All in Opinions

Imagine this: a group of bright young Hofstra freshman anxiously and excitedly waiting for their first time at college to begin. All of them are afraid, anxious, unsure of what to expect, so these bright young Hofstra freshman decide to attend Orientation, to help alleviate their concerns. This session does wonders for them—they feel ready for college, they have an idea what to expect, and they now know what TV channels Hofstra gets. They are told Hofstra gets HBO, so watching True Blood will never be a problem. They're all set for college and life seems perfect.

The legalization of same-sex marriage is heading for the United States Supreme Court and will have an impact on the November Congressional elections. When the Massachusetts State Supreme Court recognized the legality of same-sex marriage on Nov. 18, 2003, same-sex advocates have focused their attention to seek justice through the courts, rather than the legislature. By 2010, Iowa, Connecticut and California state supreme courts had legalized same-sex marriage.

After years of using a piggy bank and a Lisa Frank notebook as a means of keeping personal finances, my parents gave me my first debit card last June. Three months later, the University handed me my HofstraCard, with the endless power that 1,700 dining points can give a hungry college freshman.

Relay for Life was this past Saturday, April 24. The weather, unfortunately, did not hold out for as long as some of the organizers may have expected. I was a participant on the New Complex team, and, as a freshman, I had never done anything quite like this before.
Our team arrived on the field at 7 p.m., and expected everyone to be setting up their tents. Every tent was set up already, and the crowd was watching the live music up on the stage. We hurried to set up our team's tent before the rain hit. We knew that the ominous sky wasn't going to hold until 7 a.m. As we were setting up, the field became scarier; tents were tipping and coming out of the ground, our tent wasn't up yet because we forgot a hammer for the stakes, and some of the team didn't eat dinner because of the rumored feast that the RSA tent had for the residence hall teams.

As I reflect upon my last days here as an undergraduate student, I remember just how eager I was to join a club and make a difference, leading me to SGA as freshman with hopes of learning what the Hofstra "community" was all about. I joined the appropriations committee and devoted my years to creating diversity and equality in a room where decisions were made on behalf of the interests of the entire student body.

As a graduating senior, the day when I join the real world is quickly approaching. What life will bring me post-college has preoccupied my mind and caused me to be very anxious about the future. I've compiled a list of things I won't miss about the University in order to keep myself from becoming to upset.

Throughout this week, the University is working to raise awareness about refugees around the world through a program known as Refugee Camp(us.) Students passing Calkins Quad have noticed the tents set up across the grass and perhaps even heard experts or former refugees speak about the issues. I think this is a wonderful idea and I am glad the University has devoted time and attention to it. The project started me thinking about the different means by which causes and humanitarian issues are addressed by individuals desiring to contribute.

On April 9, a flyer was distributed on campus with two pictures of me in "blackface."  The Chronicle ran an article on this flyer, but there is a lot more to the story. A lot of details with regards to the flyer failed to be printed in the article. This picture was of myself in costume as Akeem Mellis, the current SGA Vice-President, during our annual Senate Halloween meeting. During this meeting members of Senate were strongly encouraged to dress as a fellow member of Student Government. I chose Mellis.

As many of you know, The Chronicle wrote a story about a flyer depicting my running mate, Luke Miedreich. The flyer was absolutely defamatory towards Miedreich and not a true representation of his character. He is a well-known and respected figure on campus. In my two years as Miedreich's friend and colleague, I am privileged to know his true nature. This flyer is not a true representation.

My daughter is currently a sophomore at Hofstra University, and this will be her last year there. It is baffling to me how Hofstra allows such deplorable conditions in their dormitories. As spring comes, my daughter suffers from seasonal allergies. She was complaining to me that her allergies were just as bad inside her dorm room, as they were outside.