Since Drexel University announced Buckley Field’s imminent closure last March, it was only a matter of time before construction began and the once vibrant campus green space underwent a complete transformation.

On Thursday Jan. 19, the Drexel community received an email signaling the start of Buckley’s demolition by the Philadelphia-based development firm Gattuso Development Partners. Though this project is heralded by university representatives as a transformative move furthering Drexel’s academic mission, there are several instant effects on the Drexel campus community that some find less than stellar. 

Tim Kreutzfeldt, head coach of Drexel’s Ultimate Frisbee team Spitfire, and one of his players, sophomore graphic design major Evan Whittaker, have seen first-hand the effects that Buckley’s closure has had on club sports. While they do not presume to speak to the experience of all student organizations that once used Buckley, Spitfire notes that it has been put in a precarious position with the field’s closure. 

Despite being a Drexel employee, Kreutzfeld learned of Buckley’s imminent closure at the same time as the rest of the campus. Since the announcement, significant operational changes have worsened the experience for Spitfire’s players and management. 

“It’s not that [Spitfire’s practice time] was cut substantially, it was cut entirely,” recounted Kreutzfeldt. “We were told our practices would begin in late February…I don’t know if that means they’re gonna have the Bubble up and ready by then or if they’re gonna open their outdoor field space back up to us for practices, but as far as I know, the ultimate team and every other outdoor/indoor club sport has not had any practice times or locations thus far this quarter.”

The “Bubble” Kreutzfeld refers to is the aptly named Buckley Bubble, a 30,000 square foot inflatable dome first utilized by Drexel Athletics in the winter of 2019 into 2020. The Bubble has traditionally allowed Drexel students use of outdoor recreation space as temperatures plummeted, but with the closure of Buckley, its iconic shape has since disappeared from campus, and with it, the option for outdoor practices.

“Last year, we would practice in Buckley for, say, 90 minutes twice a week…Spring is our competitive season, so we kind of rely on January and February in order to get in as much practice time as we can to prepare for our playoffs,” explained Kreutzfeldt. 

Spitfire has since had to explore alternatives to traditional practices, and in an effort to prepare for their upcoming season, Kreutzfeldt has signed the team up for nearly double the amount of tournaments they would attend in a typical year. But this solution still has limitations, a fact acknowledged by both Kreutzfeldt and his players. 

“[Tournaments are] a bigger commitment because you have to travel and there’s costs, hotel costs and stuff like that, that aren’t associated with just practice…It’s a big commitment for weekends when I have homework,” elaborated Whittaker. 

But a heavier financial burden is not the only factor in consideration.

“It’s the only real practice we’re getting…especially with new players, they don’t get as much playing time…because of the lack of practice, there’s no way to get better at frisbee,” Whittaker said. “We, as a frisbee team, are falling behind because we are already given significantly less field time than other schools who have more field time or field space in general. And we see it in our team performance as well as in our camaraderie. We don’t have as much time as a team together, which sucks, because of Buckley being closed.”

Though Kreutzfeld and Whittaker recognize the necessity of new developments on Drexel’s campus and their difficult position as a club team that doesn’t bring any revenue to Drexel, they both admit they will miss Buckley and the opportunities it afforded to Spitfire. 

To the Drexel administration, the benefits of this new project vastly outweigh any short term disruptions caused by the construction. 

Vice President of Real Estate and Facilities Alan Greenberger is incredibly optimistic about the opportunities the new life sciences building will bring to Drexel. Greenberger views the building as an essential long-term investment in the well-being of Drexel, saying it will provide unparalleled access to co-op opportunities, career networking, and collaborative research.

“As a university that is probably one of the oldest in the nation committed to experiential learning, these are very powerful, mission-based reasons why we’re doing what we’re doing. That’s the investment being made.”

Located on the corner of Race St. and Lancaster Ave., Madis Coffee House officially opened its doors to the West Philadelphia community on Nov. 9, 2022 and has been met with much acclaim from Drexel University students. 

The ambient coffee house gains its name from an acronym created through a combination of the owners’ names. 

“This is the only Madis that exists,” Eleni Navrosidis, Head of Marketing and Operations, said. As one of many coffee shops located on both Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania’s campus, it is important to be able to tell what sets Madis apart from the rest. Madis roasts all of their beans in house and heavily values customer feedback, even going as far to ask their customers each individualized questions that highlight what they need from their coffee.

“We roast them, we wait two weeks, then that day we ask our customers: ‘What do you like about this? What don’t you like about this? What’s a slight difference that would make your palate enjoy this coffee better?’” Navrosidis added. 

Madis offers a variety of specialty drinks, coffees, pastries and sandwiches. According to Navrosidis, the most popular specialty drinks are their salted caramel latte and the cinnamon honey spice latte, and the most popular coffee is the iced vanilla latte with oat milk. The butter, chocolate and almond croissants also get a lot of attention. 

“I used to really get cappuccinos, now I’m more of an oat milk latte girl. My favorite also is the roasted turkey sandwich. However, we are trying out some new variations. We didn’t have bagels before; I think we’re going to implement them soon,” Navrosidis said. 

Madis is a student-centered business that heavily focuses on a sense of belonging between staff, students and customers. With a customer demographic of mostly college-age students, the company has begun a process to find students who are interested in becoming ambassadors for the Madis Coffee brand. 

“I’m hoping to gain student ambassadors for the brand. I just started working on the program and have been advertising a little bit here and there to different organizations that I could see being a good fit for us,” Navrosidis said. 

A student ambassadorship would involve representing the business’s brand through social media platforms and highlighting the business’s own platforms. In fact, Madis has already begun their social media platform and advertising. They can be found on Instagram through @madiscoffee_roasters and on Tik Tok, @madiscoffeeroasters. 

“We’re looking for like-minded students who don’t necessarily have a huge following, just people that want to represent themselves in alignment with our brand. You know [people who] have that fun, positive energy and love to drink coffee,” Navrosidis said.

The ambassadorship is one step in how Madis hopes to give back to their student community. Student ambassadors would work on a point system, where posting on social media would earn a certain amount of points that are redeemable for free foods and free drinks or even company merchandise. 

Madis hopes to give as much as they can earn from the student communities which surround them. With popular lattes and freshly baked croissants, they welcome you to stop in any time. 

In 2023, to be an American can hold different sentiments. The tunnel vision of the American dream has turned a former facade into a complex structure that affects most Americans for better or worse. The session on American Values hosted by Drexel University’s Pennoni Honors College gives students an opportunity to discuss their backgrounds and how they have navigated American values during their time as Drexel students. 

The hour-long discussion took place Jan. 31st on the second floor of Bentley Hall with the conversation being facilitated by the Dean of Pennoni Honors College, Paula Marantz Cohen, Ph.D. 

The conversation provided students of different majors and backgrounds the opportunity to express the contrasts of life before and during Drexel University. While some had come from small, homogeneous areas of the world, some were acclimated to such wide diversity that Drexel was relatively disappointing regarding diversity. 

Out of the 14,413 undergraduate students attending classes, a little less than 12,000 identify as White. The large Drexel population can be beneficial for those with previously limited exposure to other races and ethnicities. On the other hand, those used to a diverse environment may find this kind of environment below expectations.  

This session further provided a discussion of what it meant to come from a small town and integrate to a city campus compared to big-city natives remaining in a large city. While social lives at Drexel are diluted to concentrate on the course work, co-op and quarter schedule, Cohen sees an opportunity for long-term success unlike any other university. 

“I’ve been here for many years, and I always found that Drexel’s strength lies in the fact that you take more classes and at a regular, traditional college,” Cohen said. 

The conversation then goes into how “code-switching” has been a lesson for students in and outside of the classroom. Students expressed that they were able to have more robust social lives after they learned to not speak with colloquialisms, and formed proper grammatical sentences with proper pronunciation. Furthermore, students were in agreement that this was not what they were used to in their respective family homes. For some students, it was a tool that provided a better chance of a co-op or making new friends. 

The American Values Panel is only one of many sessions the Pennoni Honors College holds for students to be provoked by their peers and challenge what they know outside of the classroom setting.  You can find more sessions and info at drexel.edu/pennoni/news-events/events/.

If you walked into the basement of the Creese Student Center on Jan. 16, 1978, you would have found the grand opening of the “Dragon’s Den.” With live music, free drinks, fries and burgers available in the renovated space, the new fast food restaurant was inaugurated in the building to accompany the preexisting bowling alley and game rooms.  

Plans for the bowling alley began about 20 years prior. In Aug. 1959, the Triangle published an article titled, “Bowling Alley May Be Part Of New Student Building,” in which the plans for the  “revenue producing service” were discussed. According to a DrexelNow article, the “$1.95 million building was officially dedicated at the end of September 1962.” In December of the same year, the bowling alley opened for all. Any student could rent a locker and the proper bowling shoes. The space brought together the men and women’s bowling teams, the average college student and even professors. 

At the time, several other games were available as you perused the basement. Students could be found at one of the six billiard tables available to rent for $1 an hour or at one of the seven pinball machines. Other games such as ping pong, shuffleboard and pinball were also offered, as well as the basic sets of chess, checkers and cards. 

The Dragon’s Den was introduced to the space to expand upon the existing cafeteria. Not only did it aim to solve overcrowding issues, but it planned to provide “a more ‘intimate’ atmosphere to dine in,” away from the “institutional atmosphere” of the rest of the campus, according to a Triangle article published in Oct. 1975. The informal area consisted of several tables and chairs to eat and socialize with friends at, as well as a jukebox that could be played for a nickel per song. After opening, the restaurant was known for its own “Dragon Burgers.” In a Triangle article published a year after the Dragon’s Den opening, it was revealed that Drexel’s take on the burger was cheaper than McDonald’s as it consisted of “1/3 of a lb of meat, compared to a McDonald’s 1/4-Pounder,” for $1.25. They also served crispy chicken, melts, fries, pretzels, shakes and a variety of other drinks. Inspired by a new $65,000 pub at the University of Pennsylvania and similar taps present at Temple University, the Dragon’s Den also served beer for age-appropriate patrons. Students could use their meal plan to pay for the food, as well as work there to help offset tuition.  

In the spring term following its opening, an average of 600 people would be served in a single day. During exam seasons, the restaurant would also be open from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. with free coffee, tea and soda available to those with a meal plan. Clubs on campus could also arrange events to be held in the space, including happy hours and comedy cabarets. During Nov. 1990, when weekday fraternity parties were banned on campus, the Dragon’s Den was home to an increased number of University-sponsored events meant for students to unwind and socialize, including a D.J. Dance Party. 

While the idea of a restaurant and bowling alley all in one spot on campus sounds appealing to us now, it did have some faults. Students were frequently pushing for renovations, such as better lighting, and the color scheme was considered “atrocious,” with reds that “aren’t quite red” and “no honest-to-goodness blues,” as stated in a 1995 Triangle op-ed.

Another significant fault appeared in 1990, when the Dragon’s Den started making pizzas and introduced a pizza delivery service. By calling in, students provided their Social Security number to deduct the cost from their meal plan. Although advertised to arrive in a half an hour, it sometimes took three times as long to show up, if at all. The attempt may have been overly ambitious for a campus which then had just over 10,000 students. 

While the remnants of the Dragon’s Den are no longer present, Creese is now home to the Triangle office, Drexel’s student run radio station WKDU and various clubs on campus. 

Approximately five years ago, Keishana Washington made a commitment to Drexel University to continue her academic career and her athletic one  on the basketball team. Over the next four years, Washington established herself as one of the best players in program history, leading Drexel to a CAA Conference championship and a NCAA tournament appearance while collecting accolades and setting records. 

Just under a year ago, when Washington had the opportunity to take her immense talent elsewhere, she reaffirmed her commitment to Drexel, agreeing to play out her fifth and final year of college basketball here on 33rd and Market. She has since cemented her legacy as one of the best basketball players to come through not just Drexel but the whole Philadelphia college basketball scene. 

Washington eclipsed the remarkable milestone of 2,000 career points last Friday in the Dragons’ win over Hofstra, leaving her in second place on the all-time scoring list in program history. With still half of a season to go, Washington has a very realistic shot at breaking even more records before her collegiate career is over. Keishana’s career has been a special one, and her legacy is not yet done being forged.

When making her college commitment, two things swayed the Pickering, Ontario native towards Drexel.

“Being as close to home as I could get, making sure my parents would be able to come out and see me play as much as they could,” was important to her, Washington said. “And then the culture of the team, the atmosphere, the coaches, my teammates, the whole athletic program in general. I love being here and the program that I’m in.”

Year after year, Washington has grown as a player. She has gone from averaging 7.4 points per game as a freshman to 26.9 points per game as a 5th year senior. On top of this, Keishana is averaging 4.1 assists per game, a total that is almost double her average from last year. The key to her success, she says, lies in those who surround her. 

“Each year I’ve grown as a player and I’ve gotten more confident, putting in extra work in the gym and in the offseason. This year, teams are really honing in on me and guarding me in certain ways so I’m able to find my teammates when they’re open, especially when teams are throwing two people at me. I think that just comes with awareness and relying on my teammates to knock down shots when they’re open, which they have been,” Washington said.

Keishana currently stands as the second leading scorer in the nation, only two points-per-game behind Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist. 

Washington admitted that, “It is something that I’m cognizant of but it’s not necessarily something that I’m focused on during the game… I’m focused on how we can win championships. But when I do have the chance to sit down and talk about it, it is something that I am proud of especially considering where I started and where I am now”

In 2021, the Women’s Basketball team won the CAA Championship for the first time in over a decade, a moment that Washington remembers as one of her best as a player. In 2022, the Dragons had the opportunity to repeat as champions on their home court; however, they fell heartbreakingly to program rival University of Delaware by just four points. Despite this, Washington says the team is hungry to get back to champion status and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. 

“Obviously losing sucked, especially on our home floor, but coming into this year, everyone is hungry. Everyone has a desire to go hard and get back to where we were and win it all again,” Washington said. “We have a target on our back. Teams are going to try and take me out of the game and do whatever they can to stop us but I think we’re very aware and our target keeps moving so people can’t catch us.”

At the end of the 2022 season, Washington had the opportunity to seek greener pastures and transfer to another school. 

“I think when you’re playing for a program that values you and appreciates you and has done so much for you over the past four years, it’s a no-brainer to want to come back and be a part of that again and continue to impact the team and the program, along with the ability to get my master’s. That decision came really easy to me,” Washington said. “There was a lot of talk about transferring and going elsewhere but my mentality is, if a program is treating you well and values you then why would you leave? The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I’m glad I did stay, I love this program and I love my team.”

In sticking by the program that she loves, Keishana Washington has been able to build upon the strong history of Drexel Women’s Basketball, all the while garnering the respect that she argues the program deserves. 

“I think since I’ve been here a lot of teams have disrespected us in some ways, they haven’t thought we were very good or whatever the case may be. I think obviously we have proven otherwise with the amount of games we’ve won, championships, regular season titles and things like that. I don’t think that it can be denied anymore especially when we’ve also beaten the ‘better teams’ in Philadelphia…but I also think that it’s something that makes us hungry to be respected and have people want to come after us because we’re that good,” Washington said.

What it all boils down to is this: Keishana Washington is just like any student at Drexel (albeit, she is a student with immense athletic talent who is likely to be drafted to the WNBA) Off the court, she loves listening to Drake. Her favorite restaurant in Philadelphia is Giorgio on Pine. Her favorite food is salmon and baked potatoes. And just like the other 26,000 students at Drexel, she is in academic and extracurricular programming. And, like anyone else, she loves her school and the programs that she is a part of. 

Luckily for all fans of Drexel and great basketball, Keishana Washington will take the floor at least ten more times for the Dragons as they seek to restore their status as champions. Washington is a rare talent, the kind of talent that students and fans might not get to watch up close again for a long time. The Drexel community should make it a priority to celebrate her greatness, along with the rest of the team’s success, for the rest of the basketball season. 

On Jan. 25, the Dornsife School of Public Health held a Population Health Spotlight event in reflection of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world recovers from the biggest health crisis in a century, the importance of education around public health has become relevant now more than ever.    

The event was part of a larger lecture series that Dornsife has organized to encourage conversations around the field of public health. This particular lecture was led by Laura Magaña, PhD, MS, the President & CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH).

The lecture took place in Nesbitt Hall and was simultaneously streamed over Zoom. It mainly provided insight into how public health can be improved if we transform the educational system to train people in a more holistic approach, ultimately working towards the goal of global sustainability. 

To start, Dr. Magaña quickly got into how public health is poorly addressed in our society due to the lack of higher education for most of the public. Dr. Magaña reminded the audience that we are in a higher educational institution and defined higher education institutions (HEI) as organizations with large amounts of educational resources available to a select type of people who have the money to access it. Thus, Magaña emphasized the need for accessible education. 

Aside from the importance of education, Dr. Magaña encouraged audience members to think about what stands in the way for solutions that contribute “to a fair, more human, democratic, holistic and more peaceful picture for all.” 

The advocacy discussion took a turn as Dr. Magaña covered the benefits of smarter educational strategies that came about during the pandemic by talking about what a ‘beyond discipline’ collaboration could do for building community and reimagining learning. 

According to Dr. Magaña, “We need to do more collectively among the programs. Not just the health programs, but the schools of engineering, business, and architecture among others in order to bring knowledge together and altogether, really think differently about how to solve the biggest challenges.”

The lecture then went back to addressing how we need to transform the education system to make way for these better teaching methods. Dr. Magaña covered ten different areas to think about when it comes to this massive change needed, starting with the area of fostering lifelong learning skills which are extremely beneficial to those willing to get educated to help others. 

To close, Dr. Magaña addressed how public health can bring people together to address not just one but several systemic issues affecting the welfare of our society. These kinds of benefits  could be made possible if public health educators and learners had the proper training methods to move forward. 

Dr. Magaña strongly believes that public health “can be a leader in the innovation to improve the integration of essential competencies, technologies, of course and a new horde of models.”

This lecture, one of many in a series Drexel University hosts aimed at improving public health services, covered several new ideas educational institutions can implement to better train students in all fields related to these services. We can only hope that with collective efforts, methods to keep ourselves and others healthy will get better.

On Monday, Jan. 16, Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, in cooperation with Action for Early Learning (AFEL), the Mantua Civic Association, WHYY, Digital Navigators, Literacy and More and Drexel’s own Thomas R. Kline School of Law, hosted its annual event in honor of African-American civil rights hero Doctor and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. 

The aptly titled “MLK Family and Fun Learning Day” featured an impassioned recitation of King’s “I have a Dream” speech by West Philadelphia community member Rose Bryant followed by a read-along of Dr. Bernice King’s book “It Starts With Me” by a member of Fab Youth Philly, another community organization housed on Dornsife’s Spring Garden campus. This was the first year the event included a read-along of the younger King’s story and event organizers Rachel Viddy, project director for the West Philly Promise Neighborhood, and Cory Johnson, program manager with Action for Early Learning, were proud to showcase this story to the community. 

“Sometimes we read biographies [of Martin Luther King Jr.], but this year we found this really great book, ‘It starts with me,’” explained Johnson. “Miss Rose, our featured speaker, connected us to the King Center…and,” she said, “we [wanted] to center this event around this book.”

The book’s youthful, approachable content was enormously appealing to Johnson and Viddy, who wanted to cater both to the young children served by AFEL, and to the families that would attend the event. “It has a range and a mission that we thought was very important to share. The pledge of ‘Be Love,’ I thought that was really cool that we all got to take that together,” elaborated Johnson. “I was excited this year to use a new book…I think it has a strong message. I love that it was written by Dr. Martin Luther King’s daughter and continues his legacy.” 

After the read-along concluded, attendees were given the opportunity to socialize and take part in activities that celebrated the spirit of King and his daughter. 

“It’s a great time to connect…we love to reconnect with our community members and our friends,” added Viddy. 

“I think this is a good example of how an event, how the Dornsife Center… both as a part of Drexel and with students, with staff, with these different initiatives, can work within the community…we had young people here, we had families…looking at this space, especially for a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event, this is really illustrative of the kind of connections and the work we’ve done in the past. Every time that we can connect with our neighbors, with families, that’s always a win,” said Viddy. 

Beyond its specific programming like the MLK Day event, the Dornsife Center is home to a variety of services that benefit the West Philadelphia community, offering residents access to healthcare, legal advice, skill building in technology and a community garden managed by Drexel Urban Growers. Looking to the future, Viddy and Johnson hope to spread the great work Dornsife does across the wider Drexel community and encourage all students to check out Dornsife’s monthly community dinners, the next of which will be held on Feb. 14.  

For the past three years, Drexel University has marked the week of Doctor and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Day by educating Drexel students, faculty and staff members on the importance of the civil rights movement. This year, the Drexel Lindy Center for Engagement hosted several in-person events from Jan. 16 to 20 to dually enhance the awareness of Black history in the Drexel community and to contribute to volunteer work. Black feminist leaders were the theme for this year’s Martin Luther King week of reflection, which spotlighted several notable figures with the goal of educating the Drexel community about their achievements. 

Although the university was officially closed on Jan. 16, people had the opportunity to volunteer through Lindy Center’s Galaxy database or Global Citizen 365. Though volunteering opportunities specific to Martin Luther King Day are over, the Drexel community still has the chance to be involved in similar ongoing projects and services by clicking on the links below this article. 

On Tuesday, Jan. 17 there was a discussion of the book “Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC” at the Lindy Center. The book talks about the role of women in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the Civil Rights Movement, including the personal accounts of 52 women. Curious students can access the book virtually via Drexel’s library. This event also specifically highlighted three Black civil rights leaders: Ruby Bridges, Ida B. Wells and Septime Poinsette Clark. These three women fought against segregation, lynching and housing discrimination, among other issues. 

Voting and making political progress was the theme for Wednesday, Jan. 18. The day’s event centered around three social activists and civil rights leaders: Fanny Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisolm and Diane Nash. They fought for everyone’s right to vote and be represented politically through nonviolent protests. On Wednesday, the Lindy Center also hosted a Civic Engagement Consult for Drexel students that were interested in gaining opportunities to be involved with the community. 

Thursday’s event emphasized the importance of social change and social movement. The key leaders highlighted for this event include Rosa Parks, Angela Davis and Ella Baker. The film, “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” which portrays Rosa Parks’ life and activism, was also played at the Lindy Center Thursday night. The event on Friday focused on economic justice and combating poverty inequality. The key leaders for this event were Coretta Scott King and Marion Wright Edelman.  

The Lindy Center for Engagement also handed out free items such as books, SEPTA passes and Lindy Center merchandise throughout the week. 

If you would like to contact the Lindy Center or want to get more involved, please email them at lindycenter@drexel.edu.  

Resources: 

Lindy Center’s Instagram page: Lindy Center (@lindycenter) • Instagram photos and videos 

Global Citizen 365 Page: Global Citizen (globalcitizen365.org) 

Drexel Galaxy Volunteer Page: Opportunities | Get Connected – Drexel University (galaxydigital.com) 

Lindy Center Drexel Page: Lindy Center | Lindy Center for Civic Engagement | Drexel University

The Jan. 19 basketball game between our Drexel University’s Dragons and Hampton University’s Pirates featured a special theme— a “Bluau.” The Daskalakis Athletic Center was transformed into a tropical beach setting. Fans including the DAC Pack and the Pep Band wore blue Hawaiian shirts and yellow leis. In between timeouts, the “bongo cam” was displayed, where fans caught on camera pretended to play on bongos on the big screen. A limbo contest was held at half court, with the winner receiving a gift card to Ed’s Buffalo Wings and Pizza; the song “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” played over the PAs as the Pep band stood up and led a conga line through the stands for the whole song. 

Though the fans and the Bluau theme were fun and carefree, the game was intense. Drexel scored the first point of the game, with Justin Moore hitting a 3-pointer only a couple of seconds in. Drexel continued their early dominance when Coltrane Washington blocked a shot and then hit a 3, bringing the score up to 8-0. However, Hampton began to mount a comeback. After a missed flagrant, they started hitting their baskets, making the score 18-16 in favor of Drexel at the first timeout. Justin Moore managed to widen the lead, hitting some 3s, and Amari Williams went 4-4 with his free throws. 

Despite Hampton’s Marquis Godwin going 3-4 with his FG’s and inching closer to a tie, the first half ended with Drexel leading 37-33. When the second half began, Drexel’s Lamar Oden Jr hit a 3, bringing the score to 40-33. Drexel dominated the court, only allowing Hampton to score 4 more points over the course of five minutes, and the first timeout of the half had a score of 47-37 Drexel. However, Drexel started getting rocky on the defensive end, and ended up allowing various turnovers. Hampton took the opportunity to mount a comeback with nine minutes left. Despite Drexel getting a turnover and driving down the court, they could not score thanks to blocking from Hampton. Hampton managed to score a 3 and then made one FT, making the game 62-59. 

Despite Drexel giving it everything they could, their lead kept narrowing everytime they managed to get ahead of the competition. Fouls began catching up to them, and they began missing at the FT line. With 37 seconds left, Hampton scored a 3 to make their score 71, three points behind Drexel. But with 14 seconds left, Hampton’s Marquis Godwin missed a potential game-tying 3 pointer. Drexel scored, then managed to make one FT to bring the score up 77-71. Hampton managed to sink a nice dunk to bring the score 77-73. But, as luck had it, they missed yet another 3 pointer. After another foul, Drexel made both of their FT’s. As the clock ran out, Drexel managed to win this game 79-77.

Judging via the stats, it was clear that Lamar Oden Jr. was the most outstanding player of the game. With 19 total points and going 1-1 on his free throws, he stood out and helped bring a victory to home court. When asked about his performance, coach Zach Spiker said he was “really good from the 3 point line… 4-5… maybe he’s the greatest shooter.” 

Zach credited Lamar’s performance to “the fruits of his labor in the unseen hours,” referring to his staying after practice to study and putting in long hours at the gym. Zach also mentioned the strong performance of Hampton’s Jordan Nesbitt, mentioning his “ability to take over the game from time to time,” but bringing it back around to credit how well Lamar read the defense, managing to cause loose balls and set them off edge. 

In the end, Drexel managed to secure their fifth home victory in a row, bringing their season record up to 9-8. The subsequent homecoming game against Delaware resulted in another home victory, a morale booster as they beat their biggest rival on homecoming. 

The grand opening of Drexel University’s new Health Sciences building on Wednesday, Dec. 7 was marked by an unanticipated student rally. Outside of the newly-opened twelve-story building where the ribbon cutting ceremony occurred, students from the UC Townhomes coalition, Drexel Community for Justice and Drexel for PILOTs called out the university for their participation in the gentrification of West Philadelphia and the displacement of its long-time residents.

In 2014, Drexel and Wexford Science + Technology partnered to purchase the site after Philadelphia public high school University City High was closed and the land was up for grabs to developers. Located at 36th and Filbert streets, the Health Sciences building will now serve as the center for the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the College of Medicine and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies. 

Though the College of Nursing and Health Professions officially started using the building in the summer, the ceremony on Dec. 7 served as a way to bring together Drexel, Wexford and Ventas, a real estate investment trust, to formally celebrate the building’s opening.

This occasion sparked resistance from students and community members, many of whom are calling on the university to pay payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) and admit their role in the expansion of West Philly gentrification under the guise of urban renewal.

Lined up outside of the building holding signs and banners, organizers chanted phrases like “Hands off West Philly,” “Save the people’s townhomes,” and “John Fry you make this right.” 

This conversation comes after months of community members and West Philly residents organizing to prevent the sale and demolition of the University City Townhomes, a 70-unit housing development on 39th and Market streets. On July 8, 2021, townhomes owner Brett Altman notified the Department of Housing and Urban Development that he would not be renewing the property’s federal tax subsidy and was planning to sell the property by July 2022. Originally built in 1983, the rental property has served as a source of affordable housing for West Philadelphia’s residents in the past few decades as the cost of living has dramatically increased in what is now called “University City” but once was considered the Black Bottom. 

In the past year, the Save the UC Townhomes Coalition has gained nationwide traction and sparked a larger conversation about the role that universities play in gentrification through urban development strategies. While the University of Pennsylvania has been particularly under pressure from students and community members in the past few months, Drexel has mostly been able to stay out of the conversation–until now. 

“John Fry has been leading the destruction of West Philly communities since the 90s. He came to Philly and was the Executive Vice President at Penn in [1995],” said student organizer Chelsea Martin at the rally, “Fry is the one who spearheaded the initiative that is now known as the University City District, which demolished the houses of thousands of Black Philadelphians who lived in the Black Bottom; which is the land that we are standing on today.”

According to a joint Instagram post by Drexel Students for Justice in Palestine and Drexel Community for Justice, over 300 students, staff, faculty and alumni have signed on to a statement for Drexel to support the preservation of the townhomes as of Nov. 10. 

“Drexel’s expansion was a catalyst for urban renewal efforts in West Philadelphia and the Black Bottom. The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority invoked eminent domain to seize and bulldoze homes and businesses, clearing lots that were then sold to Drexel and Penn at well below their market value,” the statement says. “This is the time for Drexel University to demonstrate, through action, their commitments to antiracism by ensuring that UC Townhomes residents have access to a safe, healthy and stable housing environment.”  

In an interview with The Triangle, student organizers from the Save the UC Townhomes Coalition, Drexel for Justice and Drexel for PILOTs discussed the university’s problematic relationship with West Philadelphia. 

“Drexel is following this master plan that has been in place since the 60s. This project of so-called ‘urban renewal’ started in the 60s, and for most of these gentrification projects, they’ve gotten their way, but there have been points when the residents of West Philadelphia have fought back against it,” said third year film and television major Shane Mosley. 

“Actually the new Health Sciences building used to be a high school and that high school, it wasn’t built out of the kindness of the developers’ heart, it was built because the community rallied and said ‘if you’re going to keep displacing people, the least you can do is build a school.’”  

Mosley was referring to University City High School, a school that opened in 1972 and closed in 2013. Over the decades, the school’s academic performance declined due to a lack of adequate funding, eventually leading the School District of Philadelphia to sell the property along with 23 other schools as they were undergoing a financial crisis of their own. 

“It was a school right by campus but it wasn’t receiving any financial help from Drexel and it sort of was left alone to suffer. Eventually it was shut down and Drexel came in and swept in and built the health sciences building,” Mosley said. 

Second year medical student Hana Shapiro expects that the new Health Sciences building will attract thousands of more students to move into the area, which will cause living costs to rise and for the neighborhood to “flip” as previous residents can no longer afford to live in the area. 

“The institution has completely separated itself from the people that it affects and that alienation is not something that we’ll stand for,” Shapiro said. “As students, if we are being forced to live in this area, we have an obligation and an imperative to be a part of that community. If we can’t help being here, then we must take the responsibility of taking care of those who have been here before us.” 

According to the student organizers, one of the main contributions they would like to see from Drexel is for the university to pay PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes). 

“Because of Drexel’s nonprofit status, they don’t pay any taxes, despite getting so much money through endowments…They get so much money through tuition, room and board, parking fees, you know all that money it adds up, and none of it goes to the community. It just sort of goes to more gentrification projects, so if we actually force and put pressure on Drexel to make these payments, then a lot of areas that aren’t gentrified could actually get the resources they need instead of being underfunded, ignored and left to rot so that later Drexel and Penn can come in and redevelop it,” Mosley said. 

Chelsea Martin would like for the university to make tangible commitments to community members and follow through with their mission about being a civically engaged university.

“Drexel University, if they’re saying all these things and standing in solidarity with the Black community, put your money where your mouth is and pay PILOTs and put that money into the preservation of the townhomes,” Martin said. “It’s the very least they could do.”