A few days before Thanksgiving, the University received the best news it could have gotten from the Commission of Presidential Debates. Not only was the University chosen to host a presidential debate, but the final presidential debate of 2008, the debate that will push undecided voters over the edge.

Plenty of criticism has been given to my recent crowning of Derek Anderson as the NFL's Most Valuable Player. So, I figured with all of this publicity, it's time to prognosticate further, and predict each one of the league's award winners. Remember, not only will each one of these predictions be correct; they come with a full guarantee.

Complaining about Long Island traffic is about as productive as disparaging the weather forecast: a fruitless exercise. Sure, it seems as though no one has a job in the area when you're on the road. Being stuck in a backed-up, monster traffic jam on the Southern State at 2 p.

As we are celebrating Chanukah, I would like to share a few thoughts about the meaning of this festive holiday. Chanukah commemorates the dramatic victory of the Maccabees following the three-year-long rebellion against the ruling Assyrian-Greek powers who set out to destroy Judaism by forbidding its observance.

At this time last semester, I wrote a fairly corny and sentimental column regarding what I learned in different courses. Because I received many compliments on it-and because it was so easy to write-this column will be a variation on that. Except, instead of writing about what I learned in class, it will focus on what I learned at the University without necessarily having stepped into a classroom.

When we flash back to 1972, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters of The Washington Post, had begun their investigations on the break-in of the National Democratic Party headquarters. The articles the two Post reporters would print following the break-in would lead to one of the biggest scandals in American politics, Watergate.

Two University students received summonses on Nov. 28 and six non-students were banned when the odor of marijuana was detected and three bongs, two bags of marijuana, and fifty-five dollars were confiscated in a Rensselear House room. Joel Gutierrez, 18, of Freeport; Sim Robinsons, 18, of Freeport; Ashley Heartman, 17, of Levitown; Marc Pierre-Louis, 18, of Freeport; Johnnie Johnson, 18, of Freeport and William Porter, 18, of Freeport, were all banned from campus.

East MeadowA 52-year-old female victim was working behind a sales desk inside Cingular Wireless on Hempstead Tpke. on Nov. 27, when she observed an unknown black male subject grab two cell phones and put them in his coat pocket.  The victim had previously taken the subject's license for the purposes of running a credit check and the subject also grabbed his paper work before fleeing the store.

In only six days, the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center cafeteria was transformed into a "Winter Wonderland Village." More than two dozen student groups collaborated to create one of the most beautiful villages Hofstra has ever seen in its 24 years of Sinterklaas history.

Despite the nonstop barrage of one-sided reporting on the Iraq War by our national, mainstream media, it is a sad fact that too few Americans know of the progress that our American forces have made in trying to stabilize Iraq, especially in the past 10 months since President Bush's surge plan went into effect.

A law went into effect last month that increased the severity of the consequences for drunk drivers who kill or seriously injure someone in an accident. The statute, sponsored by Sen. Charles Fuschillo, (R-Merrick), and supported by Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice, adds two new crimes to the law: aggravated vehicular homicide and aggravated vehicular assault.

Phi Beta SigmaBlu Magic: One last party before finals Where: Hofstra USAWhen: Dec. 7 from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.Cost: $5 on campus$7 off campusAlpha Phi AlphaCelebrating 101 years of excellence: Alpha InformationalWhere: MPR West 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.FREE

December 7Mahalo Happy Hour Mahalo Spa and Natural Organic Cafe927 Franklin Ave Garden City4 p.m.- 6:30 p.m.$35Call (516) 922-3494 December 11Holiday Spectacular The Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts305 North Service Road7:30 p.m.$10.00Call (631) 378-2000 December 13Winter Solstice CelebrationThe Smithtown Public LibraryMain Street7 p.

In its final meeting of the semester, the Student Government Association (SGA) approved a new committee to discuss possible events surrounding the presidential debate coming to the University next fall and appointed the first freshman ever to its cabinet. Entitled "Issue Committee for Presidential Topics Two Thousand deb8," the group will coordinate with Sandra Johnson, the vice president for Student Affairs, and Anita Ellis, the director of the Office of Student Leadership and Activities, to plan symposia, activities and events specific to issues that will be discussed at the debate to take place on Oct.

"I think it will have a negative effect because it kind of makes the university less accredited if students are allowed to take courses online. It makes it easier to access online information, people can cheat, and a professor is not teaching them. Plus, no one is watching them.

Construction progress for the residence hall that will house graduate students could lead to the sale of the Twin Oaks residence hall on Hempstead Turnpike. The University is holding discussions with potential buyers for the site, said Melissa Connolly, vice president of University Relations.

In case you haven't heard (or were born right...now) Cinderella does exist in the magical world of college hoops. I'm not sure if anyone understands this rediscovered truth more than Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora. Entering his seventh season as the sideline general at mid-major Hofstra University, Pecora isn't hoping for successful seasons anymore; he's expecting them.

There is much talk these days in the media world about the word "convergence." At its core, convergence means two or more things coming together as one. In journalism, convergence is just that-the mass fusion of various media merging into one collective whole: text, video, photos, audio and the Web all-in-one.

Reflecting back on the semester, as finals loom, upperclassmen may ponder how this fall at the University has stacked up against previous semesters. A few factors are pushing Hofstra toward the "lose" column. As veteran University students entered the Student Center in the fall, they found summer renovations to the cafeteria were disastrous.

In addition to the weekend success in Philadelphia, Coach Clugston had more exciting news when addressing the team before Monday's practice. He named two more captains, seniors Rob Yawman and Ryan Drudy, to join existing captains, Kevin Sheerin, Tyler Kevorkian and Alex Nucera.