gets plenty of airtime around the country.

Unfortunately for the football team, it was on the wrong end of a miracle play that ended with a 30-28 loss to Buffalo Saturday at UB Stadium.

While the Owls will be reliving the final moments for quite some time, it will be important to move forward and recover from a potentially incapacitating loss.

“We can’t dwell on this,” sophomore cornerback Jamal Schulters said. “We just got to keep going, so I don’t even know who is on the schedule for next week.”

Schulters was involved in the final play that tore the heart out of the Owls’ sideline. Earlier in the game, he had a crucial interception at a time when the Bulls were closing in on a touchdown and the lead.
Buffalo improves to 2-1, 1-0 in the Mid-American Conference and continues to be one of the league favorites. The Owls, who fell in dramatic fashion for the second straight week, are now 1-2 and 0-1 in the MAC.

It can be argued that the team should have pulled out one of those victories, but all is not lost for the Cherry and White.

“There is no way to describe it and there is no way to rationalize it,” coach Al Golden said. “Two weeks in a row, we’re losing like this. We just got to move on. We got to move forward.”

After next week’s match-up with No. 16 Penn State, the Owls have favorable odds of winning against Western Michigan at home on Sept. 27. Then, they travel to Oxford to take on Miami (Ohio), a team that the Owls beat 24-17 last year.

If the team cannot quickly change gears, the 2008 campaign could be an underachieving endeavor.
Veteran leaders like senior wide receiver Bruce Francis and redshirt senior quarterback Adam DiMichele haven’t made excuses and don’t pin recent losses on just one play.

“When he caught the ball it was just a feeling of disappointment,” Francis said. “Mainly because of the penalties, that could have made the game out of reach earlier. We always look at the things that hurt us in the middle of the game.”

Francis is referring to a holding penalty on the game’s final drive that gave the Bulls appetizing field position. The initial kickoff following the touchdown that put the Owls up 28-24 was also off-line, bouncing out of bounds and placing the Bulls on the 40-yard line. These mishaps were critical, but these Owls have been through rough times before.

In 2006 DiMichele, Francis and many other upperclassmen suffered through agonizing back-to-back 62-0 drubbings courtesy of Louisville and Minnesota, respectively. And of course there was the infamous Connecticut game from last year, where the Owls appeared to make a miraculous play of their own, until referees overruled the touchdown.

Games like these have certainly challenged and motivated a maturing team.

The Owls won three of their next five after the “UConn-troversy” and seem to have the right mindset to get back on track again.

“The leaders on this team will have to get these young guys back and excited for next week and playing Penn State,” DiMichele said. “We just got to continue to progress. We’re on the right path. We just need to start finishing games.”

Happy Valley lays in wait with the Owls’ spirits on the mend. However, the team has much to be proud of after strong performances against the Huskies and Bulls. Veteran leaders vow to take another painful hit in stride and bring the team together. It may take divine intervention for the Owls to claw past the Lions next week, but the rest of the season is wide-open for the taking.

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

Senate president leading change

TSG Senate President Jeff Dempsey is leading dedicated senators on a quest to represent and assist Temple students.

The Senate was formed last year at TSG’s first Constitutional Convention in March. Its purpose is to directly represent students and act as a liaison between students and administration.

“I think that this Senate is a perfect representation of Temple students. All of them want to be a part of it. It is such a huge gamut of people and they are all fantastic,” Dempsey said.

The Senate is comprised of students from their respective schools. Senators were chosen by selection committees from their college administrations, TSG executive branch, and different recruitments for students. The amount of senators for each college is based on the student population for each school.

Dempsey, a junior political science major, was chosen as the Senate president at the final General Assembly meeting last year. He was involved with the TSG Constitutional Convention and also ran for TSG president. Although not victorious in his campaign, he chose to remain a part of TSG. Juan Galeano, last year’s TSG president, appointed him Senate President.

“I recognized that the system was changing and wanted to be responsible for taking it to the next level,” Dempsey said.

Many of the senators have already been talking to students and have ideas for bills they would like to see passed.

“I have a vision of the culture that I would like to instill. I would really like to help bring a sense of empowerment and a sense of community to my school,” said Dusha Holmes, a senior senator from the School of Communications and Theater.

Holmes ran for student body president last year. Although he did not win, he wanted to keep his promise to the student body that he would stay involved with student government. Along with helping to bring a sense of community to his school, he wants TSG to become an agent for students looking for places to live off campus.

Most senators said they felt housing was a major issue at Temple. Kylie Patterson, a junior College of Liberal Arts senator, would like to see the off-campus housing office re-opened. This goes along with her ideas for helping students learn about the resources that are available for them, whether it is housing, advising or career services.

“Knowledge is empowering. People want to be in the know. I’m willing to be that connector between students, faculty, and administration,” Patterson said.

As Senate president, Dempsey is responsible for leading all the Senate meetings and acting as a mediator. He said he took part in writing the Senate Rules and By-laws. He and the executive board held a retreat for the senators this summer to help them get to know each other and verse them in political terms.

“The main part of the retreat was really establishing a community vibe and having people get to know each other,” said Laura Hink, a sophomore senator for University Studies.

Senators are responsible for representing the students from their schools. They are instructed to find out what their students want and how it can be achieved. Dempsey is responsible for making sure his senators comply with these guidelines.

“We are all learning this together. I equate it to a classroom and infants. Everyone is new. Everyone is on the same page,” Dempsey said. “Hopefully while we’re learning, we’re making it better.”

Last year, TSG eliminated its weekly General Assembly meetings and replaced them with bi-weekly Senate meetings. The Senate meets every first and third Monday of the month.

The meetings are open for students to attend. Students can come and make suggestions for what they want to see accomplished within their school or for the university.

Students may make bills as well, but they need a senator to sponsor and present them. The bills can be proposals for a housing committee, ideas to create more school spirit, or simple recognitions of valuable instructors.

The senators said the purpose of the Senate is to be that connector for students and to become a place where people can express their ideas and concerns.

“Temple is a very big school. Not just in size or population, but also in ideas. The students want to express their ideas,” said Kevin Gerard, a junior CLA senator.“We have that outlet now in the Senate, but I want it to go farther.”

Rebecca Hale can be reached at rebecca.hale@temple.edu.

Woman wins millions in suit against health system

Yanira Montanez is paralyzed, blind and brain-damaged. A court has ruled that a misdiagnosis of a brain tumor by doctors from Temple University Health System hospitals has left Montanez with multiple disabilities.

In March 2004, Montanez arrived at the Episcopal Hospital emergency room complaining of nausea, headaches, vomiting and numbness in her arms, legs and face. She was sent home the same day with a prescription to treat nausea.

The next day, Montanez returned to the emergency room, this time at Northeastern Hospital. The doctor who examined Montanez related her symptoms to gastrointestinal issues from an infection caused by the production of toxins and prescribed her medication for the discomfort. Again, the doctor sent her home. Experiencing the same symptoms, Montanez returned back to the hospital for a third time, but was sent home.

On March 26, 2004, Montanez fell down a flight of stairs, leaving her unconscious. She was rushed to the Temple University Hospital for surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Montanez’s malpractice lawsuit against TUHS was finally brought to court on Aug. 4, 2008.

Episcopal and Northeastern hospitals are two of the five hospitals that make up TUHS.

After fighting a two-and-a-half week battle against the physicians’ medical negligence, 10 jurors of the 11-member jury ruled in favor of Montanez on Aug. 18, awarding her $11.2 million; $5.9 million were designated for future medical bills and the care of her 4-year-old daughter.

With the help of her family, Montanez and her daughter have moved to Boston.

Montanez’s lawyer, Kenneth Rothweiler, argued that all of this could have been prevented if a CT scan would have been administered.

Rothweiler said CT scans are an effective way to detect if someone has a brain tumor, especially those experiencing symptoms similar to Montanez’s.

“They had a 72-hour window in order to do something,” Rothweiler said. “This is something that was preventable. I am overly convinced that had she not been on welfare, they would have done the CT scan and removed the brain tumor immediately.”

Montanez was on Medicaid, a federal program that provides funding for health care for uninsured low-income families. Rothweiler said the CT scan would have cost thousands of dollars and Medicaid would only cover a fraction of the bill.

It is believed by both Montanez and her lawyer that she was treated unfairly simply because she did not have insurance.

“I really think it was economic discrimination,” Rothweiler said. “Anyone with insurance would have been ordered a CT scan.”

TUHS’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.

According to court records, the doctors said Montanez possessed a rare form of cancer that is often hard to diagnose in patients who are young and otherwise healthy. Montanez also tested positive for a pregnancy test, which may have explained some of the less severe symptoms she was experiencing.
In their defense, the doctors claimed to have ordered a neurological examination for Montanez, which showed no results of a brain tumor.

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

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