A record-setting 26 Owls join the NFL, faculty examine the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on jobs, and other recent Temple appearances in the news.

18 Temple alumni on NFL active rosters for opening weekend
A record 26 Owls joined NFL teams this season, with 18 of them making it onto the rosters for opening weekend. Former Temple head coach Matt Rhule, who guided the Owls to the American Athletic Conference championship in 2016, recruited many of the players and is proud of their achievements. “I know those kids and know how hard they worked and I think there is something special about being at Temple,” Rhule said. “Being a Temple guy, when you leave and go to the NFL you are not entitled, you are grateful. You know how to work, and I think that is a credit to those guys.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜September 11, 2020

Why doctors might not prescribe a common addiction treatment drug
A new study has found that only about half of the doctors licensed to prescribe buprenorphine (an opioid-based drug used to treat addiction) are giving it to their patients. And the stigma of addiction treatment keeps other physicians from thinking about getting licensed. “You hear from doctors, ‘My practice is going to become overrun with people with opioid use disorder,’” said David O’Gurek, an associate professor of family and community medicine at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. “But the reality is that people with opioid use disorder are likely already currently in your practice.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜August 28, 2020

How inconsistent CDC coronavirus testing guidelines affect state and local messaging
The lack of consistency from federal officials since the coronavirus pandemic began has made it harder for state and local officials to communicate risks and guidelines, said Sarah Bauerle Bass, an associate professor and director of the Risk Communication Laboratory at the College of Public Health. “So, what’s happened is this kind of Wild West of COVID messaging and that, you know, everybody is saying something differently,” she said.
89.3 WFPL News Louisville｜August 28, 2020

Finding job options for displaced workers
As the effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to ripple through the U.S. economy, many workers are facing layoffs and uncertainty. “Right now I would say the unemployment problem is as bad, if not worse, than what we saw at the worst point in the Great Recession. We’re certainly not at Great Depression levels in terms of unemployment, but it’s bad right now and it’s going to get worse,” said Doug Webber, associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Economics in the College of Liberal Arts. Displaced workers could try to gain skills in a field that will have a good labor market outcome when the country comes out of the recession, he said.
KYW Newsradio｜August 27, 2020

A study suggests people who wear face masks are rated “more attractive”
“Beauty and the Mask,” a joint study conducted by the College of Public Health and the University of Pennsylvania, found that people who wear face masks are considered more attractive. “For people who might be self-conscious or concerned about how they look in a mask when they go in the public, we now have evidence that says, in reality, people are going to see you as more attractive,” said David Sarwer, a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences and associate dean for research in the College of Public Health.
CBS3｜August 20, 2020

—Edirin Oputu