REDUCING CONFLICT BETWEEN COLLEGE ROOMMATES -- In addition to getting used to a new school and a new home away from home, college freshmen also must learn to live harmoniously with their new roommates. Establishing ground rules about everything from study time and cleaning routines to entertaining visitors and telephone usage will go a long way toward helping roommates adjust to each other, notes Dr. Denise Walton, a staff psychologist with Temple's Counseling Services. "If roommates are honest about their personal habits and preferences up-front, it can go a long way toward avoiding misunderstanding," says Walton, noting that conflicts often revolve around living habits, personal property, social differences, or rumors. Walton says new roommates should take active steps to get to know each other and to make a commitment to talk about issues important to them. And if and when conflicts do arise, working to resolve them gives roommates "an opportunity to grow and to learn to talk things through," says Walton. Reach Dr. Walton through the News Bureau, 215-204-7476.
WAS JFK JR. ACTING HEMINGWAY-ISH? -- John F. Kennedy Jr.'s adventurous spirit placed him on a daring path. "The Kennedy males take risks. They are a very physical family. They want to do interesting things," says Temple history professor James Hilty, an expert on the Kennedys. "They are very Hemingway-ish. The Kennedys have this Irish fatalism that if something is going to happen, it's going to happen. Robert Kennedy took many risks. He believed that he was going to be killed. On the night of his death, he was without a bodyguard," says Hilty, the author of a biography of RFK. Despite the tragedy that has befallen the Kennedys, he added, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg will not let John's death keep her family from living a normal life. "I think Caroline intends to make sure that her brother's death doesn't change things. She has indicated she is not going to let it affect her family." To reach Professor Hilty, call 215-204-5581, or reach him through the News Bureau.
ON VACATION? WHO'S WATCHING YOUR HOUSE? -- Your home may be your castle, but you needn't turn it into a fortress to keep it safe from break-ins. Keeping burglars at bay is a matter of making life difficult for them, according to Temple economist Simon Hakim. "Most burglaries are crimes of opportunity," says Hakim, who has studied the economics of crime. Among his findings: homes protected with security alarms are three times less likely to be burglarized than those without them. Even a sign on the front lawn cuts in half your chances of being burglarized, he adds. A car parked in the driveway, adequate outside lighting, well-trimmed shrubbery and a neighbor to pick up the mail and morning newspaper will also help keep a home off a burglar's "hit" list. Call Dr. Hakim at his office, 215-204-5037, or through the News Bureau.
This Week at TempleÖ
Friday, July 30, 11:30 a.m.: ACES GRADUATION -- Donning caps and gowns, nine adults with significant speech disabilities will celebrate their accomplishments through the ACES (Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Supports) Summer Institute during graduation exercises. In a moving--and inspiring- ceremony, participants will demonstrate their improved communication skills by giving speeches using their "talking computers," some for the very first time in a public forum. (Great Court, Mitten Hall, Broad St. and Berks Mall)
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