Originally called Temple College, the school was founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, then chartered in 1888. Less than 10 years later, Temple College became Temple University. Temple operates a number of different campuses, including one in Japan. Although the university is independently operated, it is state-related and receives public funds from Pennsylvania, which gives in-state students a nice break in tuition.
Temple’s campus is located in North Philadelphia. The heart of campus is located between Norris Street and Montgomery Avenue, and between 16th and 11th streets. There are numerous places for students to hangout within Temple’s main campus.
While there are many places to hangout on campus, there are a few that shine above the rest. The SAC, Liacouras Walk, the Draught Horse, the TECH Center and ‘Commuter’s Row’ are where you can always find students in big crowds. The SAC is home to the Temple Bookstore where you can purchased overpriced textbooks or anything you need for your dorm. The SAC also has a variety of places to eat on the second floor and a plethora of couches and chairs where you can chill in-between classes.
Students are often seen sitting atop the marble wall that runs along Liacouras Walk when they aren't shopping in one of its many stores. At Maxi’s you can get a great slice of pizza, cheap beer, and watch the game with your friends. At any time of the day or night you will always find students buzzing in the TECH Center, which is home to Starbucks Café, Computer Services, and 700 computers (Dell and Mac) fixed to 600 workstations. The TECH Center also offers 13 break rooms for group meetings and 100 wireless laptops that students can borrow.
On 12th Street you will find seven fabulous and cheap places to eat. The area commonly known as Commuter’s Row is home to Richie’s Deli, a favorite eatery where the owner Richie will learn to know both your name and your order. It also has two pizza joints, Vietnamese food, and a salad place. On Wednesday nights you will always find The Draught Horse or ‘The Horse’ packed with Temple students, 21 and older, paying the $5 cover charge to get to a $1 Coors Light.
There are plenty of places in Philadelphia for Temple students to visit outside of campus. From the historic Old City to the hustle and bustle of South Street, students can find a variety of things to do in the City of Brotherly Love.
If students want to get off the Temple campus they can head to Old City, Center City, South Street, Penn’s Landing and the South Philly stadiums. In Old City there are historic sites, charming little shops, and an amazing nightlife. You can stop by Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center, or you can venture down Market St. between 2nd and 3rd to check out the dozens of bars Old City has to offer.
Penn’s Landing, which is located on the Delaware River, has endless events. There's something going on every day and you can even go ice-skating at the Blue Cross RiverRink during the winter. South Street bustles with restaurants, galleries, and everything you could possibly think of. You can eat at the famous Lorenzo and Son Pizza shop or go to one of the many art stores and get a feel for your creative side. South Street is also home to the Magic Garden – a display of exotic textiles, woodcarvings, and ceramics.
In Center City you can find the more well-known and high-end stores. It is the premier place to live, work, and play. On any given day you can pick up a purse at Coach, dine at Continental Midtown, or shop at the lovely consignment store known as Buffalo Exchange. For the sports fan, just take the Broad Street subway line (the orange line) to Pattison and go to one of four stadiums that South Philly has to offer. You can see the Eagles play at Lincoln Financial Field or the ‘Linc’, the Phillies play at Citizens Bank Park, or watch the Flyers, 76ers, Phantoms, Kixx, Soul, or the Wings play at the Wachovia Center. You can also see any number of events, from concerts to ice shows, at the Wachovia Center or the Wachovia Spectrum.
Many college traditions involve the consumption of alcohol and skipping classes to enjoy nice spring weather, and Temple’s student traditions are no different.
Spring Fling is a known tradition for Temple students and faculty. Technically, this is when organizations setup tables and there are lots of promotions, but Spring Fling is known to students as the day that you can get wasted on campus. The drinking usually begins around 5am with ‘Polish Happy Hour’ or ‘Kegs & Eggs’ and continues throughout the day and long into the night. Whether the alcohol is carefully smuggled in coffee mugs or blatantly sloshed over red cups, students wholeheartedly embrace this annual tradition.
While schools like Michigan and Penn State boast sold-out seasons for their football teams, Temple has to practically lure students to games with different prizes for showing up. The football team plays at Lincoln Financial Field, which is home of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the team's losing streak has deterred students from even going. Even though tickets are free, Temple still scrambles to come up with new ways to get kids to show up and cheer on the team.
When the spring weather finally arrives, tons of students can be found laying out, napping, or playing catch on what is known as ‘Beury Beach’, the lawn outside Beury Hall. The ‘Beach’ is in the center campus and is located right next to the Bell Tower, so if you like to people watch or want some sun this is the place to hang.
Al Alberts - singer, Philadelphia television personality
Richard Brooks – Oscar award-winning filmmaker
Steve Capus (1986) – president of NBC News
Bill Cosby, comedian and actor.
Ray Didinger (1968), award winning sports journalist
Daryl Hall, musician, part of Hall & Oates
Aaron McKie (1994), former NBA player
Bob Saget (late 1970s or early 1980s), comedian and actor
Tom Sizemore (M.A. 1986), actor
Paul F. Tompkins, actor and comedian
Temple’s D-I athletic teams participate in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The only exception is the Owls’ football team which is in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Temple is also known to be among the first institutions in the country to sponsor extracurricular athletic activities.
Despite its current efforts to build a prominent football program, Temple is still notorious for its basketball program. Temple’s men’s team is part of the Big Five, which consists of five Philadelphia schools. In 2007 the men’s team won the A-10, giving the school an NCAA Tournament bid. The Owls have made the NCAA Tournament numerous times throughout history, including two Final Four appearances in the 1950s. Over the years, several Owls have gone on to play in the NBA, including Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones, and Rick Brunson.
Other successful sports teams in Temple’s history include men’s golf, track and field, men’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, and field hockey, among others.
Supposedly, the owl was adopted as Temple’s mascot because the university began as a night school when it was founded by Dr. Russell Conwell.
Temple University Professor of Piano Lambert Orkis and Lecturer in Tuba Jay Krush were both awarded Grammy Awards in 2000.
Bill Cosby, a Temple alumnus, often discusses Temple and references his time at the university on television and in public appearances.
Temple would like you to believe that they have ample student housing, but anyone who goes here certainly knows better. Temple has nine official dorms, and to actually get into the dorm that you desire, you have to put your housing deposit in almost immediately after you get your letter of acceptance.
The dorms to choose from are: Johnson & Hardwick Halls (also known as J&H) located at Broad & Diamond streets, 1940 on Liacouras Walk, 1300 and Temple Towers both on Cecil B. Moore, Peabody on Norris Street, James S. White Hall on Broad Street, and The Edge and Elmira Jeffries both located on North 15th Street.
Anyone who has lived in these dorms will say the same thing – the endless amount of fire alarms (mostly set off by drunken students making popcorn) are extremely annoying and always go off at the worst times. While J&H can boast being directly above the cafeteria, the living space is very crammed, there is no air conditioning, and you have communal bathrooms. Students agree that some of the best places to live are 1300 and 1940. 1940 is located at the heart of campus on Liacouras Walk. There aren’t communal bathrooms, just ones you share with three suite mates and there is AC. It is only a short walk from the cafeteria and there are a ton of stores on Liacouras making 1940 prime real estate. 1300 has the same setup as 1940 with two and four-person suites, and they also offer apartment-style singles for upperclassmen and transfer students.
While it may be hard to find housing if you get your deposit in late, life is even harder for juniors and seniors who are not eligible for ‘on-campus’ housing. But don’t fret; there are off-campus housing options located just off university grounds.