News

Los ataques en Barcelona

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Las autoridades siguen buscando a Younes Abouyaaqoub, el presunto conductor de los recientes ataques terroristas en Barcelona. El jueves, una camioneta se lanzó en contra de  los peatones en la popular atracción turística las Ramblas. El ataque mató a trece personas e hirió a más de 120.
El viernes, otro vehículo chocó contra peatones en la ciudad de Cambrils. Cinco atacantes que usaban cinturones de suicidio falsos mataron a una persona e hirieron a seis más antes de que la policía disparara y matara a los cinco.
En Alcanar, un pueblo costero a 125 millas al sur de Barcelona, los investigadores están buscando pistas sobre los terroristas. El miércoles, una propiedad explotó matando al menos a una persona. Las autoridades creen que un grupo terrorista de doce miembros es responsable de los recientes ataques. Parece que usaron la propiedad para hacer explosivos. El jefe de policía catalán, Josep Lluís Trapero, dice que si no fuera por la explosión en la casa, los atacantes habrían poseído material explosivo para usar en sus ataques contra Barcelona y Cambrils.

Los funcionarios dicen que el grupo terrorista ha sido “completamente desmantelado”. Aunque el ministro de interior de España, Juan Ignacio Zoida, dice que no parece haber amenaza de un ataque inmediato; el nivel de amenaza de España permanece en cuatro de cinco.

Temple Student Petitions City Hall to Rename Taney Street

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Mayor Kenney emailed his support to Basile Friday.

After a volatile week in Charlottesville, Virginia, one Temple student is asking City Hall to rename a street that is currently named after a Supreme Court Justice who ruled in favor of slavery in 1857.

George Basile, a Temple senior who has previously served in Temple Student Government, recently created a petition to rename Taney Street, a road in Philadelphia named for Justice Rodger Taney, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wrote the Dred Scott Decision. The case brought to the court by Dred Scott for his freedom, was denied, and Taney read the majority opinion against Scott’s case.

Basile said he came up with the idea to petition city hall for a name change after walking by the street and researching Taney and his views. In his letter to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and other city officials, he suggests renaming the street for Mo’Ne Davis.

“Davis played on the Taney Street Little League team and led them on a historic run to Williamsport, PA where she and the Taney Dragons made history,” wrote Basile.

Mayor Kenney emailed Basile his support Friday, saying that he supports the name change but that there is more work to be done; the next step is drafting a resolution to council member Kenyatta Johnson and council president Darrell Clarke, representatives of the 2nd and 5th districts respectively. Taney Street runs through both of their districts.

Basile told Temple Update Friday that the Temple community has been “overwhelmingly receptive” to his petition, but has also received some negative comments as well. Despite some backlash, Basile plans to move forward and continue to advocate for the name change.

At of the time of publication, Basile’s petition had garnered 170 signatures.

Jim Cawley, Former P.A. Lieutenant Governor to Serve as Vice President of Institutional Advancement

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Credit: Ryan S. Brandenburg, Temple University News

Jim Cawley, a Temple graduate, who served as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania has been nominated as the university’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Jim Cawley is exactly the right person for this vital role,” said Temple President Richard Englert in a statement made earlier this week. Adding to his praise of the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey CEO, Englert called Cawley’s record of public service, “the right mix of experience.”

The Republican politician served as Lieutenant Governor during Tom Corbett’s four-year term, from 2011 until 2015. In this role, Cawley will spearhead alumni relations operations and university fundraising.

“I can think of no finer role than raising the funds that will keep Temple affordable, and provide students with the resources they need to thrive,” Mr. Cawley said of his new position.

A lifelong Pennsylvanian, Cawley was born and raised in Bucks County. He graduated from Bishop Egan High School. Cawley is a 1991 graduate of Temple University’s College of Liberal Arts and additionally earned a professional degree in law from Beasley in 1994. Prior to his election as Lieutenant Governor, he served as a member (and later Chairman) of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners. He currently resides in Bucks County with his wife and son.

An official Board of Trustees voting ceremony regarding Cawley’s nomination is scheduled to take place in September. Currently a member of the board, he will step down following his confirmation.

A Look at Barcelona, Valencia, and Orihuela

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Whether you’re a Temple student currently studying abroad in Oviedo, Spain or are interested in attending or visiting in the near future, here are three cities worth seeing. Welcome to Barcelona, Valencia, and Orihuela.

Barcelona is located on the upper east side of Spain and on the outskirts is the Balearic sea, which is very popular among tourists and locals alike.

Barcelona is also home to many architectual treasures, many designed by Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí. One of Gaudí’s pieces includes La Casa Batlló. Gaudí remodeled this house built in 1904. Today, the tour of the house features a virtual reality aspect that shows what the house might have looked like back in the day. The virtual reality also highlights Gaudí’s love of the ocean and ocean life, converting the windows into turtles and describing how the curves of the house are like that of a wave. One of Gaudí’s masterpieces, still being constructed to this day and projected to be completed around 2026, is the Basilica i Temple Expiatory de la Sagrada Familia, or La Sagrada Familia for short. Gaudí combined gothic and curvilinear art nouveau forms to create the Roman Catholic Church. Gaudí was also famous for his incorporation of color in his pieces, which can be seen in the glass stained windows in the church.

If you’re a soccer fan you won’t want to miss Camp Nou, home to the FCB Barcelona team and museum. The Museum is dedicated to the history of the club and team and has an exclusive area dedicated to the Argentinian soccer player, Lionel Messi.

Valencia is home to Europe’s largest aquarium, L’Oceanogràfic, located in the City of Arts and Sciences. One of their many activities includes a dolphin show. Also in the city of arts and sciences, but featuring less animals of course, is the Museum of Science that showcases the human body, dinosaurs, and also shows the process in which chickens are born, among many other things.

Last but certainly not least, is Orihuela. Although a small town, Orihuela is home to Miguel Hernández, a famous Spanish poet and playwright. The town has many references to Hernández including various quotes along the streets.

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Barcelona, Valencia, and Orihuela. Until next time, I’m Monica Logroño reporting for Temple Update.

This semester, Temple Update is launching a brand new page on our website to accompany our latest endeavor: Lo ultímo, our Spanish speaking newscast. Stay tuned this semester for more updates from the Lo ultímo team!

Temple Update Nominated for Emmy Awards

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Temple Update and its contributors have been nominated for multiple NATAS 2017 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.

Update’s March 2nd, 2017 show as well as the March 30th, 2017 show have both been nominated in the College/University Student Production – Newscast category.

The March 2nd show, anchored by Taggart Houck and Kylie Winkler, featured a report on adjunct negotiations, a live report from Alexis Johnson covering the beverage tax, as well as another live report from Cassie Semyon on anti-Jewish vandalism in Philadelphia. The show was produced by Jeseamy Muentes, Supervising Producer Joseph McHugh, and Executive Producer Peter Jaroff, and it was directed by Rebecca Rosenblatt.

Anchored by Daniel Ray and Alyssa Jerome, the March 30th show featured a report on the naming of the Lew Klein College of Media and Communication and a live report from Kelly Antonacci on Temple’s library construction. Directed by Logan Moritz, the show was produced by Spencer Trabbold alongside Supervising Producer Joseph McHugh and Executive Producer Peter Jaroff once again.

Also in the newscast category, TUTV’s OwlSports Update is nominated for their March 30th, 2017 show.

In the College/University Student Production – News: General Assignment category, Temple Update contributor Benjamin Otte was nominated for his “Construction Ongoing Inside Temple SMC” piece, for which he was a reporter and photographer. Ben was also editor for another nomination, “Immigration Ban Challenges Temple Student’s Family.” Update’s Taggart Houck is credited as producer and reporter.

Klein College students were also nominated in several other categories.

Reporters Emily MacMullen and Sarah Metts received a nomination for their “Turn Up the Town” piece in the College/University Student Production – Arts and Entertainment/Cultural Affairs category.

In the College/University Student Production – Sports category, Tracy Yatsko is nominated for her “A Legacy On and Off the Court” report. Reporter Rachel Zerbe and photog Ben Otte are nominated for their piece, “From Player to Painter.”

In the College/University Student Production – Talent category, Emily Milliron and Tracy Yatsko received nominations.

The 35th Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards will be held on September 9th at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA.

TSG Announces Vacant Seat Fillings

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In an official press release, Temple Student Government announced the finalizing for the appointment of two new students to its Parliament.

The news is the latest in the aftermath of the TSG’s Spring 2017 elections, during which the Activate TU party was elected to the organization’s executive board. The two students, Neil Chada (’19, College of Engineering) and Doreen Nguyen (’20, School of Theatre, Film and Media Arts), had previously expressed respective interest in filling two of Parliament’s vacant seats.

Following the approval of Parliamentarian, Jacob Kurtz, he contacted Chada and Nguyen to confirm their interest. The process began shortly after.

Both students have handed their Committee resumes and statements of interest to the former Parliament’s Steering Committee, which still retains the right to vote on nominations, as the new Parliament has not yet formed one of their own. The Committee plans to vote in the coming weeks.

Any student interested in filling any of Parliament’s vacant seats can contact TSGelect@temple.edu or Parliamentarian@temple.edu for additional details.

Online Service DocumentCloud Moves to Temple

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The company aims to “turn documents into data.” (Courtesy of Latoya Peterson/journalists.org)

DocumentCloud, a digital service that allows journalists to share and annotate documents, is coming to Temple.

The site received a $250,000 grant from the Knight Foundation, allowing it to work on a business model while being located at the Klein College of Media and Communication. The company plans to hire students to work with DocumentCloud and there are additional plans to bring the cloud-based platform into curriculum.

Founders of the company include Aron Pilhofer, Eric Umansky, and Scott Klein. Pilhofer, who previously worked at the New York Times, currently holds the James B. Steele Chair in Journalism Innovation at Temple.

DocumentCloud, founded in 2009, describes itself as “a catalog of primary source documents and a tool for annotating, organizing, and publishing them on the web.” It plans to help “reporters get more out of documents and [help] newsrooms make their online presence more engaging.”

Since 2011, DocumentCloud has been a project of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a nonprofit focused on excellence in investigative journalism.

Temple Grad Wins World Series of Poker

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Scott Blumstein beat out 7,221 players over the course of two weeks to go home with over $8 million. (Courtesy of AP Photo/John Locher)

Scott Blumstein, a recent Temple graduate, won the World Series of Poker early Sunday.

At age 25, Blumstein won $8.15 million at the world’s largest poker tournament in Las Vegas. A native to New Jersey, this was Blumstein’s first appearance at the main event. He beat out over 7,000 competitors to take home the money as well as the WSOP bracelet.

“I’m really happy with how I played tonight,” Blumstein told ESPN. “Really happy with the result, really happy with the deuce, because I was playing good, but I’m pretty tired of poker at this point, honestly. To have to go back and battle pretty deep-[stacked] again, I wasn’t looking forward to it.”

Going into Saturday, Blumstein had 226 million chips. His opponents Dan Ott and Benjamin Pollack had 88 million and 45 million respectively. Dan Ott ended up in second place with $4.7 million and Benjamin Pollack came in third with $3.5 million.

Blumstein graduated from Fox School of Business three years ago with a degree in accounting.

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Leaves University

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Dicker will be completing the same work at the University of Delaware under a different title. (Courtesy of University of Delaware)

Vice president for institutional advancement, Jim Dicker, has left Temple to become vice president for development and alumni relations at the University of Delaware.

Before his departure, Dicker was responsible for promoting alumni engagement and fundraising for the university. These proceeds usually went to campus construction projects and scholarships, including the Lewis Katz scholarship.

On Monday, Dicker began his position at the University of Delaware. Associate vice president of principal gifts, Meaghan Hogan, will be filling in as interim vice president for institutional advancement. According to university spokesman, Hillel Hoffmann, the status of a search for a permanent vice president is unknown at this time.

“One thing I’ve worked hard on over the last couple of years is building a culture of philanthropy within my department,” Dicker said. “I’m sure Meaghan will continue that culture and it’ll make for a smooth transition. I really wouldn’t anticipate any major changes.”

Dicker came to Temple in 2014 after working at Lafayette College for 26 years doing similar work. At the end of the 2014 fiscal year, Dicker told Philadelphia Business Journal that despite record-breaking fundraising numbers, it was “not even close to where it need[s] to be.”

The 2016 fiscal year ended with $79 million in donations, which exceeded Dicker’s donation goal by $4 million according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

“The past three years that I’ve been [at Temple] have all been record-breaking fundraising years,” Dicker said. “This [fiscal year] that just ended on June 30 will be the highest.”

Hogan says the institutional advancement office will maintain relationships with donors despite Dicker’s departure, with hopes of more record-breaking fundraising years.

Fox School of Business To Begin Renovation Project

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The project will provide 77,000 square feet of space, including an atrium.

The Fox School of Business has received approval to begin renovations on the building across from Fox’s Alter Hall.

The building, which is located at 1810 Liacouras Walk, will undergo renovations beginning in August. The project is expected to be complete by the start of the 2018-19 academic year, which coincides with Fox’s 100th anniversary.

The expansion will provide 77,000 square feet of additional space to meet the needs of Fox’s growing population. The extra space, including an atrium and an additional floor, will be used for classrooms and to improve the accessibility of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute.

“I am pleased that we have received approval to begin this important project,” said Dean of the Fox School of Business, M. Moshe Porat. “The growth of our student body and our faculty is a testament to the momentum of our school and the rankings our academic programs have attained. The space at 1810 Liacouras Walk will support our commitment to several of our academic pillars, and improve the accessibility of services we provide.”

The renovation will feature a skywalk connecting Speakman Hall and 1810 Liacouras Walk.

The outward appearance of 1810 Liacouras Walk will not be altered since it is protected as part of the city’s Park Avenue Historic District. Part of the project includes constructing an enclosed skywalk connecting the third floor of Speakman Hall and the fourth floor of 1810 Liacouras Walk, which will allow for easier travel between buildings.

The expansion of 1810 Liacouras Walk was recently approved by the Temple University Board of Trustees and the Philadelphia Historical Commission. The project is being funded through school and philanthropic contributions.