T E M P L E TIPSHEET
A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD
SEPTEMBER 24 - OCTOBER 1, 1999
UNIVERSITY NEWS BUREAU
(215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403
SWING VOTERS MAY NOT COUNT IN MAYORAL RACE -- Although the race for mayor of Philadelphia is close, John White Jr.'s endorsement of Sam Katz for mayor may not give the Republican candidate an edge over Democratic front runner John Street in November, according to local political analyst Thad Mathis, a Temple professor of social administration and expert on grass-roots politics. "If Katz can't attract a sizable crossover, it's a shoo-in for Street, who might lose some John White-type votes," says Mathis, suspecting few voters will abandon the Democratic Party on Election Day. "I don't think John White is going to take many votes from Street. Most people are still going to vote the Democratic Party. There is national interest in this race to help Democratic mayors produce a Democratic president." Even though some people might prefer Katz, Mathis suggests, they will not abandon the party because they are loyalists and don't want to hurt candidates in national elections. "The endorse
HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU! -- Dating back to the days of muckrakers such as Upton Sinclair, consumer reporting has become one of the "highest growth" areas in journalism, according to Laura Cast"¢neda, assistant professor of journalism in Temple's School of Communications and Theater. And with an explosion of websites offering everything from cars to textbooks to the adoption of children, the need for investigative consumer stories continues to grow. "Consumer news is more in demand than ever before," says Cast"¢neda, a former AP writer and, more recently, the personal finance reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. She'll be teaching Consumer Reporting: News You Can Use at Temple University Ambler beginning Oct. 19. The two-credit course will meet Mondays, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Reach Cast"¢neda through the Ambler public relations office at (215) 283-1628.
ELECTRIC SLIDE -- The proposed merger of Peco Energy Co. and Chicago's Unicom Corp. has many scratching their heads and trying to figure out what it all means. For Peco consumers, the short answer is "not much," according to Frederic H. Murphy, a professor of management science/operations research at Temple's Fox School of Busines and Management. "It'll be the loss of headquarters jobs and back office kind of activity," Murphy notes. "But unlike other industries, they can't move their plants and wires somewhere else to a lower-cost area. They also have to have a completely defined corporate entity here because even though the electricity market is being deregulated, the wires will still be regulated." As for dependability, he says: "The main concern is what's going to happen with deregulation's impact on system reliability, and that's independent of the merger." With the deal providing few "operational synergies" and no marketing advantages, Murphy says, Wall Street declined to endorse it. "The only thing to consider is that this is a first step to becoming a national nuclear equipment owner and operator," he observes. "Whether that's a good business or not is an open question." Reach Dr. Murphy through the News Bureau.
This Week at Temple. . .
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: FERIA LATINA -- Temple's ninth annual Latino Heritage Month kicks off with a celebration of Hispanic food, dancing, music and culture. The fair will feature displays by student groups, Temple's Latin American Studies department, as well as a number of Hispanic organizations and businesses from outside the University. (Bell Tower Plaza, Berks Mall between 12th and 13th Sts.)
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 11:30 a.m.: SIGNING -- Officials of Burlington County College and Temple will sign a core-to-core transfer agreement easing the access to a four year baccalaureate degree for BCC students who have earned their associate's degree. Temple has similar agreements with Camden County College and the community colleges of Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware Counties and Community College of Philadelphia.
(Board Room, BCC's Pemberton Campus Academic Center)
Thursday, Sept. 30, noon: NEW RESIDENCE HALL DEDICATION -- It's a ribbon cutting at the new 472-bed Residence Hall in the heart of the Main Campus. The building features "wired" rooms, a fitness center, aerobics room, computer lab and study and
social lounges on each floor. The dedication, originally slated for last Thursday, was rescheduled due to Hurricane Floyd. (1940 Park Mall at Norris St.)
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September 24, 1999
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