T E M P L E TIPSHEET
A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD OCTOBER 22 - OCTOBER 29, 1999
UNIVERSITY NEWS BUREAU (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403 [email protected]
WORLD SERIES COULD BE A GREAT ONE, BUT IT'S NO SUPER BOWL -- Ratings for this year's league championship series were the highest in six years and the final World Series of the century will feature the two best teams of the decade. But is baseball back?
"Baseball will probably always be a part of the American psyche, but I would say that football has taken over as 'America's pastime,'" says Temple sports psychologist Michael Sachs. "Many people have a negative image of baseball players," he said. "A lot of that's due to all the labor problems the sport has had over the years, but there's also this perception that maybe baseball players are a little soft and won't play with injury. Football players on the other hand are seen as more macho and willing to play with pain."
Sachs disagrees with those who say baseball isn't as popular today because people want a sport with lots of action. "If you watch a football game there's really only about six minutes of action," he points out. "The difference in the games is that football is more physical and violent than baseball, which is much more cerebral."
Reach Dr. Sachs through the News Bureau at (215) 204-7476.
GOBLINS OFFER KIDS LESSONS IN CONQUERING FEARS -- The real coup for children at Halloween isn't the sugar-filled sack of goodies they come home with after trick-or-treating, it's having the chance to conquer their fears of all things scary, notes Temple psychologist Phil Kendall, who studies fear and anxiety in children.
"Part of the developmental challenge facing all kids is to overcome anxiety and fears," says Kendall, director of the Child Anxiety Clinic at Temple. "Halloween is a psychologist's dream, in a sense. It can actually be a good opportunity for kids to face their fears."
Parents can help kids overcome their fears by pointing out that scary ghosts and goblins are actually real people behind their gruesome facades, Kendall notes, adding that the masquerade then often becomes fun for children. "As soon as kids get to be about school age, it's a good time for them to learn to overcome their fears."
Reach Dr. Kendall through the News Bureau.
VOTERS MAY NOT BE UNDECIDED -- With just days left in the mayoral race, candidates Democrat John Street and Republican Sam Katz are hard-pressed to win over undecided voters. But the pool of undecided voters may not be as large as it has been reported, says Temple political scientist Michael Hooper.
"There is no way that 25 percent of the population is undecided. In a contest where race is an issue, more respondents say they are undecided than they truly are," explains Hooper, an expert in polling. "I don't think much more than 10 or 15 percent of the members of a racial group will vote for someone of the opposite race." Hooper points out that when a black or white voter is being polled, the voter is not always truthful to an interviewer who is of the opposite race. "This is true for 30 percent of the people interviewed."
Reach Dr. Hooper through the News Bureau.
This Week at Temple . . .
Monday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m.: "HITS, RUNS AND AIRS"-- Paul Hoffman, piano, and Tom Goldstein, percussion, will perform a program of contemporary music as part of the Boyer College of Music's Distinguished Artists Series in Rock Hall. (Rock Hall, Broad St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave.)
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 12:40 to 2:20 p.m.: "AFTER GRADUATION, THEN WHAT?" -- Five speakers with markedly different life goals will present ideas for what students can do with their lives after graduation during a Temple Issues Forum. The diverse panel is made up of two students, a Philadelphia probation officer, a philosophy professor, and a woman who has spent much of her life traveling the world on a shoestring budget. (Ritter Hall Annex, Kiva Auditorium, 13th St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave.)
Friday, Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.: PUMPING UP TEMPLE: Three hundred eighth graders from Mt. Airy's Ada Lewis Middle School will get a taste of college life during a visit to Temple as part of the University's Project PUMP program, which is starting up a mentoring program that will work with and follow students from eighth grade through high school. During their visit, students will attend classes on drama and African American studies, learn about technology used in Temple classrooms, and meet with University faculty and students, including a Lewis School alum.
nb-246 *** October 22, 1999
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