Keith Cerrato, a Hofstra senior and member of the University's roller hockey team died Friday night, after a car hit him while he was walking only blocks from campus. According to police reports, Cerrato, 24, of Garden City, N.Y., was walking north across Fulton Avenue near Meadowbrook Lane at around 10:20 p.

After losing two games in Pennsylvania last month, the Pride Ice Hockey team's chances of making its first trip to nationals is a long shot. But there is still hope. A team that is self-proclaimed "full of heart" must refocus its efforts on the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference, where a deep playoff run might get them a second chance at ACHA #1 SUNY Albany and increase their portfolio for nationals.

While the University's Academic Bulletin suggests many paths for students to take, your major does not always limit what you can do with your life. Bryan Vetell, a 2000 graduate of the University, pursued a goal that may not be listed in the Bulletin, but it is now serving as his career and passion.

On Tuesday, the University Student Government Association voted on whether to remove an impeached associate justice of the SGA judicial panel, after holding off on the matter since Oct. 31. The motion to remove Matthew Bisanz was made by Patrick McDonald.

With this being the final NFL picks column, I think I'll just sit back and relax. Mr. McCord and Mr. Diamond will be duking it out this week to see who will succeed me as Chronicle picks champion while I lounge about in the rearview mirror. Plus, I've got bigger fish to fry, like the Eagles improbably re-entering the playoff picture in the dismal, awful, horrendous NFC with Jeff Garcia as their QB.

The departure of a legendary coach, the loss of a player whose name litters the school's record books, the transition to a new and relatively untested head coach, and the loss of yet another premier player for the season due to injury. By no means are the above the ingredients for a successful season.

Experience may have been the biggest gain for the Hofstra wrestling team last Saturday, as the injury-riddled group took it easy at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a number of wrestlers feeling the wrestling season taking a toll on their bodies, and a few wrestlers taking a short break in preparation for the big Penn State match, a modest amount of Hofstra wrestlers took ninth place at the yearly event.

STONY BROOK, N.Y.- With the men's basketball season a third of the way done, here are some questions (and answers) to ponder as the rest of the season unfolds: Q: Hofstra lost its first three games before proceeding to win its next five-what version of the Pride should I expect come March? A: Right now, it's hard to say.

One month. Four games. And nothing else matters for the nine or so teams competing for the final two playoff spots in the NFL. We have reached the final quarter, literally, as four games of the sixteen game schedule remain. Every division winner has at least a two game lead so it should be wildcard madness from here on out.

STONY BROOK, N.Y.- On a night where Minnesota Twins All-Star closer and Stony Brook alum Joe Nathan was in the house to be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame, Hofstra guard Antoine Agudio stole the show. Agudio buried four three-pointers to break Norman Richardson's (1997-2001) all-time school record and finished with a game-high 19 for the Pride, which routed the Seawolves -------73-57 at the SBU Sports Complex on Tuesday night.

Kids danced to music and created arts and crafts in the Student Center Multipurpose Room this past Tuesday. The Nassau County Youth Board sponsored a holiday celebration for underprivileged youth for the 11th-annual celebration, which the University has held every year.

Amid so much controversy, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators will contest one another for the right to be crowned college football national champions in the Tostitos BCS Championship Game. The two teams earned the right to face one another in the championship through the BCS system, or Bowl Championship Series system, for which the game is named.

Imagine waking up in your bed at home to drive through an hour of traffic, sit through classes, then drive another hour to your off-campus job, and back home again. Then, if you want to attend the soccer game or hang with some friends on campus you would have to make the trip again.

Stress might just be more common than a winter cold. In one way or another each student is affected by it. Aside from the expected overflow of assignments, lack of sleep, and pressure to fit in, stress can take form in other less obvious situations as well.

Friday 12/8 Dashboard Confessional & Brand New @ Madison Square Garden - 7:30 p.m. - $26.50 The Pernice Brothers @ Mercury Lounge - 9 p.m. - $15 Kayo Dot @ Tonic - 8 p.m. - $12 Ricky Martin @ Roseland Ballroom - $102 Saturday 12/9 We Are Scientists & The Oxford Collapse @ NorthSix - 8 p.

According to environmental experts, if people do not start taking care of the planet today, there will be no one left in the future to use it. On Nov. 30, the Sierra Club of Long Island, the Progressive Student Union and the Student's Organization for Animal Rights welcomed environmentalist Tina Weishaus to the University.

Sandwiched between the constant traffic of the Hempstead Turnpike, the noise of the football fields, and hidden behind the University Club, the University Bird Sanctuary has taken the punishment for its neighbors. The Progressive Students Union (PSU) and the Student Organization for Animal Rights (SOAR) at Hofstra have recently been working on a project to clean and renovate the sanctuary.

When Hofstra head women's basketball coach Krista Kilburn-Steveskey was asked during the preseason to name a CAA team that will be tougher to beat on the court than its status on paper would imply, she immediately responded with Lea Henry's Georgia State squad.

It is every college student's nightmare: the real world. Come on, who wouldn't want to stay in college forever? Parents, professors and family friends always ask students: "What are you doing in college? What are you going to do when you get into the real world? It's getting harder and harder to succeed out there you know!" The book "Dorm Rooms to Board Rooms" by Victoria Pilate serves as a detailed how-to guide to life after college.

While most Democrats are thrilled with the outcome of the midterm elections, there's one Democrat who should be concerned, even though she won her race. Congratulations are in order to soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and no-longer-freshman Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-N.