Every year for the past few years, The Temple News staff has met to discuss a topic that could be turned into a months-long explanatory reporting project. In the past, we have tackled issues like crime, sexual assault and the university administration’s cut of five NCAA programs.
This semester, we set out to report and present our next project: a three-part series on the state of community relations here in North Philadelphia. It’s been a long-contested issue at Temple — we’ve heard frustration from both sides about understanding the other. We dedicated a semester to answering the question, “What is Temple’s relationship with the surrounding communities like?”
This week, in Part I of our series, we look at how the student body has changed in the last few decades from a commuter and part-time population to one that desires the “full college experience.” This shift came with a surge in new construction, and in many cases, students who made the move from Main Campus to the neighborhoods surrounding it.
Next Tuesday, look for Part II, where we ask for perspectives from community leaders, block captains and neighbors who will share stories about how their neighborhoods have changed and how Temple has impacted their lives.
And on May 9, in our final issue of the school year, we talk to administrators about how they see Temple’s relationship with the surrounding community. Each piece will be available at longform.temple-news.com.
Though it’s usually our job to inform you, this time we want to change things a bit. We want to hear from you, the readers. Do you have an experience that’s related to this story? Have an opinion you would like to share? Let us know what you think, in no more than 100 words, at editor@temple-news.com. We will publish relevant commentary along with Part II next week.
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