This afternoon, The Philadelphia Inquirer officially announced the faculty union's decision to authorize a vote of no-confidence against Temple University's (TU) leadership: president Jason Wingard, provost Gregory N. Mandel, and board chair Mitchell Morgan.

About 84% voted in favor of proceeding with the vote, with 97% in favor of including Wingard, 86% for Morgan, and 79% for Mandel. More than 900 faculty voted, well over the 20% needed for the vote to count. 

The vote will occur the week beginning April 10, marking the first time the Temple Association of University Professionals (TAUP) cast a no-confidence vote in its 50-year history.

According to TAUP, the immediate next steps will focus on coalition building. The first meeting between college students and TAUP leadership will be tomorrow at 10am, followed by a TAUP-wide meeting on March 28 at 5:00pm via Zoom.

Timeline of what has been happening

On Friday, The Inquirer reported that the TU faculty union had come out in favor of a vote of no-confidence against Wingard, Mandel and Morgan during a meeting held Thursday. 

The same day, TU announced adding eight new police officers: Daniel Kornak, Demetrius McCain, Jacob Millevoi, Christopher Peralta, Daniel Regan, Brandon Sin, Mariah Vadel, and Brianna Witherspoon, to the Temple University Police Department (TUPD).

To combat the crimes around Temple, on March 8, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) awarded the Temple University Police Department with $1.8 million for safety enhancements, including gunshot detection devices, license plate readers, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, retention, and recruitment bonuses; many ask for transparency on funds usage.

In a poll released today by The Temple News, 92% of Temple students disapproved of Dr. Wingard's performance as president saying “Temple is not heading in a positive direction.” The university newspaper surveyed a total of 1,000 students. 

The Editorial Board is using these findings to urge “Wingard and other members of Temple’s administration to acknowledge the community’s lack of confidence and work to improve their leadership style in the coming weeks by continuing to communicate campus safety plans and improving connections with students on campus, beyond social media posts.” 

Although TUGSA’s Contracts Negotiations Team (CNT) accepted a tentative agreement, ending the six-week-long strike, it did not come without an uproar from community members after students' medical insurance was terminated and eventually reinstated. 

The increase in crime heightened after the fatal shooting of Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, who died in the line of duty in February, and a recent shooting at a hookah lounge near the TU campus. 

Stay tuned to AL DÍA for further updates on this news.