Two Owls are among Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, Temple football players improvised to stay in shape during the coronavirus pandemic and a former Temple coach is featured in a Netflix series.

Psychology professor argues adolescent brain immaturity made execution inappropriate
Christopher Vialva, who was found guilty of murders he committed as a 19 year old, was recently executed. Jason Chein, Professor of Psychology at the College of Liberal Arts, said science suggests no person of his age should be eligible for capital punishment. “This is a really terrible thing that this individual has been accused of and seems to be admitting guilt to and was convicted of,” he said. But “it’s due time for us to really look closely at whether capital punishment can be appropriate for someone who hasn’t reached the age of full maturity in their brain, and I’d argue it can’t.”
NBC News｜September 24, 2020

Two Owls named among Time’s 100 most influential people
Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, KLN ’87, whose reporting on sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein shed further light on his crimes, and Ibram X. Kendi, CLA ’07, ’10, one of the leading thinkers on race in the U.S., were both included in Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Time｜September 22, 2020

Former Temple coach featured in Netflix documentary
Dawn Staley—a three-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time WNBA All-Star and former Temple women’s basketball coach—is one of five coaches featured in a new Netflix documentary series, The Playbook. The other coaches include Jill Ellis, of the U.S. women’s national soccer team and Jose Mourinho, of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. “It’s a great honor,” Staley said. “I think I was chosen because I have a great story.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜September 22, 2020

Temple football players find ways to keep going during the pandemic
Temple players did what they had to to stay in shape during the coronavirus pandemic, including running to the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps (Isaiah Graham-Mobley, Class of 2020) and lifting weights in a barn (Vincent Picozzi, FOX ’20, and his brother Nick, Class of 2022). “We might not have had the tools that we were used to utilizing, but we figured a way and made it work,” Vincent Picozzi said.
Philadelphia Inquirer｜September 19, 2020

Ozark episode earns Owl an Emmy nomination
Veteran camera operator-turned-director Ben Semanoff, TFM ’01, earned an Emmy nomination this year for directing an episode of the Netflix series Ozark—only his second turn in the director’s chair. Fellow nominees included several directors he’d worked with in the past. “It’s intimidating, certainly,” he said. “And quite an honor to be amongst them.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜September 18, 2020

As the second season of her talk show began, Tamron Hall looked back on her career
Journalist and talk show host Tamron Hall, KLN ’92, believes the time she spent as a student in Philadelphia made her stronger. “So much of what I learned about resilience I learned the four years I lived in Philadelphia,” she said. “It teaches you how to take a punch and it teaches you how to get up from a punch. Everything about the city is, to me, the spirit of our show, which is to never give up.”
Woman’s Day｜September 16, 2020

Tiffany Reid joins Bustle Digital Group
A veteran of Time, Condé Nast and Hearst, Tiffany Reid, KLN ’08, CLA ’08, is now Bustle Digital Group’s VP, Fashion, overseeing all five of the group’s women’s lifestyle sites. “I’ve always tried to hire assistants of color; I always try and spot the outlier,” she said. “We want to give everyone a chance, not just talent we already know.”
The Daily Front Row｜September 15, 2020 

—Edirin Oputu