In the Student Center

Guy: That kid lives on my floor, he's a wizard.

When you look up the term "Hofstra" on Urban Dictionary, you get the following less than savory definitions:

1.    Private university on Long Island where the boys have popped collars, the girls have miniskirts, and both sides have the clap.

2.    Verb (esp. done by a parent) To spend $42,000 a year for absolutely no reason

3.    Someone who is infested with STDs, a slut/someone who sleeps around; The act of being slutty.

Want to travel halfway across the world without leaving campus? The Hawaii Club is the perfect way to submerge yourself into all things Hawaii: the culture, music, food, and history.

Another Halloween has passed, which means that yet another night has gone by that gives teenagers the excuse to vandalize property, throw eggs at each other, and cover the streets of suburban America in shaving foam.  And thanks to the yearly custom of dressing up and disguising our true selves, another night has gone by that gives adults the excuse to vandalize property, throw eggs at each other, and cover the streets of suburban America in shaving foam.

You may have seen him around campus trying to make "Hawaiian Shirt Thursdays" popular among his peers, but there is a lot more to Maximillan Zdrada than his eclectic fashion. The junior liberal arts major with a concentration in psychology, history and religion is from New Hampshire and has a flair for the odd and interesting.

Forty-four cents and five minutes later, I have voted; I have made my first effort to be a functioning member of society. Hopefully one of many, but let's not push it. This was my first time voting. No, I didn't vote in the Barack Obama and John McCain battle royale. Not for lack of trying, either.

They say you should marry your best friend, but that's a bit hazy. Should you marry the person who has become your best friend, or should you marry the person who has always been there as your best friend?

Of course, marriage probably isn't in the very near future for many of us. It's still important to consider the future before diving into a relationship with someone you'd previously acknowledged as "just a friend."

This past weekend was not only Halloween and the pre-election weekend, but also the opening of class registration for sophomore students at Hofstra. While most people were out celebrating, a majority of that class sat close to their laptops waiting for the stroke of midnight. After having a nervous breakdown about two preferred classes being closed, I was finally able to get into all the classes I needed.

In the days of our parents, the rich and famous were always portrayed as perfect in public. They had it all: money, cars, and expensive clothes. Any scandal at all would assuredly end their career, because the public would lose their perfect illusion.

Things have changed drastically. We as a society have a constant craving for the imperfections of celebrities, because they break the perfect façade. In a sick way, it also makes us feel better about our own lives to see these people fall.

Having been so widely coveted, Dr. Martens—affectionately referred to as "Doc Martens"—have served as a necessary staple for teenage girls during the grunge movement in the 1990's. These highly praised boots, which were originally designed for postmen, is quickly becoming a hot trend once again among fashionistas and trend-setters.

In the age of email, Facebook, and texting, it goes without saying that there are still some conversations better said in person, but the common problem with the class of 2014 and pretty much every class is that everyone is still acting like they're high school freshmen when it comes to the maturity level of digital conversations.   

In the Student Center:

Guy: How many is a brazillion?

Halloween is a much-anticipated holiday. Perhaps this is because Halloween can only exist on Oct. 31. Bear with me. The top three contenders for most commercial holidays are Christmas, Valentine's Day and Halloween. Each of these holidays can exist outside of their designated day…except Halloween.

Christmas is considered the most wonderful time of the year. Though it is technically only one day, it is truly a season. Perhaps the best part about Christmas is the music. Granted, some may make rules about the appropriate time to begin listening to Christmas music, though I think it's acceptable all year round. The same cannot be said about "The Monster Mash." That song is barely acceptable on Halloween itself.

Recall those earlier years of past Halloweens, back when parties and overtly sexual costumes were considered unappealing. After following through with the tradition of trick-or-treating with friends, your best friend's cool older sister would play tape after tape of horror films, which your parents would never approve of you watching, for you and your eagerly awaiting group of friends.

Staying up late with close friends watching Michael Myers, Jason, and Freddy Krueger inflict mayhem and wrath on innocent bystanders was what I considered a successful Halloween night back in the day. It's poignant to recall those nostalgic Halloween nights, back when innocence was a prominent virtue and horror movies were still worthwhile watching.

"Glee" is a one hour musical "dramedy" about a group of high school kids in a show choir that has turned into a cultural phenomenon.

Sue Sylvester is a character on Glee who is an evil and contrary cheerleading coach, "the greatest Broadway-musical villain to ever co-star in a TV series," according to Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker. She is also the television character that has displayed a more comprehensive, accurate understanding of life and how to do live it than any other television character in the past fifteen years.

That's right. Sue Sylvester, the offensive, diabolical, cruel, vain, and overly-competitive cheerleading coach of the fictitious William McKinley High School's cheerleading squad, "The Cheerios," knows how to live better than any other fictional character currently on TV, and most people I've met.

"My vote doesn't really matter" "I don't really like any of the candidates" "Eh, I just don't feel like voting." All these phrases are heard from young adults these days and are given as excuses as to why they don't vote. To me, all of them seem to be somewhat empty excuses in our day and age.

The idea seems pretty simple at first. A design team comes in to fix a failing school. Except they complete their overhaul in seven days with the help of hundreds of students, volunteers and contractors who work pro bono.

That is what NBC's new show this fall, School Pride, is all about: Extreme Makeover School Edition. Students and teachers nominated their schools to be redone over the summer with a video sent to NBC. On the surface it's just another good-hearted reality TV show, but it brings educational issues to the table that should be discussed.

With some still burdened by the arrival of midterm exams, I have decided to devote this week to offering some advice for those stressed by this halfway period. Even though borderline hallucinations brought on by a combination of excessive caffeine and sleep deprivation are more notorious during finals, there still remains an undeniable amount of stress experienced in preparing for midterms.

On campus, the rumor goes that there are five buildings that are named after criminals. Well, maybe not five, but at least two.

Kushner Hall houses the School of Law and was dedicated to Charles Kushner and his wife Seryl on Aug. 26, 1996. Kushner was a New York University and Hofstra Law graduate.

Having only lived a mere 28 ¾ years on this planet, I won't pretend that I have all the answers, or know everything, or can drop some serious knowledge on the future leaders of this great country. But what I do know is that one day you will wake up in your late 20s and realize that you are far from the person you were in your early 20s. This is due to many factors, and it starts the day you don your cap and gown and walk across the stage.