The Hofstra
HEMPSTEAD, NY Volume 84 Issue 14
Chronicle
Tuesday
March 5, 2019
Keeping the Hofstra community informed since 1935
Local senator talks criminal justice reform in New York
By Jordan Laird STA FF WRITER
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics Vince Giambanco, Hofstra’s current cross country head coach, will be doubling as the new head coach for the men’s and women’s track and field teams.
Hofstra Athletics to launch inaugural NCAA track program
By Adam Flash STAFF W R I T E R
Hofstra Athletics is launching both men’s and women’s NCAA Division I indoor and outdoor track programs. It was announced on Wednesday, Feb. 27, that outdoor track will begin this spring and indoor track will begin next winter. Both teams will be coached
by current men’s and women’s cross country head coach Vince Giambanco, who will begin his sixth cross country season with the Pride in the fall. “I am thrilled to be part of such an exciting time in Hofstra Athletics and Hofstra University history,” Giambanco said. “The addition of indoor and outdoor track will allow us the opportunity to bring in more
outstanding student-athletes that will assist in the University’s mission. The addition of track will also strengthen our cross country programs and allow all to flourish.” Coming off a record-setting cross country season, junior Alex Masai is surely a runner to look for in the upcoming track season. Continued ON A4
Recently-elected New York state Sen. Kevin Thomas, from the sixth district, hosted a discussion on criminal justice reform in New York state with New Yorkers United for Justice on Friday, March 1, in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center multipurpose room. The panel was hosted by Van Jones, CNN host and CEO of REFORM Alliance, an organization aiming to reduce the number of people unjustly under control of the criminal justice system. Other panelists included Topeka K. Sam, senior advisor at New Yorkers United for Jus-
Photo Courtesy of City and State
tice, and Lauren Krisai, senior policy analyst at Justice Action Network. The discussion addressed what the panelists deemed to be a pivotal year for criminal justice reform in the country and especially throughout the state. “Last year, we did get it done at the federal level. That makes this year the pivotal year because the federal system is only going to impact about 10 percent of the people who are locked up, 90 percent is states,” Jones said. Sam, a formerly-incarcerated New Yorker, asked the audience how many people in the room had been impacted by incarceration. A little less than half of the room raised their hands. Sam and fellow panelists went on to make the case that everyone in the room is impacted by incarceration. She pointed to a recent study that found that nearly half of all American adults have a family member who has been incarcerated. Other panelists pointed out that everyone is impacted, if for no other reason than that their tax dollars pay for the system. Continued ON A3
Jonas Brothers are ‘Burnin’ Up’ the charts ... again A&E
By Erin Hickey C OPY CH I E F
To the excitement of fans around the world, the Jonas Brothers have officially reunited after a breakup of almost six years. Fans suspected the group may be returning after a social media blackout and were thrilled to discover on Thursday, Feb. 28, that the band would be releasing a new song, “Sucker,” the next day, along with a music video.
The popular band made up of brothers Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas, who gained popularity on Disney Channel throughout the 2000s, broke up in 2013, leaving many devastated. During the period the band has been broken up, a lot has changed – both with the brothers and their fanbase. Nick has had a successful solo career with seven songs hitting the Billboard Top 100 and his song “Jealous” spending 32 weeks on the charts and peaking at No.
7. Similarly, Joe found success in his band DNCE with “Cake By The Ocean” reaching No. 9 on the Top 100. Kevin started a family with wife Danielle and their two girls and became an entrepreneur. Many fans who felt the crushing impact of the breakup while in their early teens are now in their 20s, but they haven’t forgotten their beloved Jonas Brothers.
Continued ON B2
Photo Courtesy of Hola Films
NEWS
A2•March 5, 2019
The Chronicle
Hofstra’s green initiative falls short for many By Jordan Laird 203 Student Center hofstrachronicle@gmail.com
Editor-in-Chief Joe Fay Managing Editor Katie Krahulik Business Manager Alexus Rogers News Editors Taylor Clarke Jill Leavey Assistant News Editor Melanie Haid A&E Editors Samantha Storms A&E Assistant Editors Victoria Bell Eleni Kothesakis Sports Editors Christopher Detwiler Felipe Fontes Alexandra Licata Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Roberts Features Editors Rachel Bowman Drashti Mehta Op-Ed Editors James Factora Daniel Nguyen Assistant Op-Ed Editor Jordan Hopkins Amanda Romeo Copy Chief Erin Hickey Assistant Copy Chiefs Mia Thompson Gabby Varano Multimedia Editors Robert Kinnaird Peter Soucy Social Media Manager Brian Sommer Social Media Assistant Eddie Fitz The Chronicle is published every Tuesday during the academic year by the students of Hofstra University. The Chronicle is located in Room 203 Student Center, 200 Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. 11549. Advertising and subscription rates may be obtained by calling (516) 463-6921. The Chronicle reserves the right to reject any submission, in accordance with our written policies. All advertising which may be considered fraudulent, misleading, libelous or offensive to the University community, The Chronicle or its advertisers may be refused. The products and opinions expressed within advertisement are not endorsed by The Chronicle or its staff.
S TAF F WRI T E R
Amid questions regarding recycling processes, Hofstra’s Sustainability Officer Terry Greis addressed concerns many community members have aired. She said Hofstra recycles plastic bottles, metal cans and paper. Anything else thrown in the recycling bins – glass bottles, plastic cutlery, plastic clamshell food containers and Starbucks cups – ultimately end up in the same trash, according to Greis. Hofstra’s recycling vendor, Westbury Paper Stock, contracted through Jamaica Ash, picks up the plastic and can recycling collected from dorms and dining facilities and sorts out plastic bottles and metal cans. Greis said that years ago, this information was advertised on Hofstra’s trash bins. When a new law required any trash burned for energy be taken directly to the power plant without sorting out certain materials, Hofstra’s recycling program changed. Greis also said some staff members believe the old program is still in effect, but it is not. Tiyanna Forrest, a junior history and education major, said she was shocked when she found out what actually gets recycled. “I don’t think a lot of us are informed about that,” she said. “Things like that should maybe be on flyers. I always get emails about harassment and the bullying policy. I don’t really get too many emails about recycling.” Alanna Taub, a senior television major, was upset to discover that glass is not recycled at Hofstra; she thought she was doing the right thing by buying glass bottles. Hofstra is not alone in its
selective recycling; Newsday reports that since China stopped importing recyclables from the United States, thousands of pounds more of recyclables collected on Long Island are heading to landfills. Until recently, China was the world’s largest importer of recycled cardboard and plastics. Taub said that lowering our waste is important because, “It’s our world and we should be taking better care of it.” Taub
frequently uses the plates in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, rather than the to-go boxes. “I try to use them as often as I can ... At least once a day, for at least one of my meals, I try to get it on a plate,” she said. Taub also said she thinks many students don’t realize you can ask for a plate. Inside the Student Center, Campus Dining has a “plate first” policy that allows students to pick up a plate next to a self-serve station or ask for one at every dining station except the Grill’d, Fish Market and Deli stations. On the kiosk, when ordering from The Egg Shoppe, the machine will ask whoever is ordering whether or not they want
their order to go, in which case the meal is served on a plate. Campus Dining’s Resident District Manager Bruce Bechtie and District Marketing Director Lisa Ospitale point to a number of initiatives Campus Dining has taken on in order to be more environmentally conscious. They said that Campus Dining has moved away from using plastic straws, especially at Starbucks. Ospitale said that “all of our containers are biode-
According to Greis, paper cannot be collected in the dorms due to local fire codes prohibiting it. Sky Dellasala, a junior film major, expressed doubt that recycling is always kept separate from trash. “I don’t want to say it’s necessarily their fault,” Dellasala said. “But what are you going to do when people stop putting things in the right bin?” According to Greis, between the recycling of bottles and cans and the mixed paper recycling, Hofstra collected 213 tons in 2018. However, that number includes any materials that were incorrectly put in recycling bins. There are also opportunities on campus to recycle material students may not typically think of. Outside of the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, there is a green receptacle where students and staff can deposit batteries, inkjet cartridges and multimedia (electronic waste like cell-phones and computer hard Graphic by Jordan Laird and Peter Soucy drives which contain precious metals) gradable” and both pointed out to be recycled. that the plastic containers are Students can recycle their recyclable. Those recyclable clothing and materials like rugs, containers are, however, not back packs and sheets by donatrecyclable at Hofstra. Starbucks’ ing them to Big Brothers Big “strawless” lids are also recySisters Long Island (BBBSLI) in clable – just not at Hofstra. two large bins on campus. One Westbury Paper also collects bin is located by the Student mixed paper and cardboard Center bus stop and the other is recycling from the school, at the David S. Mack Arena. according to Greis. The staff reDuring move-out week, more cycles cardboard in the campus BBBSLI receptacles are brought kitchens and the plant building. onto campus as part of Hofstra’s Students and faculty do not cur“Green Move Out” initiative. rently have access to cardboard “I believe climate change recycling on campus. Faculty is real and it does affect the members have mixed paper environment. And as time goes recycling bins by their desks on it’s important to deal with it. and students can deposit paper We have to minimize what we recycling in two large blue bins can throw away and not think in the Student Center and in bins about,” Greis said. in academic buildings.
NEWS
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A3
CNN host joins discussion on incarceration and injustice
Jordan Laird / The Hofstra Chronicle Van Jones and Topeka K. Sam served as panelists during the event titled, ‘Safe and Fair: A Path Towards Criminal Justice Reform in New York,’ held on Friday, March 1, in the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center.
Continued From A1 The panel touched on a number of policies, including probation and parole reform, discovery reform and drug law reform, all with the intention of ultimately reducing crime, social injustice, recidivism – the
tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend – and cost. “This is the biggest, most important state this year: New York,” Jones said. “For New York, Long Island is a key conversational center.” At the beginning of the event,
New Yorkers United for Justice played a short advertisement advocating for open discovery in New York. The video featured Michael Morton, a Texas man, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife in 1987. On screen,
chaired by Landri Kennedy and directed by Charles Timm; the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (SPECPOL), chaired by Mike Roller; and the Food and Agriculture Organization Committee (FAO), which was chaired by Miranda Maliszka. Each of the committees met for two hours on Friday, seven on Saturday and an additional three on Sunday to come to resolutions about a diverse range of topics, including the Thirty Years War, the economic future of oil-based economies and the colonization of Mars. Not all settlements were optimal. Alexis Tendilla, a senior from the East-West School of International Studies in Flushing served on the Future Crisis Committee as the delegate from South Korea. “We took a few turns but weren’t able to come to a reso-
lution because two countries intervened by invading the area,” he said. “The United States and France decided to invade Kashmir (a territory disputed by India and Pakistan), and we ended up with a nuclear war.” SOCHUM came to a more peaceful resolution, said Anna Bingham, a sophomore at South
Morton explained that he was wrongfully convicted because prosecutors withheld evidence before the trial. He went to prison for 25 years before he was exonerated by DNA evidence; during his incarceration, his wife’s killer murdered another victim. As a result of Morton’s case, Texas changed the laws surrounding discovery, the formal process by which the prosecution discloses information and evidence prior to a trial. “It’s time for New York to do the same thing,” Morton said in the video. Jones and other panelists referred to the fact that many other states, especially conservative states, have already made reforms. “You cannot get further right-wing than some of these Republican governors who are passing this stuff with huge majorities, getting big popularity out of it, saving money and making communities better and
we got our knees shaking in New York state,” Jones said. “Just be as liberal as Texas, just be as liberal as Mississippi and we’ll be alright New York.” Krisai explained that this is a rare issue where the left and the right mostly agree. “I think that people on both sides of the aisle do agree on criminal justice reform,” Krisai said. “They just come to it in different ways.” Students studying criminology at Hofstra enjoyed having the opportunity to listen to people with experience discuss criminal justice reform. “I always think that discussions like this are really important because, even though I am only a freshman and there’s only so much I can do right now, I know the best way to get involved is to stay educated on issues like this,” said Sofie Ramirez, a freshman criminology major. “When my time comes, I’ll know what to do and know how to stand up.”
committee, which discussed food security as well as agricultural development. “It was the first year that they did the FAO here, so I got a lot of feedback from delegates,” said Maliszka, a sophomore environmental resources and geographic information systems double major who chaired the FAO. “They made a motion to combine both topics, so then they plowed through that – we passed four out of five resolutions, I believe. And then we made resolutions for our crises, which was really good. I couldn’t have asked for a better delegation for my first committee.” Hofstra’s Model U.N. Club advisor and professor of Political Science Paul Fritz, spoke at the conference’s opening ceremony. “Individual empowerment and empowerment of young people is real. It’s here. Use it as much as you can to affect change for
what you consider to be most important.” As overseers of the conference, the secretary-general and undersecretary-general observed the students’ knowledge and work ethic. “On the first day of the conference, everybody was so prepared that they were moving, at one point, too fast. We thought that they would be done within the first day, out of a three-day conference,” said Gleeson, a junior community health major. “So it’s always amazing to see how much work they put in and then how much effort and work that they put in actually when they get here as well.” “It’s just really cool to see the dynamics in the room and how [the high schoolers] really step into the role once they get there,” said Osner, a sophomore public policy and history double major. “They’re so nervous beforehand – some people have never done it before, or they feel like they’re unprepared – but they step into the roles so well and so naturally.”
Long Island high schoolers empowered by Model U.N.
By Elizabeth Turley STAFF W R I T E R
Long Island high schoolers solved real-world problems at Hofstra University’s Model United Nations (U.N.) Conference (HUMUNC) this past weekend. Students from as far west as Brooklyn and as far east as Sayville gathered at Hofstra from Friday, March 1, to Sunday, March 3, to discuss major issues like those tackled by the United Nations every day. Secretary-General Dara Gleeson and Undersecretary-General Alexa Osner presided over this year’s HUMUNC, which saw six committees – each led by a member of the Hofstra Model United Nations Club. These committees included the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM), chaired by Daniela Guido; the Future Crisis Committee, chaired by Nick Bekker and directed by Gopal Khandelwal; the Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN), co-chaired by Joseph Tyrie and Justin Burgess; the Historical Crisis Committee,
“Individual empowerment and empowerment of young people is real. It’s here. ” Side High School in Rockville Centre. “It took us all three days to come up with a resolution on our first topic, which was the placement of refugees. I was El Salvador, so it worked out in [my country’s] favor.” Steve Almachi, a freshman from the East-West School, was among the delegates who served on HUMUNC’s inaugural FAO
NEWS
A4•March 5, 2019
The Chronicle
Hofstra Athletics welcomes four new Division I teams Continued from A1 Last fall, Masai claimed Hofstra’s first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) cross country individual title, breaking the 8K school record with a time of 24:00.70. Masai was also selected as the 2018 CAA Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Teammates Steven Fiumefreddo and Paul Markovina are also two up-and-coming runners to watch. On the women’s cross country team, freshman Sophia Masciarelli led the way all last season and isn’t slowing down, set-
ting a 5K personal record just two weekends ago at the 2019 Boston University Last Chance Invitational indoor track meet. “Competing in track will allow me to stay in race shape pretty much all year round. The speed work I will build from having a track team will help carry over to my next cross country season,” Masciarelli said. For now, the program will remain more mid-distance and
distance-based, focusing on races such as the 5K and 10K, as opposed to sprints. “I am very excited to see
am going to have to work very hard, which I am ready to do,” Masciarelli said. “We are excited about the addition of indoor and outdoor track to our University’s athletic program,” Director of Athletics Rick Cole Jr., who announced the news, said. “Coach Giambanco has done a tremendous job with our cross country programs over the last five years and we are confident he will do
“When my coach announced it to our team at practice, I was ecstatic. I loved running track in high school and now I am so excited to be able to continue it on in college.” how I race in the 10k. My goal [this season] is to just become a stronger and faster runner ... I want to gain more speed and strength, which means I
the same with our track teams. We are thankful for the support of President Stuart Rabinowitz and his belief and vision for Hofstra Athletics.” The cross country team is very excited for the school to now have an official track program and have already begun practicing. “When my coach announced it to our team at practice, I was ecstatic. I loved running track in high school and now I am so excited to be able to continue it on in college,” Masciarelli said. The Pride will head to Stony Brook University on Saturday, March 23, for the first official track meet of the season.
Students combine creativity and altruism through Circle ‘K’apes
Erin Hickey / The Hofstra Chronicle Hofstra’s Circle K hosted an event on Tuesday, Feb. 26, to create superhero capes to donate to Cohen Children’s Medical Center of Northwell Health.
By Erin Hickey C OPY C H I E F
As an organization whose main focus is community service, Hofstra’s Circle K is frequently hosting and participating in events to assist the Hofstra and Long Island communities at large. Members of Circle K joined together to create superhero capes to donate to Cohen Children’s Medical Center on the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 26. Circle K is the collegiate branch of the Kiwanis organiza-
tion. Its main values are leadership, service and fellowship. Though members of Circle K are always serving their community, this was their first time making capes to donate to the Northwell Health hospital located in New Hyde Park. “We have our set projects that we do pretty much every semester,” said Caroline Peers, a junior neuroscience major and president of Hofstra’s Circle K. “We do peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; we started doing no-slip socks for a children’s hospital.”
Peers said that the executive board was looking for something new to do to help the community, and when Kyla Garcia, secretary of Circle K and sophomore criminology and geology double major, found the idea to make superhero capes, everyone knew it was the right fit. “We had done a lot of the same things, so I thought, ‘What can we do? How can we change this up a little bit?’” Garcia said. “I just put in a Google search for service events and this was a really cool idea. [It’s] super simple and super fun, it’s a good
way to get people engaged and excited.” The capes were easy to make – all it took was some fabric, markers and scissors. “Ever since I was little, I always wanted to work with kids,” said Rachel Rea, a junior community health major. “I think that making them happy is really important. If a cape can make them happy, then spending five minutes of your time to make one is the least you can do,” Rea said. The event was held in a very laidback setting, with everyone talking and laughing while making the capes. “I’ve only ever been to one Circle K event before,” Rea said. “So I thought I would feel awkward at first because I didn’t know anyone, but everyone was just so nice.” The welcoming environment displays one of Circle K’s main values: fellowship. They are an organization that not only supports their community, but also supports each other. “My favorite part [of Circle K] aside from the service, which of course is what Circle K is about, is getting to meet different people on campus, actually being able to make friends and find a place here,” Garcia said. “You meet a lot of people who have the same mindset, that’s really one of the best things.”
Everyone in Circle K is likeminded in that they want to help others. Many were members of service organizations in high school or also are members of the community service fraternity on campus, Alpha Phi Omega. “My favorite part of doing service events like [making superhero capes] is probably how accessible it is to people,” Peers said. “People can kind of just come after class; it really doesn’t take a lot of time; there’s no driving to get there; and it’s just really easy for people. It’s just kind of a fun craft and it’s a fun activity. It’s kind of like a bonding experience for us, especially since it was our first time doing this, we kind of all figured it out together and had fun with it.” Events Circle K hosts on campus, such as this cape-making event, are especially appealing to people who want to help their community but may not have a lot of time or may not be able to get off campus to volunteer. “There’s something really awesome about simplicity,” Garcia said. “Sometimes you don’t need to do anything too complicated to make someone happy. So this is a really great way, and a really easy way, for people to come together and do something really good. It’s simple, but it does the trick, and it’s going to make some kids really happy.”
NEWS
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A5
Democratic commentator analyzes 2020 election cycle By Robert Traverso STAFF W R I T E R
Democratic insider and commentator Basil Smikle spoke at Hofstra about Donald Trump’s presidency, the current political climate in the United States and the upcoming 2020 election cycle. Smikle’s talk, given inside the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater on Wednesday, Feb. 27, focused on Trump’s reactionary rhetoric, political apathy in the U.S. and how the crowded Democratic field should approach 2020. Part of the Center for Civic Engagement’s Civil Rights Day programming on campus, Smikle’s lecture was co-sponsored by the No Hate at Hofstra – tagged on social media as #HofNoHate – initiative and organized in collaboration with the Xi Psi chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. A major topic of Smikle’s talk was the anger and fear stoked by Trump during his campaign in 2016, and subsequently as president. Smikle cited the president’s push for a wall on the southern border and the “lock her up” chants aimed at Hillary Clinton, for whom Smikle once worked as a senior aide, as examples of the president’s fear mongering. Before Trump ran for president, his “birtherism” questions about former President Barack Obama’s birthplace “added a racial component that we are
still living under; it added a demonizing component to the discourse that we are still dealing with,” Smikle said. “He did not create the climate,” Smikle said. “He capitalized on the climate that had already been created.” Smikle argued that a combination of gerrymandering, corporate financing of national elections through Super Political Action Committees, voter
a very brief moment in time, Bernie’s messaging and Trump’s messaging were very similar,” Smikle said. He summed up the gist of the two men’s respective 2016 campaigns: “The system is rigged; the parties don’t serve you; government is full of elites.” Sanders’ “99 percent versus 1 percent” message and leftwing policy goals have become commonplace among the 2020
Smikle said that he found the 2018 midterm cycle to be “instructive” in that campaigns were largely issue-based. “Are we going to be talking about progressive policies that are not just Democrat or Republican, but huge voting blocs in this country actually do care about?” Smikle asked, listing access to health care, affordable college and criminal justice reform.
“We’ve done a pretty good job of telling voters why they should fire Donald Trump ... but will we do a good job telling voters why we should be hired?” ” suppression and election fraud has made it extremely hard for ordinary voters to impact the political system. “Huge parts of the electorate do not get a voice,” he said. “All of [Trump’s] statements are meant to drive people to action ... to mobilize,” Smikle said. “They’re mobilizing behind hatred, anger and fear, in my opinion.” Populist, anti-establishment rhetoric also helped propel Trump into the White House. Ironically, as Smikle pointed out, Bernie Sanders’ and Trump’s 2016 campaigns were quite similar in this regard. “For
Democratic field today. “A lot of stuff he talked about in 2016, every other candidate is talking about now,” Smikle said, referring to Medicare for all, free college, income inequality and other progressive policy proposals and concerns. Because of Sanders’ shifting the party leftward, Smikle believes that one question Democrats might have to grapple with before 2020 in order to defeat Trump, is the choice between electability and progressive politics. “Ultimately, that may be what this election comes down to from a Democratic party standpoint,” he said.
Smikle said he is skeptical as to whether or not there is yet a Democrat running in 2020 that can simultaneously be truly progressive and electable enough to defeat Trump. Former Vice President Joe Biden is seen by many as this type of candidate, hence the high anticipation for him to join the race, Smikle noted. Others are looking to women in 2020, as half of the Democrats that have declared their candidacy so far are women. “Of the candidates I see now, the strongest are women,” Smikle said, specifically naming Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris
of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “I like Amy Klobuchar,” Smikle said. Klobuchar is the Democratic senator from Minnesota and 2020 candidate. He added that as a non-coastal liberal, she could earn the party much-needed votes in the Midwest. Overall, 2020 Democratic hopefuls need to focus on making a case for bold, progressive ideas instead of solely focusing on why Trump is bad. “We’ve done a pretty good job of telling voters why they should fire Donald Trump,” Smikle said. “But will we do a good job of telling voters why we should be hired?” Smikle’s discussion left many attendees looking ahead at the important issues that the 2020 election will tackle. “The most relevant issue is immigration,” said Roxanna Alvarado, a senior psychology major. “Democrats should make an effort to unite the nation [behind the notion] of America as [a] melting pot,” Alvarado said. “This will actually make America great again.” For Samantha Coleman, a freshman legal studies in business major, the large field of Democratic candidates must consolidate and find the right candidate to defeat Trump. “They have to narrow it down,” Coleman said. “Or else Trump will have a better support system and chance of winning.”
Public Safety Briefs Compiled by Alisha Riggs
On Feb. 26, a Hofstra faculty member reported to PS that he received a bill for payment from a vendor claiming to be the president of the Hofstra University American Association of University Professors’ (AAUP) Union. Investigation revealed that this was a scam. Details of this incident were reported to the Hempstead Police Department. On Feb. 27 at 8:15 a.m., a Hofstra faculty member reported to PS that at some
time between 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25, and 8:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, someone entered his office in Gallon Wing, which had been secured. The faculty member reported that someone had removed his Hofstra laptop from the top of his desk. Police assistance was declined at this time and an investigation will be conducted into this matter. On Feb. 27 at 9:30 p.m., PS received report from a Hofstra student who had been shopping at the local Target. While in the
parking lot after leaving the store, she realized that she had left her purse which contained her driver’s license, Hofstra identification (ID) card, debit card, room key and $100 in cash inside the shopping cart. When she returned 20 minutes later, she discovered her purse was missing. Police assistance was declined and a work order was prepared for a room lock change. Hofstra card services was also notified. On Feb. 28 at 4:50 p.m., a Hofstra administrator reported
to PS that at some time between 10:45 a.m. and 3:18 p.m., her wallet was stolen from her office in Memorial Hall. The wallet contained $150 in cash, two American Express cards, a Capital One Bank card, a TD Bank card, her driver’s license, vehicle registration and Hofstra University ID card. She received a report of fraudulent charges from several of the card companies, totaling $5,600. The Hempstead Police Department responded to the Hofstra Information Center
and prepared a report of the incident. A further investigation will be conducted into this matter.
Key PS – Public Safety
The Chronicle features TLC is not a TV network or ‘90s girl group at Hofstra
A6 • March 5, 2019
Photo Courtesy of Student Affairs The sixth floor of Nassau Hall will accommodate students interested in TLCs.
By Gabriella Varano ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF
On the sixth floor of Nassau and the 14th floor of Constitution, there stand communities of creative, passionate and welcoming students. In Themed Living Communities (TLCs), Hofstra students can create an environment they can live in and love. From gender-inclusive housing to rooms dedicated to gaming, TLCs offer a space for students to be unapologetically themselves. “The TLCs originally were created to mirror what first-year
students are offered within the Living Learning Communities, which are focused on academic areas, [and] allow them to continue in a similar community as an upperclassman,” said Chermele Christy, the assistant director of Residence Life. TLCs are managed like standard residential floors, but inhabitants have the ability to be more than just a standard resident. When living in a TLC, students are required to hold two educational initiatives. “Each room can pick their own theme, so right now, there’s
a gender-inclusive room, there’s one for the gamers and one that call themselves the nerds,” said Emily Green, a junior journalism major and resident assistant (RA) of the sixth floor of Nassau. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be academic based.” “An educational initiative can be anything that increases knowledge about the community’s area of interest, including hosting a discussion, creating a blog, screening a film or displaying thought-provoking artwork on the bulletin boards in the hallway on their floor,” Christy said. So far this academic year, the self-proclaimed gamers and nerds have put on building-wide programs based on their themes. The nerds held a Halloween Bash, where they made cookies, distributed candy and watched a Halloween movie. The gamers put on a Super Smash Bros. tournament that was also well-received. The gender-inclusive TLC is organizing a program this semester, as they created a bulletin board last semester.
“Over the course of the past two years, the [Office] of [Residence Life] noticed fewer students seeking academic-based TLCs and thought it might be beneficial to allow the residents who want to participate in a Themed Living Community the option of choosing their theme,” Christy said. “The idea was to give the residents a sense of ownership about their living environment.” “I think they definitely wanted to continue on with the whole idea [of] the [Living Learning Community] ... where you could bring together people of the same common interests,” Green said. “Anyone can be in a TLC ... A fraternity or sorority can make a TLC, Esports can make a TLC, any club on campus; if you have four people that have a common interest, you can just be like, ‘All right, let’s make a TLC,’” Green said. On the sixth floor of Nassau this year, 12 of the 26 residents are members of the TLC program. New residents are always welcome, and with housing
applications right around the corner, it’s easy to take part in the process of becoming a member of a TLC. “It’s just so enjoyable to see what [the residents] want to do and watch them bring it to life ... and be someone to support them and help make sure what they want to accomplish comes true,” Green said. This year, TLC room selection will be held on Friday, March 8. Students interested must submit a housing deposit and application indicating the sixth floor of Nassau Hall or the 14th floor of Constitution as their top choice. An additional TLC questionnaire must also be filled out detailing who the resident is, why they want to be in a TLC and what their ideas are. The applicant will then meet with Christy, along with the RA and Amber Hurt, the residential director of Nassau and Suffolk Halls. To find out more about TLCs and how to become part of one, go to Hofstra.edu/TLC.
Community Solidarity: A platform for sharing
By Alanna Boland STAFF WRITER
“We didn’t want to be those people who came to Hempstead, dropped off groceries, then left and patted ourselves on the back,” said Jon Stepanian, the CEO and co-founder of Community Solidarity. “We don’t want to be a charity-based organization that just helps people – we also want to empower communities to help themselves.” Community Solidarity is “America’s largest vegetarian hunger relief organization,” according to their website. They have five locations – four on Long Island in Hempstead, Huntington, Farmingdale and Wyandanch and one in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Once a week, each location holds a “food share,” which is essentially a free outdoor grocery store. Along with vegetarian groceries, the food shares also distribute free clothing, books, toys and toiletries. All of the items they distribute are donated to them, with much of the food
coming from grocery stores with surpluses that would otherwise be discarded. Volunteers also cook vegan hot meals as well and distribute them at the food shares. Many Hofstra students can be found at the Hempstead food share that takes place every Sunday at 2 p.m. “We’ve volunteered at places before where there isn’t much for us to do and all of the volunteers are standing around waiting instead of helping out,” said Caroline Peers, junior neuroscience major and president of Circle K, the collegiate level of the service organization Kiwanis International. “Community Solidarity’s [Hempstead] food share is not one of those events. It’s incredibly hands-on and it gives members a chance to make a direct impact on the local community.” Peers is currently a member of Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a co-ed community service fraternity through which she has volunteered multiple times at the Hempstead food share. As president of Circle K, she hopes
to plan a volunteer opportunity for the members of Circle K with Community Solidarity within the semester. According to Stepanian, Community Solidarity first started back in 2006, with just him and a couple of his friends handing out groceries at the Hempstead train station. “We had all just graduated college,” Stepanian said. “We had a ton of free time and the job market was really terrible, so no one was getting employed. We knew there was a lot of food being tossed out at supermarkets across the Island and wanted to do something productive with our time, so we figured we’d rescue food and bring it out to Hempstead train station.” Ever since then, Community Solidarity has been doing this at the Hempstead train station every Sunday. After its formation, it soon joined a larger, international network of vegetarian food shares called Food Not Bombs. However, in 2011, the organization broke away from the Food Not Bombs movement and
started calling itself Community Solidarity. “We love Food Not Bombs – it’s a global organization that does so much good, but a lot of [their] chapters focus mainly on hot food and only a little bit of groceries,” Stepanian said. “If you go to the food share, there’s so many people who feel like they’ve been left behind ... They feel like no one cares about them or that they’re wasted in our society,” he said. “We want to put every [person], every piece of food and every piece of clothing to use. We don’t want anyone feeling out of place; we want to include everybody, so that’s why we call it Community Solidarity.” Jenna Ayers, a junior public relations major, has volunteered once at the Hempstead food share through APO as well. She admitted it was somewhat daunting volunteering for the first time in such a fast-moving setting. “Everyone who volunteers there is so welcoming and open – they’ll provide you with as much instruction and guidance
as you need,” Ayers said. “It can be very overwhelming at times ... it’s an extremely fast-paced environment, so it’s never going to be perfectly organized. But it’s surprising how on top of things all of the volunteers are, it made it easier for all of us first-timers.” Ayers said that out of all the community service she has done with APO, she feels that her participation in Community Solidarity made the “biggest impact.” “What drew me to Community Solidarity was that ... you’re able to get off campus and actually interact with the people you’re helping,” she said. “It’s unique in the way that you’re able to see firsthand how everyone’s actions help dozens of individuals in our surrounding communities.” “We really pride ourselves on treating everyone equally, [so] we’re kind of not a hierarchal organization,” Stepanian said. “While a non-profit has to have leadership, we try to make all our decision-making processes focused on the community – that happens at the grassroots level.”
features
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 •A7
Humans of Hofstra By Jessica Zagacki STA FF WRITER
“Something that I’ve been dealing with throughout college – it’s come and gone
– is anxiety and depression. I’ve actually never had too hard of a time talking about it when people have asked. The issue with anxiety and depression is that it makes you stay to yourself. It sort of drives you to be an introvert and that’s exactly the last thing you need when you’re going through struggles of that nature. A lot of people know me as sort of a cheery person, very open and friendly. I don’t share this sort of thing with a lot of people, and I think it’s important that I do it more often, especially when it’s at its worst. I struggle a lot with time management and with staying focused, getting sleep, keeping healthy ... things like that. It took me a long time to get to the point I’m at and I’m still certainly not perfect. After you’ve had it for a while you start to realize when it’s happening, and that can be the hardest part because it’ll deceive you. Sometimes just realizing that you’re not feeling right is the first step and the hardest thing to do in that moment is to reach out to somebody about it, but sometimes you just need to talk to someone. If you have a close friend, that’s great. If not, it’s not always obvious, but the school does have decent resources for helping with that – the counselors have been great. That’s the biggest problem I have when I’m going through the worst of it. Really just reaching out to resources, even if you don’t think you can talk to friends, maybe family, maybe counselors, people on campus. Talking with someone is the best thing you can do to help you realize that you’re not stuck and that you can move forward through it. You don’t want to bring anyone down [or] interrupt [them]. You feel bad about putting your struggles on other people, but you have to recognize that asking someone to talk, even just to vent to someone for a bit, you’re not forcing them to do anything. You’re putting yourself out there and they have the choice to reach out or not. It goes both ways. You’re putting yourself out there and letting people take the opportunity to hear you
Mark Pettit
.”
“I’m in a band, we’re called BowTie Fridays. We produce and play alterna-
tive music but we are very synth-heavy. We have a lot of keyboard sounds and different synthesizer sounds. I haven’t found many bands that have a similar [sound to] us. I’m excited to announce that we just released our single ‘Just One Kiss’ out on Spotify and iTunes. Right now, we are working on recording our EP – that’ll be out in a few months. Our plan is that once it’s released we want to do an EP release show all around New England. We want to go to different states over the summer and perform. That way, we can get a bigger audience. All of our songs that we’re recording right now are originals. We do perform some covers though like classic rock covers or pop-punk covers like ‘Mr. Brightside’. We [perform our covers] at bars or venues just to perform and have fun. We all collaborate on writing music, [the band] consists of me – I sing – and we have another singer who also plays keyboard, a guitarist, a bassist and a drummer. We have Jake who’s on the keyboard and [performs] other vocals, Joe on the synth and the bass, James on keyboard number two and guitar and Brian on drums. Jake has done a lot of the songwriting, but I think right now we’re all trying to get into it. We want to start incorporating everybody’s ideas into our music. We wear bowties, obviously. We perform a lot around Long Island. We do a couple Connecticut shows because Jake and I are from Connecticut but we’re primarily based in Long Island. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram @bowtiefridaysmusic.
”
Amber Clavette Jessica Zagacki / The Hofstra Chronicle
Joe Fay / The Hofstra Chronicle
A8 • March 5, 2019
features
M a n o n t h e U n i s pa n What are your thoughts on Michael Cohen’s testimony?
B y Alanna Boland S TAF F W R ITER
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Overheard @ Hofstra In Colonial Square: “I wish I had a rich relative who would just die.” In Constitution Hall: “I just wanna convert to whatever religion this brownie is.” In Bits & Bytes:
“I didn’t watch the testimony because I don’t really pay attention to politics anymore. I don’t like Trump so I was paying attention when he first got elected, but at this point, there’s been so many different scandals in his presidency that it’s just been too much for me to keep up with.” – Rachel Kong, sophomore
“I just don’t have talent, that’s my problem.” In Nassau Hall: “You know the song ‘I’d rather go blind?’ I’m gonna rewrite it to ‘I’d rather be dead.’” In Estabrook: “Why the fuck would he ask me out if he hates Jews.” In Brower Hall: “I’m not really interested in politics, so I don’t have a lot of thoughts on it. From what I heard off social media, Cohen was spilling tea about the corruption that was going on in Trump’s campaign and the fact that he paid off that model – or porn star, whatever she was.” – Clemintina Haye, freshman
“She’s not even fake nice, she’s just straight up rude.” In LHSC: “Join a sorority and spend your parents retirement fund.” In Vander Poel: “Personally, I’ve never seen a library, but I’ve heard a lot of scary things about them.” In the Netherlands:
“I haven’t watched the testimony, but that’s mainly because spring break is coming up and my family’s really into it. I know the minute I go back I’m going to hear about it, so I might as well wait to see what they say, then do research to form my own opinions on what was said. That way, I don’t have to sit and watch hours of testimony.” – Brenden Miller, senior Alanna Boland / The Hofstra Chronicle
“Do you like Napoleon Dynamite?”
“You mean like the historical figure? He was kind of an ass, so no.” Robert Kinnaird / The Hofstra Chronicle
features
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 •A9
Using parents’ lessons, ‘Dr. Gaby’ ready to lead Hofstra By Joe Fay EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Gabrielle St. Leger has wanted to be “Dr. Gaby” since the age of 5. Now, with an Ed.D. and 17 years of student affairs experience, she has returned to her hometown of Uniondale to help guide Hofstra into the future. St. Leger has held the position of Hofstra’s new dean of students since Monday, Jan. 14.
doing the Long Island string festival and playing the violin and being part of drama club ... my parents made sure [that I was involved.]” In her collegiate career, St. Leger continued to be involved. She attended West Virginia University on a track scholarship and was a member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, as well as multiple honor societies. One activity that remained a constant throughout
Joe Fay / The Hofstra Chronicle St. Leger grew up in Uniondale as the daughter of Haitian immigrants.
The daughter of Haitian immigrants, St. Leger was taught from a young age the value of hard work and determination. Her parents’ core values of respect and education are instilled into all of the St. Leger siblings. “The makings were in my foundation: respect [and] education,” she said. “You get the education, you get the respect. You get the respect, you get doors opened. I knew [a doctorate] was the top level. I just had to find a way to get it.” St. Leger took her parents’ words to heart. She took her education seriously and got involved early on during her time in the Uniondale School District. “I was always engaged,” St. Leger said. “From elementary school
all of her life was track. She began her track career at Lawrence Road Middle School and found her niche with hurdles and the high jump. Her experience in track took her to Northeastern University on a track scholarship, before she ultimately transferred to West Virginia University for the remainder of her undergraduate career and beyond. She chose Northeastern for track but turned down a fouryear academic scholarship – a decision she later regretted when she got injured. Northeastern just became too expensive for her to afford. “Sometimes you think you make the right decision and you don’t,” St. Leger said. “I have this uncanny desire to
succeed ... it’s something inside institutions ... I saw Hofstra puther bachelor’s, master’s and of me that I think I saw in my ting in and investing like those doctorate degrees. parents: their hustle.” other big-time state institutions.” In 2014, she came back to The Uniondale native is also a After spending years away Long Island for good, landing first-generation college student. from home after high school, at NYIT as associate dean for Her parents came from Haiti St. Leger returned back to Long campus life. In 2016, she was with barely enough money to Island in 2011 to take care of her promoted to dean of students at settle down in Hempstead and sick mother. NYIT, where she remained for start a family. “Not knowing how the American system worked [and] being Haitian immigrants, I was on my own,” St. Leger said while talking about figuring out the FAFSA by herself. “If you’re going to describe me, you have to say that I’ve been a focused person,” she said. “Not because I wanted to achieve so [much], but because I felt the weight of being a first-gen student and not wanting to be a burden onto my family of eight.” She credits her parents’ work ethic for inspiring her to keep going when things get tough. “It was a no-brainer for me, almost three years. Her father would get up at 4 a.m. because of all the sacrifices my This January, St. Leger to take public transportation to parents made for me, to be here officially became the dean of New Jersey while her mom ran a as a caregiver for my mom,” she students here at Hofstra, bringing daycare in their home. said. her full circle back to the town St. Leger channeled that ener“All the dreams and the hopes she grew up in. gy to get herself through school. and getting the doctorate degree “It was well worth the journey “I worked two jobs, was a travwouldn’t have mattered if I had of figuring out higher [educaeling track athlete on scholarship made the mistake of not being tion] before I got here,” she said. and [had] a full course load,” she there for my mom in her last “So now that I’m here, I think I said. year.” have that specific background of Growing up right around the Once her Ed.D. was completseeing the growth of Hofstra and corner, St. Leger has had her eye ed, St. Leger was an adjunct watching it from afar. It’s going on Hofstra for a long time. “I did professor at West Virginia Unito help the students here.” the summer camps here,” she versity, where she had received said. “Seeing Hofstra sprawl and grow, from one unispan to the three walkways [now], it was great ... I looked at these facilities, having access to be on the inside, like ‘Wow!’ [and] my jaw dropped to see the growth of Hofstra.” She has been in the world of student affairs for 17 years and has worked at West Virginia University, Ohio State University and New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) before coming to Hofstra this semesJoe Fay / The Hofstra Chronicle ter. “Being a student of higher education, St. Leger started working at Hofstra on Monday, Jan. 14, after four years at NYIT. being at different
“I have this uncanny desire to succeed ... it’s something inside of me that I think I saw in my parents: their hustle.”
Hofstra South Asian Student Association Presents:
The History of Henna Feb. 25, 2019
The Hofstra South Asian Student Association (SASA) hosted a Henna and Game night on Monday, Feb 25. The club played games, sang Desi songs and ate snacks from a local Indian grocery Store.
Henna art done by members of the club on students who came to the History of Henna event hosted by SASA.
The club also raised money by giving henna tattoos to attendees.
Club President Manmeet Kaur Nijjer addresses the club before the presentation.
SASA meets every other week during common hour in Breslin 206.
Also known as Mehndi, henna is a traditional style of art used in several cultures across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. A presentation given by the club explained the process of making henna, applying it and the difference in traditional art styles from the various regions.
The art done by the students was inspired by traditional henna art from regions around the world.
Vice President Sukhjit Kaur Dhaliwal does henna on another student.
Nijjer works on traditional henna art after the presentation on its history was completed. Photos by Talha Siddiqui / Spread by Peter Soucy and Robert Kinnaird
Arts and Entertainment
VOL 84 ISSUE 14
Fans are ‘suckers’ for Jonas return B2
A&E Fans are ‘Suckers’ for Jonas return
B2•March 5, 2019
Continued from A1 The song shot to No. 1 on the iTunes charts after being out for less than eight hours, knocking Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” from the top spot. The song debuted at No. 28 on the Billboard Top 100. “Sucker” was written by the Jonas Brothers and Ryan Tedder, with Tedder also producing the track. With hits from his own band OneRepublic and credits on tracks like Beyonce’s “Halo” and Adele’s “Rumour Has It,” Tedder is no stranger to penning and producing songs that become immediate hits. However, it took a lot for the Jonas Brothers to have the success they are having with their reunion. The Jonas Brothers sat down with Elvis Duran on “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show” on Friday, March 1, to discuss the challenges the past six years have brought them and how they have been able to come back to-
gether as a band and as a family. again, to do the thing that was so Nick, Joe and Kevin originally much a part of our life,” Kevin thought of coming together for said. “Now it just feels so increda documentary to display their ible, and I’m so grateful honestly time as the Jonas Brothers to that we could work together where they are today. This docuagain. I never truly thought it mentary process helped them was going to happen.” to bring Once closure to they got some of together the issues to shoot they had the docufollowing mentary, the breakup “We realof the band ized that and alCourtesy of Stylecaster there was lowed them a magic music video for ‘Sucker’ features Priyanka to be able The when Chopra, Sophie Turner and Danielle Jonas, the significant others of the Jonas Brothers. to make we were new music together again. that we missed, you know,” Nick “When it ended ... it was not said. “We felt like something good,” Nick said. “It was, you different always happened when know, a challenging couple years we were together, and so I sort of … rebuilding as family, and I of began the conversation about think in our minds it seemed like doing this.” it would be impossible to ever do Once they got together, figured this again.” out their sound following six “After the band split, it took years of growth and solo ventime to get OK to play music tures and remembered how to
work together to make music, things happened pretty quickly. Joe said that they recorded 30 to 40 songs and that they will hopefully be releasing more within the next few months. In the meantime, fans can satiate their need for Jonas Brothers by listening to “Sucker,” watching the music or tuning in to “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” where the Jonas Brothers will be taking over the show from Monday, March 4, to Friday, March 8. The brothers are just as excited as their fans to be back and making new music. “Being able to look to your left and see your brothers, last night for instance, we were over the moon about just even the world hearing for the first time new music,” Nick said. “There was a moment that I just grabbed them and shook them and said, ‘This is real; this is happening.’”
The Chronicle
Quick Hits
Courtesy of Vanity Fair
Khalid announced that his next album, “Free Spirit,” will be released on Friday, April 5.
Courtesy of Rolling Stone
After spending time in a mental health treatment facility, Selena Gomez released a new song, “I Cant Get Enough.”
Cover: Jonas Brothers
An Oscars Recap: Hostless with the mostest
By Victoria Bell
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
The 91st Academy Awards remained true to its purpose of being Hollywood’s biggest night. Going without a host, something that has not happened in the past 30 years, meant the Oscars had a lot riding on it. Kevin Hart was originally announced to host this year’s Oscars. Not only would Hart have accomplished one of his goals, but he would have also been making history by becoming the fourth black Oscars host. Not even a full day after his confirmation to host the Oscars, reports of Hart’s homophobic tweets from 10 years ago resurfaced on the internet. Though Hart had already apologized multiple times for these tweets in the past, he found it best to step down from the position, as he felt his situation would take away from the true meaning of the night: to honor and acknowledge those in the film industry. The night started with a performance by Queen, featuring Adam Lambert. “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions” made for perfect songs
to kick off the night. An inspiralso took on the pink theme in ing slideshow starring some of their stunning dresses. Jennifer 2018’s hottest movies followed. Lopez lit up like a disco ball in Then, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and her Tom Ford gown. Brie Larson, Maya Rudolph stepped on stage Michelle Yeoh and Awkwafina to deliver the opening speech. All followed in J-Lo’s footsteps by three helped to release the tenrocking the glitz. Billy Porter sion in the room, not forgetting nearly broke the Internet in a to throw in the expected politigown. Spike Lee wore a purple cal joke. The awards started at suit – in honor of Prince – with a once, with Reina King winning matching hat and gold high tops. the award for best supporting Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooactress. Her tearful per stole the speech filled with show with raw emotion touched their unanaudience members, nounced duet especially King’s of “Shallow.” mother. She ended Other musiher speech uniting cal guests Courtesy of Billboard the crowd with the included Jenpopular saying, “God The 91st Oscars was without a nifer Hudson, host, something that hasn’t hap- Bette Midler, is good all the time; pened since 1989. all the time, God is Gillian Welch good.” and David Rawlings. Though films are at the foreVarious trailers for the nomifront of the night, fashion makes nees of best picture were shown. for a close runner-up. While Two-time Academy Award winmost kept it classy with basic ner Barbra Streisand presented black and white, pink and sparkle an award, but not before delivermade the memo. Jason Momoa ing a touching speech about the sported a blush corduroy suit film “BlacKkKlansman.” The jacket with a matching scrunchie. honorary obituary slideshow, Kacey Musgraves, Sarah Paulwhich included legends such as son, Angela Bassett and Rudolph Stan Lee and Margot Kidder also
aired. The slideshow failed to include any people of color, which was unfortunate considering the event took place during Black History Month. However, this year’s Oscars was filled with many exciting wins. Rami Malek took the Best Actor award for his work in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” English actress Olivia Colman received the Best Actress award for “The Favourite.” “Green Book” won Best Picture. Spike Lee, having been nominated for an Oscar five times, celebrated a big win, receiving his very first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Though he won this award, he still felt “BlacKkKlansman” was worthy of the Best Picture title. Lady Gaga won her first Oscar award in the Best Original Song category for “Shallow.” Overall, the 2019 Oscars was filled with many laughs, cries and smiles. Despite the fear of having no host, many actually seemed to enjoy the speedy pace of the program. So, accept this honorary award, Oscars, for making a show not as difficult to get through for once.
Courtesy of TV Guide
The latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” made it the longest-running medical drama
Courtesy of People
Selma Blair made her first red carpet appearance since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis .
Courtesy of Hello Magazine
“Riverdale” and “90210” star Luke Perry died after a stroke on Monday, March 4.
March 5, 2019•B3 A&E The revolutionary future of superhero television
The Chronicle
adoption of children by a strange man, like “Despicable Me,” is that all the children he adopts were born on the same day as 36 other children Courtesy of Netflix from women Before ending up on Netflix, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ was who weren’t picked up by Universal Studios to be made into a movie. pregnant until they By Eleni Kothesakis spontaneously gave birth. Of ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT the seven children he adopts, six EDITOR have some sort of unique superOn Friday, Feb. 15, Netflix power. Instead of being the modreleased a new original series, el of a perfect father, Hargreeves “The Umbrella Academy,” based named his children numerically on a comic series of the same and used their powers as a way to name. Created by My Chemistop crime – thus, the Umbrella cal Romance frontrunner Gerard Academy was created. Way, the comic follows the The series itself follows the adopted children of the eccentric lives of five remaining HarSir Reginald Hargreeves. greeves children – Vanya, Luther, What separates this story Allison, Klaus and Diego – as from similar movies about the they balance personal relation-
ships, new emerging powers and the end of the world being only eight days away. Number Five, who has the ability to time travel, returns after being missing for almost 17 years in order to prevent the destruction of the world as they know it, thus beginning their adventure. Being only 10 episodes long, every single episode is jam-packed with action, heartfelt moments, comedic relief and an iconic soundtrack. Fans can agree that although there were many perfectly done elements of the show, the real standout was the development and overall presence of Klaus, or Number Four. His character development is a type that is seldom seen on contemporary television. Simultaneously an uncontrollable drug addict, a war veteran suffering from PTSD and a man mourning over the loss of the love of his life while also remaining the source of comedic relief the entire time, it is easy to see why Klaus is such a fan favorite.
While both Klaus and Number Five are arguably the best members of the Hargreeves family, the other members of the family are hardly redeemable. Vanya, who is labeled as “ordinary,” is actually an over-trusting villain. Allison is a terrible mother who, even when the world is ending, doesn’t spend any time with her daughter, instead choosing to spend time pining over her adopted brother Luther, which in and of itself is taboo enough to make both of those characters unredeemable. Luther, who shares the same feelings as Allison, spends the whole series brooding and crying over the fact that his father didn’t like him instead of actually solving any problems. The last member of the Hargreeves family, Diego, is the least memorable of the bunch. Overall, these “super” people turned out to be duds and inessential to the plot. Beyond the development – or lack thereof – of the characters, the series missed the mark with
some of their costume decisions. Luther, who turns out to be part chimpanzee, wears the most cringeworthy muscle suit throughout the entire series. Instead of looking like the tough, strong leader that he was supposed to be, he ended up looking more like a teddy bear. Despite lackluster characters and costuming, “The Umbrella Academy” was truly successful. Unlike most superhero shows and movies we see today that are made by Marvel or DC as if they were on an assembly line, this show is carefully spread out and keeps fans’ eyes glued to the screen the whole time. Season one ended on a cliffhanger, and in typical Netflix fashion, fans will most likely have to wait a year until the next season premieres. Hopefully, the many unanswered questions and plot holes will be acknowledged and the hype of the show can carry on to next season.
By Erin Hickey
in this song. All of the artists mentioned wrote and sang about the problems facing their societies and tackled issues from civil rights to war.
a love song; however, it’s almost a love song to classical jazz artists. Classical jazz artists like Duke Ellington and Chet Porter are mentioned by name, and titles and lyrics of other famous jazz songs make up the majority of the lyrics of this song. Lyrics like, “Let smoke rings from this paper doll,” actually reference jazz songs – in this case, “Smoke Rings” and “Paper Doll” by The Mills Brothers. Beneath all of these jazz references and the upbeat rhythm, however, there is an almost melancholy, cynical view of life. “I’m almost me again / She’s almost you,” Hozier sings. This could be the reason why it’s “Almost (Sweet Music),” because underneath there is something not-so-sweet about it. “No Plan,” the fourth track on the album, discusses the end of the universe, as astrophysicist Katie Mack has lectured on, coming from stars burning out and the fact that “there will be darkness again,” but humans should enjoy the time they have left. While this may be one of the more pessimistic songs on the album, “Sunlight” comes in later on the album to bring a positivity to the album that had been lacking. On this track,
Hozier sings, “I’m first and fierce if I’m in sight of sunlight.” Also featured on the “Nina Cried Power” EP, “Shrike” is a beautiful song with the feel of an Irish folk song. A shrike is a bird that impales its prey on thorns, thus the lyrics, “Remember me, love, when I’m reborn / As a shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn.” Throughout this song, Hozier compares himself and his love to the shrike and its thorn, two things that are co-dependent on each other to survive. The song begins, “I couldn’t utter my love when it counted / Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ‘bout it now.” He can’t stay away from the girl he’s in love with, and instead keeps “flying like a bird to [her] now.” Hozier had a lot of time to live life, write music and work on his sound in the nearly five years since he released his debut album, and this clearly shows in “Wasteland, Baby!” This album is Hozier at his best – soulful sound, beautiful guitar licks and powerful lyrics reminiscent of the musicians he looked up to who “cried power.”
Hozier’s ‘Wasteland, Baby!’ shows off folksy side
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It has been over four years since Hozier released his debut album “Hozier,” which featured the popular song “Take Me To Church.” Hozier returned with his album “Wasteland, Baby!” on Friday, March 1. With this new release, he brings his distinctive voice that fans have been waiting to hear for years. Three of the album’s 14 songs were on Hozier’s EP “Nina Cried Power,” which was released in September of 2018. What’s so refreshing about Hozier’s songwriting is that there is a deeper meaning underneath the surface of each song – it’s not like some pop songs that practically scream their message at you. Though the entire album does not disappoint and shows off a new deeper, more folksy side of Hozier than fans may be used to, there are a few tracks on the album that truly shine. The album begins with the namesake for the EP, “Nina Cried Power.” Here, Hozier pays homage to musical legends with the titular Nina being Nina Simone and the power coming from the
lyrics of her song “Sinnerman.” In addition to Simone, Hozier lists 12 other musicians and activists, some of which are John Lennon (“People Have the Power”), Patti
Courtesy of Hozier Hozier’s new album ‘Wasteland, Baby’ received 98 percent liked score from Google users.
Smith (“Power to the People”), Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan and Mavis Staples, who is featured
“Almost (Sweet Music)” shows off Hozier’s pure lyrical genius. The song comes across as simply
The Chronicle A&E Get ready to check into Rosebud Motel
B4•March 5, 2019
By Casey Clark S TAFF W R I T E R
If you don’t know what to binge-watch next on Netflix, “Schitt’s Creek” is the answer. “This comedy series created by father-and-son duo Eugene and Daniel Levy, has captured the hearts of audiences all over the world with the shenanigans and relatable dynamic of the Rose family. Johnny, Moira, Alexis and David find themselves broke after their business manager commits fraud and the IRS takes all of their possessions to pay off taxes. The Rose family finds themselves at a run-down motel in the tiny town of Schitt’s Creek, which is apparently the only asset they have left. This formerly wealthy family is now stuck trying to navigate their way through life as “normal” people, which is something they have never experienced before. Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara), old-time soap star and mother of Alexis (Annie Murphy) and David (Daniel Levy), is known in Schitt’s Creek for having an eccentric wardrobe and unique accent. Moira works for the town council and tries to turn Schitt’s
Creek into a town that she can be somewhat proud of, despite it not being close to what she was used
and current owner of Rose Apothecary, has trouble at first accepting the current state of his life living
cations after receiving her degree from Elmdale College. The show touches on many ar-
Courtesy of CBC “Schitt’s Creek” is rated 90 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
eas of life, including self-improvement, LGBTQ+ relationships and the importance of community. While the Rose family are still relatively new residents of Schitt’s Creek, they do their best to engage with the community while still maintaining their modern and ar-
tistic flair. In addition to becoming more involved in the community, David opens his own business, Rose Apothecary, alongside Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid) and their relationship blossoms into something unexpected. David and Patrick become a couple and the ups and downs of their relationship are highlighted in the episodes following the opening of the business. While the Rose family still is not fully acquainted with Schitt’s Creek, they begin to accept their current living state and decide to make the best of it by working together and supporting each other’s endeavors, whether they be singing in the Jazzagals, running the motel, leading a public relations company or managing the apothecary. Season five of Schitt’s Creek began airing on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Episodes air every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Pop and seasons one through four can be viewed on Netflix. Full-length episodes for all seasons are also available for streaming on Pop TV’s website, along with information about the cast and exclusive clips.
to during her previously luxurious life. Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy), businessman and father, takes on the project of running the Rosebud Motel alongside Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire) after the news of her great-aunt Maureen’s death. David Rose, a former gallery host
in a rural town and sharing a motel bedroom with his sister, Alexis. Alexis Rose, a lively and smart yet oblivious young adult, known for her “Ew, David” catchphrase, takes great pride in her appearance and works hard to become the founder of Alexis Rose Communi-
It all started when the very intelligent, diversified and insightful – catch the sarcasm yet? – heads of H&M decided it would be a good idea to create said graphic tee and have it be modeled by none other than ... wait for it, a black child. Just let that sink in. Surely, it would not take long for anyone reading this to realize the issue here. However, in this case, the whole internet blew up with celebrities and people everywhere tweeting in disapproval of the scandal before H&M saw the error in their ways. Again, big yikes. Today’s media has brought attention to another form of blackface, called “blackfishing.” Blackfishing, according to Urban Dictionary, is “commonly perpetrated by females of European descent (white) which involves artificial tanning (spray tanning and tanning booths) and using makeup to manipulate facial features in order to appear to have some type of Black African ancestry.” Well said,
Urban. sell the “fantasy” that is the Imagine what the world would be For whatever reason, being Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. like if we all accept one another “light skin” or just being black Whether it be blackface, and just be happy. But for now in general, really, seems to blackfishing, culturally it’s time to do a closet cleanout, be a trend in both the digital insensitive, anti-LGBTQ+ and Victoria’s Secret, Gucci and and real world. As a dark skin or anti-body positivity, it all H&M have their names all over black woman, let it be known seriously just needs to stop. it. to anyone who has or is considering blackfishing that skin color is not your trend to get more Instagram followers. Period. Discrimination does not end there though, unfortunately. Aside from race, gender and body size have also faced much judgment in the fashion industry. Take Victoria’s Secret as an example. By now, it would seem that everyone has heard of the false statements made by the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Ed Razek regarding Courtesy of Gucci transgender and plus-sized women. According to Gucci’s makes public statement apologizing for the $890 balaclava jumper, which Razek, transgender and resembles blackface. plus-sized women cannot
OPINION: Racism and discrimination in fashion
By Victoria Bell
ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
“Gucci gang” times seven. Words made famous by none other than, you guessed it, Lil Pump. But after the recent blackface scandal faced by designer brand Gucci, it’s best that everyone leaves the era of Gucci obsession back in 2018 where it belongs. Gucci’s whopping $890 balaclava jumper, essentially a black turtleneck, prominently features a red cutout around the mouth that resembles the stereotypical overdrawn lips of blackface. What makes the situation worse is that the item was modeled by a white woman. Oh, should it be mentioned that this happened during black history month? Big yikes Tragically, however, this is not the first time the public has seen behavior like this. Ah yes, it is now time to bring back to light the infamous “coolest monkey in the jungle” graphic tee sold by H&M.
A 12 • March 5, 2019
op-ed
The Chronicle
The The views and opinions expressed in the Editorial section are those of the authors of the articles. 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. The Chronicle reserves the right to not publish any piece that does not meet our editorial standards.
Make the Republican Party great again
By Anonymous
This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has proven what I have been afraid of for a long time: The party is throwing away years of storied history and is replacing it with obedience to Donald Trump. I didn’t have to attend in person. Watching it live, I could see the future of my beloved party being destroyed. I am a proud Republican, and I believe in all of the core principles of our beloved party: small federal government, the rule of law, individual freedom, lower spending and fewer taxes. These principles have built America into the greatest
country in the history of the world, and even today, they’re necessary to keep the country above the rest, as shepherd of the world. But Trump’s policies and ideas are killing the party. A border wall, paid for by the federal government? That goes against everything about small federal government. Calling out Robert Mueller and the investigations? While I do believe that these investigations are politically motivated, the rule of law should be held above everything – politics and pride included. Trump also called out the media, as well as socialists on the left and anyone who isn’t a conservative Christian.
Instead of appealing to the widest possible group of people, his appeal becomes smaller and smaller, to fewer people with more fanaticism. It’s this level of belief in Trump that has forced competition out. No one has stood to oppose Trump within the party for fear of losing votes. Ted Cruz, whom I voted for in the 2016 primaries, was a vocal opponent of Trump’s egoism and failings. Now, after speaking at CPAC, he’s behind the president. Mitt Romney, who Fox News once called the only man who could defeat Trump, took Senator Hatch’s job in Utah and has left the national stage. With every other politician afraid to lose
votes from Trump’s massive base, nobody will oppose him. Being from Florida, I have seen more and more blue voters come into the state in the past few years. If what Fox News says is true, I can only assume that the same is happening in Texas. If either of these states go blue, then it’s curtains on another Republican president through the electoral college. While some at Hofstra will be cheering at the thought of that, it was Republicans like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan who helped end major crises and build America up for the better. Trump and Pence in particular spoke about the rise of socialism from the left and
how it would ruin America. Socialism has no place in America, and I’m confident that the American people will reject it. I think that it will be my beloved party’s own failure that will ruin America. We should not keep reaching for the ever-shrinking pool of strident supporters. If we on the right can’t expand to include more people of all shades, and if we cannot get out of the shadow of the president and work to turn blue voters red, we’re finished.
than “almost any other president in history.” People around the world are familiar with President Trump’s Twitter outbursts, but this one was surprising because Lee’s speech did not mention the president. There was no accusation of racism against Trump and no mention of voting against President Trump. It is possible to assume that Lee was referring to Trump in his speech, since he mentioned the 2020 presidential election, but it still does not make sense for Trump to assume the speech was about him. Trump’s outburst further proves his narcissism and inflated sense of ego, along with a pattern of pandering to his base. It seems clear by now that much of what Trump tweets is only meant to appeal to the people he knows already support him. Something else to note is the fact that this is not the first time he’s accused a
black person of being racist. President Trump has spoken out on multiple occasions about black people being racist, a pattern that undoubtedly appeals to his followers. President Trump has called out black people for being “racist” many more times than he has called out white people on the same charge. Trump has a history of calling out celebrities who mock him or express their displeasure of him. The list of celebrities he has called out via Twitter rant includes Robert De Niro, Michelle Wolf, Oprah Winfrey, Snoop Dogg, Katie Couric, Alec Baldwin and the cast of Hamilton. Conservatives tend to dislike celebrities, often referring to them as the “Hollywood elite” who are “out of touch,” despite the president being a celebrity himself. Trump knows his base usually does not approve of Hollywood, so speaking badly of celebrities
who speak badly of him is a good strategy to keep his base agreeing with what he is saying. The idea of Trump being a narcissist has been discussed widely. An article from Psychology Today provides the symptoms of the personality disorder published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders handbook, along with examples of Trump that appear to show that Trump does, indeed, live with narcissistic personality disorder. Trump has showed several times his inflated sense of ego along with his low tolerance for being mocked. Despite former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush being mocked throughout their terms, neither president complained as publicly as Trump has. It seems as if Trump believes he should be above criticism because he is president. Trump seeks the blind approval a
dictator seeks. His base may be small – according to NPR, Trump’s approval rating slipped with his base, down from 42 percent in December 2018 to 39 percent in January 2019 – but he shamelessly panders to them. Trump’s call-out of Lee’s speech also seems hypocritical: Lee called on people to choose love over hate and to “do the right thing.” If Trump believes his actions as president are so great, why did he try to discredit Lee? Trump’s narcissism and inflated sense of ego are dangerous traits for a leader to have, especially when the policies he supports are harmful to so many people in this country. Hopefully, people will take Spike Lee’s advice for the 2020 presidential election: Be on the right side of history.
The writer requested anonymity out of concern for their safety.
‘Do the Right Thing’ in the 2020 election
By Rachel Wilson
Director Spike Lee was on the receiving end of a tweet-attack by President Donald Trump after giving a brief speech at this year’s Oscars. In his acceptance speech for Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman,” Lee spoke about slavery in the United States and then a personal anecdote of how his grandmother helped fund his going to college and film school. Lee mentioned a desire for Americans to “be on the right side of history” for the 2020 presidential election and called on people to “make the moral choice between love versus hate” and to “do the right thing.” Despite Lee not mentioning President Trump, the president decided to tweet his displeasure, calling Lee’s speech a “racist hit against your president.” Trump then mentions how he has helped African-Americans more
Rachel Wilson is a graduate student studying journalism.
Email us your hot takes at huchronicle.op.ed@gmail.com
op-ed
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A 13
Should Trump really handle North Korea?
By Robert Kinnaird
Donald Trump and Kim JongUn met in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the end of February to discuss nuclear disarmament of North Korea, but negotiations halted over sanctions. Halfway through his time in office, Trump has failed to deliver on many of his campaign promises and his approval rating is relatively low. Trump’s tough stance on North Korea is still in the cards, and his approval rating is beginning to move up again after the recent negotiations, but the question remains if Trump will be able to reach an agreement with Kim before his time in office ends. The international community has placed massive pressure on North Korea’s economy through billion-dollar sanctions. The United Nations caps North
Korean labor exports, limits imports of natural gas and petroleum products and bans the export of electrical equipment, coal, minerals, seafood, agricultural products, wood, textiles and stones. The North Korean economy is unsustainable because of these sanctions and they know it. Kim talks a big game with his nuclear weapons because that’s all he has. North Korea could not possibly win a war with any major world power due to its crippled economy and sanctions preventing the trade of arms and military equipment, so all they really have as a bargaining chip is mutually assured destruction. Kim surely knows that to use nuclear weapons is a suicide mission but having his finger on the trigger is his best chance to remove the sanctions placed on his country.
However, it is impossible to talk about North Korea without bringing up its human rights abuses. North Korean people are starving and reports from people who have left the country are harrowing. But can the Western world really wash its hands of responsibility for this? On top of all the sanctions preventing importing and exporting, the United Nations has also made moves to limit the fishing rights of North Korea. Between the stunted agricultural industry, the ban on many kinds of fishing and the inability to meaningfully trade, is it any wonder that the people of North Korea are starving? We can’t just place all the blame on the country with the suffering populous when we have rigged the system to prevent them from getting help or trading.
The removal of sanctions is a dangerous game to play. If we allow North Korea to bolster its economy, we may see an improvement in the lives of its populous and a general decrease in suffering. We may also see increased funding toward military research and an increase in military power with little to no increase in the quality of life for the common people of the country. Removing sanctions could either make North Korea a significantly fiercer opponent, or it could appease the country into a position that wants peace. Trump refuses to play the sanction game, and because of Kim’s demands to drop the sanctions, the negotiations fell apart. Trump’s current plan of carrying a bigger stick and threatening to use it does seem to be working to at least create
a dialogue between North Korea and the United States, but it seems unlikely to result in disarmament. Kim is ready to negotiate but his demands are high and he does not seem to be willing to give any quarter unless they are met. If Trump can reach an agreement here that appeases both the international community and the American populous while also not giving so much to Kim that he appears weak, it could be his finest moment, and in my opinion, his best chance at re-election.
Robert Kinnaird is a sophomore journalism major with a minor in history. He is a multimedia editor for The Chronicle.
Graphic by James Factora
A 14 • March 5, 2019
op-ed
Stuyvesant Hall should be renamed By Alan Singer
A number of colleges have changed the names of buildings so they no longer recognize slaveholders and slave traders. In 2017, Yale University renamed Calhoun College, which previously honored alumnus and slavery champion John C. Calhoun, to Hooper College, in recognition of alumna Grace Murray Hooper, who went on to be a computer scientist, mathematician, teacher and naval officer. Georgetown University, Harvard Law School, Princeton University and the University of Texas at Austin have also explored changing the names of buildings and programs. Recently the College Council at SUNY New Paltz voted to remove the names of slaveowning families from six buildings on its campus. During the Spring 2018 semester, Hofstra established the Task Force on Representation in Public Spaces to report on existing statues as well as possible new statues and plaques. Meetings have been set up to engage the entire university community
in discussion. Hofstra is also planning an academic conference for the Fall 2019 semester examining the impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on creation of the modern world and on race relations in the United States. At Hofstra, as part of the University’s Dutch connection, a residence hall for firstyear students is named after Peter Stuyvesant. Stuyvesant, as director general of New Netherland, promoted slavery in the Dutch colony that later became New York City. He was also the largest private owner of enslaved Africans in New Netherland, and tried to prevent Jews and Catholics from settling in New Amsterdam. In 1660, Stuyvesant supervised what was probably Manhattan’s first public auction of human beings. In 1654, 23 Jewish men, women and children arrived in New Amsterdam after fleeing from the former Dutch colony of Recife in Brazil. When the ship docked, Stuyvesant seized their possessions and ordered they be sold at auction. When this failed to raise enough to
meet their debts, Stuyvesant jailed two members of the group and wrote to the Dutch West India Company in Amsterdam asking permission to expel the Jews. In a letter to the Dutch West India Company, Stuyvesant called Jews a “repugnant race” and expressed concern that if Jewish settlers were granted “liberties” in the colony other minority groups, such as Roman Catholics, would be attracted to the colony. In keeping with Hofstra’s Dutch heritage, I propose renaming Stuyvesant Hall after Truus and Freddi Oversteegen, two teenage Dutch young women who were World War II anti-Nazi resistance fighters. After Germany invaded the Netherlands, Freddi, 14, and Truus, 16, were recruited to distribute pro-resistance flyers, but later they became, out of necessity, saboteurs and assassins. Their contributions to the war effort are recounted in “Under Fire: Women and World War II” by Eveline Buchheim and Ralf Futselaar and in an obituary written by Harrison Smith in The Washington Post
in September 2018. In an interview, Freddi Oversteegen explained that the sisters felt they had no choice but to become assassins. “It was a necessary evil, killing those who betrayed the good people.” However, her experience haunted her dreams long after the war ended. In 2014, the Dutch Prime Minister awarded the sisters the Mobilization War Cross, a military honor for service in World War II. Renaming Stuyvesant Hall after the Oversteegen sisters not only removes an honor from a historically problematic figure, but also adds recognition to the achievements of women, who are severely underrepresented by building names and statues on campus.
Alan Singer is interim chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology and a member of the Task Force on Representation in Public Spaces.
The Chronicle
Quick Hits
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced that he is running for president in 2020.
The House of Representatives passed two gun backgroundcheck bills.
SpaceX expands its consumer base The Momo Challenge sweeps social media, causing panic and outrage among parents across the nation.
A tornado hit the deep south, killing 23 at the time of publication. Comic by Amanda Romeo
SPORTS
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A 15
Pride Performer of the Week: Jacquil Taylor “We don’t win the game without Jacquil Taylor." HOFSTRA HEAD COACH JOE MIHALICH “We don’t win the game without Jacquil Taylor." HOFSTRA HEAD COACH JOE MIHALICH
Alexandra Licata / The Hofstra Chronicle
Men’s basketball earns CAA regular season title
By DJ Lopes STAFF W R I T E R
Fina l Hofstra
92
Delaware
69
The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team finished the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular season the same way they started it: with a win over the Delaware University Fightin’ Blue Hens. This time, though, by a score of 92-69 on Saturday, March 2. With the win, the Pride have clinched the No. 1 seed outright in the CAA tournament for the first time, with a conference record of 15-3. “All we did was clinch a tie for the [CAA regular season] title the other night. We wanted to have it to ourselves,” said Hof-
stra head coach Joe Mihalich. “In life, you’re not supposed to be selfish, but we didn’t want to have to share that.” For the 24th time this season, Justin Wright-Foreman led the Pride in scoring with 28 points. The Pride took control early in the first half, leading by as many as 16 and never relinquishing the 9-7 lead they took with 15:05 remaining in the half. After a Ryan Johnson layup for Delaware tied the game at seven, Hofstra rattled off a 21-8 run over the next seven minutes to take a comfortable 28-15 lead. Efficiency was the biggest key to the Pride’s success in Saturday’s game. They shot 53.8 percent from the field in the first half, while holding the Blue Hens to under 40 percent from the field. Wright-Foreman scored 17 points in the first half on 7-9
shooting, including 3-4 from behind the arc. His first half stats are made all the more impressive by the fact that he amassed three fouls, limiting him to only 12 minutes in the half. “I thought we had great energy, I thought we were in attack mode,” Mihalich said. “I thought the enthusiasm, energy and emotion were really good today.” Due to the foul trouble for Wright-Foreman, Mihalich had to get creative with his lineup to end the half, putting Kenny Wormley on the floor for the ninth time this season. Wormley grabbed a rebound and contributed on defense in his time on the court. “I thought he went in and did a really good job,” Mihalich said. “It was only a couple of minutes [and] a couple of possessions, but he made a big stop at the end of the half which would’ve given [Delaware]
some momentum.” The lead they developed in the first half became important at the beginning of the second half, when the Blue Hens caught fire early. They started off 11-15 from the field, including six made shots in a row. Fortunately, the Pride were able to match the Blue Hens shot for shot, shooting 65.5 percent from the field in the half. This allowed them to keep, and even extend, their lead. Delaware had no answer for the duo of Wright-Foreman and Eli Pemberton in the second half. The two combined for 24 points on 10-17 in the last 20 minutes, with Pemberton attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line while WrightForeman used his handle to create good looks. This kind of win came at a good time for the Pride, as their last six games have all been decided by single digits, includ-
ing their only loss at home this season. “Tonight really was a statement win [to ourselves]. We really feel good about ourselves,” Mihalich said. With CAA regular season play wrapped up, the seeding for the upcoming conference tournament are official. With Hofstra as the top seed, they will face the winner of the game between James Madison University and Towson University. While the Pride are 2-0 against the Tigers and 1-1 against the Dukes on the season, they have had recent trouble with both. It took two overtimes for the Pride to beat the Tigers at home and their most recent game against the Dukes was an overtime loss – their only home loss of the season. Regardless of who’s on the court to face them, the Pride will next play on Sunday, March 10 at the College of Charleston.
A 16• March 5, 2019
The Chronicle
SPORTS
Women’s basketball drops Senior Day matchup
By Justin Joseph STAFF W R I T E R
Fina l UNCW
61
Hofstra
51
The Hofstra women’s basketball team fell to UNCWilmington (UNCW) by the score of 61-51 in their last regular-season contest at home in the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex on Sunday, March 3. Hofstra found themselves up by four at halftime but fell apart both on offense and defense in the second half of the game, losing on an emotional night for both the home fans and the players as the program said goodbye to the graduating players on Senior Day. The team wanted to see seniors Boogie Brozoski and Sica Cuzic leave the arena with a victory, but UNCW had their own agenda that evening. The Pride got off to a good start,
opening up the game with a 5-0 lead. The Seahawks did not get on the board until three minutes had passed in the game, but quickly caught up and ended the first quarter tied at 11. Both sides continued their even play into the second quarter, leading to the teams going into halftime with Hofstra slightly ahead, 27-23. Neither team was shooting the ball well from the field in the first half, but in the second half UNCW began to drive the ball more and take more shots in the paint. UNCW senior Chinyere Bell began rebounding the ball and finishing through contact in the second half to give her team the lead late in the third quarter. At the end of the third quarter of play, the Pride found themselves down by three after shooting a mere 11 percent from the field in the quarter. Hofstra went 0-8 from the three-point line, missed a lot of shots under the rim and only managed to score seven points to UNCW’s 14 in the quarter.
From then on, UNCW never looked back as they outscored the Pride 24-17 in the final quarter to come away with another win on the season. “We let our offense affect our defense. We weren’t making shots, but we also weren’t getting stops at the same time,” Brozoski said. Hofstra was out-hustled in the second half on the glass, losing the rebound battle 42-31 though it had been even at 17 after the first half of play. Bell had all 16 of her points and 10 of her 11 rebounds in the second half, which provided the spark for UNCW to get the road win. The leading scorers for Hofstra were the two seniors – Brozoski finished with 12 points and Cuzic added 11. “We certainly wanted to honor these two ... their presence, what they bring as an individual, as people that are an inspiration to the program,” said head coach Krista KilburnSteveskey after the tough loss. With the loss, the Pride
now fall to 9-19 on the season and 3-13 in Colonial Athletic Association play. Hofstra will look to bounce back on
Thursday, March 7, as they travel to Elon University for the first of two remaining road games in their regular season.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
Sica Cuzic had 11 points in her last game in front of the Hofstra crowd.
Giordano drives in game-winner in extra innings
By Mike Senatore STAFF W R I T E R
Fina l (8) Hofstra
10
GSU
8
It took an extra inning, but on Sunday, March 3, the Hofstra softball team took down the Georgia State University Panthers by a score of 10-8 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Pride finished the contest with a season-high 16 hits. Nine different players brought in runs for the team: Kristin Hallam, Kasey Collins, Courtney Scarpato, Alexis Goeke, Amanda Maffucci, Jaycee Ruberti, Angelina Ioppolo and Devyn Losco all scored once, while Meghan Giordano had two runs for the game. Giordano, Ruberti and Madison McKevitt led the team in RBIs with two apiece, and Hallam, Ioppolo and Imani Myint
batted in runs as well. On the mound, Madison Burns pitched for the first four innings of play, where she struck one batter out. Scarpato relieved her in the fifth inning, and she accumulated three strikeouts of her own in the final four innings of play. Each pitcher gave up four earned runs in the match. The Pride exploded out of the gates with three runs in the first inning, two of which were unearned after a fielding error from the Panthers. Hofstra led 3-1 going into the fourth, but Georgia State’s Skylar Mosel cracked a two-run homer to knot it up. The Pride answered back immediately with two runs of their own in the fifth, as McKevitt batted in Maffucci and Giordano. After they brought in a run in the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers leapt ahead in the sixth thanks to a home run from Remington Hasty that scored three, followed by another homer from Jess Neadow, which brought the score to 5-8.
Hofstra regained momentum in the seventh and final inning of regulation; however, as they managed to tie up the ballgame thanks to some excellent offense from Ruberti, Ioppolo, Myint, Hallam and Losco. After holding Georgia State scoreless at the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Hofstra quickly capitalized on that momentum, as Giordano batted in Scarpato before Ruberti did the same for Giordano, creating a two-run cushion before the Panthers’ last opportunity to score. The Pride defense closed out the contest, as a double play and pop fly gave them the victory. This win brings Hofstra’s record for the season to 3-10, while Georgia State slips to 2-17. The team travels next to Norfolk, Virginia, where they will match up against five different opponents in the Blue and White Classic beginning on Friday, March 8.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
Meghan Giordano brought home the game-winning run in a two-hit day.
SPORTS
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A 17
Weissheier records two RBIs in loss to Butler
By Lucas Pino
SPEC IA L TO T H E C H R O N I CL E
Fina l Butler
10
Hofstra
5
The Hofstra men’s baseball team fell to Butler University, 10-5, on Sunday, March 3, to end the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida. The Pride ended the invitational with a 1-3 record after defeating Saint Peter’s University on Saturday, March 2. Mark Faello received his first loss of the season after giving up eight runs (six earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings. Andrew Mundy finished the game in relief going 4.2 innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits. Rob Weissheier finished with two hits and two RBIs, improving both his RBI and hit
total to eight on the season. Vito Friscia also finished with two hits, including his first homerun of the season. Austin Gauthier and Vinnie Costello also drove in a run each, improving their RBI totals to five and two, respectively. Hofstra struggled against Butler’s starting pitcher, Connor Schultz, who got the win to improve his record to 2-0 on the season. He went six innings, giving up only two runs – both earned – on five hits. He also recorded 10 strikeouts. The bullpen finished up the game but held the lead for Schultz, only giving up three more runs the rest of the way. Butler was off to an 8-1 lead in the fifth inning. Hofstra would then score four unanswered runs – one run in the sixth and three runs in the seventh – to cut the deficit to 8-5. Butler then extended their lead by scoring two more runs in the ninth inning to put the game away.
Two Butler players proved to be too much for Hofstra’s pitching. Kyle Smith drove in four runs with two, tworun homeruns while Duncan Hewitt’s magic number was three as he finished with three hits, three RBIs and three scored
runs. With the loss, Hofstra has now lost five of their last six games, falling to a 2-6 record overall. Hofstra will have their home opener on Thursday, March 7, and look to get back on the win
column when they take on Iona College. This will be the first game of a New York stretch in which the Pride will face off against both Iona and Fordham University two times in a four-day span.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics Vito Friscia had two hits, including his first home run of the season, in Sunday’s 10-5 loss to Butler University. .
HOFSTRA ATHLETIC CALENDAR HOME
T U E SD AY
W EDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATU R D AY
SU N D AY
AWAY
3/5
3/6
3/7
3/8
3 /9
3 /1 0
MEN’S
CA A TO U RN A M E N T
BA S K ET B A L L
W OMEN’S
ELON
WI LLI AM & MARY
BA S K ET B A L L
– 7 P.M.
– 7 P. M .
U N CW – 1 P. M .
BASEBALL
I ONA – 3 P.M.
IONA – 11 A . M .
FORDHAM – 1 2 P. M .
FORDHAM – 4 P.M .
SOFTBALL
BL U E A N D W H I T E CL A SSI C
M EN ’ S LA C R O S S E
O H I O STAT E – 1 2 P. M .
WO M EN ’ S LA C R O S S E
JOHN HOPKINS
W RE S TLING
– 3 P. M . EI WA CH A M PI O N SH I PS
A 18• March 5, 2019
The Chronicle
SPORTS
Claxton embracing magical season from new perspective By Felipe Fontes SPORTS EDITOR
The spectacular year that saw Hofstra garner a 25-6 record while recording a nation-best 16-game win streak cannot be overshadowed as fans key in to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament to see what the Pride will accomplish next. After losing Rokas Gustys – the centerpiece of last season’s team – to graduation following the 2017-18 season, it seemed unlikely that the Pride would improve, much less enjoy, the greatest success it has seen since the turn of the century. Save for a strong year in 2005 in which the Pride closed its season with a 26-7 record and a loss in the CAA tournament championship, the type of magic that has been directly associated with this team’s success has brought back memories of the last time Hofstra, then playing in the America East Conference (AEC) and known as the Dutchmen, earned a bid into the famed March Madness tournament. While many things have changed for the Pride since then, among them their mascot, conference and coaching staff, one element of Hofstra basketball has remained the same: Craig “Speedy” Claxton. Exactly 19 years ago, Claxton was leading the charge for a Hofstra team that hadn’t made the NCAA tournament in 33 years, engineering the successful attack from the court as the eighth leading scorer in the nation. The 1999 Dutchmen, coached by current Villanova head coach Jay Wright, entered the tournament as the No. 14 seed in the East Region of the bracket, eventually falling to Oklahoma State University in the first round. Claxton, who later cemented his historic college career with a first round selection in the NBA Draft following the 1999-2000 season, averaged 22.8 points per game while proving to be a potent facilitator and rebounder as well, with six assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The undisputed face of Hofstra during that time, Claxton is now watching another NCAA run take shape 19 years later as Hofstra looks to break another drought with Claxton on the sidelines as an assistant coach. “We had an outstanding player in myself, and of course this team has that in [WrightForeman],” Claxton said. “We both need to score in order for our team to win. In my case, I had to score and facilitate. In
CAA in steals per game with 2.5, assist/turnover ratio with 3.4 and free throw percentage at an astounding 90 percent. His conference-leading figures in both steals and free throw percentage are each good enough to place 13th in the NCAA as a whole, making him among some of the best in the country alongside WrightForeman. Near the paint where points are harder to come by, forward Jacquil Taylor is making his
We go into every game thinking we’re going to win.” Should the Pride win the CAA tournament that will take place from Saturday, March 9, to Tuesday, March 12, they will earn an automatic bid to the national tournament alongside every conference tournament winner across the Division I level. Yet while Hofstra heads into the conference tournament with the No. 1 seed shining over their head, they know the final
“If we’re lucky enough to get in, I think we can do some damage. We have a dangerous team.” [Wright-Foreman’s] case, we need him to score a lot of points in order for us to be successful.” Scoring is just what WrightForeman has been doing in his fourth year wearing the blue and gold. As if one-upping Claxton wasn’t enough, Wright-Foreman currently sees himself in second place among the nation’s leading scorers, standing six spots higher than his assistant coach did in 1999, all while shooting at an incredibly efficient clip from the field at 52 percent as well as the three at 44 percent. Wright-Foreman is personifying Hofstra basketball at the moment with his swagger and competitive demeanor, electrifying the crowd with nine 30-point games and two 40-pointers, including one in which he dropped 48 points in a comeback effort against the College of William & Mary in front of his home crowd in February. Yet while Wright-Foreman has made his case as the 2019 version of Claxton with his ability to score as he slowly plays his way into draft conversations, the pieces in the unit around him are proving just as valuable in the breathtaking season Hofstra is experiencing. Running the floor for the Pride from the point guard position, Desure Buie leads the
presence felt as well, standing at No. 2 in the CAA in blocked shots and No. 5 in rebounding. The Robin to WrightForeman’s Batman is Eli Pemberton, whose 15.5 points per game proves impactful time and time again, as he not only alleviates pressure from WrightForeman but has the ability to create his own shot when called upon. These supplements don’t veer too far from what aided Claxton in his 1999 campaign when Norm Richardson added just over 16 points per game while both Roberto Gittens and Greg Springfield averaged over six rebounds a game. “We both played with shooters that you’ve got to guard, so that makes it harder for teams to double-team us and concentrate too much on myself and [Wright-Foreman],” Claxton said. “If you do come with a double or triple team, he’s able to find a guy and I was able to find a guy and those guys are able to knock down shots.” If the formula from 19992000 contained the right science to make the NCAA tournament, then Hofstra seems to be headed in the right direction. “We both had the will to win,” Claxton said when comparing the two Hofstra teams. “We both hold each other accountable.
championship trophy won’t be handed over without them earning it. “We know that we’ve got to bring it every night,” Claxton said. “This is a tough conference. Anybody can be beaten on any given day. “We lost to [UNCWilmington] a week ago and to [James Madison University] this past weekend, and they were the bottom-feeders of the conference up until this point.” Even with a loss in the CAA tournament, a sliver of hope may still be there for Hofstra to make the big dance. Hofstra’s continued dominance throughout the season – including its one-time nationleading 16-game win streak – could prove enough to earn a ticket into mid-March through an at-large bid – a privilege usually awarded to big name schools that don’t come out on top of the major basketball conferences. Hofstra, a mid-major program that is riding on just one year of nationwide recognition, doesn’t warrant the attention of many basketball fans across the country who believe that the team’s success is merely based on a weaker strength of schedule. To them, a team making it out of a lesser known
conference such as the CAA doesn’t stand a chance against teams coming out of esteemed conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Southeastern Conference (SEC), even those who underperformed throughout the season. To Claxton, however, these people may just be overlooking what happens to be a robust group of teams. “If they think this conference is not good, they should have a CAA-Big East tournament like they have the Big Ten-ACC challenge,” Claxton said. “I would love to have a CAA – [Atlantic 10] challenge. I think then people would take notice of how good this conference really is.” The CAA proves itself competitive year after year, with only one repeated champion since 2012 and with solid outings, albeit losses, against strong programs. Hofstra has taken on tough opponents, as seen in the 69-67 overtime thriller at the beginning of the season against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) – a perennial NCAA tournament team – and the 72-76 grinder against the Marshall Thundering Herd, a team who reached the second round in the tournament a year ago. Not to mention, both of these games came before Hofstra heated up on its way to a nationleading 16-game win streak. “If we’re lucky enough to get in, I think we can do some damage,” Claxton said. “We have a dangerous team. We have a unique zone and a great player in [Wright-Foreman]. I think we can give one of those big boys a tough matchup.” A win in the NCAA tournament would not only supersede what Claxton’s team did in 2000 but would invigorate an entire New York region that hasn’t seen Hofstra overcome expectations in quite some time. “These guys believe in each other and hold each other accountable,” Claxton said. “It’s been a magical season, and hopefully we can finish this thing up the right way.”
SPORTS
The Chronicle
March 5, 2019 A 19
Men’s basketball primed for successful tournament run
By Zevan Shuster STAFF WRITER
The Hofstra men’s basketball team had a season for the ages, filled with a 16-game winning streak, a place in the top scoring offenses in the country at No. 8 and a finale for one of the program’s all-time great players. The journey has been unforgettable thus far, but most importantly, it is unfinished. The Pride is determined to make sure that this is their year to do what players and coaches have dreamed of since the start of their careers. Could this finally be the year? Since joining the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in the 200 season, Hofstra has never won the conference tournament. This year, the Pride has its best chance. Not only are they the deserving regular season champs, but they average eight more points per game than second place UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) and third place Elon University. Leading the charge is Justin Wright-Foreman, who moved into No. 4 all-time on the Hofstra scoring list and is now No. 2 in all of college basketball in points per game. But as great as he is, one man doesn’t make a team. If the Pride is to achieve their goals this season, in and beyond the CAA tournament, everyone on the team must play their part as best as they can. “Everybody has their roles,” said Eli Pemberton in an article for the NCAA on Wednesday, Jan. 30. “Guys know that Justin is ‘the man’ on the team. He’s going to lead us, but we’ve got to help him out. That was the key this year, just to make everything easier for him.” The Pride has the talent, the character, the toughness and the will to win that make them the favorite to conquer this tournament. Of course, one of the biggest keys to winning the home stretch of the season is the
ability to overcome adversity. To do that, you must have togetherness. They do. Most importantly, they play together. They believe in and rally behind their best player. “The real thing that’s going on here, is that these kids – and a lot of this is going to sound corny – really like each other. They genuinely like playing with each other,” said head coach Joe Mihalich. “This is really a cliche. They really play for each other, and it’s a beautiful thing.” “We have a great brotherhood that’s going on around here,” Wright-Foreman said. “I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else.” Hofstra’s 16-game streak was once the nation’s longest winning streak this season, something that caught national attention. Andy Katz, a longtime college basketball analyst and yearly bracketologist, projected the Pride as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA. “It gets contagious,” Mihalich said. “We’ve got these kids who genuinely have a will to win. They just don’t talk about it, they have it.” Hofstra ranks No. 1 in the CAA in three-point percentage, field goal percentage and points per game. If they are to
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics Hofstra men’s basketball earned their first outright CAA regular-season title with a 25-6 regular-season record.
a touchy subject to talk about.” Gaining some local and national recognition for what has been brewing for a few years now would certainly be satisfying to the Pride, especially because of past heartbreak. In 2016, Hofstra lost in the CAA championship game to UNCW, something that hasn’t been forgotten and something
of their only two double-digit losses of the season. Northeastern also finished just a game behind Hofstra in the standings, so if these two teams do see each other down the line in the CAA championship game, it is sure to be an even matchup. Hofstra also suffered a tough overtime loss to James Madison University, and survived a three overtime nail-biter to the College of William & Mary, as well as a double overtime game against Towson University, so the Pride’s road ahead is littered with potential tough games. If Hofstra is to get where they want to go, they will have to take it one game at a time and play focused defense, which is something they did during their
“We’ve got these kids who genuinely have a will to win. They just don’t talk about it, they have it.” accomplish what they set out to do, they will make history. Hofstra’s NCAA tournament drought stretches all the way back to 2001, when several of this year’s team’s players were just infants and toddlers. The once in a lifetime opportunity that lies in front of them is something that very much weighs on their minds. “That would mean everything to the University and Long Island,” Pemberton said. “I’m kind of [at] a loss for words about it. We know that we can, but it is far ahead, so it’s kind of
that still serves as motivation for Hofstra to right the wrong. “You never get over it. We had the ball at the end of regulation, but didn’t score, and I still remember the play we ran,” Mihalich said. If the Pride is to be guaranteed a berth into the NCAA tournament, they obviously have to win the CAA tournament and earn the guaranteed bid that comes along with it. Standing in their way, most notably, is Northeastern University, who the Pride narrowly beat by three at home, but also handed Hofstra one
16-game winning streak. They’ll have to maintain their offense. It does help to have someone like Wright-Foreman, who is a candidate for both the Haggerty Award, which is given to the All-New York Metropolitan NCAA Division I men’s college basketball player of the year, as well as the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which is given to the best collegiate shooting guard. The Hofstra Pride, with Wright-Foreman leading the way, have everything it takes. But the question is, will they execute when they need to and can they deliver on the expectations that they have of each other, both individually and as a team? Only time will tell, but if the Pride fulfills their potential and wins the games they are favored to win, the end of the journey could very well be just as unforgettable as it has been up to this point.
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Men’s basketball enters tournament as no. 1 seed
The Hofstra Chronicle
Sports
March 5, 2019
This Is The Moment
Justin Wright-Foreman ready to cap off historic senior season by leading Hofstra to CAA Tournament title. Cam Keough / The Hofstra Chronicle