The Hofstra Chronicle, February 27, 2024

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THE HOFSTRA CHRONICLE

KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935

SPORTS

Strong start propels Pride to first series win of 2024

By Aaron Diaz STAFF WRITER

Steve Harrington’s threeRBI game and Santino Rosso’s home run propelled the Hofstra University baseball team over the Liberty University Flames,

winning 12-6 to pick up their first series win of the season on Sunday, Feb. 25.

The victory brings Hofstra’s record to 2-4 while the Flames now stand at 4-3.

Carlos Martinez got the nod for his second start of the season, allowing two runs off one hit while fanning three in 3.2 innings of work to earn the win.

For the Flames, Bryce Dolby got the start but had trouble out the gate. Dolby surrendered five runs off six hits with only two strikeouts in 3.2 innings. In

the first, Dolby couldn’t put the Pride away with Dylan Palmer at the leadoff spot.

With Palmer on base in the fiery first inning, Rosso advanced to second off a drop third strike, allowing Palmer to round home, Pride leading 1-0. Will Kennedy then singled to left, scoring Rosso and extending the lead 2-0. A Luke Masiuk sac fly ended the first with a 3-0 lead.

Rosso led off the third inning with a home run and, subsequently, a 4-0 lead. Three outs later, Palmer and Harrington dropped singles to left field to bolster Hofstra at a 7-0 lead with Trey Cooper relieving Dolby in the same inning.

The bottom half brought life

NEWS

to the Flames with a Cam Foster single and a Brian McClellin sac fly to get two runs on the board, 7-2.

Liberty continued to chip away at the score while Hofstra piled on a few more runs with Harrington’s three RBIs before the eighth. Back-to-back singles from Kane Kepley and Aidan Sweatt cut the lead down to six, 11-5.

For the last five outs, Mike McKenna entered and closed the game, only letting up one run on three hits with four Ks. Hofstra nailed their final point in the ninth when a walk forced a run in during a bases-loaded situation, stamping their win at 12-6.

After another weekend of ac-

tion in the books, the Pride have until Friday, March 1, when they head to the West Coast to face off against the University of New Mexico Lobos at 4 p.m.

Dining Dollars policy change will require underclassmen residents to select higher options

By Gabriel Prevots

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

First-year and sophomore resident students will have to select a Dining Dollars plan from options five, six or seven, according to an email announcement on Wednesday, Feb. 7 by Jessica Eads, the vice president of student enrollment, engagement and success. Plans five, six and seven are the highest meal plans residential students can choose from. Previously, only

first-year students had to abide by these guidelines.

The change will take effect in fall 2024.

According to the email announcement, Hofstra University records showed that “when students choose a smaller Dining Dollars option in their second year, they often end up adding money to that plan or running out of Dining Dollars early in the semester.”

A memo released to administration found that 65% of sophomore students added money to their Dining Dollars account, with the average sophomore student adding up to $800.

Despite what those records show, many students are apprehensive about having to purchase a more expensive plan. Natalia Stornello, a freshman

drama major and residential student, believes there is also an issue of students not running out of money but having too much left.

“I already have a huge surplus of Dining Dollars left over from last semester,” Stornello said. “I tried to get rid of it as much as possible, and I still had a ton left over, so I really don’t want to go through it all again next year.”

“When I was a first-year student here, I had the same problem,” said Chrisostomos Vitsikanos, a junior economics and business analytics double major. “I had too much money left. I had to donate it here at the university.”

Tara Torborg, a freshman psychology and criminology major and resident, believes the policy change is unfair to those who are already budgeting their Dining Dollars well.

“If a student gets to their sophomore year, and they real-

ize, ‘I blew through that plan last year,’ they need to buy a higher plan,” Torborg said. “But that shouldn’t affect the rest of the [sophomore] community as well.”

Besides student spending patterns, the university implemented the change for financial and logistical reasons, according to Facilities and Operations vice president Joe Barkwill.

“In totality, [the change] is [in place] because we have to look at everything in terms of modifications, renovations, operating costs and everything,” Barkwill said.

When Hofstra University signed a contract with Compass Group in May 2017 to take over dining services, students raised concerns about issues such as high food prices, availability of healthy food and options for students with dietary restrictions. Many of those same concerns still remain prevalent among students.

Torborg, for instance, believes the food on campus is not worth what it costs. “The price of what you’re paying and the quality of the food that you’re getting is not on par with each other.”

Although the stated reasons for changing the program are about more than just students, Barkwill reaffirms that they are the main reason for the decision.

“We were looking at the safety of the students and … health concerns in terms of making sure they had meals, that they’re managing their meals properly, that they were not going hungry, and not running out of points and not being able to do something from a budgetary standpoint.”

Since the change is not yet in effect, the actual impact on students and the cost of eating on campus remains to be seen. The controversy surrounding it, however, seems likely to persist.

Hofstra scored a total of 30 runs in three games against Liberty.

Photo courtesy of Keith Lucas

As of fall 2024, both first and second-year students will have to purchase one of the three highest meal plans.

Photo courtesy of Gabriel Prevots

Making strides for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at Hofstra

By Camryn Bowden STAFF WRITER

Hofstra University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, with support from the student Diversity Advisory Board, hosted an open town hall meeting on Monday, Feb. 12, to discuss DEI and belonging at Hofstra. The conversation welcomed many perspectives, including those of Hofstra leadership, faculty and students. There was also a virtual comment submission page for students and faculty

Hofstra’s various DEI initiatives is to ensure that “people feel a level of supportive energy and commitment for those in the institution.”

The first question asked audience members to share their experiences with DEI at Hofstra and suggest how Hofstra could make positive changes surrounding DEI and belonging.

Margaret Hunter, an associate professor of engineering, shared, “I started here 26 years ago; I was the only woman in my

sponses, Christy asked audience members to share experiences when they “did not feel that [they] belonged.”

Hannah Alfasso, vice president of the Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring (DREAM) student group, shared that the dining locations on campus have led to a variety of issues for those with allergies. One instance, she said, occurred when a student with an egg allergy had an allergic reaction due to a change in the

way eggs are cooked on Hofstra’s campus. Her most poignant takeaway from this incident was that “there is a lot of work to do on this campus.”

Other students were welcomed to the microphone, including Bastion Hamilton, a freshman public relations major, who shared their experience in a class in the fall 2023 semester. After sharing that their lecturer was an openly nonbinary professor, they explained that their discussion leader, who was another professor on campus, used she/ her pronouns for the professor, who exclusively uses they/them pronouns. Hamilton felt that microaggressions like this on Hofstra’s campus are threats to the vision of a diverse, equitable and inclusive institution.

After listening to the difficulties that many of these students experienced and shared during the town hall meeting, Hamilton felt that there was an important takeaway from the discussion. According to Hamilton, “there is such a diverse amount of people here who are mistreated on campus,” but they feel that this can be combated by having “consistent education [about diverse groups] on campus.”

“I started here 26 years ago; I was the only woman in my department when I started, and [it was that way] for probably 10 years.”

members who wanted to share their experiences but did not feel comfortable sharing them out loud. Chermele Christy, the dean of students, and Kashmiraa Pandit, president of the Diversity Advisory Board, moderated the session.

Aisha Wilson-Carter, the associate director of equity and inclusion, began the conversation by explaining key DEI terms. Notably, she said that the goal of

department when I started, and [it was that way] for probably 10 years.”

Hunter shared her experience with Hofstra’s faculty mentoring program. She was paired with a female professor in STEM from outside of her department. “[It] was very useful for me,” Hunter said. “I could find out things outside of my department … that I might feel uncomfortable discussing with my colleagues.”

Following further faculty re-

Students and faculty members express their concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion in relation to their personal experiences.

Camryn Bowden / The Hofstra Chronicle

Annie MacKeigan / The Hofstra Chronicle

Hofstra University prepares for 2024 Day of Giving

By Moriah Sukhlal NEWS EDITOR

Hofstra University is home to over 200 student clubs. From sports and media to culture and entertainment, these clubs foster an enriching community. To ensure this community continues to thrive, Hofstra will host its annual Day of Giving celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

The concept of the Day of Giving was inspired by the international trend of widespread days of giving such as Giving Tuesday. It creates the opportunity for institutions of higher education to formulate targeted support for their school communities.

According to Hope Motreuil, director for annual giving, “The Day of Giving at Hofstra has witnessed substantial growth over the years, leveraging crowdfunding technology and active promotion to engage alumni, staff, students and friends in supporting the university.”

The Day of Giving functions as a campus-wide campaign to garner support for university schools, programs and clubs. Its aim is also philanthropic support that enhances students’ educational experiences as they foster a sense of community with donors to contribute to supporting educational initiatives.

This year, the Student Gov-

Jacob Fremont, a senior public relations major and member of the Day of Giving Committee. “[It] has the opportunity to really foster a new culture for Hofstra clubs that extends beyond graduation.”

For clubs new to the Day of Giving, Sydney Greenlaw, SGA comptroller, advises to “dive right in and don’t be afraid to reach out to people,” she said. “We’ve been brainstorming and creating ways to support and motivate student clubs and organizations through outreach.”

ernment Association (SGA) has taken the initiative to increase student advocacy by forming a student-led Day of Giving Committee. “SGA put together a group of student leaders to brainstorm ways we could best engage student organizations,” said Lincoln Anniballi, SGA president. “We were able to make contact with over 100 organizations and provided resources to guide them in their fundraising efforts.”

“The students who raise the most are eligible for prizes from the alumni office,” Anniballi said. While most student groups are supported by the SGA, fundraising events, such as the Day of Giving, allow them to branch out and garner the necessary support to strengthen their own community.

Another aspect of the Day of Giving is the connections students form with alumni and the local community.

“Our biggest priorities go beyond just the dollar amount raised,” said

Students can look forward to a guided presentation to direct them on becoming advocates for their organizations and participating in numerous events and outreach forums.

“[The support of donors] directly impacts the quality of education, resources and opportunities available to students,” Motreuil said. Donors not only financially support student organizations but also become an integral part of the community by providing longstanding commitment, pride and connections to Hofstra.

“The collective impact becomes evident when many individuals come together to contribute and support the university,” Motreuil said.

Donors or advocates can use the QR code until Wednesday, Feb. 28, to participate in the Day of Giving.

Hofstra’s first student-led Day of Giving Committee raises student advocacy as they partner with student clubs, fraternities, sororities and sports teams.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra University

Hofstra alum sits down to give advice to current students

By Julia Capitelli

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Hofstra students, mostly women, gathered in a circle with coffee and snacks in Hofstra Hall on Monday, Feb. 12, to

and connections she has made along the way. Joining her high school’s radio station as a shy new student was the first step in her communications journey.

“I was very nervous to be on the air, but I loved pressing the

important to give back because of the people that have helped her and that it can lead to more connections.

“I have so many friends,” she said. “It’s like one degree of separation in terms of a contact

or putting people together.”

Having worked in board ops at WOR radio station early in her career, Cohen said there was a lot of pressure, but she wanted to learn.

“I needed to prove to myself that I could do it,” she said. “It was my foot in the door.”

Avery Stenstrom, a sophomore English major, said that she thought Cohen did a good job of explaining her attitudes on new responsibilities.

“She gave pretty good examples of ‘if you see an opportunity that seems good, then take it,’” Stenstrom said.

Aside from opportunities and connections, Cohen addressed the constantly changing nature of the industry. With the development and proliferation of new technology, it can be difficult for organizations to stay relevant.

Cohen discussed how, with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, people in communications have been forced to reinvent themselves. This includes Cohen herself.

Similarly, Cohen said that media is everywhere, and even the language of the industry is

changing because of how multifaceted the industry is.

“Today, I couldn’t say ‘I want to be a program director’ at a radio station. No, I can say ‘I want to be a director of content,’” she said. “Don’t limit yourself, because these platforms are changing.”

Stenstrom said she intends to use Cohen’s advice moving forward in her own career. For Stenstrom, an aspiring author, this means finding publishers that might be interested in her work.

“I’ll definitely try and go to more author-based conventions or meetups and such to hopefully meet publishers that might want my work,” Strenstrom said. “Basically, just put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to.”

“I was very nervous to be on the air, but I loved pressing the buttons, and I loved being a part of something that seemed a little bit bigger ... There was just a group and a comradery and it felt wonderful, and I felt like I belonged.”

listen to Hofstra alum Heather Cohen speak about her career as a woman in leadership in the communications field. Cohen sat in front of the parlor’s fireplace, a coffee in her hand and a smile on her face. Now president of the Weiss Agency, she represents many media personalities and told stories about her time at Hofstra and the development of her career.

The students in attendance came away with advice they can use to advance their own careers.

Cohen spoke at length about the various opportunities she seized throughout her career

buttons, and I loved being a part of something that seemed a little bit bigger,” Cohen said. “There was just a group and a comradery and it felt wonderful, and I felt like I belonged.”

At Hofstra, Cohen participated in WRHU, where she learned about the business side of journalism and developed many skills she would use to advance her career. She emphasized the importance of the network Hofstra students can build during their time at the university, and she also spoke about having connections and helping students get jobs. She explained that she believes it is

Hofstra alum Heather Cohen spoke to students about her career as a woman in a leadership position in the communications field.

Photo courtesy of Julia Capitelli

Heather Cohen urged students to put themselves out there and to not be afraid when offering advice during Coffee Hour on Monday, Feb. 12.

Photo courtesy of Hofstra University

Vandalism reported in Roosevelt Hall’s all-gender restroom

By Connor Keough STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, a genderinclusive bathroom in Roosevelt Hall was vandalized. On the adjacent wall, “no” was written in black ink with a line pointing to the bathroom.

Students reported the act of vandalism to a professor, but

Public Safety (PS) did not open an investigation into the case.

Hofstra is generally a diverse and welcoming community that has not reported any LGBTQ+ hate crimes in over three years.

A statement was released by PS stating, “Public Safety did not receive a report of an incident occurring in Roosevelt dur-

ing the timeframe provided. As always, we encourage students and members of the Hofstra community to contact Public Safety to report any incidents. We take any allegations of hate or bias-related crimes very seriously and will investigate fully.”

Nick Lucchetto, a senior geography and global studies major, said, “While I hadn’t heard of this particular vandalized restroom, I know it would be one of several gender-inclusive restrooms in Roosevelt Hall that have been vandalized or misused yet are generally neglected.”

Since PS was unaware of the incident, an investigation was never opened. According to students, the lack of reports may be due to them being unaware of how to file a report.

Riley Campbell, a junior mass media studies major, said she learned how to file a report out of necessity. “I had a professor

On April 8, at 4 a.m., the RSR working in Bill of Rights Hall reported to PS that two HU students and a non-student failed to comply with Hofstra guest policy and verbally harassed the RSR. The non-student was banned from campus, and the two students were issued referrals to CS for their actions.

who made me extremely uncomfortable by saying some very offensive things to me based on my identity. That situation got so bad I had to file a report with the department chair.”

Cornell Craig, vice president of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, commented on this fear of some students. “If a student doesn’t feel comfortable making a report, we are happy to have a conversation with them to find the best help available,” Craig said.

According to Craig’s statement specifically regarding students who may be affected by the vandalism, “Transgender students should be made aware of resources we have available for them on campus. Not just resources to report bias incidents, but [also] emotional support.”

Craig also stated that his office is working with students to make signage of all-gender bathrooms more clear. “We’re

looking into making a virtual map of campus that will have a filter to locate gender-inclusive bathrooms so students know where they can feel comfortable using the facilities,” Craig said. No details or time frame on that platform has been provided.

“DEI is an area at Hofstra where more progress could always be made ... A great inclusive policy is having gender-neutral restrooms. But a great inclusive action would be properly maintaining the gender-neutral restrooms. I think it’s incidents like this that show how Hofstra has only finished half the puzzle,” Lucchetto said. Students who wish to make a report on a hate crime or discriminator incident can do so through Ethics Point, which can be found on the Hofstra portal or by emailing the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

being conducted into this matter. The plant department was notified for cleanup.

On April 12, at 9:50 p.m., the fire alarm in Estabrook Hall was acti-

Public Safety Briefs

Compiled by Moriah Sukhlal

On Feb. 7, at 11:15 a.m., vehicle one, driven by an HU employee, was traveling eastbound on Law School Road and parking field 2A when vehicle two, driven by an HU student, backed into it. Vehicle one sustained damage to the right-side rear doors and quarter panel. Vehicle two sustained scrapes to the rear end tire. No one was injured, and no police report was requested at the time.

without stopping. The HU student sustained minor bruising and pain to the right to their right knee. Hempstead Police responded and took a report. The student refused any medical attention.

On April 8, at 11:14 p.m., the RA in Utrecht House reported to PS that, while conducting rounds, there were loud noises coming from a room. PS responded and discovered open bottles of alc

On April 8, at 4 a.m., the RSR working in Bill of Rights Hall reported to PS that two HU students and a non-student failed to comply with Hofstra guest policy and verbally harassed the RSR. The non-student was banned from campus, and the two students were issued referrals to CS for their actions.

lice responded. Two individuals were identified as nonstudents and were banned. One individual was identified as a student and was referred to CS for an ID violation.

vated due to hair care products. The alarm sounded, and the building was evacuated. PS, the plant department and the Uniondale Fire Department responded to the location. The situation was corrected, and the fire alarm was reset.

collided with them. No injuries were reported, but vehicle one sustained damage to the driver’s side and vehicle two sustained damage to the front bumper. No police involvement was requested at the time.

On April 14, at 5:25 p.m., the fire alarm in Hampton House was activated due to burnt food in the kitchen. The alarm sounded, and the building was evacuated. PS, the plant department and the Uniondale Fire Department responded to the location. The situation was corrected, and the fire alarm was reset.

On Feb. 8, at 11:32 p.m., an HU student called PS to report that a student sent them a text complaining of alcohol use in the lounge area of their suite. PS responded and observed the alcohol; no students were present at the time. Referrals to CS were issued to the students occupying the room where the alcohol was found.

On April 8, at 11:14 p.m., the RA in Utrecht House reported to PS that, while conducting rounds, there were loud noises coming from a room. PS responded and discovered open bottles of alcohol. Six students were issued referrals to CS.

On Feb. 7, at 8:33 a.m., vehicle one, operated by a nonHU student visitor, was reversing out of an alley when they backed into a parked vehicle owned by an HU student. The student was sitting in their vehicle at the time, which sustained damage to its front left side. Vehicle one sustained damage to the right front side. Nassau County Police responded to take a report.

On Feb. 7, at 2:05 p.m., an HU student reported that they left their AirPods Pro in a room in the law school. When they returned 10 minutes later, they were gone. A review of the cameras in the vicinity was conducted.

On Feb. 12, at 9:45 a.m., a Hofstra employee called PS, stating that an unknown person had gone through their desk drawers, leaving a mess. The employee reported that no items were missing. An investigation is being conducted.

On April 15, at 10:19 a.m., the fire alarm in New York House was activated due to burnt food in the kitchen. The alarm sounded, and the building was evacuated. PS, the plant department and the Uniondale Fire Department responded to the location. The situation was corrected, and the fire alarm was reset.

On Feb. 15, at 1:45 p.m., an HU student returned to their vehicle in parking field 2A and discovered a small dent and scratch to their left front door. No police assistance was requested at the time.

On Feb. 16, at 1:51 p.m., the fire alarm in James M. Shuart Stadium sounded due to a faulty trip. There were no people in the area at the time. PS, HFD, UFD and Plant responded. The situation was corrected, and the fire alarm was reset.

On Feb. 8, an HU student reported to PS that they were on their scooter and struck by an unknown vehicle. The operator of the vehicle fled the scene

On April 11, at 10:20 a.m., an HU plant employee reported to PS that he accidentally damaged a vehicle owned by another Hofstra employee on Holland Road while working on the main campus. The owner of the vehicle was notified about the damage and responded to PS.

On Feb. 10, at 8:20 p.m., an HU student called PS to state that there were three suspicious men walking around Vander Poel Hall. PS responded and located the individuals. The individuals refused to identify themselves. Nassau County Po-

On April 11, at 2:18 p.m., it was reported to PS that an unknown person wrote messages in chalk on the sidewalk on the south side of Hofstra Hall. Photos were taken of the graffiti, and an investigation is

On April 15, at 6:53 p.m., an HU student reported to PS that they lost their wallet containing their driver’s license, Hofstra ID, debit card and cash. The wallet was lost in a location off campus. The NCPD responded and took a report.

On Feb. 15, at 4:30 p.m., an HU student traveling in their vehicle was entering parking field 1 while vehicle two, driven by another HU student,

On Feb. 18, at 1:30 p.m., a nonstudent attending an admissions event reported to PS that they parked their vehicle by Berliner Hall at approximately 10:40 am. Upon return at around 1:25 pm, they discovered minor scratches to the front passenger side. Police assistance was declined at the time.

On April 16, at 9:44 a.m., an HU student reported to PS that some of their laundry was missing from the laundry room in Alliance Hall. The student requested a police response.

On April 16, at 10:26 p.m., an HU student was issued a referral to CS for swiping an unknown person into Netherlands South.

The all gender restroom in Roosevelt Hall was vandalized with the word “no.”

Connor Keough / The Hofstra Chronicle

By Zoe Casselman FEATURES EDITOR

Hailing all the way from sunny Los Angeles, California, junior film major Lilly Jensen is just as bright and warm as the famous city she comes from.

As an avid artist, musician and filmmaker, Jensen has always been surrounded by art, citing her family environment as her gateway into her love for film.

“I grew up in a family that was interested in film, so it was always on my mind and I just naturally found it fascinating,” Jensen said. “I just love coming up with strategies for how I would film things or the actual filming.”

Jensen originally planned on pursuing her interest in editing films but has recently found a greater passion for curating film scores and attaching fitting soundtracks to her cinematography.

“I wanted to edit everything on the beat or have visuals that made the music make more sense and put more emphasis on the music,” she said. “I feel like at first I was so focused on editing the film itself, but then I realized a lot of film is emphasized with music and that’s what I feel like is most important.”

Jensen is known to spend long hours finding the perfect song for her library of video edits, both for classes and pure enjoyment. Anything piece of art, physical, visual or musical that makes her feel resonates with her. Jensen proudly attributes her emotions as being her greatest inspiration.

“Feelings inspire me, it’s as simple as that. How I’m feeling, my thoughts and how to convey those on paper or through sound is what I want to do,” Jensen said. “It’s exciting because music feels so emotional to me and I have a lot of feelings. So to feel like I can put a feeling into a song and then have somebody else experience it too is really meaningful to me. Being able to get across a certain feeling to somebody random that’s watching is beautiful.” Jensen’s emotion seeps beyond

FEATURES

This Hofstra Life: Lilly Jensen

her digital exploration and into her creation of physical art. She contantly pursues new mediums, drawing with whatever she can get her hands on.

When asked about some of her favorites, she excitedly listed every medium she could think of that she features in her art, feeling especially drawn to water color, acrylic paint, Sharpie and markers, but “only the good ones.” She admits her most used medium at the moment is crayon, which she used to hate.

“I feel like you can do anything with [crayons],” Jensen said, “They remind me of chalk but more childish, and that’s really fun. People don’t give crayons a good reputation, I think, which I like because I want to prove them wrong.”

“Feelings inspire me, it’s as simple as that. How I’m feeling, my thoughts and how to convey those on paper or through sound is what I want to do.”

Jensen expressed missing her home city, but admits she has always felt the need to grow and explore, citing that as her reason for traveling across the country for school. But Jensen knew from the beginning she wanted to experience somewhere different.

“It’s hard to be away from home, but I don’t always feel like it,” Jensen said. “I felt like I was always moving around anyway because my parents lived in two different houses, so I knew going to college wasn’t going to be a big deal. I figured that leaving and going as far as I could would be the best opportunity for me because LA is always going to be there. I can always go back.”

Jensen does not have any definitive post-collegiate plans for the moment but does know that she would eventually like to “go back to living somewhere sunny” and continue pursuing a career within the film industry.

She likes the idea of beginning with minor projects and working her way up, starting out by just helping whoever may need it.

“LA would be a great place to live again, but it’s really expensive. I want to work my way up in the film industry,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be big, but I really like the idea of working on sets, either pre-production or post-production, helping the art team, set design or editing with music. I love the idea of helping people or friends with their films or projects and getting to know people and hopefully making more connections.

Jensen’s love and constant pursuit of all things creative is awe-inspiring. Her passion is clear in everything she does and continues to do, making her exactly the kind of artist the world will never be able to get enough of.

Photo courtesy of Lilly Jensen

Photo Courtesy of Lilly Jensen

By Zoe Casselman FEATURES EDITOR

There are many reasons to visit the East Village, from its vibrant art and architecture to the plethora of vintage shops and cafes. Despite all of the potential spots, I have found a new standout favorite. Prince Tea House, located at 204 East 10th Street, is an Asian-European restaurant specializing in brunch, dessert and decadent afternoon tea.

Upon entering, I immediately noticed the decor, which made an otherwise small space look welcoming and inviting. The cutesy pastel detailing, open seating and wide windows help the space feel sunny and cozy despite the cold February weather.

The restaurant does not take reservations, but looking at their most popular times online and planning around them proved fruitful, as we were seated immediately even though it was a Friday afternoon. The menu comes in the form of a QR code on the table, sending you directly to their website. There, you can view the plentiful food and drink options, containing something for anyone and everyone’s tastes. My friend and I opted to

By Nia Roman SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

A star shines defiantly in the desolate sky, Yet it beckons me when my eyes embrace the dark; in the silent realm where rejection thrives, It gazes back at me, a lonely spark.

Its brilliance punctuates the somber night, A star, a symbol of societal disdain, Shunned by friends and family, an unheard plight; amidst the fading lights, loneliness remains.

Mocked as “ewwww,” “ugly,” “crazy,” “stupid” they say,

FEATURES

Chron Critiques: Prince Tea House

purchase the afternoon tea for two, which totaled to just over $70 with tax. Thirty-five dollars per person is by no means the cheapest option, but it was beyond worth it for both the quality and experience. Each person gets to pick a flavor of tea from the extensive menu and receive unlimited refills for up to an hour and a half. They will also give you a gigantic to-go cup so you can empty your last pot of tea and take it with you.

We opted to pick one fruit tea and one milk tea and share the two. She chose passion fruit and I chose matcha milk tea. For most of the teas, they allow you to choose your desired sweetness level from 0% to 120%.

The waitress advised us that the matcha was very strong, and most people prefer a higher sweetness level. That was absolutely the right decision because that matcha was by far some of the best I have ever tasted. It was rich and creamy without being too strong or grassy, practically melting in my mouth as I drank it. The passionfruit was equally delicious, as the flavor was strong, sweet and fruity but not overwhelmingly so. Although, for a place that imports their tea

But this star, unaware of its untamed beauty, guards me against the impending disarray, too high, like diamonds, in the sky unclaimed.

directly from France, I am not at all surprised.

Besides just tea, for an additional cost, Prince Tea House also serves a variety of other drinks such as cocktails, mocktails, slushes, coffees, hot chocolate and champagne.

Along with the afternoon tea package, we were brought a tower of goodies. On the top layer were desserts, including mini molten lava cakes, fruit tarts and macarons of various flavors, ours being chocolate and caramel.

The middle tier contained the most immaculate fresh butter scones. They came straight from the oven to our table, and when we cracked the hard shell open, steam poured out. The sugary scone was expertly paired with smooth clotted cream and tart apricot jam.

On the bottom of the tower were the savory finger foods. We had small pastrami and swiss sandwiches on a croissant, a crab-shrimp mixture in a hard shell, chicken salad, cucumber tzatziki sandwiches and wasabi deviled eggs, all of which were beyond spectacular. Even though the portions were small, by the time we’d cleared the tower and had multiple cups of tea each, we

were pleasantly full. Additionally, the quality of the food was matched by the spectacular quality of the service. The waitstaff were kind and quick to help, eager to provide suggestions from what could have otherwise been a very overwhelming menu. It also seemed like they had a sixth sense in knowing when our teapots ran empty, swooping them up and making sure they always stayed

Poem: Celestial Solitude

In the mystery of her celestial gaze, Does she hear my cries amid the cosmic hum? As I observe her in the nightly haze, She fades, beckoning for a hug to overcome.

A hug to rescue me from society’s snare.

The enigma in her eyes reflects my plea, Love from far beyond, a love so rare; she calls for an embrace to set me free.

full.

Prince Tea House provided the best possible daytime activity on an otherwise dreary February day. If you are ever looking to get dressed up and have a tea party, this is the perfect place in New York City to do so!

Photo Courtesy of DIego PH / Unsplash

Zoe Casselman / The Hofstra Chronicle

M AN ON THE U NISPAN

What fictional character best represents you?

By Zoe Casselman and Frankie DiCalogero

FEATURES EDITOR AND SPORTS EDITOR

“Shaggy from ‘Scooby-Doo’ for sure.”

- Justin Leary, senior

O verheard @ h O fstra

“You cannot be mad at me once I shit myself!”

“He’d fuck the dirt if it looked at him the right way.”

“He didn’t want to put anything unnatural in his body. Well, what about that stick up his ass?”

“Dick Dastardly from ‘Wacky Races’ on Boomerang.”

- Lou Christiano, senior

“I love carrots that are full of Benadryl.”

“That makes your hand look so edible.”

“We’re literally little boys, bro. We’re little boys.”

“It’s got everything you could ever want: booze, food and something to pet.”

“He’s perplexing about his last name; he may or may not be in witness protection.”

“No balls in the picture, please.”

“I think people call me Peter Griffin because of my circumference.”

Spread by Audra Nemirow

“Connell Waldron from ‘Normal People,’ even though he’s a man.”

- Cassie Ankener, junior

Zoe Casselman / The Hofstra Chronicle

Chron Cooks ft. Zoe Casselman: Morgan’s Deviled Eggs

By Zoe Casselman FEATURES EDITOR

When you’re looking for a simple, satisfying appetizer for any party, holiday or random craving, these deviled eggs are the perfect dish. My sister Morgan makes these for me with love every time I return home to visit and has recently passed the recipe to me for my own recreation. When I crave an easy and tasty snack, or a little piece of home, this is my go-to.

Ingredients: 12 eggs

3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Salt Pepper Paprika

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place eggs into the water and let sit for 10-12 minutes, then remove and place in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any further.

2. Carefully remove the shells and slice the eggs in half vertically.

3. Remove the yolks and place them in a separate bowl.

4. Mash the yolks into a crumble.

5. Add a small amount of the Miracle Whip periodically until the mixture is a light-yellow paste.

6. Add Dijon mustard and mix.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Scoop the egg yolk mixture back into the empty egg white halves.

9. Sprinkle paprika on top of each egg for flavor and color.

10. Enjoy!

Zoe Casselman / The Hofstra Chronicle

Fall into February

February brought a

lot of joy to Hofstra’s campus, including Black History Month signature speaker Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson – a Pulitzer Prize winning writer and New York Times bestseller – spoke about America’s lasting scars of slavery and segregation.

Falling snow gifted Hofstra students with a snow day on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

Spread by Annie MacKeigan

Photo courtesy of Kimmy Sun

Photo courtesy of Kimmy Sun

Photo courtesy of Kimmy Sun

Photo courtesy of Alex Ferreira

Photo courtesy of Alex Ferreira

Photo courtesy of Alex Ferreira

Photo courtesy of Alex Ferreira

Photo courtesy of Alex Ferreira

Arts And EntErtAinmEnt

Live-action adaptations – just why?

By Aidan Judge ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

In recent years, adapting beloved animated shows into live-action formats has gained far too much momentum in the entertainment industry. From childhood classics such as “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Fairly OddParents” to modern favorites like the recently ordered live-action adaptation of Disney’s “Moana,” major studios have been quick to capitalize on nostalgia by bringing these animated worlds to life on the big screen. Even though there is a lot of excitement surrounding these projects when they are first announced, it’s becoming increasingly evident that many of these adaptations are ultimately unnecessary and often fail to capture the magic of their animated counterparts. One of the primary reasons why live-action adaptations of animated shows fall short is the loss of the unique artistic style and creativity that defines the original animation. On

Thursday, Feb. 22, Netflix released a live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon’s classic series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” that remade the show’s first season. Although the adaptation is visually stunning, the heart of the original series has been lost with the introduction of liveaction characters. The visual aesthetic of the original series and its animation allowed for much more creativity. When these shows are adapted into live-action formats, they often lose the magic and charm that made them special in the first place. This results in a diluted and uninspired portrayal of the original material.

A fundamental flaw with live-action adaptations is that they exist for the purpose of recreation rather than genuine storytelling, which leads to the inevitable comparison between the animated and live-action versions and, of course, the disappointment that follows. This is where we enter a weird zone of “why does this exist, and what purpose does it

serve?” where producers and filmmakers feel obligated to deliver a faithful adaptation to not piss off audiences and fans. As a result, live-action adaptations frequently feel like imitations of the original rather than something that can stand on its own and be a piece of media with a unique identity.

Adaptations often try to draw in new fans for a franchise or property but fail at doing so by being low quality. For fans of the original animated series, the liveaction adaptation may fail to live up to their expectations, and on the other hand, newcomers may find themselves disconnected from the story and characters. This dynamic between new and old fandoms usually leads to disappointment on both fronts, failing to satisfy either demographic and ultimately torpedoing the success of the adaptation.

Look at the live-action adaptation of “The Fairly OddParents,” for example. Not only were fans of the animated original disappointed by the low

quality of the new adaptation, but there was no foundation for a new audience to be created since the product that was being put out was not well received.

The sheer number of liveaction adaptations in recent years has resulted in a massive saturation of the market for liveaction adaptations, begging the question of if we should even continue to keep creating these products. Nostalgia is the copout way to ensure an easy cash grab with low effort from the studio’s end.

While the idea of bringing beloved animated shows to life in live-action is good in concept, the reality is that many of these adaptations are completely unnecessary and fail to capture the magic of the original material. Instead of chasing nostalgia, studios should focus on creating new and original stories that can stand on their own.

Films like ‘The Zone of Interest’ benefit from Oscar

By Jason Fields STAFF WRITER

Every year at the Academy Awards, there are a few types of films that are bound to be nominated: the blockbusters that dominated the box office, the arthouse hopefuls and the little indies that could. This year is no exception – with films that range as wide in tone and scope as “Past Lives” to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” the extensive gamut of cinema is accurately represented. One result of such a wide breadth of cinema being nominated is that films that would otherwise fall under the public’s radar now gain far more attention than they would have. As far as case studies go, there is no better example of how Academy nominations can help broaden a film’s exposure than Jonathan Glazer’s bleak, uncompromising Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest,” which is nominated for five awards at this year’s Academy

Awards, most prominently Best Picture and Best International Feature Film.

“The Zone of Interest” follows the family of Rudolf Höss, the Nazi commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, with nary a focus on the camp itself. Never seen and only heard, the atrocities committed by the Nazis take a backseat to the pastoral dream life the Höss family attempts to build for themselves. The family’s endeavor is filmed with cold, clinical detachment – in a move that likely netted him his Best Director nod, Glazer shot most of the film in a multi-cam setup, completely detaching any sense of authorial voice from the film’s visuals.

Compared to the other films nominated this year, “The Zone of Interest” is as unconventional as they come: an art film that, in both its aesthetic and narrative construction, refuses audiences an easy out. Though

its construction is to be expected for those exposed to Glazer’s previous work, this film – despite its successful festival run, including winning the Grand Prix at last year’s Cannes Film Festival – seems almost designed to confirm general audiences’ worst fears about films that fall outside of commercial cinema’s traditions. And yet, those audiences that would normally run away from such a film now have a reason to at least give it a chance.

Films like “The Zone of Interest” often have a tragic distribution run where they’re thrown into arthouse theaters for a few weeks and then thrown onto streamers just as quickly. These filmmakers can use Academy Award nominations as an excuse to go wide (or as wide as their distributors can afford), hoping that such mainstream exposure can give them a seat at the cinematic table, which is often left to the studios that

Quick Hits

noms

can afford to dominate the multiplexes. A studio like A24 who, despite their countercultural cache, do not have the capital to put films in theaters for as long as humanly possible, can use these nominations to gain a greater foothold in the theatrical space.

“The Zone of Interest,” was originally shunted away in limited release in December but was effectively granted space in the multiplexes thanks to its award nominations in January. The weekend after its Academy Award nominations, the box office jumped 141% from where it had originally stood, and while general audiences may have a hard time making heads or tails out of it, a film like “The Zone of Interest” deserves as many eyeballs on it as possible. Thanks to the Academy Awards, it will likely get them.

Feb. 25.

Courtesy of Daily Mail

Alec Baldwin will stand trial this summer for fatal “Rust” shooting.

Biden appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday, Feb. 26.

The SAG Awards were broadcast through Netflix on Sunday,

Courtesy of Rolling Stone

Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

Courtesy of The Wrap

Courtesy of Yahoo News

Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the “GUTS” tour in Palm Springs, California.

Prince Harry recently released a new documentary on Hulu.

By Beau Dragone

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Shane Gillis invited back to host ‘SNL’

When will “Saturday Night Live” be the same again? SNL brought in Shane Gillis to host their latest episode alongside musical guest 21 Savage. The duo spun heads at first, starting with “Who is Shane Gillis?” and moving to “Why 21 Savage?” Shane Gillis’ monologue is what put this show back on track. SNL fired him back in 2019 after comments that he made on his podcast in 2018 regarding race and sexuality resurfaced. After being fired five days after his hire as a cast member, Gillis continued his podcast and career as a comedian, releasing his first comedy special two years later in 2021. With recent success on TikTok and Patreon, he was invited back by his former employer to host the 12th episode of the 49th season on Saturday, Feb. 24.

As most people didn’t even know who he was upon his host announcement, he jokingly told the audience in his opening

monologue to not look up his firing in 2019. That was about all Gillis said about being fired, steering away from that controversy rather intelligently. He was actually great with the crowd and pointed out awkward moments when his jokes got few laughs, which then got a kick out of the audience.

Having an actual comedian on the stage to open the show was a smart choice by SNL, especially when that comedian is one they thought was funny enough to be a cast member five years ago. Although he can come off as an immature person who has no real

command in life, he’s an artist at crafting and delivering comedy. This episode almost acted as another tryout for Gillis. He acted in almost every sketch and did an outstanding job. Maybe you have to be a certain type of person to laugh at his humor, but people who already knew who he was were fighting the extremes of each side for him. With a good amount of people in the audience

not thrilled by his presence, he was able to pull the lever back and show them that he is funny.

In today’s comedy world, everything is posted to the internet and is seen by anybody whose feed it floats across. This makes for a wider audience and more room for feedback and criticism which many believe has depleted comedy, including SNL, in the recent decade. Gillis slowly built back that connection between the jokes and the audience that SNL has been searching for throughout the years. His sketches, set in a Caribbean church and an HR

office training room, helped bridge that gap as he took advantage of who he was when delivering the jokes. We all know that he’s got a frat-bro persona that he knows people probably hate already, but he takes advantage of that in his delivery which, when the audience understands, makes it hilarious.

As for 21 Savage, he performed songs from his new album, including hit “redrum.” The best part of both his performances were the backup singers, ballerinas, orchestra and artistic setting. The combination of 21 Savage and Gillis made for a “Saturday Night Live” episode that may be the start of a trend toward the comedy we’ve all been dying to revive.

A Swift Grammy victory and ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

By Alyssa Inserra

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

The 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 4, was a televised triumph for Taylor Swift and her fans. By the end of the night, Swift strutted out of the Crypto.com Arena with two Grammys in hand. One of those awards was for Album of the Year, which brought Swift from three to four of the same award, breaking the record for the number of wins.

Exclaiming that she was “mindblown” by the victory, Swift expressed that the joy she felt accepting the award was akin to the satisfaction of completing a song she was writing. To Swift, the work she does musically is what brings her true fulfillment: “All I want to do is keep doing this. So, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do what I love so much.” The true gem of the night occurred before

she accepted this award and sent her fans—more commonly known as Swifties—into full-on panic mode.

The tension was palpable in the arena and the homes of viewers as the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album were announced. Swifties across the world held their breaths – if Swift took this category, it would mark her 13th Grammy. Thirteen is very publicly Swift’s lucky number, which she incorporates frequently in music videos and album release dates, so many speculated that this win would surely lead to her announcing something big. Many fans theorized that the release date of “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)” would be announced since Thursday, Feb. 1, a mere three days before the Grammys, was National Serpent Day, and snakes were a significant symbol of the album.

Lo and behold, Swift’s name was announced as the award recipient; however, when she

Natalia Stornello. “I thought Taylor was going to announce ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version),’ so this album was a huge shock.”

walked onstage to receive the Grammy and address the crowd, she did something unexpected. The announcement of her eleventh studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” left Swifties all across the world in disbelief.

“When I found out ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ was coming out, I was so excited!” said freshman and Swift-fanatic

Soon after her announcement, her post of the album cover on Instagram sparked even more publicity for the awaited album set to be released on April 19 this year. “All’s fair in love and poetry,” she writes, so why not strike while the iron is hot and release a “secret” that was two years in the making?

As the “chairman” of said poets department, Swift is effectively making clear the autonomy in her decision-making when it comes to her music, her songwriting and her career; a trilogy of ownership that is both admirable and empowering in the industry. These new campaigning efforts didn’t stop at the Grammys.

After Swift’s four-day excursion

playing in Tokyo, Japan, she embarked to her biggest stage yet: Melbourne, Australia. Three sold-out shows, over 98 thousand fans per night and the release of a new edition of “The Tortured Poets Department” with a bonus track called “The Bolter” solidified her pitch for the album. With all these promotions, Swifties are frantically trying to decode what this album could be about.

“I think we’re going to get a lot of breakup songs and get more insight into the breakdown of her relationship with [her ex-boyfriend] Joe Alwyn,” Stornello said.

It’s only a matter of time before Swifties gain access to the classified files of “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Gillis performed the sketch “Sex Doll” with cast member Sarah Sherman.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Photo courtesy of USA Today

“The Tortured Poets Department” releases on April 19.

By Varun Raju

Saltburn is empty exploitation for the TikTok generation

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Daughter of a jewelry designer born into the peaks of British high society, Emerald Fennell made a career transition from acting to writing and directing with her television series “Killing Eve” and has since received many accolades and awards and great recognition for her work. Fennell’s sophomore project “Saltburn” is a film that aims to provoke, much like her debut “Promising Young Woman.” The latter film, for which Fennell received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay – one of the more puzzling decisions on behalf of the Academy in a history of many puzzling decisions – was sold as a poppy, high-brow feminist take on the rape-revenge film. However, in reality, it was a film composed of empty platitudes and pulled punches, with little to say about its subject matter.

“Saltburn’s” attempts at provocation are similarly vapid

and lame. It’s clear that in every part of the filmmaking process, Fennell was desperately trying to cater to sexual content rather than tell a complete story. In addition, the film’s lack of structure commends a goldfishlevel attention span. The film feels specifically designed and marketed for scenes to be screencapped and shared on X, or cut down so you can catch a glimpse of it on Instagram reels.

Along with the flimsy class commentary and the misguided attempts to be “edgy,” it should be remembered that the film fundamentally doesn’t work on any level, even if you choose to look at it as a simple, fun, erotic thriller. The horrid writing renders any decent performance in the film pretty much worthless. Barry Keoghan, one of the most electrifying performers working today, puts his everything into the

role, but the character lacks any real sort of definition. Nearly every character in the film is played by a seasoned actor with a repertoire of great work, but the poor writing shows through even the best of the acting, and the characters slowly devolve into parodies of themselves. Jacob Elordi is maybe the only one to make something of the material and plays the only character in the film that feels like a real human being rather than a cartoon character. The film is superficially pretty, but compositionally never does anything particularly interesting. The choice to present it in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio is another empty decision that stinks of desperation. Another cheap trick to make you think that there must be something artistic going on here, because the frame would

Dad rock is dead – almost

By Makenzie Hurt OPINION EDITOR

Imagine yourself sitting in the back seat of your dad’s car on the way home from school –Nickelback is playing on his CD player radio. He asks you who sings this song and you have no idea, even though you’ve heard it a million times.

“Dad rock” is a staple in almost everyone’s lives, whether they know what it is or not. It is roughly defined as music enjoyed by older generations, typically men, and is heavily influenced by classic rock. Suddenly, a resurgence of dad rock has swept through social media platforms. Most recently, dad rock fans have been resharing clips of Creed singing their hit song “Higher” during the 2001 Cowboys vs. Broncos Thanksgiving halftime show with the caption, “Creed. Halftime. Thanksgiving. ‘Nuff said.”

Comments on the video

included things like, “This is where America peaked” and “Bring back halftime shows like this.”

So why is it that Generation Z social media users are suddenly enamored with dad rock? Why do we always wish to go back in time, even though we weren’t necessarily in the best place then – as that Creed halftime show took place only two months after 9/11?

playing Queen on his boat. It’s easy to look at the past in a positive light, especially when you are looking back at a time when you were young.

I would attribute it to our constant desire to remember one of the more positive aspects of our childhood. I can remember my best friend’s dad quizzing us on System of a Down songs in his truck and my grandfather

Labeling all rock music that came out pre-2010s as dad rock could imply a parental, loving connotation, despite such music not always being loving or traditionally “comforting.”

But when we associate an entire genre with our dads, we’re establishing the idea that this music is nostalgic for our

otherwise be the normal size! Despite my harsh commentary, “Saltburn” is far from the worst film ever made and even has glimpses of interesting narrative and stylistic ideas. However, the film is intensely disingenuous and artificial and boasts a sense of eminence that is just blood boiling. Fennell seems simultaneously insecure about her work and smug about its greatness. It seems that she wants to exploit and provoke, but whenever she is at the cusp of making any real statement, she pulls back, pandering to an audience whose admiration she is desperate for.

childhood.

Nostalgia psychologically evokes that feeling of comfort along with a sense of belonging, which is often difficult for Gen Z to find with the wide array of content, aesthetics and everchanging social groups we are subjected to.

Dad rock can’t be defined the same for everyone, though. Those of us born in the early 2000s may be likely to consider bands like Three Days Grace, Metallica, Evanescence, Creed, Korn or Linkin Park as dad rock, whereas someone born in the 1990s might consider it as Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, Journey or Queen. Those born in the 1970s might consider The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan or Cream to be dad rock.

While TikTok creators have recently been posting a lot about dad rock and the shared experience of playing “name that song” with their fathers,

there has not actually been a resurgence of dad rock. If anything, we are going to see a decline in dad rock in the coming years.

Since we are so caught up on old music and constantly seeking the positive feelings that nostalgia gives us, Gen Z is putting less of an emphasis on new rock music and almost exclusively listening to older rock.

There are still rock bands in the making, but they do not get nearly as much attention as the rock bands of our fathers’ time. The current reigning genres are pop and hip-hop, whether you like it or not. Once Gen Z starts becoming dads, our version of dad rock will probably still be considered as the classics by the next generation.

Photo courtesy of Space.com

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Saltburn has amassed $21 million in the box office since its release on November 23, 2023.

Creed was a big name in the post-grunge era in the ‘90s

The views and opinions expressed in the Opinion section are those of the authors. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.

Hofstra’s Dining Dollars should change in a new way

By Lee Cusack

Hofstra’s new Dining Dollars requirement for sophomores is an unnecessary change that will end up costing students more than it will help them.

In previous years, freshmen were required to choose from options five, six or seven, the three most expensive meal plans if they lived on campus. However, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, Jessica Eads, the senior vice president for student enrollment, engagement and success, sent out an email to all freshmen highlighting a new change in the Dining Dollars plan. This change was that not only do freshmen have to buy one of these three dining plans, but sophomores would have to as well.

The reasoning stated in the email is that the administration has recorded that students who purchase too small of a meal plan end up adding more funds or running out during the

semester. The idea is that this change will reduce students’ stress when trying to save Dining Dollars. For most students who buy larger dining plans, they end up with more money leftover at the end of the semester than they could use.

Food is expensive at Hofstra. While the administration can’t completely overhaul the pricing as it is related to the contract signed with the food providers, it is an important context to the Dining Dollars issue raised. The classic burger at the Oak Street Café is $9.33, according to its Boost menu. Add a bottled soda for $2.50, and you end up with an average price of around $12 per meal.

Not everyone needs these expensive dining plans, and the whole reason multiple plans are offered in the first place is to give choices to the students who know their eating habits.

In my case, as a freshman, I purchased the $3,080 plan and ended up with $291.51 at the

end of the fall semester. With that extra money included, I’ll most likely end up with double that at the end of the spring semester if my eating habits stay relatively the same.

This calculation doesn’t consider times when I am away from campus, such as

“The reasoning stated in the email is that the administration has recorded that students who purchase too small of a meal plan end up adding more funds or running out during the semester.”

spring break, when I will not be spending my Dining Dollars here and will be saving a week’s worth of money.

I don’t need this high of a dining plan, and while I was at first anxious about running out of money, I no longer have that concern. I initially wanted

to purchase one of the lower dining plans next year. But with this change, I can’t.

If Hofstra wants to relieve the stress students have about Dining Dollars, there’s a better way to do it than requiring sophomores to buy higher plans. One of those ways is to change how the rollover system works.

Dining Dollars carry over from fall to spring semester, but only if you purchase a plan of equal or greater value. Anything left over after the spring semester is forfeited.

If you have significant leftover Dining Dollars at the end of the fall semester and they roll over, you’ll likely end up with the same amount, or more, at the end of the spring semester.

If after the fall semester you have leftover money and realize you could use a lesser meal plan and be alright, you will forfeit what you have in leftovers.

Why hotels are going extinct

By Ethan Albin

Hospitality, while a vital industry, is an ever-changing one. Post-pandemic, the industry has changed permanently. According to Arun Upneja, the dean of Boston University’s School of Hospitality, “... New models have to come up, and we have to reset our expectations.”

“New models” refers to selfsufficient rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo which have flourished throughout the pandemic and have continued to rise in popularity over staffed hotels. Many attribute the main reason for the swap in service to pricing differences, but that’s only a chunk of it.

Price point-wise, there isn’t a monumental difference. I recently stayed at the CitizenM hotel located near South Station in Boston, Massachusetts, and spent $223 for a two-night stay,

which comes out to $111.50 per night. While the hotel has an admittedly great atmosphere, the rooms aren’t large by any means. In comparison, Airbnb has hundreds of options for the same area, ranging from $50 to over $200 a night. One can find a dwelling that suits them perfectly with far more space than hotels offer. So, while pricing at these rentals can be better, the larger reason why travelers prefer them is the freedom that comes with them.

Airbnbs don’t have housekeeping services like hotels do, though there’s typically a cleaning fee involved in one’s billing that is set by the hosts. In most cases, the only people that are residing with you are the guests you bring along. An Airbnb report states, “Over 60% of U.S. hosts say they rent out their primary home while they’re on vacation.” So,

many hosts rent out their entire living space while they aren’t there. With the exception of long-term stay hotels, guests at rental spaces generally have access to a much larger space that can include a full kitchen, living room and other amenities.

According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, American hotels vary by size depending on the type of hotel. Their survey found that “luxury hotels in the United States have an average room size of 375 square feet, while midscale hotels have an average room size of 308 square feet and economy hotels have an average room size of 245 square feet.”

The majority of surveyed hosts are renting out their primary residences, meaning houses. Airbnb gathered data from Q4 of 2022 showing that for the price of one bedroom at a Marriott, Hyatt or Hilton

This shouldn’t be how it works. Dining Dollars should carry over no matter the meal plan. Buying the same meal plan when you have a lot of leftover money is a waste. Hofstra is already an expensive school to attend; lessening the amount of money spent on Dining Dollars would help students discover which meal plan is better suited to them and save them a lot of money in the long term.

Hofstra has the right idea that changing the dining program can be beneficial, but they’re going about it in the wrong way. There are plenty of changes that can be made to help students, but limiting student options is not the way to do it.

Lee Cusack is a freshman audio/radio production and studies major.

hotel, families could get a twobed, two-bath Airbnb. If I’m paying nearly a hundred dollars a night to stay in a one-bed and one-bath hotel room surrounded by other guests and the alternative is a private house to myself with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, I’m taking the latter every time. The bang for your buck is in rentals, not the hotel rooms of days past.

Airbnb and Vrbo also provide unique rentals that corporate hotel chains simply cannot compete with. Vrbo’s booking site offers stays at bed and breakfasts, villas, cabins and lodges, as well as various houseboats and yachts. Good Housekeeping published an article on the most unique Airbnb properties in every state, which included yurts and domes as well as historical homes. In each of these examples, the stay is an experience for the

whole family, one that differs greatly from traditional hotels which feel more like a rest station than a living space – popping back in to change before leaving again, hopping in for a quick shower and getting ready frantically.

The era of rentals is now; hotels simply cannot keep up with all they have to offer, including better price points, more space and a vaster array of options. In today’s world, more is better, which is why Airbnb, Vrbo and various other rental platforms will continue to rise in popularity over the hotel chains of the past.

Ethan Albin is a junior journalism major with a creative writing minor. He also is an editor of the Op-ed section.

Tom Norman is a sophomore

Graphic by Makenzie Hurt / The Hofstra Chronicle

The views and opinions expressed in the Opinion section are those of the authors. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.

Laundry is not that hard ... right?

By Craig Mannino

Laundry is one of the unfortunate constants of life, up there with death and taxes. Would I rather be doing anything else than washing and folding my clothes? Sure. Do I do it anyway? Absolutely. However, the most aggravating part of doing laundry in a shared space is not the laundry itself, but the other people who make a simple task infinitely more difficult.

Laundry can be aggravating when you’d rather spend time on other things, but it is certainly not difficult. Everyone on Hofstra University’s campus is a young adult learning how to do young adult things, and sure, if Mommy and Daddy did your laundry for you up until now, it can be hard to pick up the slack. So, while I can forgive a rough start at the beginning of a semester, I cannot forgive when that rough start becomes a trend that litters the whole semester

By Thomas Saxa

with issues. Laundry could be so simple and quick, even in a shared living space, provided everyone knows what they’re doing. Unfortunately, many people don’t.

There are people who leave their laundry unclaimed for hours after the end of its cycle, use more than two machines at once and wash their shoes in the machines, among many other annoying habits. Although these offenses aren’t particularly heinous, anything that puts a wrench in the shared process can still be frustrating. There aren’t many feelings more aggravating than going to your residence hall’s laundry room only to see finished machines with clothes still sitting in them. You’re pursuing a degree, but you can’t set a timer?

Laundry is made even more difficult by Hofstra’s poor upkeep of the machines. Dryers function poorly, washing machines leak and even when CSC ServiceWorks does fix something, it doesn’t stay fixed

for long. Even a single machine being out of order, in conjunction with everything mentioned above, can make laundry a greater nightmare than it already is.

In fact, during the spring semester of 2023, residents of Rensselaer House in the Netherlands had no functioning dryers for weeks, and they were not fixed until after move-out. Estabrook residents experienced a similar issue regarding broken laundry machines during that same semester.

More recently, in Vander Poel Hall, one of the washing machines, though functional, could not be changed off warm temp. and perm. press. Regardless of the number of maintenance requests made, the washer went unfixed for the entirety of the semester.

I’m not the only person who feels frustrated with Hofstra’s laundry situation. Seriously, just search “laundry” on Fizz and doomscroll to your heart’s content. There are posts with

hundreds of upvotes complaining about people’s inability to set timers, threatening to remove finished loads from machines and a picture of piles of unclaimed clothes strewn about Enterprise Hall’s laundry room from last semester that makes me shudder. Despite the coverage that laundry room horror stories get on Fizz, the most deranged ones often don’t appear on the platform and are so much worse than anything that does.

Last semester, an RA in Colonial Square told me that the residents of one of the houses were having what can only be described as a laundry war. People would let their clothes sit in machines for hours without taking them out, use every machine for load after load and fight in the house GroupMe daily.

This saga came to a head when, after a resident moved their laundry from a washing machine to a dryer, they messaged their RA and asked them

to take the laundry out of the dryer when it was done because the resident was going to bed.

To me, this is the peak of insensitivity. It’s already awful to intentionally fall asleep with laundry in the machines and expect everyone else in the hall to wait for you to wake up and take it out, but it is doubly awful to do that and ask someone else to take it out for you.

Those living in your hall, including your RAs, are not there to wait on you and are not responsible for your inability to do your own laundry. Stay awake, don’t use more than two machines at one time and above all, set a timer – or else someone, maybe even me, will be taking your clothes out for you.

Craig Mannino is a sophomore English and writing studies double major. You can find him @craigarg on Instagram.

Please calm down about the ‘Barbie’ drama

The summer of 2023 saw the heavily anticipated release of Greta Gerwig’s magnum opus, “Barbie.” The film rose to critical and commercial success, empowering both women around the world and fat cat studio executives. With this immense success comes the inevitable discussion of the Oscars, which this film received no shortage of nominations for. However, there appears to be great discourse over two specific “snubs” that the film faced.

The snubs in question are Greta Gerwig’s lack of nomination for Best Director and lead actress Margot Robbie’s lack of nomination for Best Actress. This led to a wave of controversy from fans who believed that this was the result of sexism on the part of the Academy.

Publications like The New York Times, major politicians like Joaquin Castro and gremlins on X have all made this claim without looking at this objectively.

The first thing you must realize is that the film already received eight other major nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. Considering Gerwig herself wrote the screenplay, the sexism argument makes less sense. America Ferrera was also nominated for her role in the film in the category of Best Supporting Actress. To support this claim, proponents of the drama tend to cite Ryan Gosling’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor in his admittedly breathtaking role as Ken. First off, it’s an entirely different category entirely for men. Second, it is literally the Academy’s job to have an

opinion deeming that a person is worthy of a nomination. Nominating one person and not another who is in a completely different category isn’t inherently sexism, it’s two separate opinions.

Another claim that defenders make is that Greta Gerwig wasn’t nominated for Best Director because it’s a male-dominated category. While I do think that there’s an overflow of male directors compared to female ones, the fact that people think she wasn’t nominated because she is a woman is questionable. I’m about to lay down a harsh truth: the Academy hates fun. While “Barbie” does contain brilliant filmmaking and intelligent feminist commentary, the fact that it’s a large blockbuster automatically makes it less “prestigious” in the Academy’s eyes. The other Best Direc-

tor nominees contained some unique cinematography or editing. “Poor Things” has vivid, wildly imaginative imagery; “Oppenheimer” has crosscutting to black and white.

Compared to these films, Barbie seems plain, which is completely fine – but to the Academy, that might make it unworthy of a nomination. Justine Triet was also nominated for directing “Anatomy of a Fall,” so the directing category isn’t entirely comprised of men, either. Listen, it sounds like I’m defending the Academy, but trust me, as a film major, I usually disagree with them the most. Trends like awarding “Crash” and “Shakespeare in Love” the awards for Best Picture, their undying hatred for animated films and the god-awful monologues during the show itself make the Oscars honestly quite

insufferable to watch. I’ve been witnessing the Academy’s malarkey all my life, so a film not having as many nominations as people would like it to have seems like such a minute thing to complain about.

Hollywood filmmaking is still a male-dominated industry, I agree with that, but the nominations this awards season are not a product of sexism.

Thomas Saxa is a freshman film studies major who specializes in op-eds and all things hot takes. Find him on Instagram @tbonesaxaphone.

Marist’s strong fourth quarter hands Pride first home loss

By Josh Sager STAFF WRITER

The Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Marist College Red Foxes on Saturday, Feb. 24. It was a close tug-of-war matchup, but in the end, Marist came out on top 12-10 at the James M. Shuart Stadium.

“Tough one today,” said Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney. “Obviously, you always credit the winner, but I just think we made some mistakes. We lost that game.”

The Pride falls to 3-2 overall,

while Marist improves to 3-1.

Marist began the scoring in the first quarter, as Vinny Butrico whizzed a shot past Hofstra goalkeeper Sean Henderson just under four minutes in. Anthony Mollica only needed 18 seconds to tie the contest, scoring on a low shot from the left side. Less than a minute later, it was Justin Sykes who put his name on the scoresheet off a quick pass.

The 2-1 lead for Hofstra lasted three minutes before the visitors tied it via Sean Mullan’s first goal of the game. Marist then took back the lead 25 seconds later thanks to Christian Colantonio’s score off of Joshua Balcarcel’s feed. The quarter ended 5-2 with two more goals for Marist from Stephen Bickel and Keenan DeRaeve, both unassisted.

Almost 10 minutes had passed in the second quarter before Sykes scored his second goal, bouncing his ninth goal past Noble Smith. It was then that Sam Lutfi, who was playing his

first game of the season, took an unbalanced attempt on goal and ended up scoring to make it 5-4.

“[Lutfi] hadn’t played lacrosse in a long time,” Tierney said. “We thought he would give us a little bit of an edge with his quickness.”

With the score 5-4 at the start of the second half, almost five minutes went by until Bickel doubled Marist’s lead to 6-4 with an unassisted goal. The Pride roared back, as Rory Jones set up Hofstra’s leading scorer John Madsen to put the ball in the back of the net for the 17th time this season.

After Marist got two goals to start the fourth quarter, it was Colton Rudd and Turner who put Hofstra level with their opponents in a span of a minute and 16 seconds. Marist wasn’t fazed, however, and took a two-goal lead thanks to Mullan scoring his third and a second for Butrico.

While Madsen scored his third of the game to make it an 11-10 game, it was a costly error

by Blake Cooling that allowed for Collin Patrick to score with five seconds left.

Despite the loss, this is now the fourth straight game for Madsen with three or more goals. He has now scored 17 of his 19 on the year in the last four contests he’s played in for Hofstra.

“[Madsen]’s compete level has always been there,” Tierney said. “You never have to worry that John Madsen’s going to show up. He shows up every time.”

Hofstra now has a difficult

part of the schedule ahead of them, as the next game is on the road against Rutgers University. “Whether we won today or not, the schedule is what it is,” Tierney added. “Rutgers is a really good team, but, again, all of these games are in preparation for conference play.”

Opening face-off against the Scarlet Knights is on Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m.

Hofstra wraps up regular season with loss to Drexel

By Olivia Hillestad ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

In their final dual meet of the season, the Hofstra University wrestling team fell to Drexel University 24-9 on Saturday, Feb. 24. Ross McFarland and No. 18 Keaton Kluever were the only two members of the Pride to win their matches at 174 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively. The Pride ended the season with an 8-6 overall record and an Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) record of 2-2. The Dragons improved to

8-9 overall and 5-4 in EIWA.

After a scoreless first period against Jack Janda, McFarland fought off bottom, hitting a standing granby roll to get an escape in the second period. Janda took bottom in the third to get an escape of his own and move the match into sudden victory overtime. There, Janda took a shot, with McFarland sprawling and getting to a leg. While in a scramble, Janda attempted to roll through, but McFarland caught him on his back to earn a takedown and back points, winning the match 8-1.

As for the only other win of the night for the Pride, Kluever made quick work of his opponent Santino Morina. Kluever used a beautiful throw to take Morina to his back and earn a win by pin at 2:56.

The Pride kept it close in the matches they lost, keeping all losses to a decision. At 141 pounds, Alex Turley started the night against Jordan Soriano,

where he earned a last-second takedown to keep the match to a close 8-4. Following at 149 pounds, Noah Tapia lost 5-4 after Dom Findora earned a last-second takedown to put himself ahead. At 157 pounds, Jurius Clark was also victim to a loss by a third-period takedown, losing 5-1 to Tyler Williams.

Drexel’s only ranked wrestler, No. 33 Cody Walsh, had a competitive match against true freshman Jake Slotnick at 165 pounds. Walsh got the escape and a takedown in the third period to win 4-0.

At 184 pounds, Will Conlon earned the first takedown of the match against Justin Griffith. However, after two takedowns by Griffith in the third period, Conlon lost 8-6. Nikolas Miller followed with yet another close match, losing once again because of a third-period takedown to make the score 8-6 at 197 pounds. For the final two matches of the night, Dylan Acevedo-

Switzer fell to Desmond Pleasant 5-1 at 125 pounds and Dylan Ryder fell 7-5 after earning the first takedown of the match against John Hildebrandt. Hildebrandt used a front headlock to put Ryder to his back and win the match at 133 pounds.

Drexel currently leads 2119 all-time against the Pride. Kluever and McFarland’s wins will help secure seeds for them entering the EIWA championships, where they are both anticipated to place based

on EIWA rankings. As for the rest of the Pride, the losses will not help with seeding criteria.

Drexel has four wrestlers in the EIWA rankings: Hildebrandt, Findora, Williams and Walsh, each of whom the Pride kept close matches against.

The Pride competed in their final regular season competition on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the National Collegiate Open Championships, with their next competition at the EIWA Championships on March 8.

Hofstra finishes the regular season with its best record since 2019-2020.

Hofstra is 1-2 in three meetings against the Red Foxes.

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein / Hofstra Athletics

Photo courtesy of Matteo Bracco / Hofstra Athletics

Hofstra’s late comeback falls short against Fairfield

By Anthony Hildago STAFF WRITER

Sophomore Nikki Mennella scored four goals for the Pride as the Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team fell 12-9 to Fairfield University on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The Pride cut their second half goal deficit from seven to just two with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, before Fairfield’s Elizabeth Talluto iced the game with her fourth goal of the contest.

Nikki Mennella’s four goals were team-leading for Hofstra,

including two late goals to cut the Fairfield lead to 11-8 with just over five minutes left. This game marked the third time the redshirt sophomore has scored four-plus goals in her career; she’s scored at least two goals in each of her nine career games at Hofstra. Graduate students Melissa Sconone and Taylor Mennella each had a goal and two assists while Lauren Coletti came in as a substitute and scored two goals of her own.

Fairfield was quick out the gate, pressuring the Pride defense early and often, breaking the scoring seal just 59 seconds after the first draw. Sconone tied it up just two minutes later with her fourth goal of the season before the Stags scored three unanswered goals, putting Hofstra in a 4-1 hole nearly seven minutes into the game.

Talluto and Libby Rowe led the way for Fairfield, with the latter taking control early with

three goals and two assists in the first half. Talluto scored once before halftime and two more times coming out of the break, three goals in just a seven-minute span to give Fairfield their biggest lead of the day.

Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith’s timeout following the Fairfield goal showed to be the turning point for the Pride, responding with a 5-0 run. Coletti began the slow climb back with her second goal of the day seven minutes into the third quarter. The Pride’s offense failed to pick up momentum, like it had for most of the first half, before Kerry Walser scored her second goal of the season over 14 minutes later.

Walser’s goal jump-started the Hofstra offense as evidenced by Nikki Mennella’s back-to-back goals to bring the Pride back in striking distance. Taylor Mennella chipped in on the effort and found the back of the net three minutes later,

making overtime look like a real possibility. The near comeback was not possible without the greatly improved defensive effort from Hofstra in the second half. Holding Fairfield to just the two goals early in the third quarter, and the final dagger with just 18.3 seconds to go, the Pride put up a wall to shut down the Fairfield offense for nearly 25 straight minutes between goals.

Goalkeeper Luchianna Cardello made six of her nine saves in just the second half

while Walser was everywhere on the field, causing havoc on the pitch with two turnovers and picking up a new careerhigh six ground balls.

Hofstra now stands at a 1-2 record, suffering their second straight loss. Fairfield has now won three straight and improves to 3-1.

The Pride will return to the road as they travel to face off against the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on Saturday, March 2, at 12 p.m.

Hofstra closes out weekend with doubleheader split

By Nick Mongiovi STAFF WRITER

The Hofstra University softball team closed out this past weekend by splitting their doubleheader against the Bucknell University Bison

and the Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Knights on Sunday, Feb. 25 as part of the FDU Classic. Hofstra beat Bucknell 8-4 and lost to FDU 1-0. The Pride currently sits at a 2-5 record.

The Pride has gotten most of their offensive production from the middle of their lineup and the four, five and six hitters.

Against Bucknell, the Pride got out to an early lead over the Bison, piling on three runs in the top of the first. Chelsea Manto reached base safely on an error by Bucknell’s third baseman, Noelle Gardon. With runners on the corners, Becca Vaillancourt laid down a bunt to the pitcher that scored Manto from third for a 1-0 lead. An Olivia Malinowski sac fly and a single off the bat of Alanna Morse gave the Pride an early 3-0 lead.

The bats stayed hot for Hofstra, as Vaillancourt homered to left field, bringing in Lily Yepez and increasing their lead to 5-1.

Three doubles in a row off the bats of Vaillancourt,

Malinowski and Mackenzie Fitzgerald knocked in runs six, seven and eight in the top of the seventh to increase the Pride’s lead to 8-2.

It was all Hofstra in game one on Sunday afternoon, but that wasn’t the same for game two. While the Pride only lost by one run, FDU threatened to score in just about every inning.

FDU’s Brooklyn Shroyer kept the Hofstra hitters off balance all day, as she recorded 17 strikeouts. Shroyer tossed a complete game shutout and only allowed three hits and three walks, while 17 of the game’s 21 outs resulted in a strikeout. Shroyer also eclipsed the century mark on pitches thrown, notching 128.

FDU out-hit Hofstra 11 to three and only two players for the Pride recorded hits in this one. Manto went one-for-two at the plate with a walk and Yepez went two-for-three.

Marisa Ogden surrendered one run, 11 hits and three walks while striking out three over 6.1 innings of work. Anna

Butler came in for relief in the seventh to get the last two outs.

Hayden Salter singled through the right side of the infield, scoring Riley Cunningham, which was enough to win the ballgame.

Annabella Pisapia tossed four innings, allowing one unearned run against Bucknell. Pisapia allowed four hits and one walk while striking out two Bison batters. Haley Venturini relieved Pisapia in the fifth and surrendered three earned runs on four

and

three walks throughout 2.2 innings pitched. Butler was credited with the one-out save, while Pisapia earned her first win of the 2024 season.

Hofstra takes a trip down south next week for the Longhorn Invitational to take on Northwestern State University and Tarleton State University in another doubleheader on Friday, March 1. The first pitch against Northwestern State is set for 11 a.m., and the first pitch for game two against Tarleton State is set for 1:30 p.m.

hits

Hofstra scored a total of 12 runs in four games in FDU Classic.

Photo courtesy of Chris Henry / Hofstra Athletics

Photo courtesy of Matteo Bracco / Hofstra Athletics Kerry Walser has two goals and one assist in three games to start 2024.

Pride closes out home schedule with victory over Elon

By Dylan Brett STAFF WRITER

The Hofstra University men’s basketball team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 24, by thrashing the Elon University Phoenix 87-64 to claim their tenth win through their last 12 games. The Pride moved to 11-5 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play with the win and held firm at third place in the conference standings.

“Great win, we handled business the right way and validated Thursday’s huge win [against Drexel Univer-

sity],” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We wanted to send the seniors off on a good note. Senior night is always emotional for me, so it was important for us to get a win for them.”

Despite the large margin of victory, Hofstra stumbled out of the gates against Elon’s unique 2-3 zone, falling behind 7-2 in the first four minutes.

After dissecting the zone at the under-16 media timeout, Claxton’s offense got rolling en route to 47 first-half points on a 51.4% mark from the floor.

“We weren’t too worried about playing against a zone; we have great numbers against it,” Claxton said. “Whenever teams zone us, we’ve ripped it to shreds in games past. We were ready.”

With the shots refusing to fall early on, the Pride made their presence felt on the offensive glass to sustain their scoring. In a sudden change of style for a team that ranks No. 352 nationally in offensive re-

bounding, Hofstra crashed the glass for 14 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points.

“We score it at a high level, and to get second chance points is huge,” Claxton said. “If we keep rebounding the basketball like that and giving these guys second and third cracks at it, we’re in a good position to win.”

At the center of Hofstra’s dominance on the glass was Jacco Fritz, who took control of the boards with a dominant showing after backup center Silas Sunday stole the show on Thursday, Feb. 22. Fritz, who was honored at his second senior day after graduating from Canisius College last year, continued to stuff the statistic sheet with 14 points and a game-high six offensive rebounds.

“[Fritz] was huge; whenever we can get that kind of production from our bigs, it takes us to another level,” Claxton said. “When he gives us minutes and production like that, we’re

tough to beat.”

Hofstra also got the chance to say farewell to star Tyler Thomas on Saturday, as the graduate student exited to a standing ovation after tallying 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in his final game at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. With over 2,000 points across a storied five-year collegiate career, Saturday night allowed Thomas to reflect on his unique journey to becoming a Hofstra legend.

“It ended up being a great decision to come here,” Thomas said. “These guys believed in me from the jump on day one, made a plan for me, and I just followed the plan.”

While Thomas’ final exit from the court garnered thunderous applause, the loudest moment of the evening came when true freshman Jayden Henriquez banked a 3-pointer from just shy of halfcourt for his first career points. Henriquez, a walk-on from East

Meadow, New York, sent the crowd into a frenzy with the moment of a lifetime in front of his father who works at Hofstra University.

“We wanted to win big so Jaden could get into the game,” Claxton said. “I saw his father in the stands before tip-off, and I was hoping he could get to see his son play. That was a special moment, I’m sure he was really proud.”

Following a night of celebration, the Pride now turn their attention to the biggest road trip of the season, as they stare down pivotal matchups with UNC-Wilmington and the College of Charleston. The Cougars and Seahawks currently rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the CAA, respectively, while Hofstra clings to a double bye in third. The second-to-last game in the CAA regular season takes place in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m.

Cold streak continues as Pride falls to Campbell

By Ethan Poole STAFF WRITER

The Hofstra University women’s basketball team fell 65-51 to the Campbell University Fighting Camels on Sunday, Feb. 25, at the John W. Pope Jr. Convention Center in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The Pride dropped to 9-16 on the season and 3-11 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play, while the Fighting Camels improved their record to 14-11 with a 7-7 mark in the conference.

This was the second showdown ever between Hofstra and Campbell, as the latter

are in their first season in the CAA.

It was a very tight game through three quarters before the Fighting Camels blew it open in the fourth. While the Pride never held the lead in the first half, they managed to keep it close, with their largest deficit being 10 points early in the first quarter. Zyheima Swint scored 10 of her seasonhigh 15 points in the first half to help keep Hofstra afloat. After a first quarter where Campbell outscored the Pride 19-13, Hofstra took control of the second to bring the score within one point at halftime.

The third quarter was a defensive affair in which each team only scored eight points. There were multiple stretches of play over two minutes where the game consisted of missed shots or turnovers.

The fourth quarter was a much different story. Campbell opened the frame on an 8-0 run and never looked back, seizing control of the game and never

letting their lead dip below seven points.

Swint led the team in scoring and rebounds with 15 points and eight rebounds. She currently sits at No. 2 in the CAA with eight rebounds per game, trailing Towson University’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas.

Another member of the Pride who is having a prolific rebounding season is Brooke Anya, who pulled down five boards to go with seven points and a team-leading four assists. Anya currently leads the conference with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game and is No. 8 in total rebounds with 7.3 per game.

Emma Von Essen had a quiet day, only taking four shots in 33 minutes. This marks the fourth time in seven games that she has been held to single digits.

Campbell’s offensive attack was led by Shy Tuelle, Campbell’s all-time leader in made 3-pointers. She put up a season-high 20 points on

70% shooting, along with four rebounds and three assists. Brittany Staves was not far behind Tuelle with 14 points of her own.

Anchoring the Camels’ defense was Gemma Núñez, who led the team with five rebounds and two steals. Núñez led the team in minutes played with 38 and added 5 points on the offensive end.

Despite not scoring any points, Audrey Fuller made a massive impact offensively for Campbell, setting a careerhigh with six assists in just 16

minutes on the floor.

The Pride dropped to No. 12 in the conference, just one game out of the cellar, while Campbell sits at No. 7 in the conference. Hofstra has entered the home stretch of their season as only four games remain until the conference tournament.

The Pride will welcome the Hampton University Pirates to Hempstead on Friday, March 1. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.

Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein / Hofstra Athletics Hofstra hasn’t won more than five conference games since 2015-2016.

By Olivia Hillestad

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Every time Noah Tapia steps off the mat after practice, he’s dripping with sweat. His T-shirt is stained to a different shade and droplets fall off the ends of his hair. There’s no question that he worked hard that day.

As a freshman on the Hofstra University wrestling team, Tapia is the embodiment of blood, sweat and tears. After joining the Pride’s starting lineup this season, the 149-pounder has already started to leave his mark on the mat. With a record of 21-13, he leads the Pride in overall wins. His success was not immediate, however, as his season got off to a rough start.

“It got to the point that I was like, ‘Hey, you’re wrestling like you’re trying to protect something,’” said Hofstra head coach Dennis Papadatos. “Your high school credentials don’t matter, your 0-5 [record]; no one thinks you’re any good except us.”

After Tapia won his spot in the Hofstra starting lineup, he came into the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, with just one win from a medical forfeit. There, in the capital of second chances, something shifted. After dropping to the consolation bracket, Tapia won his first colligate match 7-5 over Jeff Boyd of The Citadel.

There’s no stopping Noah Tapia

and I liked the way it tastes and I want some more.’”

Tapia didn’t have to wait long before he could satiate his hunger, beating No. 14 Jordan Williams of Oklahoma State University in his very next match. The match was tied 6-6 going into the third period where Tapia earned an escape before being taken down and escaping again to score a takedown of his own and make it 11-9. With time running out, Williams got a reversal to tie up the match with Tapia winning 12-11 after receiving a riding time point.

“It was really just a mindset shift that I had to make,” Tapia said. “Where it wasn’t enough just to wrestle hard, as our head coach Dennis puts it, I had to refuse to lose. I had to make up in my mind that like, even in

hunger, Tapia started dominating in his matches. In Hofstra’s toughest match-up of the season against No. 1 Pennsylvania State University, he was just one of two wrestlers to earn a win for the Pride. His 11-2 major decision win over Connor Pierce was more than just a win against one of the best programs; it showcased Tapia’s best quality: his composure.

“That place was packed, it was loud and I was definitely really nervous before the match,” Tapia said. “When I stepped out there though, as soon as it started, it was just another match. And then I kind of forgot about the big crowd and everything

and then I pulled out a pin in the third period that felt really good to do,” Tapia said. “[I] just like the aspect of being able to keep my composure in a tough situation like that. And to get the pin for my team, that felt good. I was really excited; my

to make the jumps I’ve made as quickly as I did. Because it’s definitely tough sometimes and there is pressure, but getting put in those tough situations, I think, has made me a better wrestler and given me a better mindset in a short amount of time.”

For the team, Tapia is more than a starter. He’s an example of what Hofstra wrestling can be.

“And then he walked off the mat and goes, ‘I tasted victory, and I liked the way it tastes and I want some more.’”

“He just had enough,” Papadatos said. “The first kid he beat, that Citadel kid, was good. And then he walked off the mat and goes, ‘I tasted victory,

tough situations, I was going to find a way to pull it out.”

Approaching matches with a newfound confidence and

else going on. And then when I won, when I was getting my hand raised, I kind of looked around again and realized, wow, this is big.”

His wins over Williams and Pierce may have grabbed national attention, earning Tapia a spot at No. 33 in the national coach’s poll, but it was his win against Kaden Cassidy of George Mason University that really earned him the admiration of his team.

“At George Mason, I started out the match slow. I think it was a 10-1 deficit

coaches were really excited, my teammates were fired up, it was just a good feeling.”

Before the season even started, Hofstra’s incoming freshmen were dubbed as the most talented freshman class to join the program. Tapia came into the program as an Illinois state champion and two-time runnerup with a high school record of 163-13. One of three true freshmen on the starting lineup, Tapia was brought in to fill a critical weight class for the Pride.

“There’s definitely pressure [being a starter],” Tapia said. “But I think the pressure is good for me, and without that pressure, without just being put on the line against the better guys, I don’t know if I would have been able

“He’s turned into a little bit of a sparkplug,” Papadatos said. “He’s turned out to be one of the leaders, but not a leader by voice because he’s a freshman and trying to find his place and he doesn’t speak out of turn. But people look at him and they’re like, ‘Well, he works hard and he listens and he’s winning’. People follow winners and he’s winning.”

With the season ending, Tapia and his team head to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, fighting to earn a trip to Kansas City, Missouri, for the NCAA championships. Already having been tested against ranked competitors, challenged by the best team in the country and winning a match after being put to his back, Tapia is ready for anything.

“I plan just to keep getting better at wrestling and keep winning matches,” Tapia said. “I want to qualify for the national tournament and even AllAmerican this year. Those are my goals. Going into the postseason, I think I can definitely do it; I just need to keep improving every week like I have been and work with my coaches. I think we’re gonna do some big things.”

Photo courtesy of Matteo Bracco / Hostra Athletics

Tapia amassed a 163-13 record across his high school career.

Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes / Hostra Athletics Tapia is 21-13 in 34 matches this season.

SPORTS

Selma Markisic’s improbable return to court is just the start

By Ethan Poole STAFF WRITER

“You’ll never play basketball again.”

That’s what redshirt junior Selma Markisic was told after finding out that she had torn her left ACL for the second time and the same meniscus on both sides for the third time. With an expected twelve month recovery time, Markisic was told that her basketball career was over. Initially, she was devastated, but she turned that devastation into resolve.

“I was heartbroken [by the news], especially [coming from] a surgeon who was in my knee three times,” Markisic said. “But at the end of the day, it’s my career, it’s my life. I can’t picture myself doing anything but basketball; I wasn’t going to let him or anyone else tell me that my career was over.”

By her own admission, Markisic is notorious for pushing past her physical limits and leaving her body to make up for it.

“All my knee surgeries that I’ve had were from overwork and overuse and not listening to my body,” Markisic said. “Every time I’m about to hit my peak in my career, I’ve had that type of injury.”

Her most recent injury happened during a preseason scrimmage.

“I went up for a jump shot while a girl was riding my hip, and I felt my knee separate,” Markisic said.

While the physical difficulties were manageable, the real battle

was the mental side of recovery for Markisic.

“Physically, I knew my body could take pain and could take discomfort,” Markisic said. “Hearing what the doctor told me when I woke up, that the odds of me coming back were very slim … [I had to] keep from getting into depression and getting into a space that only I could take myself out of.”

After her operation, Markisic stayed at home with her family and leaned on them for support. She said that she did not always accept the support of her teammates but acknowledged that they were always in her corner, even from the earliest stages of her recovery.

“My parents have been through this with me three times; it really helped me

kept up with other activities to center herself in recovery. She relied on journaling and podcasts to keep her mind occupied.

“It was hard, though,” Markisic said. “There were days where I would ask myself, ‘Is it really worth coming back?’, or ‘If I do come back, am I even gonna play?’ I went through a lot mentally; even five, six months post-op, I’d still have these thoughts linger in my mind.”

Head coach Danielle Santos Atkinson knew that Markisic’s injury was a severe hit in more ways than one.

“It was a huge blow to what we were planning to do, for how we thought she would impact our team and the role we wanted her to have,” Santos said. “It

sometimes. But sitting next to the coaches for a whole year really taught me what it is that these coaches envision for us.”

“I wanted to keep her as involved as possible. She’s got a great mind,” Santos said. “At times when players are out and injured, they can get lost; you

“It was hard. There were days where I would ask myself, ‘Is it really worth coming back?’, or ‘If I do come back, am I even gonna play?’”

being around them,” Markisic said. “[My teammates] were as supportive and encouraging as I let them be [because] I don’t like to be vulnerable around others. They were there regardless, whether I was open to it or not.”

With basketball not being an option for some time, Markisic

felt like she was really in her stride; she was working hard all summer and really hitting her rhythm.”

When she was ready to rejoin the team, Markisic took on a “player-coach” role, in which she helped give Santos and her staff a different perspective on how the team was performing. This role not only let her stay involved with the team last season but also gave her a new perspective on the game.

“I learned a lot from a coach’s perspective, what it is that [Santos] wanted and what it is the coaching staff wanted,” Markisic said. “Even though that’s not the role I wanted for myself that year, it was the role I was put into, and I feel like it definitely did help me come back. I would say it did [make me a better player]. When you see the court as just a player, you don’t really get to see what the coaches are talking about

don’t feel as connected with your teammates on the floor. I didn’t want her to isolate or be in a space where she didn’t feel like she was a part of what we were doing.”

Santos also shed some light on what Markisic did for the team while she was in her player-coach role.

“We had her doing some playcalls at the front of the bench,” Santos said. “She would take down what the other team would call and write down what they were; she would take any notes that she was seeing offensively and defensively, and she would share that with the coaching staff. She was also involved in our huddles and would tell the team what she was seeing from her seat, and also ways she felt that the team could adjust and how they could be better individually as well.”

Playing again was always Markisic’s goal, though, and she recalled the exact moment she

realized that she was well on her way to getting back on the court.

“Being able to run without pain [was when I knew],” she said.

The two most joyous and emotional moments of her recovery were getting the all-clear from her surgeon and stepping back onto the court for the first time.

“I was super excited; I’m not one to show my emotions, but I was very emotional, and I was really proud of myself because it was a really long 12 months,” Markisic said. “It was like a full circle moment for me … with this being one of the biggest and most dangerous [injuries] I had, it helped me realize what I’ve been through and where I’m at now. But physically, I was ready; I didn’t have a doubt in my mind.”

Markisic is currently averaging 5.8 points per game for the Pride, and while she is pleased with her progress so far, she feels that she has another gear that she can hit.

“[I had] a lot of rust; even now, I’m still trying to find my rhythm, and I’m still trying to reach my full potential where I know I can be, but it takes a minute,” she said.

Santos is happy to have Markisic back on the court – not just because of impact she has on the scoresheet but also for the added oomph she brings to the team with her grit.

“She has a great voice, and the toughness that she has really pushes her teammates,” Santos said. “She holds herself accountable and holds her teammates accountable.”

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman / Hofstra Athletics

Markisic scored a career-high 20 points against Farmingdale State College on Dec. 16, 2023.

Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman / Hofstra Athletics Markisic averages 4.9 points per game in her Hofstra career.

Photo courtesy of Matteo Bracco / Hofstra Athletics