Marcus Yam Los Angeles Times

When Drexel University student Sarah Vu needs to catch a train home, she often turns to Uber as a convenient and inexpensive alternative to taxicabs and public transportation.

“I use Uber probably two or three times a week … I use Uber to get to the train to travel home,” Vu, a pre-junior International Business major, said.

The threat of an Uber-less Philadelphia has become more of a reality over the past few months. The company and it’s competitor Lyft had a temporary operation permit which expired Sept. 30. The temporary permit stemmed from concerns regarding overloading of the transportation system when a third of SEPTA cars were recalled and the Democratic National Convention came to town. From Sept. 30 on they were illegal taxi services as far as the Pennsylvania Parking Authority — the regulatory and policing body for taxi cabs and limousines — was concerned.

However, the expired permit and threat of fines did not stop the ubiquitous ride-sharing services from transporting city-goers to and from their destinations.

Uber and Lyft’s defiance led to a cease and desist injunction being filed by Common Pleas Court judge Linda Carpenter on Oct. 6. This decision was reversed the following day when an appeals court ruled that the injunction would cause immediate and irreparable harm to the company.

This marks the latest episode in a timeline of back-and-forth litigation between ride-sharing services and the PPA. Uber and Lyft are legal in the city for now, but Uber’s future — and the future of more than 12,000 drivers and nearly 500,000 riders — is anything but certain.

The advent of ride-sharing services and their subsequent spread throughout the world has left little time for regulators to catch up. However, taxi drivers are tightly regulated. Requirements include authorization by the PPA, inspection, current insurance, payment of fees to the PPA and a certification sticker.

“What is happening is the taxi market is shrinking and there are more people using Uber and Lyft,” Ted Millstein, lawyer for the Taxi Workers Alliance of Pennsylvania, told philly.com. “Revenues are down 40 percent and at the same time they are raising [fees]. The industry is in shambles,” Millstein continued.

The stark contrast in regulation between the two groups in combination with Uber’s aggressive business habits has led to a constant battle between Uber and the PPA. Thus, an environment was created where taxi drivers feel unfairly handicapped.

“Ultimately, [the taxi drivers] want a level playing field,” Millstein told philly.com.

Both sides of the controversy have been criticized for their actions, and Uber has received heavy fines for continuing to operate without appropriate authorization. In April, the ride-sharing service was ordered to pay $11.4 million in penalties to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. This was the largest penalty of its kind in the history of the PPUC, yet it was still less than the recommended fine of $50 million.

The PPA also conducted long-term, undercover sting operations from October 2014 to July 2015. This involved undercover officers using the Uber mobile application to hail a ride and then impounding the driver’s car upon arrival at their destination. They would also be slapped with a thousand dollar fine.

“After I dropped them off and unlocked the door, the two people ran out of my car, and my passenger door was flung open and some … guy reached for my keys,” Raymond Reyes, an Uber driver who was a victim of a PPA sting, told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “My driver’s door opened, and I saw a Philadelphia policewoman, who told me to cease and desist,” Reyes continued.

The PPA has come under fire as well. Uber has condemned them for failing to remain unbiased in the situation; the company also took issue with the sting operations which resulted in 51 total violations.

“The PPA is anything but an independent public agency,” Jon Feldman, Uber Philadelphia general manager, said in a press conference. “It is essentially acting as a publicly funded lobbyist working in secret to stop Philadelphians from having access to ridesharing,” he continued.

Uber is not without support in its fight for legal status. Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and current Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney have both expressed support for Uber, and it is expected that regulatory legislation regarding ride-sharing services will be passed in the future.

For now, Uber is legal in Philadelphia. However, the company notes that there is still work to be done.

“Uber celebrates riders and drivers staying on the road in Philadelphia, but the Commonwealth still needs permanent ride-sharing legislation from the General Assembly,” Uber stated in an official response to the ruling.

The next meeting of the General Assembly is scheduled for Oct. 17. Regulatory laws regarding ride-sharing are expected to be a significant issue during the meeting, and a permanent authorization is on the table.

Jacky Tsang The Triangle

Freshman computer science major Eugene Yakovlev began his journey on YouTube last month when he made his very first vlog. His videos give his viewers a taste of college life and provide Yakovlev with a creative outlet. While talking to his camera, he often explores Philadelphia.

This interview has been edited and condensed for style.

The Triangle: So tell me about yourself, what do you like to do for fun?

Eugene Yakovlev: I’m very adventurous. In the summertime, I’ll go hiking. In the wintertime, I’ll go snowboarding. I like to hit up the gym a lot and at the end of the day, I love making movies about what I love to do.

TT: Is that where vlogging comes in?

EY: Yeah. Vlogging kind of lets me keep those daily memories alive. Making the vlogs is very fun too. It’s not just recording the memory — it’s doing the vlog. That’s what love to do.

TT: How old were you when you started vlogging?

EY: I started vlogging a month ago. I actually started on Aug. 29 I’d been thinking about vlogging for a very long time but I never got around to it because I had an iPhone and it’s kind of awkward holding a camera and talking to it. And the first time I did it, I felt really weird; I didn’t know where I was going to go. I didn’t even know if I was going to post it or even edit it. I thought, ‘okay I’ll try it but I don’t know what’s going to happen’ and it really took off.

I really started to enjoy it more and more. At first it was really awkward… I remember the first time I was recording, I went into this garage and there were a bunch of people. They all looked at me and just started laughing. So that was my first experience at vlogging. You’re kind of put down at first, but now the response I’ve been getting from people is actually completely different.

TT: Why did you want to start vlogging in the first place?

EY: It was summertime, like one of those last few days where you didn’t have much to do. Besides that, it’s always been something I’ve wanted to do. So I figured, you know what, I’m just going to do it.

TT: What do you record with?

EY: I started off with my iPhone, but the audio was not good there, or the front facing camera. This is a Canon G7 X Mark II. It’s probably the best vlogging camera, like a point-and-shoot camera, that you can get on the market. And I got a bendy tripod to set it down anywhere. It’s very mobile.

TT: Do people ever just stare at you when you’re holding the camera?

EY: Yes, all the time! It’s actually great because at first I felt awkward, and now when I do it, I look at those people and think they’re weird for looking at me. Before, I felt weird because they’re looking at me but now I feel like they’re weird — it’s kind of reverse. Now when I vlog, it’s very natural, I have no hesitation at all when I’m talking to the camera; I’m fully engaged. In the beginning when I started, it was not like that at all.

TT: Do you have any long term goals in regards to vlogging or anything in general?

EY: Definitely. I want this channel to keep growing. For now, my goal is to hit 1,000 subscribers. I almost have 400 now. It’s starting slowly but shortly. I want to gain more views; I want people to come back and enjoy my vlogs. And at the end of the day, when they’re just busy, they can just watch it and call that entertainment and just enjoy.

TT: What else do you do around the campus at Drexel?

EY: I’m just like any other student. I go to class. I study a lot. I do homework a lot. I go to the gym. I eat.

TT: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you think you’ll still be vlogging?

EY: My goal is to release a mobile app in the Apple Store, like a top hit. And with YouTube, I’m just kind of going with it. Like some people view YouTube as this platform for business, and I don’t at all. I’m not in for this for just getting the subscriptions and getting the ad revenue. A lot of people tend to go up to me and start asking, “yo, you’re getting views you’re getting subscribers, are you going to make money off that?” And it’s such a wrong question to ask because I’m just here to enjoy it. The real answer is no, I don’t — that’s because you have to get a thousand subscribers but that’s a whole other story. But besides that point, I don’t even look at it like that—like trying to doing it for the money. I’m just trying to build a fanbase, like an audience, so that’s why you want subscribers to get recurring views. But no, with that, I don’t really have a set goal where I want to do this and be a full-time YouTuber.

Yakovlev’s Youtube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3dBnWLVjKhm113D9tN-9Vw.

Andrea Hu The Triangle

The Drexel University Writers Room hosted the first of nine events Sept. 22 in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read Initiative. The keynote speech examined the life of Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston and her acclaimed novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

The Writers Room is a College of Arts and Sciences initiative stationed in the Dornsife Center. The attendees at its many events aren’t limited to faculty and students. The initiative is meant to be a collaboration between students, faculty and members of the Mantua and West Powelton communities.

“The community up at Dornsife — at Writers Room — is this interesting intersection of students, faculty members, and Mantua and Powelton community members,”  senior English major and Writers Room member Lauren Lowe said.

“They have visiting professors and people from the Free Library that show up, so it’s kind of really just about everyone can walk in from wherever they were during the day and just share in that experience of making something off the cuff and writing,” she continued.

Writers Room offers a few services to students and the community. This includes holding open writing workshops, putting together the curriculum for various writing classes available from the English department, and holding special events such as the NEA Big Read programming.

The event on Sept. 22 was an introduction to Hurston and her work “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

“I first read this book about 40 years ago during my very first graduate class,” Carol McCullough, advisory committee chair of Writers Room, said in reference to Big Read’s goal of sharing a good book.

“Rereading it in preparation for this festival was almost like I had unwrapped a special gift,” she continued.

After sharing her experience with the novel, McCullough introduced Cheryl Wall; she was the keynote speaker of the evening. Wall acts as a distinguished professor of English at Rutgers University.

Wall spoke about Zora Neale Hurston’s life, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and the reasons it should be a classic along with novels such as “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“She is now a cardinal figure in the African-American canon, the Feminist canon and the canon of American fiction. Scholars and critics investigating the impact of oral form on African-American literature find a theoretical foundation as well as a wealth of material in Hurston’s writings,” Wall said.

“Andrew Delbanco, a scholar of American literature, argues that Hurston belongs among the American classics. Not only is she a brilliant transcriber of dialect, but a writer who, in her own voice, renders the world in phrases that are palpable and wonderfully convenient,” she continued.

Wall continued to speak about Hurston’s time collecting recordings and writings of sermons, songs, and prayers from around the South. She argued that this contributed to her writing.

After the speech, the West Powelton Steppers and Drum Squad came down the aisle and filtered onto the stage, performing a short number of pieces before they led the attendees on a parade to the Dornsife Center. The event ended with a free performance by Drexel-based funk band Darla.

The next NEA Big Read event will be hosted by the Writers Room Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. in the Dornsife Center. It is titled “Zines for Zora: Writing + Drawing Workshop.”

The quarter system is an ambitious proposition. The idea of taking 15 weeks worth of material and cramming it into just 10 is bold. Yet, Drexel University students are inundated with a constant drone of midterm reminders and homework due dates. In order for a Dragon to slay the quarter system and reach the promised land that is winter break, they must find at least a few good places to get work done where they won’t waste precious time. That being said, here is the definitive upperclassman’s guide to Drexel’s study spaces.

Every college or university needs to gives students a space where they can escape their dorms and work, read or even just socialize and casually study with friends. At Drexel, the Hagerty Library is that place. It is located on the southwest corner of 34th and Market streets.

Sure, many of the outlets don’t work, and the hours are a bit restrictive, but this doesn’t mean it’s a terrible place to study. The library caters to a wide variety of study habits. For those that enjoy absolute silence, there is a silent area with small carrel desks, and for those that enjoy a social environment or working in a group, there is the collaborative area which is always buzzing with discussion and group work. They even provide students the opportunity to reserve private study rooms for group work.

Many students still find the lack of space and inconvenience of Hagerty’s hours during weeks one through ten to be off-putting. Luckily, there are some other sweet spots where students can spread out their papers and get work done.

Gerri C. LeBow Hall houses Drexel’s Bennett S. LeBow College of Business, and it is located in the central quad. It is the newest academic building on campus and offers great areas to study in a clean, open, inviting and modern workspace. Plus, there’s a Starbucks in the building. This is absolutely one of the best places to study on campus … if you can get a spot. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to get a large table, and there is limited study space.

If a student is lucky enough to be in the College of Business or takes one of the college’s classes, they have access to any of the building’s 19 private study rooms. They sport 65-inch display screens that are laptop compatible. This space would be perfect for students looking to brush up on presentations or meeting to work on collaborative projects, as the rooms are only for groups of three or more students.

The next hidden gem for studying on campus is Main Building. Main building has intricate architecture and a beautiful lobby, but it also houses quite a few classrooms and study areas where a student can get work done without being bothered.

The building has very flexible hours, and is one of the most accessible buildings on campus during the week. This makes it perfect for those night owls who can’t get much done until well past midnight. As one walks through the hallways, they may notice that the name of the building changes quite frequently. The expansive complex is actually three smaller buildings connected: Main Building, Curtis Hall and Randell Hall.

Curtis Hall houses a small study area with carrel desks which very rarely has anyone in it. There is almost always an open desk. There is also a little-known space on the fourth floor of the Main building close to the dance studio. Here, there are two small spaces with large chalk boards and some big tables with bunches of chairs. Bring your own chalk!

There are lots of off-campus options as well. The Barnes and Noble on Walnut Street in Center City is a good option as a general study spot, and Rittenhouse Square is a good choice for those who like to sit on the grass and study outside. For those looking for a library setting outside of campus, the Free Library of Philadelphia at 1905 Locust Street is definitely worth trying out.

The best way for any student to find a productive workspace is to try out new places regularly. Exploring both Drexel buildings and Center City Philadelphia can help any student find a study area that suits their needs.

With the 2016 Rio Olympics now underway, the television screens of sports fans worldwide are filled with images of uplifting victories, crushing defeats and shining examples of sportsmanship. The drama of it all has captivated the world as athletes compete to make their nation proud. However, a far more sinister drama has surrounded these games, and it takes the form of state sponsored use of banned anabolic steroids in order to improve athletes’ performance. This use of banned substances is referred to as doping.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) released a report July 16, 2016 detailing a Russian, state-sponsored doping program that affected many athletes in the 2016 Rio Games. In the month that followed, 167 Russian athletes were banned from competing, and it brought to light the serious nature and widespread phenomenon that is doping in the Olympics.

“The [Independent Commission] uncovered a system within Russia for doping athletes directed by senior coaching officials of Russian athletics. That was accomplished by the corruption of [Doping Control Officers] working under the direction of [Russian National Anti-Doping Agency]. The coaches were also able to achieve their objectives of doping athletes under their direction by knowing the wash out periods for various performance enhancing drugs,” WADA’s independent report into the Russian state-sponsored doping read.

This Russian state-sponsored doping raises questions about the underground world of banned performance enhancing substances. What are they? What effect do they have on the athlete’s health long-term? Does the testing process work? What exactly is the story with the Russian athletes?

Russia is not the first country to have a problem with banned substances. The United States suffered a blow to one of its national pastimes in March 2005 when Congress called multiple baseball stars to testify in front of a panel of senators. This followed accusations that the nutritional center BALCO distributed steroids to many players including Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi. Later many of these players admitted to steroid use; this pressure led to more severe penalties for steroid use by active players in the league.

Anabolic steroids are drugs with a similar structure to the sex hormone testosterone, and when taken they can mimic the effects of testosterone in the body. With respect to sports doping, the intended effect is increased muscle mass. Russia’s former anti-doping lab director admitted to giving athletes a mixture of three anabolic steroids. The athletes would then add the mixture to alcohol, swish the cocktail of drugs in their mouth and spit it out. The drugs would then be absorbed into the cheek lining of the athlete; this method ensures that the drugs could only be detected in the following 3 to 5 days.

So, the intended effect of doping is to increase muscle mass and speed up workout recovery, but how much of an edge does it really give an athlete?

“They’re not really human. You know, they’ve altered their chemical makeup in a way that I’m not going to be able to do,” Alysia Montano said in an interview with “60 Minutes” when talking about her loss in the 2012 Olympics. She is one of the world’s top runners in the 800-meter dash.

In the scientific community, not much research has been done to determine how much of an edge steroids may give an athlete. There is certainly a desire to accurately predict the performance gains from these drugs, but there are many limitations to reaching this goal. In recent years, most studies use significantly less than the amount athletes typically use, so they cannot be thought of as true representations of the effects of these substances. There are clear ethical boundaries that deter researchers from designing studies that represent the real-life conditions under which athletes abuse these compounds.

Despite these limitations there are some studies that reflect some of the effects of these drugs. Overall, anabolic steroids are shown to increase baseline strength anywhere from 5-20 percent.

It is clear that steroid use has dangerous physical and mental effects, while also damaging the integrity of sport. Yet, abuse still occurs, and nations still promote the use of banned and sometimes dangerous substances by their athletes.

Why do nations think that they can get away with it?

The corruption of the testing system allows this to happen. The testing limits are often too high to catch all athletes that dope, and the positive-test threshold which WADA employed for its human growth hormone testing was found to be ineffective by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As of late, Russian bodies responsible for anti-doping testing were found to be non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code. This was due to a state-ordered removal of positive tests. As a result, WADA recommended that the International Olympic Committee remove Russia from the 2016 Olympic Games. Despite the evidence of widespread corruption, the International Olympic Committee decided not to ban Russia, but instead to make decisions on an individual basis.

“For the 2016 Olympics our recommendation is that the Russian Federation is suspended … One of our hopes is that they will volunteer that so they can undertake the remedial work needed,” Dick Pound — former head of WADA — said in response to the confirmed Russian doping.

Russia has now won 44 medals in the 2016 games despite nearly a third of their athletes being banned due to the scandal. Doping continues to be a problem on the international stage as well as here in America.

The Rio Games will continue until closing ceremonies Aug. 21.

Photo courtesy Erin Schaff/DNCC

On Feb. 1, Hillary Clinton declared victory over Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Democratic caucus by a margin of 0.3 percent, an estimated difference of four votes. It was the narrowest margin between two leading Democratic presidential candidates in the history of the Iowa caucus. What’s more, it marked the beginning of a volatile primary season that left the Democratic party deeply divided in the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention (DNC), held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia July 25-28.

Although Sanders formally announced his intention to concede the race to Clinton July 12, the convention saw unrest in several flavors, from crowds that booed speakers who praised Clinton to full-fledged protests in the nearby streets.

The gaping wound between advocates of both candidates was deepened when WikiLeaks released thousands of emails July 22 exchanged by key members of the Democratic National Committee that strongly suggest their intent to prevent Sanders’ victory in the Democratic primary.

“Does he believe in a god[?] He has skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. This could make several points difference with my peeps, (sic)” Democratic National Committee’s Chief Financial Officer Brad Marshall wrote in an email about Sanders to other DNC staffers.

In light of this newfound reason for resentment among the party’s base, the event organizers put a heavy focus on one overarching theme: the importance of unity within the party.

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker made one of the first attempts at building this unity during his speech on the first day of the convention. He showed fervent support for Clinton.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” Booker said, quoting an African proverb.

The tone of Booker’s speech was exuberant and rousing, and resulted in a larger auditory reaction from the crowd than any previous speaker that night. He reminded spectators that the Founding Fathers convened in the same city 240 years prior, and that their responsibility to create a great nation should now be passed down to Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine.

First lady Michelle Obama followed Booker, introducing the second major theme of the night — building a better tomorrow for the next generation.

Photo courtesy Erin Schaff/DNCC

“When we go to the polls… [it’s] not Democrat or Republican, not left or right. No, this election, and every election, is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives,” the first lady stated.

The only person whom she trusted with that responsibility, she continued, was Clinton.

She spoke of what she considered to be the most important virtues in a president, including steadiness and a firm belief in equality and unity.

“I’m here tonight because I know that is the kind of president Hillary Clinton will be — and that’s why in this election I’m with her,” the first lady continued.

Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, who took the podium after the first lady, also invoked images of family, describing her janitor father and veteran brother as people of the working class. While most of the previous speakers focused on endorsing Clinton, Warren emphasized the drawbacks of Clinton’s opponent, Donald Trump.

“What kind of a man roots for an economic crash that costs millions their jobs, their homes? I’ll tell you what kind — one that must never be president of the United States,” she said. Here, she was referring to Trump’s past remarks that he was excited about the 2008 housing crash because it would make real estate less expensive.

The night concluded with Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination, who received an ovation that continued for several minutes after he stepped onto stage.

In light of recently released emails that suggested that the Democratic National Committee attempted to sabotage Sanders’ campaign, some of his supporters felt that he had been treated unfairly and expressed their discontent by booing the previous speakers. Outside the convention, organized protests took place on Sanders’ behalf. His speech that night was heavily anticipated, as some of his supporters hoped he might renounce Clinton and the party altogether. That did not happen, but he did express his displeasure at the outcome of the primary elections.

Addressing his supporters in the audience, many of whom were in tears, Sanders said, “No one is more disappointed than I am,” referring to his defeat in the Democratic primaries.

Photo courtesy Erin Schaff/DNCC

Echoing the First Lady’s sentiments, he insisted that today’s children should not be subjected to a lower standard of living. He reinforced the theme of unity by claiming that the nation needs a leader who can improve the quality of life for everyone in need, not just a select few.

“Based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States,” he stated, offering his endorsement.

The floor remained deeply divided at the beginning of the second day of the convention, as the “Bernie or Bust” Sanders supporters were still present in great numbers. The agenda for the day included the roll call vote to officially nominate Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee for the 2016 elections. The sentiment on the floor was reflected by Arkansas superdelegate Vince Insalaco’s speech. “Madame Secretary, Arkansas casts 10 votes for Bernie Sanders, who campaigned from his heart, and who now in unity joins us in supporting Hillary Clinton because he understands what is at stake. And now Arkansas enthusiastically casts 27 votes for the next president of the United States, Hillary Clinton,” Insalaco said.

When the time came for the delegates from Democrats Abroad to cast their votes, Bernie Sanders’ brother Larry Sanders gave a short speech about the two brothers’ parents — Eli Sanders and Dorothy Glassberg Sanders — who both passed away when Bernie was young. Through unanimous applause Larry Sanders spoke about how proud his parents would have been of his younger brother’s campaign and ideals.

“I want to bring before this convention the names of our parents, Eli Sanders and Dorothy Glassberg Sanders. They did not have easy lives, and they died young. They would be immensely proud of their son and his accomplishments. They loved him; they loved the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt and would be immensely proud that Bernard is renewing that vision. It is with enormous pride that I cast my vote for Bernie Sanders,” he said.

During the speech the camera switched between the two brothers who were both fighting to hold back tears. Bernie Sanders commented on the emotional moment in an interview with Bill Maher after the convention.

“My father dropped out of high school, my mother never went to college. I think the idea that their son might be a serious candidate for president of the United States is nothing they ever would’ve dreamed of. That’s what struck a chord in me,” Sanders told Maher.

After the tear-jerking speech from Larry Sanders, the vote continued. When it was time for Bernie Sanders’ home-state of Vermont to cast their votes, Sanders stood up, and in what was considered a remarkable display of unity declared that Hillary Clinton be given the nomination.

“Madame Chair, I move that the convention suspend the procedural rules. I move that all votes cast by delegates be reflected in the official record, and I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States,” Sanders said.

Despite the exhibition of unity by Bernie Sanders, some of his supporters walked out of the convention center and staged a sit-in, blocking a media tent. Not even the man who inspired people in participating in the “political revolution” could convince them to unify behind the party’s nominee. Police were called to the protest, and several protesters were detained.

The final speaker of the evening was Hillary Clinton’s husband, former president Bill Clinton.

Clinton delivered a speech which to many seemed a stark contrast to the palpable tension and intense focus on political controversy. His extremely personal account of his relationship with Hillary started with their first meeting at Yale Law School and ended with an endorsement of his wife’s qualifications for the presidency.

“There are clear, achievable, affordable responses to our challenges. But we won’t get to them if America makes the wrong choice in this election. That’s why you should elect her. And you should elect her because she’ll never quit when the going gets tough. She’ll never quit on you,” Mr. Clinton stated.

With signs of remaining disunity the convention moved on to day three, and Philadelphia prepared for highly anticipated speeches from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden appealed to working class Americans, insisting that they must come together to throw their support behind Clinton, claiming that she was the only candidate who would look out for them.

“If you worry about your job and getting a decent pay, if you worry about your children’s education, if you’re taking care of an elderly parent, then there’s only one, only one person in this election who will help you,” he said, referring to Clinton.

He was followed by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who hurled a series of insults in Trump’s direction. He explained that the Republican nominee’s economic strategy would not only undermine small businesses, but also increase the national debt, expand the rate of unemployment and evaporate the retirement savings of millions.

“The bottom line is: Trump is a risky, reckless and radical choice. And we can’t afford to make that choice,” he warned.

Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine then took the stage for the first time during the convention. Like Biden, he also appealed to the working class by sharing an anecdote about how he and his siblings would assist with his father’s iron-working shop. He also spoke, partially in Spanish, about his time on a Jesuit mission trip in Honduras, where he was appalled at the lack of democracy. He also expounded on his advances in gun control policy as a Virginia governor. He too invoked the importance of cooperation in progressing the nation even further.

“Now, look, this journey that I’ve told you about has convinced me, has convinced me over and over again that God has created in our country a beautiful and rich tapestry, an incredible cultural diversity that succeeds when we embrace everybody in love and battle back against the forces, the dark forces of division,” he stated, harkening back to the convention’s primary theme of unity.

President Obama closed out the night by calling on the party to come together in the interest of bettering the nation.

Photo courtesy Sarah Matheson/DNCC

“This year, in this election, I’m asking you to join me — to reject cynicism, reject fear, to summon what’s best in us,” he said.

The night came to an end as Clinton joined the president on stage, symbolizing the spirit of cooperation between them that they hoped would extend to the rest of the party.

Though delivered by a non-political speaker, the speech that drew considerable attention on the last day of the convention was that of Khizr Khan, the father of a U.S. army captain who was killed in Iraq in 2004. His speech mainly focused on Trump and his policies regarding immigration. It was considered one of the most powerful speeches in terms of its commentary on Donald Trump.

“You are asking Americans to trust you with our future. Let me ask you: Have you even read the U.S. Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection under the law’ … You have sacrificed nothing and no one,” Khan said as he spoke directly to Trump.

In the days that followed the speech Trump commented on Khan’s statements through Twitter.

“Mr. Khan, who does not know me, viciously attacked me from the stage of the DNC and is now all over T.V. doing the same – Nice,” Trump tweeted.

Senior Republicans who have endorsed Trump were among the first to respond to his comments regarding the speech.

“In recent days, Donald Trump disparaged a fallen soldier’s parents. He has suggested that the likes of their son should not be allowed in the United States — to say nothing of entering the service. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates,” Senator John McCain wrote in a statement.

“There used to be some things that were sacred in American politics — that you don’t do — like criticizing the parents of a fallen soldier even if they criticize you,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said in a statement.

Trump also received pushback from the media. The New York Times recently released an article discussing Trump’s five deferments from the draft during the Vietnam War.

The final speaker was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, Hillary Clinton. Her speech was less than an hour long, and it started with extensions of thanks to her family and the first family. She continued on by thanking Bernie Sanders.

“Bernie, your campaign inspired millions of Americans, particularly young people who threw their hearts and souls into our primary. You’ve put economic and social justice issues front and center, where they belong,” Clinton said.

Then she spoke about the role which Philadelphia played in the founding of the United States and the ideals on which it was founded. After that she began to speak about Donald Trump. One of the themes at the convention was rallying Democrats to set up a unified front against Trump. Hillary Clinton echoed this in her remarks towards Trump.

“Don’t believe anyone who says: ‘I alone can fix it.’ Those were actually Donald Trump’s words in Cleveland. And they should set off alarm bells for all of us. Really? I alone can fix it? Isn’t he forgetting? Troops on the front lines. Police officers and firefighters who run toward danger. Doctors and nurses who care for us. Teachers who change lives … He’s forgetting every last one of us,” Clinton stated.

She then accepted the nomination and discussed how the principles that the United States were founded on do not match the rhetoric or policies of Donald Trump. Another significant takeaway from the speech was how her parents affected the woman she is today. She spoke of her father and mother and the values they instilled in her. She finished with a message about building a better tomorrow for children.

“America’s destiny is ours to choose. So let’s be stronger together. Looking to the future with courage and confidence. Building a better tomorrow for our beloved children and our beloved country. When we do, America will be greater than ever,” Clinton said, wrapping up her speech.

Photo courtesy Sarah Matheson/DNCC

And so the Democrats left Philadelphia with an official nominee, but the question lingers: Are they unified?

Many may see that Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton have joined forces, but the protests and subversive backlash of “Bernie or Bust” supporters is undeniable. Office-holding Democrats and analysts both stress that unification is key in order for the Democrats to put one of their own in the White House in 2016. It is still to be seen whether they can quiet the dissention and draw enough of their base back to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Noel Forte, The Triangle

The advent of online examinations and submissions through websites like Blackboard Learn has become a double-edged sword for the education system.

The format allows educators quick turnaround for grading and a simple system to keep track of scores for their students. However, this new integration of technology into academics has led to newly developed forms of cheating that aim to undermine the system. Drexel University has not been an exception to this trend.

“At the Business College we have noticed an increase in the number and severity of academic integrity issues,” Director of Instructional Technical Services Alan Hecht wrote in an email.

This cheating is obvious to Drexel professors when it comes to online examinations, and it can lead to changes in course format with the goal of cutting down on the number of incidents.

“I rarely use online exams anymore. I used to have online exams, but the cheating was obvious and rampant and did not serve the purpose required of an exam,” Drexel biology professor Karen Kabnick, PhD, wrote in an email.

Many studies around the nation have found high levels of cheating among both undergraduate and graduate students. One such study was done by retired Rutgers University business professor Donald McCabe. The survey took place from 2002 to 2011 and included 88,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It found that 43 percent of respondents admitted to cheating on either tests or written assignments.

“We’ve also had an increase in cases where students have submitted requests to various websites to have someone write a paper or take an online exam for them. Such websites often masquerade as tutoring websites, but the transactions quickly trend toward payment for coursework,” Hecht explained.

“We’ve caught several instances where a student had logged into a Drexel or textbook publisher’s website from Philadelphia in the morning but had someone from another location logging in for them later that same day to complete homework or take an exam,” he continued.

One such service is provided by the website CustomWritings.com. This United Kingdom based company will provide custom written speeches, thesis papers, dissertations and research papers to students for up to $48 per page. It can be found as the first Google Search result when the query “payment for coursework site” is entered.

“CustomWritings.com cares [about] you … Usually, the online courseworks providing companies use illegal writing resources to write an academic coursework that is also costly, due to which the students who take assistance from those companies, are caught with the accuse of plagiarism. We provide online courseworks that are affordable courseworks in cost and high in terms of quality,” their website reads.

Websites like this can get students the grades they desire, but they may not learn the material, and this may leave them unprepared to enter the workforce upon graduation.

“What we want to discourage is students paying someone to do their coursework (in addition to paying tuition) and [leaving] Drexel without the skills or knowledge to succeed in the workforce. That doesn’t do them any good, and it also taints the reputation of a Drexel degree,” Hecht wrote.

Oftentimes the programs through which assignments are submitted at Drexel have tools that can be used to identify potential examples of plagiarism. Turnitin is a submission system often used in combination with the Blackboard Learn site. The built-in feedback tool automatically highlights any sections of the submitted assignment that match entries in its database of 60 billion indexed web pages and 600 million student papers.

Drexel professors recognize that plagiarism and cheating happen. Some find a tool like Turnitin convenient in its ability to automatically check for plagiarism in a similar way to the conventional method that professors use.

“Yes, I had a few instances of plagiarism in online, hybrid and face-to-face classes. I found [plagiarism] online the same way I found it in other formats. I find [Turnitin] useful in this regard,” Drexel English professor Gail D. Rosen commented over email.

The online nature of cheating incidents involving online exams can leave traces that are useful in subsequent investigations of the incident, and the amount of this information is often much greater for online exams when compared to face-to-face exams.

“If a student cheated off of someone else’s face-to-face exam, you’d either have to catch them doing it or you’d have to have some evidence from the way they both answered questions … when looking at online exams, there is more information available such as where the person was located, the log of how they completed their exam, which students took the exam at the same time, etc,” Hecht explained.

This evidence can also lead to more significant consequences for the student involved. University officials and professors consider this online trail of evidence to be concrete, and it allows them to appropriately discipline the student with certainty that there has been no misunderstanding.

Drexel has a variety of ways by which they can proactively prevent these cheating events. These include live online proctoring and screen recording.

“Activity such as looking to the side to read from the textbook or notes or searching the internet for answers can be identified and flagged as possible violations. Some colleges at Drexel have used or tested these systems – some which use a live proctor and some which record the camera for later review by the instructor. I think these types of systems address a need concerning online exams, and it would not be surprising to see them in use more at Drexel,” Hecht wrote.

Drexel can also track where students log into examinations and assignments. Students have been reported to give out their login credentials to services that provide coursework for payments, and this activity is often discovered through a close observation of the locations that certain accounts are logged into.

Despite the obvious potential for cheating on online examinations and submissions, some Drexel professors say that the educational potential of online courses greatly outweighs the chance of academic integrity violations.

“If you offer online classes, you need to have online examinations. Some of my students are in other countries or other states. Obviously you can be more vigilant in a face-to-face setting and ask more multiple choice or other objective questions. However, you can make adjustments in an online exam. I feel that any negatives are outweighed by the positive aspects of online learning,” Rosen wrote.

So, some professors feel that the cheating leaves them no choice but to cut online examinations out of their curriculum, and some feel that the positives outweigh the negatives. How can the two viewpoints be reconciled, and where is the line drawn as far as weighing the benefits and risks?

“The question of whether the pros outweigh the cons depends on the type of assessment. The pros typically outweigh the cons for smaller quizzes which can give the instructor a better sense of how the class is understanding the basic course concepts, but the pros may not outweigh the cons or the risk of cheating when considering larger exams which count more toward the overall grade,” Hecht wrote.

The observation that the capabilities of society’s computer hardware doubles every year is a widely accepted and fairly accurate prediction called Moore’s Law. This time period of one year has since been revised, but the observation still demonstrates the massive growth potential of technology. The integration of this improved technology with areas such as education leads to new positive outcomes, but it also leads to new ways by which students can undermine the system. Online examinations and assignments are no exception to this principle, and as their prevalence continues to grow educators and administrators at Drexel and around the world continue to develop new ways of adapting to and tackling the problem of cheating and plagiarism in academics.

The post Featured this week: Examining integrity – the consequences of taking online classes in the technological age appeared first on The Triangle.

Rachael Ferry, The Triangle

The Summit at University City opened its doors as a housing option for students in the fall of the 2015-16 academic year. As final work on the building has been drawing to a close, street front spaces have opened up for lease to businesses on the Lancaster Avenue side of the building. Blaze Pizza, Chipotle and Insomnia Cookies are set to open in the coming months, and Ramen Bar and Old Nelson Food Company have already opened.

These stores greatly increase the dining options for students living at the Summit, who already had the Urban Eatery dining hall and a Starbucks downstairs.

“Personally, I think it’s going to be convenient for when I need food,” Drexel sophomore environmental science student and Summit tenant Isabella Reginato said.

Insomnia Cookies is a restaurant that sells homemade-style cookies. They currently have seven locations in Philadelphia, one of which is a truck that sits outside of Hagerty Library. The truck is open until midnight on the weekends and delivers until 3 a.m. daily. Insomnia Cookies also serves ice cream, brownies, cookie cakes and milk at most locations.

Blaze Pizza is an assembly line style pizza shop that was named the second-fastest growing restaurant chain of 2016 by the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.

“Fresh, made-from-scratch dough. Healthful, artisanal, ingredients on the assembly line. Inventive to classic. You decide. Blazing hot oven + dedicated pizzasmith + 180 seconds = fast-fire’d, perfectly crisp perfection. Sound good? Enjoy the rest of your day, (sic)” their website reads.

The chain’s sales grew 205 percent over the previous year and has an endorsement from recent NBA champion LeBron James.

Rachael Ferry, The Triangle

The Chipotle that is under construction will open in the fall — likely in September — according to representatives from the company. It will be the first Chipotle on Drexel’s campus. The nearest Chipotle restaurant to Drexel’s campus is on the 4000 block of Walnut street.

Chipotle is another restaurant that has had to improve its procedures regarding customer safety. In 2015 there were several outbreaks of foodborne illness at Chipotle restaurants around the country. These outbreaks resulted in 21 hospitalizations according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Old Nelson Food Company and Ramen Bar have already opened. Old Nelson Food Company is a convenience store and deli, and Ramen Bar is a restaurant that specializes in ramen and sushi.

Most of these restaurants and shops are not unique on Drexel’s campus. The dishes and goods they serve and sell are already available at similar establishments, and in some cases the same company is already present on campus.

Rachael Ferry, The Triangle

Blaze Pizza is new to Drexel, but there are already quite a handful of pizza shops on campus including Drexel Pizza, Ed’s Buffalo Wings and Pizza and Pizza.Wings.Steaks. There is also a Blaze Pizza location on Temple University’s campus. Chipotle may be new, but there was already a Currito on campus. Insomnia Cookies is not new to campus as they have their 33rd Street location. The same is true of Old Nelson Food Company.

So, why did Summit choose these restaurants and stores when there are other establishments that Drexel’s campus does not have, and what stores would have been better choices to decrease the distance that students need to go to get what they need? Some students think that a grocery store is needed on campus and that the space under Summit would’ve made a good spot for it.

“Old Nelson is pretty pricey. If that whole thing was a grocery store that would be pretty cool … Trader Joe’s is kind of a hike and so is Fresh Grocer … There’s really nothing else. I feel like a huge grocery store with everything in it would be so much better for Drexel’s campus,” Drexel sophomore biological sciences major and Summit tenant Jeanne Angeles said.

Old Nelson Food Company and Insomnia Cookies will accept Dragon Dollars. According to head of the Dragon Dollars program Joe Russo, the other locations have not yet worked out a deal with Drexel, though the university would like to include them in the program.

The post Chipotle, Old Nelson open under Summit apartments appeared first on The Triangle.

Walker Alexander, The Triangle

A gunman killed 49 people and injured 53 others at Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, June 12. This shooting was the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history. In the days that followed, a wave of support swept through the nation and the world for both those directly affected and the LGBT community in general. The city of Philadelphia and Drexel University also responded to the tragedy.

The Center City vigil was solemn June 13. Hundreds of people crowded around a small microphone that hung next to both the American flag and the iconic Rainbow flag representing the LGBT community. As the speakers discussed issues and emotions related to the tragedy, candles were passed out to everyone in attendance.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney spoke at the vigil. His devotion to the LGBT community was recognized by many of the speakers.

“First, I’d like to thank the most progressive mayor this city has ever seen, mayor Jim Kenney. This man has been on the frontline of the [LGBT] movement since before it was a hot topic, so I want to thank him personally for that,” Deja Lynn Alvarez, Director of Divine Light LGBT Wellness Center and Shelter, said to the crowd.

Alvarez continued to speak on the importance of recognizing the groups targeted by the attack. She also made a statement regarding the resilience of the LGBT community.

“It’s important that we acknowledge the part of our community that has been most affected by the tragedy in Orlando, Florida, and that is the queer Latinx community … We are a community, and we have the right to exist. No matter what anyone says, we have the right to be here,” Alvarez continued. The crowd cheered and applauded in response.

One of the final formal events of the vigil was a rendition of the Cyndi Lauper song “True Colors” to which the crowd sang along.

“I see your true colors/ And that’s why I love you/ So don’t be afraid to let them show/ Your true colors/ True colors are beautiful/ Like a rainbow” are the final lyrics of the song.

Walker Alexander, The Triangle

After the song was over and the speakers had finished, the vigil went on into the night, and while walking around one could see small bands playing music and children holding signs they had made before the event.

“We’re with you, Orlando,” one sign read.

On the steps of city hall were candles surrounded by hearts drawn in chalk as well as the names of those lost in the tragedy. The names were accompanied by messages of love and support. As people filtered by they picked up chalk to leave their own message or simply took out their camera to capture the moment.

Drexel’s vigil took place a week after the City Hall vigil June 20, and it gave a chance for Drexel students and faculty to show their support as well as pay their respects. Similar to the Philadelphia-wide vigil, speakers shared their thoughts on the tragedy with the crowd. Rabbi Isabel de Koninck, Executive Director for Hillel at Drexel, spoke on the tragedy.

“Each of us on this earth deserves a place where we can be fully ourselves, where we can find community, where we can find connection,“ she stated.

“As a rabbi and a queer person, I look in the faces of my amazing students and of my 3-year-old child, and I sigh. We have not come as far as I’d hoped. This is not the world I wanted to give you, but we cannot despair. We have mourned for seven days and we will continue to bear deep grief in our hearts, but we also have to learn to turn our mourning to dancing and to action,” Koninck continued.

Towards the end of her speech everyone present was encouraged to light their candles and join in singing a verse of “This Little Light of Mine.”

The response to the vigil was positive, and attendees recognized the importance of the event.

“I think it’s great that we come together as a community. It’s very important to show that we all stand [together], we stay strong. I think [the event] is something incredible at Drexel University campus organized by the LGBT community. I really respect it, and I’m glad that I’m a part of it,” Drexel software engineering student Pratik Shekhar said.

Almost immediately after the shootings there were speculations about the motives of perpetrator. It had been reported by multiple news agencies that the gunman had sworn allegiance to the radical group ISIL, but there are still many unanswered questions, and there have been reports that his motivations were multi-faceted.

“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam … we must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate,” President Barack Obama said after a shooting in December that killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. He has since drawn comparisons between the two attacks, calling the men who carried them out “lone wolves.”

At the vigil, Drexel junior Kalyani Mahajan seemed to echo the president’s message of unification and alliance following the tragedy.

“I’m glad that the University came out to do something like this because it shows solidarity with the [LGBT] community and the Muslim community,” she said.

The two vigils were among dozens organized across the globe in the days following the Orlando shootings in remembrance of the lives lost and in support of the LGBT community.

The post Featured this week: Philadelphia mourns Orlando appeared first on The Triangle.

For many Drexel University students the opportunity to gain professional training through one or more co-ops is an integral part of their education, and the vast majority of Drexel students participate in the co-op program. Even a student who loathes their co-op can get valuable experience and learn important lessons. Gaining practical experience, discovering what they don’t want to do and building connections that can lead to job opportunities after graduation are just some of the takeaways for alumni and current students who have participated in the program.

Drexel physics major Jared Haughton held a position at Army Research Lab (ARL). ARL works on varied projects relating to materials engineering, basic science, and energy technology with a focus on the applications of this research for national defense. Haughton reflected that his choice to work at a research institution outside of academia gave him the chance to work with equipment that had applications well beyond the scope of an academic institution like Drexel.

“I worked at [ARL], and I got to study atomic structure using high end research equipment, including the Army’s particle accelerator … I gained a lot of experience working in a formal, non-academic lab setting and also got to work in a setting where my research had real, tangible products — something I never got to experience in academia,” Haughton explained.

However, many students find that gaining work experience is just one of many factors which one must be conscious of when choosing a co-op. Drexel entertainment and arts management graduate Brett Axler — who held a co-op position at Xfinity Live! — stresses how his choice of co-op helped him evaluate his career direction.

“It really helped me decide what I didn’t want to do for a living, which is very important to find out early,” Axler said in an email conversation.

Axler’s co-op employer Xfinity Live! runs an entertainment district inside of the Wells Fargo Complex. It houses restaurants, expansive audio and visual systems for sports events as well as movie showings and even a miniature turf field on which activities and concerts are held.

“While on [co-op] with Xfinity Live! I was in charge of all audio-visual elements in the five venues … from fixing and maintaining video projectors to advancing audio gear for talent, they kept me busy,” Axler continued.

This situation isn’t unique. Many students find that their time on co-op is helpful in determining what they would like to do for a career.

Lynne Hickle, Executive Director of Cooperative Education at the Steinbright Career Development Center, agrees to the fact that practical knowledge about career direction is an important consideration for students to make when deciding where they want to complete their co-op.

“Often the goals students have going into the program are very different than the ones they end up meeting in the end. And while those goals change, they are no less valuable … While initially it may be disappointing and stressful to realize you might be on the wrong track it certainly is better to figure that out before you graduate [rather] than after you graduate. When the critical discovery is made early on, it often saves students and their families a lot of time and money,” Hickle stated in an email conversation.

Often students will be offered jobs by a former employer when they graduate. In fact, a recent survey of alumni from the class of 2014 indicated that 50 percent of co-op participants working full-time had received a job offer from a former co-op employer.

“What that statistic reflects, among other things, is that our employers engage in this process for the long term. They aren’t looking for a co-op student. They are looking for a full-time employee by participating in the co-op process. And because of that, they take the program very seriously, by giving students real work to see how well they do with it, introduce the co-op students to members of the organization to form networks and support the student along their way to success,” Hickle wrote.

This statistic seems to hold water when hearing anecdotes from students. Drexel computer engineering major Nathan Schomer did research on robotics and software development geared towards guided projectiles at Army Research Lab, and he made connections that led to further work.

“I was able to get part-time work through [ARL], and since it’s such a small lab I was able to make solid personal connections with everybody else there … it sounds like they want me to come back long term, so it’s definitely a good career prospect for me,” Schomer wrote.

Every Drexel student may not be lucky enough to get a co-op where they can manage audio-visual systems for a large entertainment complex, research new software for guidance systems or study atomic structure with a particle accelerator, but every Drexel student can learn lessons from current students or alumni who have successfully navigated the co-op process and come out with a career on the other side.

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