THE HOFS TR A
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 86 ISSUE 7
CHRONICLE
TUESDAY April 13, 2021
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935. NEWS
Professor alleges Hofstra failed to accomodate COVID concerns By Ahjané Forbes
A S S I S TA N T N E W S E D I T O R
Madeline Armstrong / The Hofstra Chronicle Arthur Dobrin, professor emiretus and adjunct professor at Hofstra University, was originally scheduled to teach a section of Media Ethics in a first-floor lecture room in Breslin Hall.
Arthur Dobrin, 77, a professor emeritus and current adjunct professor at Hofstra University, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after his request to teach Journalism 001 (Media Ethics) remotely was declined. He alleges age discrimination, breach of contract and failure to accommodate his medical condition. According to Dobrin’s recollection of the events, he had taught Media Ethics remotely in Spring 2020 and he expected to teach the course remotely again in Fall 2020. He was notified by the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication (LHSC) that the course had to be taught in person. Dobrin objected to this decision and told the department
he would provide a medical note in order to teach remotely. Although the date when this encounter took place was not specified, LHSC did not accept the note weeks prior to the beginning of classes. Following Dobrin’s objection, he was no longer scheduled to teach Media Ethics. The course would have been his only one for the Fall 2020 semester. Mark Lukasiewicz, dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, and Jeffrey Morosoff, chair of the Department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations, have declined The Chronicle’s request for comment as the case is ongoing. The University said they have not received the EEOC complaint from Dobrin but
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Kosher students say there’s not enough to nosh By Megan Naftali
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Madeline Armstrong / The Hofstra Chronicle Some students who keep Kosher claim the University has not provided enough choices this semester.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hofstra Dining Services made significant reductions to Kosher food options on campus. These changes have made it difficult for students who keep Kosher to acquire food, as the choices are limited. “We have the little to-go [kosher meals], but I would say that there are not always a lot of choices and sometimes they are just not there because they have run out,” said Samantha Meltzer, a senior mathematical finance major. Hofstra Dining Services limited Kosher food options on campus to pre-packaged meals from Al Fresco and Wing Wan, according to Compass Resident District Manager Bruce Bechtle. Hofstra Dining Services also removed Eli’s Kosher Kitchen,
which used to serve hot, fresh Kosher meals Monday through Thursday. Some students like Meltzer have grown frustrated with what they perceive to be a Kosher food scarcity on campus. “Al Fresco only delivers to us twice a week,” Bechtle said. “It’s a food management issue just to see what the rotation is [and] how often we can get [Kosher food] and making sure we restock better than we have.” The scarcity of Kosher food on campus has also led some students to develop unhealthy eating habits. “There is very little Kosher food. The joke I constantly make is that I survive [on] Chex Mix and Reese’s peanut butter cups,” said Eliot Drazen, a sophomore film major. “With fewer options to eat, the easier it is to decide not to eat.” Some students also miss having hot meals, as many are un-
able to heat up the pre-packaged meals due to Kosher restrictions. “I miss Eli’s every day. I miss being able to eat warm meat,” Meltzer said. “All of the options are cold, so if I’m eating a Kosher meal, I’m not going to put that in the microwave because the microwaves that I have access to [on campus] are not Kosher.” According to Bechtle, Hofstra Dining Services decided to close Eli’s because COVID-19 restrictions made it impossible to safely serve students in the small space of the kitchen. “The nature of the setup of the serving area for Eli’s was that a student could come in and select their meal in the space, which is impossible [now] because of social distancing regulations from the health department,” Bechtle said. He also said the Kosher kitchen on campus
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