The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Temple limits public access to food court following violent incidents
Students must show an ID to get in between the hours of 2-5 p.m. and everyone is limited to carry out only.
www.cbsnews.com
Temple limits public access to food court following violent incidents
By Alicia Roberts
March 23, 2023 / 7:28 AM / CBS Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Temple University is limiting public access and banning dine-in eating for one of its main on-campus food courts following several violent incidents in recent weeks.
As of Wednesday, students must show an ID to get in between the hours of 2-5 p.m. and everyone is limited to carry out only.
A sign on the door of Temple's Morgan Hall food court reads "Closed to the general public from 2-5 p.m. daily." The tables have also been pushed against the windows and all chairs have been removed.
"There are a lot of people who are on campus who are sketchy," a woman said.
The measure comes five days after Temple police arrested a person who brought a gun inside the popular dining and residence building and several weeks after a brawl involving non-Temple students.
"It's just shocking, that's a residence hall where students live," Nate Weinberg, of Keep Us Safe Temple University, said.
Weinberg's student group, Keep Us Safe Temple University, was one of the first to share the video of non-Temple students fighting. He talked to CBS News Philadelphia hours after receiving notice of the changes.
"Temple's vice president of public safety has said that the campus is exceptionally safe and that building was on campus and to me that does not look like an exceptionally safe occurrence," Weinberg said.
"In recent weeks, the Morgan Hall food court has seen a number of issues involving patrons not associated with Temple University," the university said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Temple's faculty union cast a historic no-confidence vote against three university leaders, including President Jason Wingard.
CBS News Philadelphia also reported Wingard has failed to move into a home one block of Temple's campus as he promised in December.
"I think that this whole leadership crisis they've put PR first always and I think they've wanted their picture to look good," Weingard said.
A Temple spokesperson says the move is now expected to happen in May.