Hempstead, NY Vol.78 | Issue 7
The Hofstra
Chronicle
Thursday
October 25, 2012
Keeping the Hofstra Community informed since 1935
Trouble for a capellas—constitutions ruled out By Ehlayna Napolitano Staff WritEr
SGa rules Committee rejected the constitutions of three a capella groups on campus: the Hofbeats, the Dutchmen and Makin’ treble. its decision came during a meeting to ratify and reapprove constitutions on Monday. “it was very much a surprise,” said alexis di Gregorio, president of Makin’ treble, of the decision. She and other leaders of the a cappella groups stated that the decision seemed, according to di Gregorio, to “come totally out of left field” and without warning. “i know when i found out, i felt
Above: All-female a capella group “Makin’ Treble” performed earlier this month for an episode of Anderson Live.
almost blindsided,” said Courtney Bago, vice president of the Hofbeats. according to a press release from the SGa, the decision made on Monday night was based on a provision in the Student Government Constitution, which states that no club may discriminate among members based upon “race, sex, religion or inherent ability.” therefore, the auditions processes of these groups did not follow this requirement, since students are turned away based on level of talent and, in the cases of Makin’ treble and the Dutchmen, gender. Sarah Sicard, the rules Chair
Pro-tempore following ex-chair Ben Schaefer’s recent departure, said that the preamble (where the anti-discrimination clause is located) is only about a year old at this point. the preamble must now be included in every club’s constitution; the decision to force clubs to include this preamble, according to Sicard, was not a decision made by the SGa. “Last year, we updated our club constitution guidelines because we were handed down from administration this preamble,” Sicard said. these changes were enacted last february and SGa has since held “numerous sessions” to inform clubs of these
Photo, above, courtesy of Alexis di Gregorio/Makin’ Treble
changes, according to a SGa press release. Where these changes came from, however, is something that neither SGa nor the a capella groups seem to know for sure. “i had heard something along the lines of [Hofstra] Legal handed it down…i know OSLa had us put it in there. i don’t know if they were the ones who wrote it specifically,” Sicard said. Similarly, student members of the a cappella groups were unsure of the origins of this particular clause and its application toward other performance groups. Despite multiple phone calls and emails, OSLa and the Office of Legal Affairs and General Counsel were unavailable for comment at the time of publication. according to Sicard, the singularity of the rejection of the a cappella groups was not intentional; in fact, the effect of this was meant to reach clubs that have auditions. “We had initially planned to have talks with certain fraternities and dance groups as well,” said Sicard. “But most of them didn’t come, so we didn’t actually get to speak with them, which is something we will be dealing with also. But basically we’re asking the same questions to all clubs.” Sigma’cappella, another a capella group on campus, did not have its constitution rejected. according to Megan andrews, appropriations Chair of SGa, the
decision to exclude this group was made because their constitution allows students who do not meet audition requirements to continue to rehearse with the club. However, students of the three now-inactive a capella organizations feel that there is no difference between the way Sigma’cappella and their own groups actually operate. “it is common knowledge that Sigma holds audition processes very similar to the other three groups, and frankly, i’m confused,” Jackie Bakewell, president of the Hofbeats, said. Di Gregorio felt similarly. “as far as i know, they [Sigma] followed the same procedures as the other a cappella groups. as to why their constitution was approved, i don’t know.” Sigma’capella could not be reached during time of publication. SGa has already sent an email to these groups regarding alternative ways for the clubs to still exist at Hofstra. this includes becoming independent of SGa by using alternate sources of funding such as club dues, event fees or the support of a particular academic department. However, members argue that the size limits of a propersounding a cappella group, which typically consists of 15-20 members, along with the diversity of its membership makes adopting
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Right: The Hofbeats, one of the University’s two co-ed a capella organizations, performs. In May of Spring 2012, Hofbeats was invited to sing at a Relay for Life event hosted in Hempstead. Far right: The Dutchmen, an allmale a capella club that was resurrected last year after previous inactivity, has been sent back to inactive status along with Makin’ Treble and The Hofbeats following an OSLA decision regarding audition-based membership.
Photo courtesy of The Hofbeats Facebook page
Photo courtesy of The Dutchmen Facebook page