The Temple News

11/19/2025

Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success Jose Aviles has resigned and will leave the university Dec. 2, President John Fry and Interim Provost David Boardman announced Wednesday.
Aviles was hired in 2023 and in 2024 led the university to its best enrollment year since the COVID-19. Student enrollment fell short of university projections this year, but the Class of 2029 was the largest first-year class in university history.

The admissions department lost more than two dozen staff members since Aviles started in the position, many of whom cited changes in the work environment under the vice president’s leadership in interviews with The Temple News.

“We extend our gratitude to Jose for his work and leadership over the past two years,” Fry and Boardman wrote. “We know the university community will join us in wishing him the best. Over the coming weeks, we will work closely with the enrollment and student success teams to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success Jose Aviles has resigned and will leave the university Dec. 2, President John Fry and Interim Provost David Boardman announced Wednesday.

11/19/2025

Temple shot just 30.6% from the field and 28% from three-point range in its 72-57 loss to Richmond Tuesday night. Guard Kaylah Turner led the Owls in scoring with 22 points, which marks her second 20-point performance in the first five games of the season.

The Spiders started off hot, hitting five of their first eight attempts from the field. Richmond led 19-11 after the first quarter as Temple’s offense was yet to establish itself. The second period saw the Spiders increase their advantage to double-digits. But, guard Drew Alexander made two three-pointers to help the Owls cut the deficit to 30-25 entering halftime.

Turner delivered Temple’s first 10 points in the second half to narrow Richmond’s lead to one point. The Spiders kept the Owls at arm’s distance, however, entering the fourth quarter with a 51-44 advantage. Richmond forward Maggie Doogan scored 11 of her 31 points in the final frame as Temple sputtered for its second loss of the season.

Temple will remain on the road to take on Villanova on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., with a win clinching it a spot back in the Big 5 Classic Championship game.

Temple Women’s Basketball went scoreless for five minutes in the fourth quarter, allowing Richmond to pull away for a 72-57 win.

11/19/2025

Temple has been stuck in an endless rebuild, winning just five games between the 2022 and 2024 seasons, but this year offered glimpses of change.

The Owls beat UAB 1-0 on Oct. 23, finally snapping their 37-game conference losing streak that has been weighing on the program since 2021. The victory gave promise to a team that had been searching for a sign of hope. Temple failed to record a win in the two games that followed, but progress was evident throughout the season.

Temple finished the year with a 4-15 record, but it doesn’t show the strides the team made in head coach Chris Shaw’s second season. The Owls’ gradual improvement represents small but encouraging steps forward on a long walk back to success as they head into the offseason.

“Wins and losses don't really tell the full story,” Shaw said. “We’ve progressed in buying into how we must play to get results. We’ve seen more resilience as the season’s gone on.”

Temple Women’s Soccer posted another losing season but see light at the end of the tunnel.

11/19/2025

Madi Cisse had been rapping under the name “Slump Madi” since he was in high school, but he was reluctant to perform live until a friend finally convinced him last year.
When he saw his fans recite his lyrics back to him, Cisse’s nerves vanished. He realized in that moment that this was something he wanted to do forever.

“Ever since then, I've just been wanting to do nothing but perform because it felt like being in a dream,” said Cisse, a junior political science major. “Seeing all those people knowing your songs and knowing your lyrics was surreal. So ever since then, I’ve just had an addiction to perform.”

Cisse began his rap career in his hometown of Gaithersburg, Maryland. He draws in around 2,000 monthly listeners on his Spotify account, a level of fame that he has worked hard to reach.

His third full-length album “Awake,” which he expects to release in December, has an eerie tone stemmed from Cisse’s fascination with horror movies and distorted audio samples. Cisse and his producer Jordan Payne experimented with pulling clips from old horror movies and layering them over trap-inspired beats to create a chilling atmosphere.

“With this recent project, it was a more like supernatural sound,” Payne said. “That last project he's about to put out in December is going to be more like a spacey, dark and atmospheric sound.”

Slump Madi, Maryland rapper and Temple student, is looking to break into the Philadelphia music scene with the release of a new album this December.

11/18/2025

Newsletter Editor Sage Spohn shares how her mom’s artwork became a crucial part of her identity and self-expression.

“My mom attended Tyler School of Art and Architecture to study jewelry making and I always thought that was the coolest thing ever. She has a small workshop in our basement with all of her materials: beads, rolls of silver wire, a polishing station, textured hammers and so much more that my young self was fascinated by.

I slowly began to expand my ring collection throughout high school. They became a colorful way for me to add to my outfits, as I felt they were a more mature expression of my style I couldn’t wear previously. Now, I can’t bear to leave the house without rings on nearly all my fingers because I feel bare or like a blank canvas, and more than anything, I don’t feel like myself without them.

My jewelry has evolved to become part of my outfits. Statement necklaces make the perfect addition to different necklines, and I love to show off fun earrings when I have my hair up.

I simply would not be who I am without my jewelry and accessories. What started as a bonding point between my mom and me has grown into an integral part of my identity, and I am infinitely proud of how her hobbies and our shared interests have made me who I am today.”

A student reflects on the important role her mom’s jewelry making had in her life and how turned into a core aspect element of her self-expression.

11/17/2025

Temple cruised to a 7-1 record in the middle of September, looking like one of the strongest teams in the Big East Conference. Despite losing three key players from the previous season, all signals showed the Owls might return to the Big East Championship after losing the year prior.

Head coach Michelle Vittese put her trust in the 10 new freshmen who joined the team and the returners who took on larger roles. While she knew the influx of youth was going to be a challenge, Temple seemingly didn’t miss a beat with a five-game win streak early in the season.

However, that momentum faded during conference play. Temple finished with a 12-6 record, but its four Big East losses had them on the outside looking in at the tournament for the first time since 2019.

“We were excellent, I think that’s probably one of the hardest things. We truly were fantastic,” Vittese said. “But it comes down to details and we’re young, it’s very hard to create that level of professionalism and discipline.”

Temple cruised to a 7-1 record in the middle of September, looking like one of the strongest teams in the Big East Conference. Despite losing three key players from the previous season…

11/17/2025

Carolyn James has never missed one of Isabella Pisano’s games, at least not that her daughter can remember. James makes every trip to Howarth Field and travels to road games as well. Watching Pisano represent the Cherry and White is one of her favorite things to do, but it bleeds deeper than field hockey for James.

James spent the early 1990s wearing the same uniform that her daughter wears now. From 1990-93, James was a field hockey player for the Owls. Now, Pisano is following in her mom’s footsteps more than 30 years later.

Pisano and James have always shared a close bond. That relationship has been fostered by field hockey and James watching her daughter at her alma mater for three years. The sport has helped their relationship evolve from just mother and daughter into a sisterhood.

“I've always been really close with my mom,” Pisano said. “But playing field hockey, she really gave me a lot of helpful tips and really worked with me a lot. I think that it only made us become closer.”

Temple Field Hockey midfielder Iseballa Pisano’s mom, Carolyn James, played at Temple in the 1990s and now they are growing together through the sport.

11/16/2025

Temple coughed up the last two sets in its 3-1 loss to Wichita State Sunday afternoon. Despite having three players eclipse 10 kills, the Owls couldn’t come out on top as Wichita State recorded 62 kills to Temple’s 54.

After each side initially traded blows, the Shockers jumped out to a nine-point lead en route to a 25-15 first-set victory. The Owls struck back as outside hitter Christiana Greene scored two of their first four points in the second set to set the tone. Temple won the set 25-20 to even the match at one.

The Owls were first to reach set point in the third set, but Wichita State’s 3-0 run gave it the 26-24 win to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. The Shockers maintained aggressiveness in the fourth set, taking a six-point lead that the Owls couldn’t recover from. Wichita State won the set 25-17 to hand Temple its 15th loss of the year.

“Now’s the time to take a step back and take a balcony view of everything,” said head coach Linda Hampton-Keith. “Overall, when you look at what we’ve done as a team and given our circumstances, I think we did a really nice job this season.”

The match concluded Temple's season as it did not qualify for the American tournament.

Temple Volleyball lost its last four American Conference matches to miss the conference tournament.

11/15/2025

Temple Men’s Basketball shot just 22.7% from three-point range in its 76-71 loss to Boston College Saturday afternoon.

The Owls couldn’t get their offense going in the first half, shooting just 29% from the field and missing all eight attempts from deep. The Eagles had the opposite start, with guard Fred Payne knocking down three triples for an 15-8 lead. Despite Temple’s lack of efficiency, it stuck around and trailed just 36-31 heading into halftime.

Temple managed to strike first in the second half with a dunk from guard Aiden Tobiason to cut the deficit to three points. He knocked down the Owls’ first three-pointer of the game seven minutes later, however they still trailed. Boston College continued to deny Temple’s comeback hopes after Owls guard Gavin Griffiths’ three triples in the game’s dying minutes.

“I thought we battled, we fought, on a night where shots weren’t falling,” said head coach Adam Fisher. “We have to guard a little bit better, we have to do a little bit more.”

Temple’s home stretch continues as it will take on Hofstra on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.

Temple Men’s Basketball shot 22.7% from three-point range in its 76-71 loss to Boston College Saturday afternoon.

11/15/2025

Temple surrendered the last three sets in its 3-1 defeat to Tulsa Friday evening, which eliminated it from playoff contention. Despite outside hitter Christiana Green’s game-high 17 kills, the Owls couldn’t emerge victorious.

Temple started off strong, launching a 5-0 run that propelled it to win the first set 25-18, but it all went downhill from there. The Golden Hurricane mounted an eight-point advantage midway into the second set that the Owls couldn’t recover from. Tulsa won the second set 25-18 to even the match at one.

The Owls aimed to right their wrongs in the third set, but the Golden Hurricane scored the last two points to win it 25-21 to take a 2-1 match advantage. Temple fiercely began the ensuing set, taking a seven-point lead that a 7-0 Tulsa run erased. The Golden Hurricane won the set 25-23 and handed the Owls their 14th loss of the year.

Temple Volleyball was eliminated from playoff contention after its 3-1 loss to Tulsa Friday evening.

11/14/2025

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11/14/2025

Temple handled La Salle 75-54 Friday afternoon behind guard Kaylah Turner’s team-high 12 points. The Owls outrebounded the Explorers 54-34 with 19 of them from the offensive glass. Temple pitched in 31 bench points and featured four double-digit scorers as well.

The Owls’ offense couldn’t get going early on as they concluded the first quarter locked with the Explorers at 13 points. Temple began to pull away in the second frame, stringing together a 16-4 run to enter the locker room with a 34-24 lead.

The Owls ballooned their lead to as many as 15 points in the third quarter and coasted to their third victory of the season. Temple limited La Salle to 32% shooting from the field and 7% from three-point range.

“It was a hardcore game,” said head coach Diane Richardson. “La Salle came in here on a hot streak and they came fired up in the first quarter. We had to take some time to adjust, but ended up winning the game, playing Temple basketball.”

Temple will get on the road to face Richmond on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.

Temple Women’s Basketball went on a 16-4 run to end the first half for a 10-point lead it never gave up.