The Drexel Publishing Group is now accepting submissions for its annual Creative Writing Contest until Dec. 9, offering students from all majors a chance to showcase their writing and have it considered for publication in “The 33rd,” an interdisciplinary anthology. 

Students can submit their work in four categories: nonfiction, fiction, humor and poetry. Each category will have prizes for the top submissions and a chance to be featured in “The 33rd.” 

The contest is an exciting opportunity for Drexel University undergraduates to express their creative voices and get involved in Drexel’s growing literary scene. 

“The beauty of this contest is that it’s open to every student here at Drexel, no matter what they’re majoring in,” said Cameron Kosak, DPG’s editorial assistant. “It’s a great opportunity for students whose writing might not otherwise be seen.”

Kosak highlighted that Drexel is not traditionally known for its emphasis on literary arts: “Drexel isn’t really a school where the literary arts are celebrated as much as other subjects,” he explained. “The 33rd is the one place for writing where you can see your work alongside other talented students and faculty.”

Bryce Walsh, a past winner of the contest, shared how placing in the humor category for his story, “The Interview,” shaped his confidence and writing career: “About a year ago, my English teacher told our class about this contest,” Walsh recalled. 

He decided to submit and ended up winning second in the humor category: “I’m part of Drexel Night Live. I have an overall goofy personality. I was surprised by winning, but I think it’s about rolling with what you’ve got. You might be surprised by what happens.”

Walsh noted that being published in “The 33rd” had a significant impact on his career. Not only was it a good addition to his resume, but he added,  “Being published boosted my confidence in writing, and now I have some bragging rights!” 

Another one of last year’s prizes went to Wriley Katcoff for her creative nonfiction piece, “Everyone Lies.” Katcoff’s journey to the submission began with a seemingly unrelated connection. “A peer counselor in my University 101 class had been published in ‘The 33rd’ the year before, which initially piqued my interest in the contest,” Katcoff explained. That led her to reflect on an essay she had written for her English class, which she felt was a strong piece. 

Not only did her essay earn second place in the nonfiction category, but it was also selected for publication in “The 33rd.” The recognition was particularly meaningful to Katcoff, who had no formal aspirations of becoming a writer. 

“I have no intention of being a full-time writer,” she said. “I’m an engineering student, but it did remind me that I am a good writer and that I should spend time on the ideas that I have.”

For Katcoff, the honor of placing in the contest validated her creative abilities, showing her that the written word could resonate with others outside her academic sphere: “Placing in second made me feel like other people valued what I had to say and were interested in what I could write.”

Drexel undergraduates interested in participating can find more information on submission guidelines and prizes and submit their work through DPG’s website.

If Chris Hytha ’21, Bachelor of Architecture, was reduced to one word, it would be “versatile.” An alum of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, nothing else quite captures his unconventional résumé: design professional, photographer, digital artist, drone pilot, general contractor, Instagram influencer and YouTube creator. If one thing is clear, it is that he is not afraid to step out of his comfort zone.

Hytha spoke with the Triangle about how his time at Drexel University shaped his unique career path from architecture and photography to becoming an independent artist, and renovating his home with an online audience while letting passion lead the way and being willing to take leaps of faith.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ryan Keating: Could you introduce yourself, and take me through the many hats you wear?

Chris Hytha: I grew up in a small town outside of Philadelphia. It’s been 10 years now living in Philly and I love it. I was interested in architecture from a young age. I used to draw–I’ve never been great at reading, writing, spelling, that side of academia–so in my English classes I would always be drawing floor plans of buildings. And then I played a ton of Minecraft too, and it was like a 3D modeling software at that point. I ended up going to architecture school and really was happy with Drexel’s program. It teaches you such a wide range of skill sets, which is what eventually enabled me to be independent and not have to work at a firm. But the other piece is that through architecture school, I found photography as a passion and that became one of the many hats, as you said.

RK: So you did one of the six-year [architecture] options at Drexel. What did that look like for you?

CH: So it’s kind of small, kind of niche, but it’s two years [of] full-time school and then your latter four years are part-time night classes and you’re working at a firm during the day. It’s a little different than the co-op program because co-ops, which Drexel is known for…[are] a set period of time: you’re on the co-op and then you’re done the co-op. Whereas with architecture, it wasn’t prescribed by the school. You could not work if you wanted, I guess. But you had to find your job and Drexel would help. 

I worked at a company for three years while I was at Drexel…I think staying there for longer helped me understand the industry better rather than a summer intern [could] where you might not see all the responsibilities.

RK: Was there anything you did as a student to make your life easier, or anything in hindsight you wish you had done?

CH: For architecture, it’s tough. It’s easy if you’re passionate about it, I think, is the easiest answer, because it’s a lot of work. I think [that] applies to any major…It’s unfortunate that [for] a lot of young people it’s hard to find what you’re passionate about. There are times in school where I wasn’t as invested, and I was doing a project that I just didn’t really care about. And I was having trouble finding the desire to work on it, and the counterintuitive move of scrapping it and doing twice as much work, but to find that spark that gets me excited to do it, you know, was well worth it. 

You have a little bit of autonomy to find the pathway that gets you excited. And sometimes you can break the rules and you kind of make your assignments. That definitely helped me.

RK: On your site, you list two of your big projects. One was the HOK Design Futures entry and the other was your 2021 thesis, and you got some recognition for both of them. What do you think it is that makes a successful–or literally winning–idea? Do you think it’s that passion, or is there more to it?

CH: Yeah, largely I think it is the passion. It was kind of in the thread of “I hate cars,” and I wanted to make some kind of cool public transit thing, and at first it was like a bike highway. The biggest reason why people didn’t want to bike or ride scooters is because you have to share space with cars and if a car hits you, you could die. So how do we solve that? Just make their own infrastructure for the bikes. 

And I was excited about it, but got awful reviews. I had to go back to the drawing board. It’s an interesting balance: I was passionate about that idea, but outside forces were like, “I don’t know that that’s the direction.” So I think it’s a good balance of not being so passionate that you’re blocking everyone out, but passionate enough to put in a ton of work but also open to critique.

I learned a lot in school about compromising, and just kind of coming to the realization that I don’t really know what I’m doing. I should probably listen to these professors who have done this for a whole lot longer than me. I always like to go back to a simple mantra of “undeniable work,” which is way easier said than done…and I think that is where the passion comes in.

And it’s kind of unfair because that project won the gold medal Pearson Prize.  A lot of my classmates were working full time as they were doing their thesis, but I made a really intentional choice to not be working so I could dedicate all my time to the project. I put a whole lot of energy, effort and work into it.

RK: After you graduated, what did you lean into?

CH: It was the summer and I felt the burnout and that like post-project depression. So I moped around for a couple months and then was like, “Alright, let’s get my portfolio together and find a job.” 

And then I created the “Rowhomes” photo series, and that was an inflection point for me because prior to that, photography was just a side thing. Architecture was the main thing. Now that I didn’t have architecture to worry about, I put the process of architecture, the rigor of the design process and critique and all the thought that goes into that, into photography. A lot of it, in the early days, was just wandering around the city taking photos of things I thought looked cool. It ended up being 100 images to tell a larger story about the city. And then that became a book, and then that sparked my independent pursuit. And it’s really because of that project that I was able to not get a job, that I was able to make it work, and I was like, “Alright, let’s give this a shot and see if I can support myself.”

RK: What inspired you to start with Rowhomes. It’s the iconic Philly thing–was that it for you?

CH: My parents, growing up, were musicians, but their fallback was construction and renovating old houses. The town we lived in was not a great place, so there were a lot of abandoned, deteriorating houses that you could buy for like $20,000… and as I was growing up, I was able to see my dad fix up these houses, and a lot of them were rowhomes or twins. 

I think rowhomes become like a fixture, where you almost don’t see them anymore. Like they’re just such a part of the fabric of Philadelphia. But when you really take one, and a lot of my photography is isolating it but by looking at them individually, you can see all of the character and all the changes over the years. Every different occupant over the years leaves their mark, whether they [replaced] the window or redid the steps or closed in the porch on the front, these are all little ways that people are changing the built environment and it gives you a peek of like, “What was that person thinking? Why did they close it in? What did they use the space for? What was the context?”

I’m just fascinated by all those questions and how rowhomes have adapted and changed, and many are 100+ years old.

RK: So you moved from “Rowhomes” into the “Highrises” project. That was when you started using drones, right?

CH: Yeah, I was really intentional about needing to still be creatively satisfied. “Rowhomes” was great and I could still do it again at some point. But I think I chose highrises [because], one, as a kid…skyscrapers have always been fascinating to me. But two, it’s not just Philly, it’s the whole country. So rather than just San Francisco or just New Orleans or whatever, it’s like this project can be all of them, all of these big cities.

Another big difference is the way to capture that. That was a whole other logistical challenge. And the only way to do it, really, was with drones. So I had to get my drone license, I had to get my drone insurance, I had to figure out how airspace works and work with the FAA and submit all the paperwork involved with getting permits and airspace approval–that was a whole part of the project.

RK: Getting into the social media aspect: your Instagram account @hytha.cg is sitting at just over 150,000 followers and you’ve used it as a platform for these two projects. What has the process of growing that following been like? Has it been a hands-on thing or did it build its own momentum?

CH: Over time, the relationship changes. It kind of started freshman year of college. I met a photographer on my floor; his name is Andrew Collins. He was into the urbex scene and he showed me his Instagram and he had like 2000 followers and these awesome photos of abandoned places. That got me into photographing the abandoned schools and warehouses and stuff in Philly.

I was super fixated on it. I’d want to go out and shoot, and then I’d get so excited to get home and edit the photos, and then so excited to share them. And it was this positive feedback loop…it kind of snowballed. [T]here was a crazy time in my life when I was working full time in architecture, going to class at night and then also trying to post every day and eventually that was kind of grueling. 

But now it’s [Instagram] Reels and stuff, and it’s a weird dynamic, because my following hasn’t grown in probably six months, [since] I posted a Reel that got like two million views…you get 20,000 followers in a week, and then nothing. Right now I’m just focusing on YouTube and other things, so I’m content with it. Trying not to tie your worth to virality is important.

RK: So that brings us to your current project, which is a rowhome of your own in Fishtown. When and how did that get started? Was designing your own home, or renovating it, always in the back of your mind, given your background?

CH: Yeah, 100 percent. I think through the whole “Rowhomes” project I fell in love with these old homes. My whole life, I’ve lived in old homes…and so with my parents’ background that was my first inspiration with rowhomes. [I]t was always a dream.

[And] you gotta find that balance of what’s perfectly outside your comfort zone that will push you just enough, and you’ll learn a ton from, and you’re not quite comfortable with. That’s why from rowhomes, I didn’t just do shotgun houses. I wanted to introduce all this extra complexity, and also I worked with a writer to tell [the] history.

I didn’t wanna stay stagnant and I think doing the house freaked me out. Like it’s a dream, but it’s so scary. I think you can drive yourself crazy just thinking of the what-ifs and eventually it was like alright, I gotta just give it a try. And then I found one that was like, maybe this could work. And it all went a little quick: putting in an offer and not being sure…and then all of a sudden like, “Oh, I got it.” And then you know, through one phone call, my whole next two years of my life really changed. But I think in a good way – I hope in a good way. It’s been fun so far.

RK: Was it always the plan to take on a home renovation project and turn it into art, or content, and to put it on YouTube?

CH: No–that wasn’t until later. I’ve just kind of stumbled into it. And it’s been great because it’s really cool to have a community of people responding each week, and having people on this journey with me is incredible. And then the ad revenue and sponsorships to help from the financial side. 

It’s funny with the house: finding termite damage and all this crap, that’s probably why the first video went semi-viral. Because people are watching it like, “Oh, I wanna watch just to see this fall apart.” So it’s funny that on the me-owning-the-house, wanting-to-save-money side, it’s awful. If I was a flipper, I’d be down bad. 

But when you factor in other things like the learning experience…it’s hugely valuable to learn how to do this…plus I get total ownership of the project…And the final value, of course, is YouTube. To build this audience that I can roll over into future creative endeavors and that can, for now, pay my mortgage–just that piece alone makes this feel overall like a success.

RK: Is there anything else that you’d like to add about this whole experience or where it’s taking you?

CH: One thing that I think a lot about is, in this new, digital world, there are so many opportunities outside of the conventional career path. I heard that the number one career choice of middle schoolers, they all wanna be influencers, right? I think that what I’m living is like the realistic avenue of what those kids hopefully are looking for. 

I think that there’s a disconnect, because that’s what kids want, but the institutions around us–school, college–all the professors didn’t live through this. It’s such a new thing. So I take any opportunity I can to show how it’s worked for me, because I didn’t really have anyone to follow. I just had to figure it out, and now I’ve built a network of other people in similar places, running their own business and leveraging social media and making it work. But for young people figuring it out, or students at Drexel, reach out if you have questions. [I’m] happy to help [by] educating about this new industry and illuminating the possibilities. And like I said, architecture school set me up with so many skill sets that could be leveraged in more ways than just an architecture firm. So yeah, think big. 

For more information about Chris Hytha and his work, see his website or YouTube channel. 

Students here know that being a Drexel Dragon is not easy; neither is being a literal dragon. Drexel University’s beloved mascot, Mario the Magnificent, stands as a symbol of the perseverance and willpower that Drexel’s community shares. He comes to life to cheer on the student body and welcome prospective students to the university and all that it has to offer.  

However, like all school mascots, there is a mystery of what lies beneath the costume—who the people underneath the suit are, what a day of work looks like for them to keep the Drexel spirit alive and whether that heavy costume gets too hot. Two students who formerly donned the Mario costume—Josh Bobar, a dual major in electrical and computer engineering, and Kim Gui, a student of the class of 2025 pursuing a BS in research and experimental psychology—shared their experiences of being the embodiment of school spirit at Drexel and what it is like to be the Dragon. 

A school as big as Drexel needs a mascot with an equally big personality. Student Ambassadors offer the task to volunteers who can imbue Mario with the confidence and enthusiasm to perform during both monumental game days for Drexel Athletics and the welcoming of prospective students in open houses and Admitted Student Days. 

Bobar explains that “The mascot sets the mood for everyone, especially the students. Mario needs to be fearless, energetic, and most importantly, magnificent.” 

Both he and Gui described the joy and chaos that comes from taking pictures with students and raising the morale of the DAC student section with cheers and dances. The constant activity, heat and heaviness that the costume bears make it imperative for the performers to eat and hydrate beforehand so that they can perform at their best all day. 

Mario is not the only one making sure that everyone has a good memory of Drexel; students can also volunteer to be Mario’s handler. Mario’s handlers play a crucial role in his safety and performance. The costume, due to its size and build, does not provide an optimal view of one’s surroundings inside of it; therefore, handlers accompany Mario to various events to guide him along a proper route without accident, calm down crowds in case things get a little too rowdy and ensure the best experience for everyone looking to interact with him. 

Mario is more than a person marching through the school in a costume; he is an experience that brings students closer to the school. 

Gui reflects on her impact: “It makes me feel like I belong at Drexel. When I see the excitement in students who come across Mario, it makes me happy that I’ve potentially made someone’s day.” 

The school spirit that he brings to every event is undoubtedly contagious, even to the point that Mario’s attendance is “regarded as an essential part of school spirit,” Gui adds. 

Both interviewees feel that they have made an impact on the school through Mario, manifesting the characteristics that all Dragons share to unite the students as well as themselves to the spirit of Drexel.  

Mario the Magnificent is not just a sketch of a dragon spotted throughout the school or an idle statue — he is the face of Drexel, projecting the same attributes of bravery and determination that its students possess. The students performing as Mario pour passion and dedication not only into their performances but into the university. Bobar and Gui’s experiences as Mario reveal  what it truly means to be a Dragon.  

A visual portal connected to several cities around the world was officially launched in Philadelphia on Oct. 22 after its installation a few days prior. People walking through Love Park can stop and interact with those in Dublin, Ireland; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Lublin, Poland, with the location switching every three and a half minutes.  

Zoya Rizvi, a sophomore psychology student at Drexel University, visited the portal on Oct. 23: “The place was still packed, and the overwhelming crowd prevented me from truly appreciating the portal. The atmosphere was chaotic and the crowd’s intensity left me feeling unsettled, making it difficult to have a meaningful or immersive experience.”

“There were families with young children present, yet people on both ends were acting in ways that were far from appropriate for children to witness, making the experience uncomfortable for many,” Rizvi said. “The portal connected to Ireland, and many of the young adults on that side were also engaging in inappropriate actions.”

Sanjana Bandi, a sophomore biomedical engineering student, visited the portal on Nov. 2 among a large crowd of people. 

“At first, there wasn’t another place showing, but then it started switching between places like Poland and Lithuania. It seemed pretty late in both those places, so there weren’t many people around. Some people walked past it like they didn’t really notice it or care,” Bandi recalled. 

According to Bandi, “It was mostly a lot of waving at people… Some people played rock paper scissors across the portal, which was fun. There [were] also a few couples on the other side who used the opportunity to kiss on camera, which was really cute.”

“The crowd size on the Philly end definitely wasn’t matched,” Bandi stated. “However, it was really cool to have that brief moment of connection with someone on the other side of the world whose face you otherwise may have never seen.”

Sophomore biology student Blessing Kwateng shared his own opinions on the exhibition: “The portal is definitely a more touristy attraction, but regardless, it’s fun and interesting to look at and it’s something that I personally would look at maybe a couple of times or take people who haven’t seen one in person before.”

“Philly residents who I can only assume have seen it before didn’t take much notice to it and carried on with their day,” Kwateng said. “Visitors or people who saw it for the first time all huddled around it in awe whenever we… traveled to a new country or when we saw people.” 

The portal arrived in Philadelphia after its departure from Flatiron Plaza in New York City due to inappropriate behavior from people on either side, including flashing the camera and pretending to do drugs. 

“I can’t help but wonder if something similar might happen here,” Rizvi said. “In my opinion, Philadelphia might not have been the ideal location for the portal, as the crowd largely consisted of immature students who were often disrespectful to those on the other side, displaying abusive hand gestures and other inappropriate behavior.”

“While the potential for cultural exchange and constructive dialogue is there, it was disappointing to see that immaturity and disrespect were more common,” Rizvi stated. “It’s unfortunate, especially since this technology offers such a unique opportunity for connection, yet the misuse of it leaves a poor impression and detracts from what could be an enriching experience.”

“I do see [inappropriate behavior] being highly possible here as well,” Bandi said. “They did have precautions that kept people from getting too close, though.”

“Many people joke saying that Philly is a bad place to keep it because ‘someone is going to try [to] take it home’ but in reality, it’s in a very open and well populated area so that won’t happen,” Kwateng said.

Despite the threat of inappropriate behavior, viewers hope that the portal can still serve its purpose as an art piece meant to connect people around the world. 

“I believe that some people in Philadelphia will genuinely try to use the portal to foster respectful and meaningful interactions, creating a positive experience for both sides,” Rizvi stated. 

“I think it’s actually a really nice and wholesome art installation, and I don’t see anything wrong with it being placed in Philly, especially in Love Park, which is already a place that lots of tourists frequent,” Bandi stated. 

According to Kwateng, “Portals in general should definitely be in places that are big cities known for bringing in a large tourist crowd regularly and I think Philadelphia in that sense makes sense and is a good fit.” 

On Nov. 8, the portal was moved further down the block to 16th St. and JFK Blvd, next to the Philadelphia Visitor’s Center as the city prepares Christmas Village. It was undergoing repairs on Nov. 11, but has since been fully operational.  

This portal increases Philadelphia’s representation internationally leading up to 2026, when Philadelphia will be the hub for the United States’ 250th anniversary, the MLB All-Star game and the World Cup.

The decisive results of the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 culminated with President-elect Donald Trump winning 312 electoral college votes to 226 against Vice President Kamala Harris. On Drexel University’s campus, a flurry of reactions – dismay and approval – have taken the scene, leaving many students concerned about the future. Students shared their personal thoughts on the results and the issues they believe everyone should be concerned about going forward into the next four years.

At Drexel, many student organization groups have conflicting viewpoints on the election and resulting political policies. Although student organizations cannot promote partial voter education, each organization aims to provide an outlet for free and open discussion regarding different political views. Even so, student members of these organizations all had unique and diverse reactions when it came to election night.

Jason Check, senior finance student and president of Drexel University College Republicans, weighed in that the “[Drexel Republicans’] reaction was obviously very positive” and “a lot of good initial results came from election night.”

Contrastingly, Justin da Silva, treasurer of Drexel Democrats, expressed dismay: “[The election] did not turn out the way we had hoped, or expected, obviously. But, you know, that’s the way it turned out, so there was definitely a lot of disappointment, some frustration.” 

Yan Burets, vice president of the Drexel Socialists provided an outlook on the election that was distinct from American partisanship: “Neither party represents the working class. We are not surprised at all that the Democrats lost.”

 Burets attributed the Democratic loss to their own failures: “It wasn’t even that Trump became more popular than four years ago… Harris did not outperform Joe Biden in any of the counties across the entire country.” 

Mutual disdain for both Trump and Harris administrations only incurred a loss for the Harris-Walz campaign, according to Check: “There’s voters that are upset with Donald Trump, but they also figured out that they were not better off today than they were four years ago. So, they did not actually like the Biden-Harris policies of their administration. [These voters] decided to stay home and not to vote.” 

He cited more pressing issues such as the national debt, stating, “Donald Trump during his first administration did raise the national debt by a lot” but “[the Biden-Harris administration] raised the national debt more than the Trump administration.”

Burets, da Silva, and Check each shared their thoughts as to the problems and issues that mattered for university students and many voters across the country.

When asked what could have caused the DNC’s loss, Burets pointed out “their continuous support of the genocide [in Gaza].” 

Since December of 2023, the number of Americans who believe that Israel’s war against Gaza has gone too far has increased. Also, half of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independent voters believe that Israel has gone too far, with only 13 percent of Republicans believing such, according to the Pew Research Center. Not only is Israel’s war against Gaza a partisan issue in the United States, but many contest that Harris would have won the election if she had spoken out against Israel. 

Aside from specific issues, Burets noted that Democrats have provided “continuous promises that never get fulfilled.” 

According to Check, “For young Republicans, the first thing that comes to mind is the economy. Millions of Americans, right now, get their bills, their salaries, they say ‘My bills are adding up and my salary is not growing the same rate.’” 

He also added commentary regarding immigration, saying that an issue can be seen at Drexel where “If an international student comes here, they can only do two co-ops within the United States, and one that’s international. I think that’s broken… Talent should establish roots here.”

Burets asserted that Trump’s victory cannot entirely be attributed to the way that he communicates himself or his beliefs: “People who vote for Trump don’t necessarily hate women and hate minorities. It’s people who are workers that’s a majority of Trump’s basis of support.” 

He added that not everyone is keen on what exactly Trump is saying, stating that “What we see on TV is one thing, you know ‘Bidenomics, prices are rising!’ but then we go to the supermarket and see things are more expensive and are left with less and less money every single year to buy anything besides basic necessities.” 

According to Burets, wanting a change was enough for Trump voters to choose someone who is not currently in office.

In addition, da Silva described how “[people] go on Zillow, [people] look at housing and stuff [and ask] ‘How are we ever going to have a house? How are we ever going to afford all of these things?’” 

When speaking of the Democratic loss and the economy, da Silva added, “that’s something that the Democratic Party has mismanaged, definitely on a local level when you see how long it takes to get any kind of new housing approved, pretty much in any city.” 

Additionally, da Silva asserted Republicans’ “complete disinformation… the migrant panic, trans panic, all these things” and that “The Democrats just kind of never really fought against it. I think that’s what it was.”

All three student representatives shared their thoughts on what these election results mean for students and for the country.

Check pointed out, “In the state of Pennsylvania, we have a Democratic mayor, we have a Democratic House, so not many things are gonna change on the local Pennsylvania level, [but] I think we’re going to see a lot of trends. Hopefully better safety [and] more funding for police in areas like Philadelphia.”

On the other hand, da Silva mentioned Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education, saying that “we are not going to have the student loan forgiveness that we were having. Payment plans are going to change a lot. We could be looking at the end of the Pell Grant. It’ll probably get worse, especially if the big funding for the Department of Education isn’t there.” 

Concerns about free speech on college campuses were also expressed by da Silva: “Trump was running on expelling pro-Palestinians and students on visas.”

In contrast to all the growing concerns seen on campus regarding the aforementioned issues, Burets looked forward to the future and expressed hope that people are going to start seeing issues within our system: “A lot of people are radicalized and very open to our ideas. The main obstacle for them, really, is that they don’t know about us yet. We’ve seen an enormous growth in the recent period.”

Heading into 2025, Drexel Democrats, DUCR and Drexel Socialists are ready to implement their renewed visions in the wake of the 2024 Presidential election results.

Despite the enormous Republican victory in the election, Check cautioned that this is President-elect Trump’s second and last presidency and stated, “The club’s focus moving forward is how do we increase enthusiasm and get people to understand the Republican party is the party of the people?”

Burets concluded the interview by saying, “We can build our party and become a beacon of revolutionary politics in this country. I’m sure by the next election, maybe even by 2026 elections, we will have a candidate running [where] the idea isn’t to win the party and manage the crisis of capitalism, but to have a person in this institution to have a giant microphone and speaker for everyone to hear about our politics.”

When speaking of the future of Drexel Democrats, da Silva said that they will be “reaching out to people who look like me, you know, young men…Trying to figure out how we can better communicate to them, especially on campus. I feel that people on our side of the aisle don’t really have an effective counter to folks like Joe Rogan, or those kinds of people. We’re trying to figure out better ways to communicate what’s at stake to people our age, men like me.”

In an exclusive interview with the Triangle, on Monday, Oct. 28, City Commissioner Seth Bluestein covered the importance of voting and security of elections in Philadelphia. 

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Sophia Mattia: Can you tell me a little bit about who you are and your job as a City Commissioner?

Seth Bluestein: My name is Seth Bluestein. I am one of the three City Commissioners. We are elected officials in the city who form the bipartisan Board of Elections. I served for 10 years as Deputy Commissioner for now-Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, and I became commissioner approximately three years ago. 

It’s our job to run all the voter registration and elections for the entire city. We have nearly 1.1 million registered voters. It’s our job to help them get registered and set up the polling places, program the voting machines, train the poll workers and also count all the ballots after the election and certify the results.

SM: Have you seen an increase in voter registration in Philadelphia this election overall or within a particular age demographic?

SB: It’s pretty typical to see an increase in voter registration activity before a big election like a presidential general election. The registration numbers have definitely gone up. I haven’t seen any particular trends with age demographics necessarily. But, I have noticed that most of those new registrants have actually chosen to register as non-affiliated. Both major parties have increased their numbers as well, but the percentage of new registrants who are choosing to be non-affiliated with either party is noteworthy. 

SM: Can you explain the process of how votes are counted in Philadelphia and how you make sure elections stay fair when there are different factors that can corrupt votes? In the last presidential election, former President Trump claimed “bad things happen in Philadelphia” and the news of 2500 alleged fraudulent voter registration applications in Lancaster County this election season was reported by NBC News on Friday, Oct. 25. 

SB: I’ll start with the ways people can vote. We have in-person voting at polling places and also vote by mail. In 2019, the Pennsylvania legislature passed a law called Act 77 which allowed Pennsylvania for the first time to have no excuse to vote by mail. We now have hundreds of thousands of voters voting by mail in advance of the election — whether they request that ballot through the mail or they come to one of our satellite election offices to request a ballot. Most of the voters will actually vote on Election Day. At the polling place, many of them, almost all of them, will vote on a voting machine. We have a full team of employees at our warehouse who program those voting machines. 

If you go to a polling place, and for some reason they can’t find you in the poll book, or you go to the wrong location, you can vote a provisional ballot, which is a paper ballot at the polling place. At the end of the night, all of those ballots, whether they’re mail ballots, the voting machine results, or provisional ballots, they come back to our warehouse to get counted. 

When it comes to the security of that voting process, there’s a number of ways that we address that. For the voting machines in particular, we do logic and accuracy testing prior to Election Day. That is how we can test to make sure the voting machines are accurately reading the results. After the election, for all of the ballots, whether it’s a mail ballot, or in-person vote, we do two audits after each election. We can have complete confidence in the accuracy of those results. 

The other thing you asked about was the alleged voter registration fraud in Lancaster County. We know that during presidential elections in particular there will be lots of groups that go around and collect registrations and sometimes those registrations are not completely filled out or accurately filled out. It is something that we look for, just like they did in Lancaster County, and if we find any obviously incomplete or fraudulent applications, we would reject those and if we notice any patterns of potential irregularities, we would forward those to the proper authorities to be looked into.

SM: Since you became commissioner in 2022, has the voting process changed at all?

SB: One of the things we added since I became commissioner was electronic poll books. Prior to implementing electronic poll books, when you would go sign in at the polling place you would sign in on a paper poll book. The electronic poll books make the check-in process much more efficient and they also help voters find their correct polling place if they go to the wrong one. That’s the major technological upgrade we’ve completed since I became commissioner. 

One of the other major programs that we implemented was my proposal to expand language access. By federal law, we are required to provide voting in English, Spanish and Chinese in Philadelphia. There are a lot of registered voters in the city who speak a language other than one of those three languages. We have implemented a program to expand access for an additional six languages [Khmer, Korean, Polish, Russian and Vietnamese]. 

SM: Can you explain the importance of voting for people who may feel like their vote doesn’t have an impact?

SB: Voting is the most fundamental component to our democratic system of government. Without participating in voting, people don’t have a say in who is governing them and what their representatives are doing. It’s not even about who you vote for necessarily, but participating in the process alone is so important. It increases the amount of resources that come back to the city and elected officials, when they’re running for reelection, they’re going to pay attention to the constituencies who are more likely to come out and vote. It’s an essential part of participating.

I’ll give you an example of how important even one vote can be. A number of years ago, there was a race for a City Commissioner position in Abington Township in the suburbs, and that race ended in an actual tie. The winner of that seat was decided by the flip of a coin, rather than by the voters who chose not to turn out. All the legal processes when you review all the ballots, if the election is certified to be a tie, they have to break that tie somehow.

SM: Since we are based at Drexel University, do you have a message for college students who are voting in this election? 

SB: We have made voting in Philadelphia as accessible as possible, especially for students who can register to vote in Philadelphia and participate where they go to school. We have polling places on campus. If you requested a mail ballot and you need any assistance, we have one of our satellite election offices right at 40th and Market. There’s really no excuse to not participate in this upcoming election and if you need any assistance our office is always here to help you. 

SM: What are some key issues that you think that voters should be paying attention to this election season?

SB: Since our job is to run the elections, we don’t get too much into specific policy issues or things that voters should be focusing on, but the one aspect I will comment on is, voters should absolutely take a look at every candidate’s record on matters of democracy and voting. That is unfortunately, since 2020, a major policy issue that needs to be thought about and I think that every voter should look at a candidate’s record on whether or not they will accept the results of the election if they lose, prior to going to vote. 

For more information on voting resources, visit vote.phila.gov.

Drexel University students will be off on Election Day, Tuesday Nov. 5, for the first time in the institution’s history, with administrative offices remaining open. This closure is a direct result of efforts by the Undergraduate Student Government Association that began in 2019, with former USGA student leadership Maisie MacMullan, Jarod Watson and John Bonnes securing a half day off for students on Election Day in 2020. Former USGA President Vivek Babu continued their work, pushing for a full day off along with current USGA President Joelyne Jacob. Other USGA leadership, including Timothy Hanlon, Miranda Bottura, María José (Majo) Garcia and Sanjana Suresh also helped in this push. 

In order for the day off proposal to be taken seriously by Drexel administration, USGA knew that it would need consistent civic engagement efforts. Babu started the Civic Fair in 2022, which has continued to evolve under Jacob’s leadership, as well as litter and trash management cleanup on Election Day. Drexel also received the “All In Gold Campus” award in 2020, due to a 75 percent voter turnout, and the “All In Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting” award in 2022, both initiated by the All IN Campus Democracy Challenge. These awards can be directly traced back to the efforts of USGA. 

“What our pitch to a lot of upper administration, including President Fry and the Board of Trustees, was that many students really care about voting in elections, [but] the system is just not designed for them to vote, which is why we need to have a full Election Day off,” Babu said.

Jacob and Babu also expressed that it has been a struggle for the university to have a consistent schedule in regard to classes on Election Day in the past.

“One thing we really learned from students was that many professors were very inconsistent,” Babu said. ”Some professors still had class on that day…some professors even scheduled midterms on Election Day…some professors scheduled projects due then.”

Up until the half day off in 2020, the decision to hold class on Election Day was up to faculty discretion, meaning civically-focused departments such as Political Science and History canceled class, whereas STEM-focused departments still usually held classes. 

“It kind of is just the automatic answer for universities, unfortunately, that Election Day is something that students should take care of on their own or figure out around their classes, which like Vivek said is nearly impossible when you go to an accelerated school,” Jacob said. 

Babu highlighted that in a fast-paced, academically focused environment such as the Drexel quarter system, a day off from classes was seen as a big loss. 

“A lot of administrators lost sight of the larger picture which was about having students participate in democracy…lifelong voting skills…skills that are so equally important to our academics that need to have a university-wide solidified policy,” Babu said. 

The civic efforts were coupled with the coordination of the Lindy Center, Drexel Votes, the Office of Government and Resources, the Office of Student Life and the Faculty Senate. Support from USGA’s advisors Katie Zamulinsky, EdD, associate vice president and dean of Student Life and Subir Sahu, PhD, senior vice president for Student Success, allowed for Drexel administration to approve the proposal for no classes on Election Day, adding it to the university’s registrar. 

Jacob and current USGA Vice President Katie Moorcones also restarted the Inter City Council, helping other Philadelphia universities in the efforts to get Election Day off. 

“One of our goals moving forward now that we have Election Day off is to help other schools in their missions in Philly to get that day off as well, because if we’re getting it off, every student in Philly should have that opportunity, no matter what university they go to,” Jacob said. 

USGA will be tracking student feedback on having Election Day off, potentially via a feedback form sent out in Winter term, but also through their inbox and responses to their flyers and signage regarding Election Day. Student feedback will be reported to Zamulinsky and Sahu. USGA has also made it clear that getting Election Day off is only the first step in their efforts. It will be a continued initiative until it is accepted by everyone at the university.

With the 2024 presidential election approaching on Nov. 5, political student organizations on Drexel University’s campus have prepared students to vote and provided opportunities to discuss various issues. Students shared their personal thoughts on the election and the issues that student voters should be paying attention to when casting their ballot.  

On campus, student organizations are only allowed to “promote non-partisan voter education” and activities “should not imply that the institution embraces or is committed to any partisan political position or point of view,” according to an email from Senior Vice President Brian Keech sent on Oct. 2. 

With these regulations in mind, Drexel Democrats has focused their recent efforts on helping students establish a voting plan. 

Explaining the purpose of Drexel Dems, Necati Aslan, a senior global science and communications student and president of the organization said they want to “get the student vote out, get as many people out to vote as possible [and] make sure our voices are heard, regardless of ideology…We also try to foster an environment where we can talk about different policies and different things going on in the news.”

Similarly, Jason Check, senior finance student and president of Drexel University College Republicans, explained DUCR’s mission on campus: “Our goal is to just provide an outlet for forward thinking students to talk [about] any sort of politics… We typically align more on the conservative side, but we like to bring in counter arguments and we are always talking about issues from both angles.”

Speaking for Drexel Dems, Aslan claimed, “We’re not allowed to support any candidates.”

“Personally, outside of the club, I’m supporting Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot,” Aslan continued. 

According to Check, DUCR “doesn’t actually endorse any candidate, and that’s just so we can have open and clear policy discussion.”

“Personally, I’m obviously supporting the Trump-Vance campaign, as well as the Dave McCormick campaign… You could also talk about Dave Sunday for attorney general and Stacey Garrity for treasury,” Check added. “Obviously you can probably tell most of our members support those.”

Contrastingly, senior physics major and Vice President of Drexel Socialists Yan Burets said, “There’s really only two candidates in this election…and we don’t support either.”

“The goal of [Drexel Socialists] is really to find students who are discontent with the state of the world, with capitalism…and we want to arm them with Marxist ideas…and help them get organized and join the systematic fight against the system,” Burets said.  

Additionally, Drexel Socialists aim to connect issues happening on campus, such as low enrollment and subsequent budget cuts, “to the broader issue of capitalism…[and] explain that the system is in complete crisis,” Burets claimed.  

“One of our slogans is ‘Neither party represents the working class.’ Both of these parties are parties of billionaires, and no matter who is elected, it will just keep getting worse,” Burets continued. “We need to fight for a working class alternative.” 

Aslan, Check and Burets each listed several issues that they deem important for student voters to consider. 

“A lot of volunteers I speak to are concerned about democracy and the dangers that can come with a Trump win, as well as a variety of other issues like…climate change, fighting for the middle class [and] reproductive rights,” Aslan stated. 

On the other hand, Check mentioned the economy, immigration and national debt.

“By the time [Drexel freshmen] graduate, they’re going to have to live in the economy that we live in,” Check stated. “We all want to graduate and obviously find jobs and that’s why the economy is the number one issue.”

“Also, we are heavily worried about the illegal immigration issue at the southern border… [and] our national debt,” Check added. “We wish both parties were talking about how we’re going to curb the deficit of the US…, which has been ballooning under both administrations.”   

“Regardless of policy, in my personal viewpoint… Harris across the board will fight more for middle and working class people,” Aslan stated. “She’s going to fight for people’s rights to abortion access, and she’s going to fight to help working middle class people to protect democracy. Regardless of which issue they’re [talking] about, the Harris campaign is going to address it more properly than the Trump campaign.”

“One of the elephants in the room [is] critics saying that, ‘Oh, Republicans never want to talk about abortion,’” Check said. “I think talking about abortion is very important…Donald Trump has come out many times and said he does not support a national abortion ban.”

Listing several issues students should care about, Burets said, “There’s a mental health crisis…, an environmental crisis…, alienation, nobody can afford anything and it’s getting worse, inflation is rising [and] we’re sending billions overseas instead of investing it into infrastructure or SEPTA.”

“They can make all kinds of promises…but we’ve heard it many times before,” Burets said. “These promises never get accomplished.”

Before the election, Drexel Dems will do “dorm storming, which just…[helps] students know their polling location and…answer any questions they have about voting,” according to Aslan. 

DUCR is working on planning an Election Day event, which may include a Zoom call for members to socialize while receiving data from counties throughout Pennsylvania. 

Meanwhile, Drexel Socialists are preparing for protests after the election “if Trump gets elected,” Burets said. 

“On the [2016] election night, thousands of Philadelphias came onto the street…spontaneously, so we’ll definitely prepare for that scenario,” Burets stated. “And if Kamala is elected, there will probably be some time before social unrest, but it won’t be long.” 

“No matter who’s elected, it’s going to get worse. So we need to break through this pragmatism, this short term thinking: ‘Oh, I’m going to vote and then we’ll see what happens,’” Burets said. “We need to understand that time doesn’t stop after the election and the fighting will continue.”

“It’s not an election that we can afford sitting out,” Check said. “Even if you’re going to vote opposite me… still vote…It’s the most patriotic thing we can do.” 

“It’s one of the most important rights that’s afforded to us as us citizens under the constitution,” Check continued. 

“If you haven’t yet, go out and vote. There’s a lot at stake,” Aslan said. “Practically every issue can be impacted by the outcome of the election…and it’s important that young voices are heard.” 

With the Resident Assistant Union set to enter its fourth month of bargaining with Drexel University administrators, progress on its first contract has been slow, but “[we are] hopeful that if Drexel cooperates and comes to sessions prepared, we could have a contract completed by December,” the union commented.

Since the official union ratification in April, the groundwork was laid for acknowledgment by Drexel and the collective bargaining process. This process, regulated by the National Labor Relations Board, has been ongoing since the first bargaining session on July 31. Per the union, a 22-article collective bargaining contract was proposed to Drexel beforehand. 

At time of writing, the union stated that nine articles constitute “tentative agreements” approved by the university. These include recognition of the union, structure of the union, separability of the articles, holiday times, a summer housing option, a non-discrimination policy for union members, health and safety, terms of employment and leave of absence terms.

Two primary victories among these are the summer housing option for RAs in classes or co-op. The university has tentatively agreed to offer such RAs accommodations in a residence hall for less than $2,500. 

Second, the health and safety agreement includes the right of an RA “to walk away from an event that is damaging to their mental health, rather than serving as a first responder.” The union clarified that “this would be attempted suicides and similar incidents.”

However, two important articles have been rejected by university negotiators: an explicit job description that clearly defines the role and responsibilities of RAs and control over building placement by Housing & Residence Life – two of the union’s principal demands.

Union negotiators have been underwhelmed by the pace of the sessions, citing Drexel’s apparent unpreparedness: “We usually send them all the articles we plan on talking about a week in advance to give them time to review and come prepared to discuss, and they often have not read it and ask us to leave the room so they can talk about it,” the union remarked. 

The union contends that up to half of each session may be spent waiting for administrators to “get organized.”

In the meantime, RAs have faced setbacks, with the unexpected closure of North Hall in response to low enrollment causing multiple committed RAs to have their job offers rescinded, leaving them unemployed and unhoused on short notice.

The RA Union is organized through Officeworkers and Professional Employees International Union Local 153 and is being represented in negotiations by Scott Williams and John Edmans of Local 153 in addition to RA delegates. Drexel’s negotiators have not been named but are presumed to be Housing and Residence Life professional staff.

On the evening of Friday, Oct. 18, residents of Kelly Hall and Van Rensselaer Hall came to a chilling realization: the hot water in their buildings was turned off. 

The unplanned shutoff came after Drexel University Facilities discovered an “escalating steam leak that [was] threatening critical infrastructure” at nearby 33rd and Arch Streets, per a maintenance notification. 

Facilities did not comment on the nature of the failure by time of publication, but it prompted an overnight shutdown of the steam lines that supply Kelly and Van R. with hot water and heat.

Scalding steam billowing from city sidewalks is a familiar year-round sight in neighborhoods around Center City Philadelphia and hints at the city’s reliance on an otherwise unseen network of pipelines. According to Vicinity Energy, the operator and custodian of the steam system, its 41 miles of underground pipes carry steam and chilled water from a hulking power station beside the Schuylkill River to 400 buildings in Philly, including Center City office towers, 30th Street Station, Independence Hall and many on Drexel’s campus.

It is not clear whether Drexel has any ownership stake or responsibility for the steam system supplying the Residential Quad, but Facilities stated contractors had been dispatched to address the leak. Planned shutdowns took place on Oct. 22 and 23 for repairs and further disrupted daytime hot water and heat to Kelly, Van R., the Daskalakis Athletic Center, the Rush Building and the Academic Building. Work occurred at 33rd and Arch as well as Race and Spangler Streets, beside Kelly Hall.

While inconvenient for residential students, the unexpected outage came during an October with record high temperatures and dryness; with over 29 consecutive rainless days, Philadelphia has broken the record set in 1874. 

Such a steam system may seem antiquated, but district heating has been embraced throughout Europe as a way to potentially decarbonize urban water heating and space conditioning. Additionally, the system currently runs on natural gas, but it is flexible to potentially run on renewable energy in the future.