A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD January 4 - January 11, 2002 OFFICE OF NEWS AND MEDIA RELATIONS (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403
COACH KILLER TAKES COMMON PROBLEM TO EXTREME -- Guilty or not, there can be little doubt that the actions of Thomas Junta, the man accused of killing his 10-year-old son's hockey coach, were extreme. But the cause of his ire--a disagreement with the coach's methods--happens all the time, says Temple sports psychologist Michael Sachs, co-author of The Total Sports Experience for Kids- A Parent's Guide to Success in Youth Sports.
"Parents need to do their homework up front," says Sachs. "In a sport like hockey there should be league rules as to checking and the amount of contact that's involved. Parents should also find out how their kid's coach runs practice and make sure they're comfortable with the coach's methods." Even if, after doing all their homework, parents see a coach doing something they don't like, Sachs says the best thing to do is wait until after the game or practice or during a break in the action and approach them calmly and state your concerns.
"And parents need to remember that even if they get a 'rogue' coach, they can always go to the league officials," says Sachs. If all efforts at communication fail, then parents need to make a decision as to whether to pull their child off the team. "Usually just talking to the coach will resolve the situation, and, if not, you find a league you and your child can be comfortable with."
Reach Dr. Sachs through the Office of News and Media Relations, 215-204-7476.
GAUGING THE ECONOMY IN '02 -- If we do see a turnaround in the economy by March, as some economists are predicting, don't expect the unemployment rate to quickly follow suit, says Temple economics professor William Stull. "Everybody agrees that there's going to be a continued weakness in the labor market through 2002," says Stull. "Gross Domestic Product will turn around before we see a drop in unemployment because producers are always reluctant to hire at the beginning of an expansion, preferring instead to increase output by having their current employees work longer hours. But, by the last quarter of 2002, we should see the unemployment rate going down.
Overall, the recovery isn't expected to be particularly robust since the recession, by historical standards, has been relatively shallow." While interest rate reductions and the massive tax cut last summer have done much to stimulate the economy, the nation's war effort should help as well, as it did in the 1940s, says Stull. "Military spending stimulates the economy. We basically spent our way out of the Great Depression when we entered World War II. The economy is many times bigger now, but it's likely we'll see the same type of thing happening today."
Reach Dr. Stull through the Office of News & Media Relations.
A MESSAGE OF HOPE, SERVICE COMES FULL CIRCLE -- There's the 93-year-old who has lived through almost a century of presidents and innovations and wars. And then there's the 14-year-old who has never known a world without computers or MTV or Madonna. In between are those who have lived through World War II, the struggles of the Civil Rights movement, the onset of AIDS. Together, they take the stage more than 260 times a year to do improvisational theater focusing on social issues as members of Temple's intergenerational Full Circle Theatre. On Saturday, Jan. 19, they'll present "Building Peace at Home," a new performance that both dramatizes their very personal experiences on Sept. 11 and urges audience members to get involved in their communities as a way to channel their grief and uncertainty.
"We don't want to overdo 9/11 because time is passing. But we do feel that people can move past the fear and isolation they may be feeling to be constructive as they grapple with their changing self-images as world citizens," says Marilyn B. Wood, the new managing director of the troupe, noting that the 2 p.m. performance at the Bushrod Library, 6304 Castor Ave., coincides with Martin Luther King Day, recognized nationally as a day of service. "We want audience members to leave with a sense of hope that there are actions they can take to build peace and security in their communities."
For information on the troupe and its new performance, call the Office of News & Media Relations.
Cheryl AfonsoTemple UniversityOffice of News andMedia Relations215.204.7476[email protected]
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