Pulse Magazine - Spring 2021 - Hofstra University

SPRING 2021

A POET FINDS HER VOICE IN A PANDEMIC. PAGE 6 ENSURING EQUITY IN L.I. VACCINATIONS. PAGE 34 JONES BEACH SINKING UNDER THE SEA? PAGE 38

SOCIAL JUSTICE 06 08 09 10 13 16 17

Poetry in a pandemic Little Leaguers step up to bat The rise of pet adoptions Hope for L.I. tourism College athletes mask up Mourning during Covid Isolation and addiction

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Covid-19: Student stories Nursing students combat Covid Vaccines reunite families Saying ‘I do’ in a pandemic Student studies on hold Those we lost to Covid Covid adds to SAT anxiety

COVID-19

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A pandemic of health inequity Race and vaccine inequality Rising seas threaten Jones Beach Beetles plague pine forests Education saves the environment Service groups go green PPE pollution is never pretty Plant-based restaurants

CLIMATE CHANGE

Cover: Hofstra's Athena Dawson Photo by: Angelo Vansant Design by: Sabrina Lee

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Robert Traverso ART DIRECTOR

Sabrina Lee ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORS

Rebecca Canfield Athena Dawson MANAGING EDITOR

Abigail Car mona DEPARTMENT EDITORS

Coronavirus Pandemic Claire Blaha Social Justice Damali Ramirez Climate Change Mar jorie Rogers COPY EDITORS

Courtney Ingalls Augostina Mallous

A

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deadly pandemic upended life as Long Islanders knew it in March 2020, and as of press time, it had taken the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans. Meanwhile, a brutal police killing sparked a revived movement for racial and social justice. And a warming world was barreling toward climate disaster. These are the issues of our time — this is the “New Normal.” We knew early on that capturing this moment in the space of a 48-page magazine would be a daunting task, but we felt obligated to tell the stories of Long Islanders, both the good and the bad, amid this trying time. The Spring 2021 issue of Pulse focuses on three central issues: the coronavirus pandemic, social justice, and climate change and the environment. We aimed to highlight how these issues have influenced the lives of Long Islanders and how communities have marshaled the strength to weather the storm of the past year and a half. Working on Pulse was simply amazing. To create a magazine full of powerful, indepth stories across the span of just four months while solely meeting over Zoom was a remarkable feat. This magazine truly was a group effort. Each member of our staff contributed something unique and was invaluable to creating this publication. Just like Covid-19 brought out the best of most Long Islanders and Americans, working on this magazine pushed us all out of our comfort zones and challenged us to think more about others. Together, we created something meaningful, and we are forever grateful for that. We especially would like to thank Professor Brinton for his boundless encouragement and support. We hope our reporting embodies his dedication to these issues and Long Islanders. Without Professor Brinton’s knowledge and guidance, this magazine would never have gotten off the ground. Our hope is that this publication showcases the stories of the brave Long Islanders facing the issues of this moment head-on and provides inspiration to all during these challenging times. We hope you enjoy the Spring 2021 issue of Pulse. SIGNED,

The Staff of Pulse CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Leah Chiappino ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Angelo Vansant SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Nathan McKay

OUR MISSION Pulse is a magazine for Long Islanders produced by Hofstra University student journalists. Founded in 2008, it is a semiannual magazine based at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Our goal is to inform, advocate for, and tell the stories of individuals and communities across the Island with a focus on hyperlocal stories. We cover topics that matter to our readers. Our analysis and advocacy are rooted in facts and based on data, research and the insight of experts. We are committed to community journalism and hope to amplify the voices of many unheard in today’s society, all while reporting the truth and nothing but the truth.

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Turning the PAGE BY SABRINA LEE

drama major, with minors in French andmusical theater at Hofstra University, and had for many years pursued writing as a hobby until the pandemic hit. Sometime between June and July of 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic raged across the country, she decided to compile the poems she had written throughout the years and started working on publishing her very own poetry book, “Moon Face Child.” Her book is expected to be published this May through Amazon’s self-publishing program. The book features more than 55 poems divided into different collections—from the pandemic and childhood to themes of grief and loss.

Photos by Sabrina Lee

Despite the pandemic and its many challenges, Tori Bogacki decided to publish a book of poetry with the goal of bringing hope back into the world.

Like many of us, 19-year-old Tori Bogacki suddenly found herself alone—with only her thoughts—in March of 2020. She had just been told to leave her university campus indefinitely, and the news cycle turned into an endless spiral of Covid-19 press briefings, grieving and fear. Suddenly, she was alone in New York while her friends were states away, and she thought about the normal life she had taken for granted. In searching for comfort and consolation, she put pen to paper. “I never knew the artistry of standing in a crowd until I stood alone. Or understood the blessing that it is to walk through a park on an April day surrounded by life,” writes Bogacki in her poem, “Under the Same Sun.” Bogacki has long gravitated towards creating art. She is a Bachelor of Fine Arts

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“I found myself in a space because I am a drama major, where there’s a lot of things artistically that I love to do that with Covid has been difficult,” Bogacki said. “I was like, ‘How can I create a product or create something that gives beauty back into the world? How can I make something artistic that is meaningful and that is feasible within the realm of Covid-19?’” Diving deeper into free verse poetry was just the answer. She began writing a poem every day or every few days, and then realized she also wanted to publish. The decision was no surprise to her mom, Victoria Bogacki. In her eyes, pursuing a poetry book was a natural progression of her daughter’s love for writing. “She always had an affinity and just connected to” writing, her mom said. “I remember, she was little, and it started right when she was in school. It was so natural with her.”

For Bogacki, writing poetry also allowed her to be more open and vulnerable as an artist. In her writing, she is not portraying a character as she would in a film, but instead, choosing to tell her own stories. A notable story she decided to tell was one describing her relationship with her mom. It’s a tale of her growing up in the countryside warmed by the love of her mother, who used to call her moon face child—the title of Bogacki’s book. “Moon face child, come dance with me. My mother held my face within the palms of her hands like sturdy oak trees that fill with water when she heard music. And gently she would sing to me like a siren lulling me to gentle sleep,” writes Bogacki in her poem. After coming out of some difficult situations and a tumultuous relationship, Bogacki was doubting herself and her worth. Then, something reminded her of the term of endearment her mother used to call her by.

know how the moonlight will come in if you have the curtains open,” her mom said. “The moonlight was shining on her face, and she was always had her round, pretty little face, and I started to call her my moon face child.” The poems come from a place of honesty. Bogacki is highly specific as she paints these scenes from her life, but they still evoke feelings relatable to any person. Bogacki strategically chose poems that fit her vision for what she wanted this book to be for other people. This meant leaving certain poems out—even if they meant the world to her. “I think a lot of them have themes that hopefully speak to a lot of people and kind of uplift and inspire and cause reflection in a lot of people. I think I touch on things that are pretty universal to some extent,” she said.

John Baynes, her former high school English teacher, agreed with her sentiment and said he could not wait to read his former student’s book. “Tori’s poetry is informed by her elite experience as an actress, singer and filmmaker. She understands the power of voice, the clear voice of a human in the full sense of her humanity,” Baynes said. “To read Tori’s poetry is to invite the human condition into your imagination and to converse at the most intimate and authentic level.” With her cover currently in the works, Bogacki is well on her way and hopes to publish her book this May. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Bogacki found a way to remain hopeful and pursued a passion project that—if not for the time and space created by Covid-19— might have never happened.

“I remember very vividly as a kid walking around the property at night or sitting by the window having this moonlight on my face and my mom would always kind of joke, ‘Oh, moon face.’ She would call me that as a kid, and I kind of explored that idea of what if, to some person — my mom, in this case — I was the moon,” she said. For her mom, the poem makes her emotional and nostalgic about the memories she shares with her daughter. “Gosh, I didn’t expect to get tears in my eyes,” her mom said. “To me, she was this beautiful little girl. At night, I was holding her in bed, and you

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Photos by Angelo Vansant

THREE STRIKES AND COVID’S OUT The East Meadow Little League put stringent measures in place to ensure a safe 2021 summer season. BY ANGELO VANSANT Dugouts are filling back up with young athletes. Parents are ready to see their future all-stars return to the diamond ready to go. The light at the end of the tunnel is near as life is slowly but surely returning to normal. Little League will not entirely return to normal in 2021, but it will adapt to the new protocols. Only three players will be allowed in the dugouts. The other athletes will have designated spots on the bleachers to maintain social distancing. Adults must wear masks while on the field or in the dugout.

“If all our parents and guests in the complex follow the state and county guidelines, we should be able to keep everyone safe.” - Steve LaSala

“Our players wear masks in the dugout, and it is their choice to wear on the field. All our managers and coaches have to wear [them],” said Stephen LaSala, commissioner of the East Meadow Baseball/Softball Association.

Chewing on sunflower seeds is a long-held tradition at all levels of baseball that will not be allowed during

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games this season. Food and drinks will not be available for purchase this season, either. Equipment that is traditionally shared will not be allowed. The East Meadow Little League will have extra sanitized equipment so the athletes do not share. Coaches will have extra catchers’ equipment. Each team will use a different ball while at bat. “If all our parents and guests in the complex follow the state and county guidelines, we should be able to keep everyone safe,” said LaSala. East Meadow will have sanitary equipment throughout the complex to keep all areas Covid-free. Dugouts will be cleaned before and after each game by the teams. After each game, the opposing teams will not shake hands as a show of sportsmanship. After games, coaches will not hold team meetings, and players must quickly exit through the outfield gate. This season will not be a normal one, for sure, but it will allow the young athletes to take to the field and play the game they love.

The Rise of

PET ADOPTIONS “The demand for canines is very high, so we are still taking appointments for that as well,” Johnson said.

BY ABIGAIL CARMONA The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the lives of so many, even our furry friends. With hundreds of thousands of people stuck at home during Covid-19 quarantines, pet adoptions at North Shore Animal League in Port Washington have surged. “We saw an increase of people wanting to donate and wanting to adopt”, said Diane Johnson, NSAL’s vice president of shelter operations. “The pandemic has brought to light that there’s more important things than money or traveling. People are opening their homes to having a pet, and it reduces your stress levels, blood pressure, and provides people who live alone comfort.” Pet adoptions at North Shore Animal League rose so quickly over the past year that the shelter had to start taking adoptions by appointments to limit the number of families in the facility and maintain social distancing, especially for its canine unit.

The pandemic has undoubtedly taken its toll on people’s mental health. With the stress of social isolation, many have turned to pet adoption as a form of therapy. “I’ve always been into rescuing pets and adoption,” said Maddy Carlin, of Glen Cove, who adopted her second dog, Nacho, during the pandemic. Carlin said she was home every day at the start of the pandemic so she said she had time to train Nacho. “Adopting a second pet relieved the stress and helped me get out of that dark space I was in caused by the pandemic,” she said. “It was therapeutic for me.” Pet adoption has been a source of emotional support for so many during the pandemic. “Mental health conditions have been on the rise, and with the pandemic even more so,” said Stephanie Iaccarino, Hofstra University’s student accesses services intake and accommodations manager. “There has been a wide range of losses, whether it be loved ones or sources of income. People are looking for support and comfort.” Staff and volunteers work with the animals at North Shore Animal League America. Photos courtesy of NSAL.

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THERE’S STILL HOPE FOR LONG ISLAND TOURISM On Long Island, the tourism industry faced unprecedented challenges throughout 2020 and the start of 2021, but many business owners’ resilience and optimism have kept the industry alive.

Harmony Vineyards in St. James, in Suffolk County, shut down a full three weeks before it was required to back in February 2020. After consulting with a physician and close friend, Harmony Vineyards owner David Acker said he thought it was best to close for the safety of guests.

BY CLAIRE BLAHA

Moving forward, safety will be a significant factor in the survival and success of Long Island tourism. With travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders instituted during the coronavirus pandemic, the industry has suffered over the past year on Long Island. Those in the industry are cautious, yet hopeful, that even as the coronavirus persists, people will come back feeling safe while visiting their favorite vacation spots.

“We have a very high regard for public safety and public health,” he said.

Discover Long Island is a non-profit organization tasked with promoting tourist attractions in Nassau and Suffolk counties and stimulating economic growth with online content. “The overall mission is to ensure Long Island’s coveted quality of life, thriving industries, and dynamic destination offerings are promoted on a global and national level, furthering economic development and spurring visitation to this world-class destination,” said Brianna McEnroe, the social media and communications manager for the organization. Despite it being such a dynamic industry, McEnroe had to acknowledge that the losses incurred by tourism because of the pandemic were drastic. “The Long Island tourism industry was a $6.3 billion dollar industry, impacted nearly 100,000 jobs and generated $740 million in local and state tax revenues in 2019,” McEnroe said. “We have not received the numbers for 2020 just yet, but with job losses topping 80,000, recovery is expected to take years.”

In 2002, Acker planted two vineyard blocks on land once owned by the Smythes, the founders of Smithtown, N.Y., after buying the family mansion built in 1710. Photo provided by David Acker.

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Those record-breaking numbers for 2019 were overshadowed by the devastation of an economic shutdown the following year. Nationally, the U.S. Travel Association es-

Harmony Vineyards, in St. James, N.Y., owned by David Acker, moved all of its operations outside to accommodate guests last summer during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo provided by David Acker.

the building, Acker closed the vineyards down in November due to the cold weather. “We hope to open again to the public in mid-April, if the weather is permitting and health concerns are dramatically different than they are right now.” he said. Because of changing business strategies and social-distancing guidelines, everyone is trying to find the best ways to still enjoy Long Island safely and comfortably. Bucket List-Long Island, a website that publicizes events, places and restaurants on the Island, has changed its content to fit this new niche.

timated that a total of $505 billion was lost in the travel industry by the end of 2020. Since many people still do not feel comfortable traveling, business strategies have been altered for cautious and more local audiences. “According to research reports, over 420,000 New York City residents had vacated the city and relocated to Long Island suburbs in 2020,” McEnroe said. The shift from international and national to local has pushed the tourism industry to operate on a more personal level. “This has given us the opportunity to build an emotional connection with our local community, boost local pride, and encourage them to stay local and discover all the incredible assets Long Island has to offer,” she said. Focusing on the local community and drawing attention to safe, and often outdoor, activities helped the industry to bounce back from the losses experienced by hotels, museums and other historical sites. When Harmony Vineyards was permitted to reopen, it conducted business entirely outside. “We had to sterilize the tables between guests, and we had to restrict guests from

changing tables once they were seated,” Acker said. “We required all of our guests to come in with masks, and when they were away from their tables to wear the masks.” With 260 seats set up outside — and about six or seven acres open for guests to roam when seats are full — Acker kept his business running, while ensuring that guests were safe and socially distant. He even restricted access to the tasting room, a historical mansion built in 1710. And because it only had fireplaces and radiators for heating and a lack of healthy air exchange in

“Since Covid started, I have had to shift from ‘events’ to ‘places to see,’ like beautiful sceneries around Long Island,” said Marco Iannelli, the website’s creator. “We all need things to do, and we’re lucky Long Island has a lot of outdoor things to offer.” With its array of beaches, lighthouses and historic structures, Long Island has many sights to see. From the car window, the Big Duck can be seen in Flanders, in the Town of Southampton, and it’s enough to make people pull over. “It was specifically built to attract people to the duck industry,” said Ruth Pollock. As the great-great-grandniece of the Big Duck Not only can you go inside the Big Duck to see how it was built, but also you can visit the gift shop and museum, which provides information on the architect, George Alexander Reeve, who built the duck, and sells Big Duck-themed magnets and key chains. Photo provided by Louis Grimaldi from Friends of the Big Duck Facebook group.

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architect, George Alexander Reeve, Pollack shares the story behind and the importance of the Big Duck, which was built on a duck farm in 1931 and was made out of wood, chicken wire and plaster. “It was built so when people drove out here, and visited out here, and vacationed out here, they knew there was something going on over there,” she said. Even the Big Duck, however, has seen the effects of Covid-19 over the past year. Every year, around Christmas, people gathered around the Big Duck and had a massive duck-lighting ceremony. “This year we didn’t have that, but hopefully, in the near [future], we’ll have that again,” Pollack said. Pollack said she believes the Big Duck will make it through the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s been through a depression, it’s been through a bunch of wars, it’s been through

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many economic times,” she said. “We are going through a difficult economic and health crisis, but we’ll get through this, like everything else.” In 2031, the Big Duck will celebrate its 100th anniversary, proving its ability to withstand the test of time.

“As events and things to do change due to laws and policies, the content and events promoted will naturally shift with the times,” Iannelli said. Through Bucket ListLong Island, he said he hopes to continue to inform the public about the events that the Island offers as the world returns to a recognizable normalcy.

As new Covid-19 cases drop and vacations increase, many Long Island business owners said they are feeling hopeful about the coming months. “As our state guidelines have been lifting, more businesses are beginning to open and adapt to this new world we live in,” McEnroe said.

Acker, of Harmony Vineyards, still worries about the safety of his employees and guests, especially with new variants of the coronavirus popping up. “I think we’re all going to be on guard and nervous for a long time to come,” he said. “It’s obviously an eye-opening experience to go through.”

Discover Long Island and the businesses themselves are working to embrace a future that is still affected by Covid-19 and show just how resilient they are. It will be an adjustment period for many who are involved in tourism.

The Big Duck has been relocated many times since it was constructed in 1931. It now permanently rests in Flanders and is looked after by the Suffolk County Parks system. Photo provided by Evan A. Kirshen in the Friends of the Big Duck Facebook Group.

Playing it

SAFE Long Island universities are participating in season during the Covid-19 pandemic. BY ANGELO VANSANT

Squat racks spread six feet apart. Exercise equipment piled up on the folded bleachers. A socially distant exercise circuit that flows safely for the athletes. Hofstra University’s athletic department has made a makeshift workout area on the second floor of the David S. Mack Arena to ensure social distancing.

Once their reps are over, they must cover their noses and mouths again.

Nathan Drickamer, a senior men’s lacrosse player, uses this space to exercise safely alongside his teammates.

Long Island universities and colleges have been approved to practice and take part in their 2021 athletic seasons. Following guidelines set forth by the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New York State Department of Health, National Collegiate Athletic Association and each individual school, athletes have slowly been allowed to return to their respective sports.

“When we’re in practice standing around, or when we are inside, our masks are on,” Drickamer said. When athletes are practicing, gaiters are worn on the athletes’ necks for quick mask coverage. During reps, athletes pull down their gaiters, face coverings that are similar to those worn by cowboys on dusty trails.

This is not a normal season for the lacrosse team. It has had to adapt. “The entire team isn’t allowed in the locker room all at once,” Drickamer said, “but I’m happy we’re still able to play.”

“We have been following all the guidelines that have been given for us to compete,” said Jay Artinian, Hofstra University’s dep-

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uty director of athletics and chief revenue officer. “We feel as long as we do that, we are doing everything possible to keep the general students, our staff, athletes, the teams we’re playing and the community safe.” Hofstra athletes’ first step to returning to practice started with conditioning for one hour twice a week in October for two weeks. The next step, in mid-October, was three hours a week of conditioning for two weeks, followed by hourlong non-contact practices in November. Full-contact practices started at the end of fall, with three workouts a week.

“Transmission is not happening from a result of competition. It’s happening in social settings and gatherings of the home.” - Shawn Helibron

Hofstra and Stony Brook University allow athletes to remove their masks when in Tyler Stephenson-Moore, a sophmore men’s basketball player at Stony Brook University. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics.

action during practice, but masks must be worn on the sidelines. Additionally, Pride members must wear gaiters when practicing outside. Hofstra requires a Covid-19 test for each team member before every game. Twenty-five to 50 percent of athletes are also randomly selected for testing during a twoweek span. Athletes can be tested up to two times during that time. Covid-19 tests are required by SBU for all student athletes two times a week. “We don’t have to shut down a team due to a single positive test,” said Shawn Helibron, SBU’s athletics director. Stony Brook University has partnered with Stony Brook University Hospital, and every positive test is reported to the medical staff and head athletic trainer. Campus Health is notified, and then the state health department. Stony Brook University Hospital advises the university to use contact tracing and to quarantine and isolate students to avoid shutting an entire athletic team down. Roommates are quarantined and monitored immediately. Athletes who were near a positive individual are required to quarantine, as well. Contact tracing has allowed programs to keep practicing without having to quarantine a team for two weeks.“We take the information and try to act as quickly as we can,” Helibron said. Hofstra takes a different approach. “Each institution does it differently, depending on their medical partner, and it’s not to say [they are] right or wrong, but everyone is getting advice from their medical partner,” Artinian said. Northwell Health, Hofstra University’s medical partner, has advised the university to shut down a team for two weeks if an athlete tests positive for Covid-19. If there is a postive case on an opposing team, Hofstra officials will speak with a representative of that squad to determine if the game can go forward. Hofstra staff will want to know who tested positive and

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Andrew Ledbetter, a Stony Brook University freshman baseball player training at a safe distance from his teammates while wearing a face covering. Photo courtsy of Stony Brook Athletics.

which team members have been in contact with the player in question.

isolates and puts the positive athletes in quarantine.

“For us, it’s health and safety first, period,” Artinian said.

Hofstra and SBU athletic officials have reassured the public that their programs are not spreading Covid-19 within their communities. Coaches ask teammates to bond, but to stay within the team pods in case someone tests positive.

Hofstra and SBU require their athletes to be tested 72 hours prior to their out-ofstate games. When on the road, teams only go from the bus to the hotel, the competition venue and back. There is no eating at restaurants, only take-out. “Our student athletes are making sacrifices to stop the spread,” Helibron said. A positive test after 48 hours of an ended game must be reported to the opposing team. And the opposing team that came to New York must fill out an out of station form, explaining how Covid-19 was transmitted, within 24 hours of the positive test for any team that came into New York State. The NCAA guidelines leave it up to each state for quarantine regulation. A positive test after an away game results in the program shutting down. Hofstra then

“Transmission is not happening from a result of competition. It’s happening in social settings and gatherings of the home,” Helibron said.

Nathan Drickamer, a senior men’s lacrosse player at Hofstra University. Photo courtsy of Hofstra Chronicle Sports.

SBU cannot regulate what the athletes do outside the facilities, but athletes are recommended not to go out in public unless necessary. On top of that, Stony Brook advises that teammates do not hang out with one another outside of practice, knowing that multiple positive tests can shut the program down temporarily. “This is a very hard time to be a college student, let alone a college student athlete,” Helibron said.

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MOURNING DURING COVID BY LEAH CHIAPPINO At the height of the coronavirus pandemic last spring, funeral home workers most intimately bore witness to the nearly 6,500 Long Islanders who lost their lives to Covid-19. Melissa Schmidt, a director at Oyster Bay Funeral Home, had famililes waiting for three weeks for services after their loved ones had died because of capacity limits at cemeteries. She was unable to embalm all of the deceased that came to her funeral home. Meanwhile, the third-generation owner of Nolan Funeral Homes in Northport, Mike Nolan, received calls from desperate mouners in New York City unable to find plots to bury their loved ones. He, too, had to turn many away, because there was simply no room. “We never had to do that before,” he said.

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino - Unsplash

Nolan said he saw demand for services increase by nearly 50 percent from March 15 to May 13, 2020. John J. Glynn, a funeral director at Thomas A. Glynn and Son funeral home in Rockville Centre, said he normally arranges fewer than 10 funerals a month, but in April 2020, he arranged almost 50. Schmidt went from 10 funerals a month to more than 60, she said.

“I had one woman tell me ‘I dropped my husband off at the hospital two weeks ago and I’m going to get his ashes back.’” - Melissa Schmidt

At the height of the pandemic, funerals were limited to 10 people or less, mainly consisting of immediate family. “The best way to describe it is we used to be a public building, and we became a private building,” Nolan said.

Schmidt added this was especially traumatic for people who were unable to see their loved ones who unexpectedly died from Covid-19 in the hospital. “I had one woman tell me, ‘I dropped my husband off at

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the hospital two weeks ago, and I'm going to get his ashes back,’” she said. After such a tumultuous year, funeral home directors said they look forward to the return to normalacy. Until then, services are kept to a limited number of people, and it is unclear when they will go back to normal capacity as permitted during pre-Covid times. Because Nolan's Funeral Home does not have separate entrances and exits, viewing is still limited to one family at a time, and services are kept to half capacity, at 75 people. “People still have a sense of nervousness,” Glynn said. “They usually pay their respects and leave, whereas they used to stay for a while.” Nolan has also observed the continued sense of unease among many families. “It all depends on the family,” he said. “ Some may have an elderly parent, and your uncle, and they want to keep it small, so in which case we keep it private, and some people want to have a larger gathering, in which case some people have to wait outside. It's all what they're comfortable with.”

Photo courtesy of Sander van der Wel - Wikimedia Commons

HIDDEN PAIN Changes to everyday life brought on by the pandemic have increased despair and distress for Long Islanders recovering from substance abuse disorders and opioid addiction. BY ROBERT TRAVERSO

The pandemic changed everything he did on a day-to-day basis. “No gyms, no places of worship… You can’t go see friends or family… You can’t work on oneself or get a haircut or a shave… We were trying to help him find new things to do and healthy ways to cope, but everything we thought of was closed,” said Kathleen Alvino, a substance abuse counselor at Confide Counseling Center, a non-profit organization based in Rockville Centre, describing how Covid-19 has upended the life of one of her clients in recovery. “The only thing he could find to do was go to the grocery store… Well, the grocery stores sell alcohol, too, and that led him to relapse,” Alvino said. “He was forced to be alone at a time when he needed to be with others the most. There was basically nothing to do but be alone.”

The isolation and social-distancing measures put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus have had a profound effect on Long Islanders who struggle with substance use disorders (SUDs), experts say. The isolation has led to a resurgence in overdoses and substance abuse to cope with mental health issues and economic angst amid the pandemic. A July 2020 nationwide study found that 75,000 “deaths of despair” — caused by drug misuse, alcohol and suicide — can be attributed to the high levels of stress, isolation and unemployment brought by the coronavirus pandemic. “The pandemic made it easier for individuals to get alcohol and drugs and made it harder to access treatment,” Alvino said. Overdoses on Long Island rose from 2020 to 2021, and alcohol sales have risen across the country since the pandemic began.

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Illustration by Nanaimo/Canda - Wikimedia Commons

By 2019, the worst of Long Island’s opioid epidemic, dating back more than a decade, appeared to be waning. Opioid-related deaths had started to fall in 2017, a trend that was expected to continue. Adrienne LoPresti, executive director at YES Community Counseling Center, a Nassau-based non-profit that works to prevent and treat substance abuse, said YES has experienced an uptick in requests for services. She also noted that the Nassau County Police Department alerted YES to a 55 percent increase in non-fatal overdoses in January compared to the same month a year before. The impact of isolation Local experts pointed to isolation as the number one factor that has led to the rise in overdoses. “People have been stuck home and some all alone… The isolation leads people to think about using, and for many, they have relapsed over the last year. Holidays spent alone because of restrictions on gathering… all of these things lead to depression,” Alvino said. Tricia Ragusa, a certified peer recovery advocate at YES and a teacher, has been sober for five years, following a decade-long struggle with opioid addiction. She said a SUD often tempts individuals to isolate from society, which becomes their chance to abuse substances – this, she said, makes the mandated isolation from the pandemic problematic.

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Ragusa said many YES clients, lacking pre-Covid stress-relieving outlets and activities, tell her it is hard not to abuse substances at home. “All the ways we would encourage them to cope are not allowed… The outlets that people normally have don’t exist,” said Cindy Wolff, executive director at Tempo Group, a Nassau family-oriented addiction prevention organization. Mental health concerns The realities of day-to-day life during the pandemic have worsened another aspect of life for those who struggle with SUDs — mental health issues, particularly anxiety and depression. For those who struggle with SUDs, “the impact of Covid is more profound… It’s just the reality of dealing with what is, for all intents and purposes, a mental health disorder during a time when what we’re being told to do is isolate and distance,” Wolff said. Epidemics lead to increased stress because of loneliness and other factors; this often leads to depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. In fact, more than one in every four adults with a serious mental health condition also has a substance use disorder. Individuals who struggle with SUD are hypersensitive to stress, often leading to relapse or the use of substances to cope.

“People are just very fearful, and drugs and alcohol are a way to numb that,” Ragusa said. “The pandemic has increased a sense, for many, of fear,” LoPresti said. “For those perhaps already at risk for depression and anxiety, all the factors around the pandemic have compounded that… The desperation of community members, the intensity of needs, the level of distress has increased.”

“He was forced to be alone at a time when he needed to be with others the most. There was basically nothing to do but be alone.” - Kathleen Alvino “Emotional health is intrinsic to the physical health of our people and community,” she said. “When you’re in recovery, just being able to have control over your day is one of the foundations to how people stay sober… For many, they got to a place where things in life are good and they have managed to learn how to stay sober in the world. Then this pandemic came and took all that away, leaving people scared and alone and with

limited resources for help,” Alvino said. “More people are suffering from depression and anxiety than before due to this pandemic.

“Even with telehealth services, which saves lives, for people who were already struggling, it’s not the best substitute for in-person services,” Wolff said.

Lost connections

Meetings over Zoom have not met this fundamental human need. “People need human interaction… Not having these things [has] a negative impact on everyone,” Alvino said.

For many, the key to recovery from both SUDs and opioid addiction is group meetings and in-person interaction with others, but the pandemic has put a pause on so much of this. “There’s just so much relapsing happening because of the isolation,” Ragusa said. One reason why, she said, is the end of in-person group meetings. “People don’t feel as connected on Zoom.” Isolated at home, many people are unable to interact with organizations that could provide help. “When people are isolated in their homes, they can’t reach out for help… they don’t have a safety net outside of their home to identify that they need help,” LoPresti said. This has led to desperation and loss. “I’ve never lost this many friends before recovery… So many people are dying,” Ragusa said, adding, “especially earlier in the pandemic when there was no access to in-person meetings.” Group meetings are an integral part of the recovery process. “One of the most long-standing traditions in SUD treatment is self-help meetings… and a big part of that is the group experience, the power of the group… and during Covid, it’s a very different environment,” Wolff said, noting that isolation is the number one issue for people with SUDs during the pandemic.

“Most of us have been in a situation where we were down, and someone smiling at you just makes you feel better for a moment. These little things that help are now gone, and that makes it harder to get out of that negative space,” Alvino said. “The antidote to addiction really is connection,” Ragusa said. “When we get outside of ourselves and really connect with and help others, things really start to change.” Addiction after Covid-19 “People who may not have recognized SUD as a problem in their life previously are now recognizing it,” Wolff said. “We were getting calls from people seeking services who were really more along in their illness than normally.” Local experts fighting substance abuse on the ground predicted a challenging future for Long Islanders. “I think everyone’s mental health has taken a battering… and we’ll see an increase in self-harm, suicide, overdoses,” Wolff said. Despite the dire situation, New York State and Nassau County instituted a 20 percent cut in substance-abuse resources during the first quarter of 2021, in addition to holds that were placed on resources in 2020.

HOW TO HELP Check in with your neighbors who are isolating. Keep an eye out for signs of mental health and substance abuse issues. If you see anyone isolating or struggling with mental health, be open to talking with them.

Reach out to local elected officials and let them know that you support restoring services and that mental health/ substance abuse services are essential services that need to be funded. Point individuals in need to resources and organizations that can help.

Photo by Baker131313 - Wikimedia commons

LoPresti called the move “shortsighted.” New York and Nassau are yet to reveal if the cuts are temporary or permanent. She expects both the individuals affected and Long Island’s economy and society to feel the effects of this double crisis for a long time. “That’s what we’re very worried about — the long-term ripple effect of this pandemic,” LoPresti said. Of more concern is the effect it will have on the life trajectory of those who struggle with SUDs and addiction in the long term. LoPresti worries that individuals coping with substances may not be able to return to a higher level of day-to-day functioning once society returns to normal. “When the world opens back up and they’re told they have to go back out there into the world and negotiate the social pressures and the dynamics of the world they live in,” LoPresti said, “it’s likely they’re not going to have the tools and the skills to do that.” Ragusa stressed the importance of “sober references,” real-world experiences that teach someone with an SUD how to cope properly without the use of drugs or alcohol. “The more sober time you have under your belt,” she said, “the more sober references you have, the more tools you have in your toolbox, the easier it is to maintain longterm sobriety.”

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Covid-19:

Alexis Sakil on campus at Stony Brook University. Photo courtesy of Alexis Sakil.

STUDENT STORIES

Long Island college students speak at length about the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. BY ATHENA DAWSON A normal day in the life of a college student before 2020 meant attending in-person classes, strolling around campus and hanging out with friends. However, in 2021, students have had to reimagine their college experiences because of Covid-19. Students must now take online classes, navigate who stays within their social bubbles and decide when to self-isolate, all while feeling the general fear of getting sick with Covid-19 and spreading it to their family members. Long Island students recently shared their experiences of how they have coped with the pandemic.

Alexis Sakil Alexis Sakil had major concerns at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her family members were in a vulnerable state, as her father was sick with Covid-19 early on. Education was “in the back of my head,” she said, as she was more concerned with the health and safety of her family. The Stony Brook University junior is majoring in psychology and sociology, and had a rocky experience during the first stage of the pandemic. Sakil was in shock when she learned she only had two days to move off campus, describing the decline of her mental health during a period when the support system of her boyfriend and close friends was taken away. “It was such a shock for my mental health for a while. I was just struggling to get out of the room. I was on my phone to do my work, and I was like, wow, this is so isolating,” she said.

“It was such a shock for my mental health for a while. I was just struggling to get out of the room.” - Alexis Sakil

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Alexis, like many other college students, lost job opportunities. Before the pandemic, she applied to be an event coordinator on campus, and lost the job because of the pandemic. She was, however, offered the job again when she returned to campus. For Alexis, it is hard to pinpoint if the pandemic has made her college experience better or worse. “I’m a part of three organizations on campus.... One of them is the step team, and we cannot meet or practice…. That kind of took away that whole aspect of my college life,” she said. In terms of her academics, the isolation of the pandemic has actually made Alexis’s grades improve, but “would I take improvement in my grades and all this over living life the way that I thought I was supposed to live? I don’t know,”she said. Alexis does say a positive throughout the whole experience has been having time to be closer with her parents. With her father being sick with Covid-19, the situation had, in her words, “put life into perspective.”

Zakria Khan When Farmingdale State College junior Zakria Khan first heard about the pandemic a year ago, he was sitting in his morning history class while his professor speculated about whether the university would close. He never imagined he would still be in a pandemic a year later.

ing here? Is everyone gonna be cheating? Because that’s the first thing that would pop into your head, you know?”

“‘I’m 20 years old, and I’ve never had something like this happening where the world was shutting down,” he said.

Being a biology major, Khan has to take many labs that can become a hurdle with online classes. He describes his chemistry lab as normal because he mostly studies math equations. Biology labs, however, have been a struggle.

Khan is a double major in bioscience and mathematics, and as he switched to online learning, he said he worried about the integrity of his classes. College students do have opportunities to cheat, albeit with major consequences if caught, and Khan was concerned that his peers would take advantage of online learning in a less than honorable way. “Whenever they switched to online learning,” he said, “I was like... what are you do-

Khan is, however, more optimistic than many, believing that mask wearing will eventually go away.

“For biology, it was very, very hard,” Khan said. “I mean, they were asking us to do a virtual microscope and stuff. And I’m just like, how do we do that? It was so confusing.” Khan had a hard time adjusting from losing his job and filing for unemployment to then briefly moving back home to live with

Zakira Khan sits in his room while doing assignments on his tablet. Photo courtesy of Zakira Khan

his family, a space that he shares with seven other people. One of his biggest concerns was the health of his father, who has medical issues that could cause complications with Covid-19. “My dad’s a heart patient, and his heart is very weak in his system. It was very scary during the pandemic. I was just kind of worried that, you know, he was gonna get sick,” he said. “And then, if he was sick, I didn’t even know what to do, because there was already so much on my plate. And I was just, like, I take care of my siblings, and I, like, have to drop out of college. “ Although he believes online classes are not helping him to retain information, Kahn saw the opportunity to be more flexible and take his father to doctor’s appointments and help to support his family.

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Adelphi University students working in a group to study for an exam before Covid-19. Photo courtesy of Adelphi University.

LEARNING THE ROPES ON THE FRONT LINES

BY COURTNEY INGALLS & AUGOSTINA MALLOUS She is startled by the obnoxious sound titled “radiate” on her phone’s alarm clock and returns to her woke stage that she was in just five hours before. With barely any sleep and no time for breakfast, there is no motivation to look “nice” for a nursing student on this Monday morning in February during a global pandemic. Every morning, she begins her day by opening her MacBook Air to see “Nicole Fioretti” under a box with her face in it, alongside the faces of people she has met in person, and others with whom she has never been in a room.

Nursing students find ways to cope amid the pandemic. Nursing students and professors are slowly

adjusting to a new way of learning, while also bringing back the in-person contact that students need to excel in their studies. For nursing students specifically, most of their learning and training requires them to be in person and to have contact with actual patients, but that is not always possible during the coronavirus pandemic. Fioretti, a 19-year-old student enrolled at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, has only one class and one clinical in person; all of her other classes are online. “I can’t focus on my schoolwork in my own house,” she said. “I also can’t ever even escape school because I’m doing everything from home.” As a nursing major, the first year of classes is all about the fundamentals — learning

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how to take vitals and assess patients. “It’s scary. I learned the basics to my field in a non-traditional way, and I feel like there are lots of things I should be way better at doing by now,” she said. While Fioretti said she believes her school is doing its best to accommodate students, she has no choice but to practice on her family members in her living room instead of practicing on her classmates with her professors’ supervision. On Long Island, many colleges and universities tried to keep nursing students’ experiences as close as possible to what they had before. When it comes to nursing students’ classes, Rebecca Mazzoni, a junior nursing student at Adelphi University in Garden City, said certain safety steps and procedures were added to her courses. “For us, we had to do [personal protective equipment] training, which I’m sure we had to do, but now it’s just more emphasized because of Covid,” she said. Mazzoni also said students had to go through N-95 mask fittings, as well as take quizzes about new Covid-19 protocols. One aspect of nursing students’ studies that was harder to navigate during the pandemic was clinical hours. Dr. Renee McLeod, associate dean and chairwoman of the Hofstra University graduate nursing program, said students were pulled out of

Above and below: Adelphi University students taking part in simulations in a hosptial environment before Covid-19. Photo courtesy of Adelphi University.

clinical studies from March until August, but clinical studies were needed to enable students to continue learning. “We did have a shift of some of the didactic learning, but the clinical experiences and the simulations, and actually having clinicals with patients, had to continue,” McLeod said. While hands-on experience is important for nursing students, some colleges and universities had a hard time returning their students to these environments. “The only issue that we had, more so last semester during the height of Covid-19 here in New York, was that many of the practices would not allow outsiders to come into the practice,” Lamanna said. “So, we had to be innovative and creative in coming up with alternative ways for them to meet the number of clinical hours.” Over the last year, hospitals have become war zones, with multiple people dying from Covid-19 each day and many others placed on ventilators to survive. “Many of these students really witnessed firsthand the direct impact of Covid-19 and what it’s [done] to the patients and their families. Their families could not visit their patients, they didn’t have contact with them, there was no socialization,” Lamanna said.

lege during the Covid-19 pandemic are dealing with anxiety; 68 percent, social isolation and loneliness; 63 percent, depression; 62 percent, trouble concentrating; and 60 percent, difficulty coping with stress in a healthy way.

ter. “I didn’t get to learn all of the skills a normal nursing student would have learned in a normal semester, so in some situations I generally do not know what to do because my professors would skip over that section during a lecture or lab,” she said.

Shianne McGeachy, a 20-year-old student from Brooklyn who studies nursing at Adelphi, did well in school before Covid-19. While she still earns good grades, the pandemic has brought on myriad struggles that she did not anticipate.

Many students and professors have tried to look for some positives to hold on to. Hofstra students, in particular, have taken advantage of opportunities for hands-on experience because of the pandemic. McLeod praised her students for working with the Nassau County Department of Health on surveillance and contact tracing, both at Hofstra and other testing sites across Long Island.

“Studying my lectures in full detail have been some of my biggest struggles when preparing for exams,” she said. “Trying to memorize everything in such short time periods has been extremely difficult because professors are packing on so much material in one semester.” As far as her future, McGeachy is slightly concerned because of a rushed last semes-

Looking to the future, McLeod said she believes people will continue to adapt to new ideas and ways of learning because of the pandemic, but “we will get back human contact and nurses being present with their patients because that will never go away.”

Nursing students have also seen a shift in their personal lives during the pandemic in order to continue their studies, McLeod said. “Not only did you have to deal with the fear with your patients, but the fear with your family. They had to take extra precautions not to bring Covid home.” The mental health of nursing students has also become a struggle to maintain. A recent study by the nonprofit JED Foundation, which works to prevent suicides, showed that 82 percent of students in col-

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Together AGAIN After a year of the pandemic, vaccinations began to roll out and families were reunited. Tara Zamorano’s family.

BY SABRINA LEE After being in and out of three nursing homes, catching Covid-19 and being isolated from everyone, 90-year-old Elizabeth Ring was finally vaccinated and reunited with her loved ones. She received her second dose of the vaccine on March 22. For Ring’s family and so many other families, the vaccine meant more than just immunity from a virus; families could once again see one another in person after over a year of isolation.

Liz Keyter with her grandfather, Vincent Cardillo, before the pandemic.

Ring’s daughter, Tara Zamorano, used to see her mother multiple times a week before the pandemic, and then suddenly, all of their interactions were only through FaceTime. In December of 2020, Ring started experiencing excruciating pain and could no longer stand by herself. After trips to the emergency room, she was diagnosed with osteomyelitis — a serious infection to the bone that required six weeks of treatment with antibiotics. On top of all of that, she also tested positive for Covid-19, making it impossible for Zamorano to visit her mother. “After Dec. 27th, we couldn’t visit her anymore; we couldn’t see her; we couldn’t

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make sure that she was being cared for in the right way,” Zamorano said. “There wasn’t a time where I wasn’t worried.” Then, in March 2020, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidelines for fully vaccinated people: “Fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe Covid-19.” For families like Zamorano, it was an overwhelming relief to visit and care for her mother in person once again. This was also the case for 19-year-old Liz Keyter. Keyter’s 92-year-old grandfather, Vincent Cardillo, had been living alone in New York City for the entirety of the pandemic. After he was fully vaccinated, Keyter decided to give him a surprise visit. Upon seeing his granddaughter for the first in over a year, he was overwhelmed and had to sit down. “Seeing him again was like, ‘OK, there’s some hope; we made it through this; we made it through the worst, hopefully,’” Keyter said. “And if he was still chugging along, that’s really all that mattered to me and my family.”

‘I Do’s’

IN A PANDEMIC set to go a year, or longer than a year, without revenue,” said Stuart Freeman, co-publisher of Long Island Bride and Groom. “This is their livelihood. All of their revenue is dependent on these weddings”

Photo from Unsplash

The wedding industry has had to change course when it comes to planning a couple’s special day, which has resulted in many weddings being postponed or canceled. BY COURTNEY INGALLS

The dress was picked. The invitations were sent. The deposits were made. Then March 20, 2020 hit, and everything was put on hold. Catering halls have tried to plan weddings over the past year, but Covid-19 has gotten in the way. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered all non-essential gatherings of any size to be canceled, many engaged couples were left scrambling to figure out how to tie the knot. “Their first initial [reaction] was, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do?’ A lot of them had to reschedule, postpone, or some of them just decided they were going to get married by an officiant and have a big party in another year or so when they could,” said Marie Freeman, co-publisher and editor of Long Island Bride and Groom Magazine. The Covid-19 shutdown not only affected engaged couples, but also wedding venues, caterers and DJs. “These businesses are not

Now, after a full year of couples choosing to elope or resorting to smaller weddings in their backyards, wedding venues are able to host events with up to 150 people. There are, however, Covid-19 restrictions that must be followed, such as requiring proof of a recent negative test or immunization for all guests before a wedding, making sure masks are worn at most times, except when guests are seated, and enforcing social distancing during ceremonies and dances. With the restrictions for gatherings changing constantly, and uncertainity about future infection rates, many engaged couples are still hesitant about trying to reschedule their special days. “Brides don’t really want to commit right now because they aren’t sure what the restrictions are going to look like,” Stuart said. “It’s really hard to say, ‘Ok, I’m going to have a wedding this September’ when you really don’t know what the future is right now.” Even though people might be waiting to book their weddings for a bit longer, Marie said everyone in the industry is ready to get back to helping couples make their dream weddings become a reality. “A lot of people are very cautious right now, but most of the people are looking forward to doing weddings again,” she said. “They are ready; they want to get out there and start doing what they can do.”

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Stony Brook University students above and below at work in Professor Nancy Hollingsworth’s lab before the pandemic. Photos courtesy of Stony Brook University.

College dreams ON HOLD BY ABIGAIL CARMONA Dr. Peter Gergen, a professor of biochemistry at Stony Brook University, spoke recently of the struggles that students conducting independent research faced during the coronavirus pandemic. They needed field work to complete their studies — and their degrees — but were unable to carry it out because of long months spent quarantining. “There were students who were registered for research in the spring …. They needed to do something, so they all did it remotely,” Gergen said. Every summer for the past 25 years, the university has provided funding for students to conduct independent research, and in the biology department, more than 40 students received funding to carry out their projects during the pandemic. “The biology program has been adding money into that pot to support more students to do research,” Gergen said. Students had to receive letters from faculty members, stating they were willing to sponsor the students virtually. Underclassmen were not allowed to conduct research in the second half of the spring semester or in the summer, because upperclassmen, who were soon to graduate, were the priority. However, in the fall 2021 semester, underclassmen will again will be allowed to conduct in-person research, if they fit into university-approved faculty members’ research plans. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the university saw a decline in research participation last fall and this spring, particularly

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Dr. Lisa Sparacino instructing New York Institute of Technology nursing students before the pandemic. Photos courtesy of NYIT.

in the laboratory sciences. “When you have small spaces,” Gergen said. “it’s not possible. If you have a couple of Ph.D. students and a post-doc, you need to socially space them. Put another undergraduate in the room, it hurts your research productivity.”

hands-on practice that they would at an in-person clinical. “They are getting the knowledge on what they should be doing,” Sparacino said, however. “They are in the clinical site and are getting that interaction that’s vital.

With virtual learning, many faculties have figured out how students can conduct research projects remotely, Gergen said, noting, “computational biology is really easy to do remotely.”

“We also are holding labs on campus for our fundamentals, physical assessments and other skills,” she continued. “They are in smaller groups that are usually about 10 to an instructor in a lab, where they are inter-

The New York Institute of Technology, in Old Westbury, has struggled with remote learning, as well.

acting and are given injections to fake skin pads. The state has given us a dispensation for alternatives as well as virtual stimulation. “With limitation of in-person attendance at clinicals, many healthcare facilities are aware that newly graduated nurses will not have hands-on experience,” Sparacino concluded. “As a result, hospital officials are beginning to plan for extended orientation time for new graduates and will be working with the nurses one on one.”

New York Institute of Technology nursing student in the classroom.

“When Covid-19 first hit, nurses were being taken out of the facilities, and no one really knew what was going on,” said Dr. Lisa Sparacino, chairman of and associate professor in NYIT’s nursing department. “Starting off this spring semester, units that were closed are now beginning to open up; all of our students this semester are having time in the clinical,” she said. There are restrictions, though. “Units themselves cannot handle as many students as they used to because of Covid-19,” Sparacino said. “We used to have eight students in a group, and now some of the units are four, five or six. We are having to rotate the students. They are attending the actual hospital clinical site anywhere between 60 and 80 percent of the normal rotation, and the rest is virtual.” Questions and concerns have been raised about students taking part in virtual clinicals, since students are not receiving the

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Sabina Miller at her wedding in 1952

Those WE LOST BY LEAH CHIAPPINO

Covid-19 first hit Long Island on March 5, 2020, and as of press time, had infected more than 310,000 Long Islanders, nearly six thousand of whom lost their lives. They were our friends, mothers, fathers, co-workers and neighbors. They were philanthropists, union members and church-goers. They were all of us. These are a few of their stories.

A LOVING FATHER AND PROUD IMMIGRANT Pedro Braulio Vega Farromeque came to New York from Lima, Peru in 1986, in search of a better life for his family. Vega moved to Freeport when he arrived, and found work as an electrician. As he worked to build a future for his children, his wife, Ana Vega, and two children had to stay in Peru because of immigration restrictions. They were able to join him two years later. “He always mentioned that he felt proud he was able to give us a better life,” Vega’s daughter, Kathy Fee, said, growing emotional as she noted she was able to attend college and start a business because of her father’s sacrifices. His son, Giancarlo Vega, described his father as the archetype of the patriarch in a martial arts movie; he was a generally quiet man, whose spoken words were filled with importance, and captivated everyone who was around him. “I remember when I was little, I was very intimidated by him because, even though he wasn’t tall in stature, his voice, presence and his demeanor always commanded respect,” he said. Fee remembered the emphasis her father placed on receiving a sound education and striving for success. “He was very strict, and he wanted us to do well in school,” she said. “He always pushed for after-school activities and sports.” She remembered her father coming to pick her up from her grandmother’s house after school, where he made sure that not only his own children had their homework done, but also his nieces and nephews completed theirs too.

Farromeque with his wife on their wedding day

“I would be on his lap,” Fee said, “and he [would] be asking them if they did their multiplication tables correctly, and checking their history, their language. That was my father.” While family was most important to Vega, he was also an avid Mets fan, because the team had won the World Series in 1986, the year he came to New York. He loved the beach, and was a devout Christian who attended church every Sunday. “It was work. family, and then church,” Fee said. Vega loved to travel, and fulfilled his lifelong dream of visiting the White House. In March of 2020, Giancarlo contracted the virus. Doctors informed him that as his father had similar symptoms to him, so it had likely spread throughout the household. Eventually, Giancarlo convinced his father to go to the emergency room. Once he dropped his father off, the family did not see Vega in-person again.

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A GREAT NECK ICON WHO SPENT HER LIFE HELPING OTHERS As much as Sabina Miller loved Great Neck, Great Neck loved her back. “We would walk around town, and everybody would stop my mother. She would say, “I could never have an affair,” her daughter, Eleanor Burnick said. Born to a family in the entertainment business, Miller spent her childhood on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. After graduating from the University of Miami, Miller married and had her two children, David and Eleanor.

Sabina Miller in 1976

After she divorced, she moved her family to Great Neck in order to put her children in the best public schools. She worked in human resources at North Shore-LIJ Hospital, as well as in marketing in order to provide the best education for her children. Burnick remembered Miller didn’t have a degree in marketing, but was able to convince her colleagues and employers that she was qualified for the job. “If my mom put her mind to something, she did it amazingly well,” Burnick said. “She could convince you she had a degree in physics without actually having a degree. She was really, really good at saying, ‘I can do this,’ and then she would just do it. It wasn’t like it was a challenge for her.” When Miller remarried four years later, the family moved to an apartment on Overlook Avenue, where Miller stayed for more than 50 years. An avid traveler, she stopped working in 1974 to join her husband, Irwin, on trips around the world, from Europe to the Dominican Republic. World travels weren’t enough for Miller’s restless spirit. She served on the Great Neck Beautification Committee and North

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Shore Hospital Ethics Committee, and volunteered for the State Ombudsman Program in nursing homes and the Children’s Learning After School Program in Great Neck for decades. She was actively involved in the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club for years. “My mom lived for volunteering,”Burnick said. Through the Lions Club, Miller embarked on a trip to Easter Island in her later years, and ensured that more than 1,500 native children were fitted with glasses. Miller hosted and produced a number of programs on the North Shore Public television network, including “ Seniors for Seniors,” through which she encouraged other seniors to become involved in the community. “Sabina gave her time, energy, talent for engaging people and her nurturing personality to everyone she was involved with whether personal or professionally,” Grace Grella, the director of North Shore Public Television, said. “Her light will illuminate the hearts of all who knew her forever.” Miller suffered from dementia during the last year of her life, and moved into a longterm care facility last November. Even with her mind fading, she still adored and boasted about her grandchildren, and spoke with Burnick on the phone five to six times a day. When she called Burnick April 27, she said she couldn’t breathe. She was rushed to the hospital, where she died of Covid-19 36 hours later. Her family was unable to say goodbye to her in person because of the risk posed by the virus. “It kills me that she was by herself,” Burnick said. “She was my best friend. I miss her terribly.”

AN AVID CHURCHGOER AND BOWLER

Pauline Hribok and her grandaughter, Laura.

Pauline Hribok may have been five days shy of her 94th birthday when she died of Covid-19, but her age hadn’t stopped her from making her weekly beauty parlor appointments, grocery shopping at ShopRite, counting the offerings at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Farmingdale every Monday morning and singing in the Prime Timers senior choir, which she was a member of for 60 years. “She was still very much alive before the pandemic hit,” her daughter-in law, Ellen Hirbok, said. “She was a woman that never left the house without her hair done or her makeup done. She was always put together perfectly.” A native of Brooklyn, the elder Hribok graduated from secretarial school and married her husband, Dan, in 1949. The couple moved to Seaford in 1959, and had two sons, one of whom they lost at only 3 months old. The couple’s younger son, Danny, graduated from Hofstra University. In her free time, Pauline was an avid bowler, having played and served as secretary of her local bowling team for more than 25 years. She loved reading mystery novels, filling out the daily crossword puzzle in Newsday and watching “Jeopardy.” She was also an avid Mets fan, and always rooted

for the great pitcher Tom Seaver, her favorite player. Above all else, she adored her family. On Christmas Day, she would host a large gathering for her beloved siblings, nieces and nephews. She always made her famous chocolate chip cookies — the secret, using Crisco over butter. She was married to Dan for more than 50 years, until his death eight years ago. “They were very close,” Ellen said. “She was very well taken care of by him.” When Pauline moved to Emerge Rehab Nursing Home in Glen Cove to recover from a blood infection last April, her family didn’t know that would be the last time they would see her. “We were there maybe a half an hour, and then security came and said to us, ‘We’re locking the doors. It’s Covid,’” Ellen said.

Pauline Hribok and her, son Danny Hribok.

The safeguards appeared to work for around three weeks, until Pauline was one of the first Covid-19 cases in the facility. Hribok was put on oxygen and died three days later. “We were in shock and still are having a hard time understanding the whole thing,’ Ellen said. “She had so much more life left in her.”

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Testing Colleges’ LIMITS BY DAMALI RAMIREZ

the limited testing opportunities, and about 1,700 schools did not require SAT or ACT scores for this year’s applicants. Yet, many Long Island high school juniors and seniors are opting to take the exam, despite the obstacles they face, like testing sites closing, filling up or being too far. The College Board website advises students to be vigilant the night before and morning of exam dates about test centers closing or making short-notice changes. “I think it’s definitely become normalized, and I feel that [students] just want to show that they do know some of the material,” said Nina Rashid, a Syosset High School junior. Last summer, Nina couldn’t take the SAT because testing sites were closed or too far. Although there is still uncertainty about testing sites closing, she registered for the May and June test dates at her school. She, like other students, said she believes universities prefer high SAT scores over high grade point averages.

Elmont High School junior Noor Shahin believes taking the SAT will increase her chances of getting into any Ivy League school like Columbia. Photo provided by Alexandra Martinez.

Elmont High School junior Noor Shahin decided to take the exam in the hope of getting into an Ivy League school like Columbia. Hearts are beating, legs shaking, sweat dripping. It seems impossible to concentrate. In 180 minutes, students must demonstrate their college readiness by completing the math, evidence-based reading and writing sections of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Before Covid-19, students’ eyes would wander around the room trying to outscore their peers in the hope of getting into their dream colleges. Now, students sit in socially distant classrooms, wondering if someone around them has Covid-19. Three-fourths of U.S. colleges made SAT scores optional for admissions because of

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From a young age, she said, she was told she had to take a college entrance exam and thought it was a test she couldn’t skip, even though Columbia announced it would not require next year’s applicants to submit their scores. To her, she still believes colleges consider SAT scores important. Last year, Shahin emigrated from Egypt to the United States and felt clueless about the SAT process. She hopped on the College Board’s website to download practice exams, used Khan Academy and signed up for a SAT prep course that her school offered juniors this year.

Unlike Noor and Pelumi, Abena doesn’t take hybrid classes and worries about returning the school building for her exam. Photo provided by Alexandra Martinez.

Forty students from Elmont Memorial Junior-Senior High School, Valley Stream South High School, Westbury High School, Syosset High School, East Meadow High School, West Hempstead High School and Farmingdale High School recently took part in a survey conducted by Pulse involving their experiences with the SAT. In the survey, 60 percent of students said they had already taken the SAT, 17.5 percent said they were scheduled to take the exam, and 22.5 percent said they did not plan to take it. Overall, 42.5 percent of participants said they experienced difficulties scheduling test dates.

Despite all her preparations and hybrid-learning, she does not feel confident and is struggling to pay attention in her online classes, saying she has lost her motivation to study. “I can’t even concentrate in class. The days I’m online, I don’t care about class. I’ll open it and then watch Netflix, and every student does that,” she said. In December, she tried to register for the exam, but the list was too long, and the closest test site was 30 minutes away in upstate New York. “I can’t drive 30 minutes away to a school I don’t know to take an exam,” Shahin said. She tried to register again in March, but her test date was canceled because of the virus. Her guidance counselor then informed her that the school was offering a test date in April. Despite the obstacles, she knows she can retake the test and only has to worry about testing sites closing. “I’m still a junior,” Shahin said, “and I feel sorry for the seniors whose exam got canceled, couldn’t take it, and now they have to do it this year while preparing their college applications.” Like Shahin, Pelumi Ukinamemen, an Elmont junior, was also taking the exam on April 13. She heavily relied on Khan Academy to study for the SAT and focus on areas that she needs more practice in.

The schools that she is applying to in Texas require SAT scores, but she is also taking the test as a precaution. Even if the scores are made optional, Ukinamemen plans to submit her scores to demonstrate all the hard work that she has completed. “We have the SAT, some of us have [Advanced Placement] exams and the Regents coming up. All of that together is in two months, and we’re all racing to study all of this stuff. It’s really stressful,” she said. Unlike Shahin and Ukinamemen, Elmont junior Abena Opoku-Mensah takes all her classes online and worries about returning to the school building. “Last year, we had to take the [Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test] in October, and I remember that the day after we went in, they closed the school because there was a positive case,” she said. “It felt so weird because I stayed home for so long, and the day I go back is the day there’s a positive case in the same building at the same time as me.” Opoku-Mensah said she tries to study an hour every day and is in a study group that meets from 7 to 9 p.m. She also juggles AP and Regents exams and plans to apply to Ivy League schools. “I don’t care about my score, since a lot of schools are saying that it doesn’t matter, but it’s still also really important to me, so I’m kind of conflicted about it,” she said.

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A PANDEMIC OF HEALTH INEQUITY BY REBECCA CANFIELD

Since the first confirmed coronavirus case was reported in Nassau County in March 2020, Long Island has been a hotspot of Covid-19 infection, with case numbers erupting last spring not only in Nassau but also Suffolk County, before stabilizing last summer and then soaring again over the winter. Systemic healthcare inequities have put people of color at a higher risk of contracting Covid-19, being exposed to the virus and dying from it, according to government officials. A number of policymakers, like Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, have worked to combat the long-standing inequities that have led to disparate health outcomes in communities of color. “Health equity has been a cornerstone of our response strategy …. We were one of the first counties hit, so the trends that we’re all seeing nationwide, we saw them first,” said Jordan Carmon, a senior adviser to Curran. Covid-19, in many ways, exposed the nation’s healthcare inequities, which the

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World Health Organization defines as “avoidable, unfair or remediable” differences in the quality of treatment. COVID-19 HEALTH DISPARITIES In New York State, the Covid-19 death rate among white people is 66.6 in 100,000, while it is 169.8 and 147 in 100,000 for Black and Hispanic New Yorkers, respectively. In Nassau, the mortality rate for Black people — at 228 in 100,000 — is roughly 25 percent higher than the rest of the state, and the rate among Hispanic people, at 154.4 per 100,000, is slightly above the statewide average. In Suffolk, the rate for Black people — at 237.8 per 100,000 — is 29 percent higher than the statewide average, and for Hispanic people, it’s slightly under the statewide average, at 144.1 per 100,000 people. Health disparities can be found not only within Covid-19 trends, but also for almost any health condition.“You can slice and dice data based on really any demographic — race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, zip code — and find inequities,”said Dr. Anthony Santella, an associate professor of health professions at Hofstra University.

potential, and you don’t have to be a scientist or a doctor or a health professional to know that doesn’t exist in the United States,” Santella said. “Minority groups are more likely to have some of the burdens that put people at higher risk for Covid,” Santella said. People in communities of color, he noted, are likely to be essential workers, use public transportation, live in densely populated homes and live in poverty, he said. POLICIES IN PLACE The pandemic has also changed the way that communities and policymakers connect and support one another, with healthcare policy becoming interlaced with public policy. Nassau and Suffolk counties have made a number of changes in order to provide quality healthcare to those in need. Hackett, drawing on her former work as deputy director at the New York City Department of Health, identified the risk factors for communities of color. “The first step,” she said, “is acknowledging and understanding there is a problem in order to pull out those key underlying factors, like racism.” In November 2019, Nassau County introduced its first director of health equity,

Andrea Ault-Brutus. She was brought in to examine the general health disparities that exist in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. According to Carmon, Ault-Brutus has made enormous changes in the county, beginning with the approach to public information. She has initiated awareness campaigns that encourage people to seek medical care and know the signs. Long Island needs “a holistic approach, not just for Covid,” Ault-Brutus said, and health-equity campaigns should go through “trusted community partners, like houses of worship, community groups, and nonprofits that have regular contact with the people in these affected areas.” This trusted messenger strategy, in particular, helps county officials to promote the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines to a suspecting public. Beyond Ault-Brutus’ position, Carmon pointed out the county’s financial commitment. “Money is continuing to go towards health centers within these hotspot communities to allow for free testing and resources to those who don’t have insurance, access to affordable care or are undocumented,” he said. The county “has and will continue to help reduce those disparities we see geographically.”

Even before Covid-19 hit, many Long Islanders faced basic unmet needs, which were only made worse by the pandemic. “Healthcare access is necessary, but not sufficient in explaining the differences or these inequities in the health outcomes,” said Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor of health professions at Hofstra. “What we saw with Covid-19 was that the environmental conditions contribute to the differences in cases. Stressors take a toll on our body as well.” Factors that contribute to the increased risk that communities of color face include a lack of healthcare access, poverty, housing or homelessness, occupation and discrimination. “Health equity is about ensuring that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their full health

As part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s mandate to ensure equity in the vaccination distribution process, the New York State Department of Health and Northwell Health recently worked with churches in underserved communities to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to locals. Photo courtesy of Northwell Health.

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THE PROBLEM? VACCINE INEQUALITY Photo provided by Mat Napo - Unsplash

BY DAMALI RAMIREZ Scrolling through Walgreens’ Covid-19 vaccination home page recently, 71-yearold Rase Denny, a retired nurse who worked for more than 30 years at Winthrop-Univeristy Hospital in Mineola, had no luck finding an appointment near his Uniondale home. After weeks of having his name down on the waitlist and searching at different locations, Denny received a phone call about an available appointment. “Walgreens didn’t have anything, and then I got a call that somebody didn’t show up, and at that point, I was able to automatically book my second appointment 30 days after,” he said. Denny was among the 43,800 Black residents on Long Island—out of a total population of more than 250,000—who had, at press time, received at least one dose of the vaccine, and then he faced challenges securing an appointment for his sister.

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Across the nation, the vaccination rate among communities of color has been significantly lower than in white communities, despite the higher Covid-19 infection rates in such areas. On Long Island, of the nearly 811,000 people who have recieved at least one dose of the vaccine to date, 84.6 percent have been white, including Hispanic people; 8.6, Asian; 5.9 percent, Black; and .9, other according to New York State Department of Health data by race. The Census Bureau definition of white includes anyone of European, North African or Middle Eastern descent. The state further parses out data by ethnicity. According to this data set, 9.6 percent of Hispanic or Latinx people on Long Island have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

White people—not Hispanic or Latinx— comprise about 63 percent of Long Island’s total population, but to date, they had received 75 percent of Covid-19 vaccine doses. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black people recieving one dose was roughly 5 points lower than their percentage of the population, and for Hispanic people, it was more than 7 points lower. That is, non-Hispanic white people were overrepresented among those receiving their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and Black and Hispanic people were underrepresented, while Asians were slightly overrepresented. Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, chief executive officer of the Garden City-based Family and Children’s Association, said he was not surprised when the data showed lower vaccination rates among Black and Hispanic communities, noting past health care disparities between white communities and communities of color. “I think what Covid initially did was it exposed all the fault lines that have been around since the beginning of time and made them clearer,” he said. “There’s a number of reasons particular to Covid. The disparities were there, but some of them relate to the prevalence of pre-existing conditions, and some of them relate to essential workers and the jobs they’re doing.”

government,” he said, “and there’s a lot of history in place that reinforces some of that distrust.” Although he believes the 1932 to 1972 Tuskegee syphilis experiment — in which Black men, without their knowledge, were given a placebo rather than a promised treatment to see what would happen if the veneral disease went unchecked — explains the distrust that many Black people feel toward the healthcare system, Reynolds does not think it’s the only explanation. Healthcare disparities, coupled with a general lack of cultural competence among many healthcare workers, also are factors. When Black and Hispanic residents go in for routine healthcare procedures, they often do not see workers who resemble them, and many times they need translators. If there are no available translators, non-English speaking Black and Hispanic residents are put on a phone line. Reynolds said he believes these disparities reinforce the notion in their communities that healthcare has no place for them. “I’ve spoken to a lot of folks who have a fundamental distrust of vaccines and the medical establishment, and I want to be careful because we don’t want to be in a position of calling anyone who has questions about Covid vaccine as an anti-vaxxer,” he said.

Reynolds said he believes health ad government experts should have an open dialogue with people of color and answer fundamental questions about the vaccine. He also said vaccine pop-up sites should be located in accessible places that the community knows and trusts, and community leaders who can promote vaccines should be enlisted to help. “I think it’s very easy to say, well, the community doesn’t trust it, they don’t want it. Actually, there’s a lot of people who do. You’ve got to make sure that that access is there,” he said. State Sen. Kevin Thomas, a Democract from Levittown, represents the 6th District, whose constituents are a little over a third Black and Hispanic. His office, he said, has increased efforts to make the vaccine more accessible to people of color, hosting more vaccine pop-up sites, sending out mailings, and attending church and PTA meetings to spread the word about the vaccines and vaccination sites. “In the very beginning, there was a lot of misinformation out there about the vaccine. We had to get over that hurdle,” he said. “We had to go into [Black and Hispanic] communities, talk about facts, and as more people got vaccinated that look like them, they start changing their mind.” Scott Brinton contributed to this story.

According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute, Long Island has about 311,000 essential workers; 11 percent of them support their families on low-incomes, with a family of four earning less than $53,000 a year. Women, immigrants and Blacks are overrepresented as essential workers. Roughly 61 percent of women, 28 percent of immigrants and 17 percent of Black people are considered essential workers. Reynolds explained that Black and Hispanic people are more likely to live in tightly cramped homes and use public transportation, which leads to higher infection rates of communicable diseases, including coronavirus. VACCINE HESITANCY Experts like Reynolds believe low vaccination rates can be partly explained because of vaccination hesitation. “There’s a high degree of distrust in minority communities of the healthcare system, vaccines,

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KEEPING THE OCEAN OUT OF YOUR YARD

BY MARJORIE ROGERS Climate change could spell imminent disaster for many beaches, as rising sea levels threaten to gobble up sandy shores and force coastal communities inland, scientists warn. Jones Beach isn’t a typical beach in that regard. Thanks to the natural current that sweeps sand from east to west and jetties that help it accumulate on the shore, Jones Beach is a very broad beach, with plenty of room for humans to sunbathe and build sandcastles — and will be in the near future, even as the ocean eats at the shoreline. Other parts of the park, however, may be more susceptible to climate change’s effects, and the results could spell more immediate trouble for Long Islanders. Jones Beach is a wide stretch of sand, which should help insulate it against future sea-level rise, but not forever, according to scientists. Above, a view of the state park’s famed boardwalk.

One of the lesser known and more vulnerable parts of Jones Beach State Park is its marshes. These coastal wetlands play a critical role in drainage and flood prevention for Long Island’s South Shore. After severe storms, marshland absorbs rainwater and helps keep the Island’s mainland from flooding. The marshes are also home to several different species, including wading birds, terrapin turtles and many species of plankton. Annie McIntyre, Long Island regional environmental manager for the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and

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Historic Preservation, is one of the humans who takes care of Jones Beach and other state parks around the Island. She also works to educate students and park visitors about the biology of the parks. Her immediate concerns lie mostly with the marshes. “Sea-level rise is more going to impact our marshes before it impacts our beaches,” McIntyre said. According to her, marshes have the ability to adapt to gradual, natural rising sea levels. If the climate were changing at a slower rate, the marshes would have time to adapt, moving slowly inland. Human-created climate change, however, is causing the sea levels to rise rapidly, at a rate the marshes cannot keep up with. Long Islanders have also built on the land immediately surrounding the marshes, further inhibiting their ability to escape rising sea levels. This means that the marshes, which have been home to wildlife and prevented flooding for centuries, are at risk of disappearing. “We have built on pretty much every marsh,” McIntyre said. “Because [sea level] is rising quickly and [the marshes] really can’t move because we’ve built structures alongside the marshes, they’re just going to shrink. Those animals will have nowhere to go.” Further down the road, as human-produced climate change causes sea levels to rise, Jones

Beach could eventually become Long Island’s Atlantis: an underwater destination lost to time. According to a graph from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if sea levels were to rise by five feet within the next 30 years, most of Jones Beach would be underwater With Jones Beach’s marshes and shorelines gone, Long Islanders would experience flooding more often and more severely. Wildlife within the park would have nowhere to go, and their absence would disrupt fishing and other recreational activities. Annalisa Peña, president of Leaders for Environmental Action and Fellowship at Hofstra University, said Long Islanders need to start preparing for the effects of climate change. “We’re coming to a point where it’s past being preventative,” Peña said. “Now we have to be reactive to what is happening . . . We have to focus on infrastructure to protect us from inevitable things.” Peña has watched climate change affect Long Island, noting that although she is only 20 years old, she has noticed the shore move inland considerably. Revisiting beaches she used to frequent as a child, she sees how the shoreline has changed and shrunk.

Jase Bernhardt, a professor of geology, environment and sustainability at Hofstra University, said beach erosion and change to shorelines is normal. He spoke of the time the record-breaking New England Hurricane of 1938 tore through Long Island; not only did the storm reshape the barrier islands, but the hurricane caused such severe flooding that it cut off parts of eastern Long Island from the mainland.

incidental in her book. Storms with a 1 in 100 probability of occurring within a given year have been happening more frequently in recent years, which is a symptom of a changing climate.

“There’s always going to be those sort of events,” Bernhardt said, noting that the occasional drastic storm is inevitable. He added, however, that these events under climate change could become more tumultuous and wreak even greater havoc on coastal areas such as Jones Beach. Like Peña, he recommended infrastructure reinforcements to help maintain the beach as the climate changes.

McIntyre said little steps to be more fuel efficient could help combat climate change. Idly running one’s car engine when parked in a lot or drive-thru, for example, burns fossil fuels unnecessarily, and the carbon emissions from small wastes such as this can add up quickly. She does not believe people need to make drastic changes to their lives to make a difference, but rather be more aware and take small steps each day to use less energy and reduce waste.

“With the sea-level rise in the background, there’s going to be more impactful surge events,” Bernhardt said. “Overall, there’s going to be the need for more and more investment in this. I think that’s what a changing climate is telling us.” McIntyre said she believes the effects of climate change are already happening on Long Island. The much more frequent and violent storms that the Island has experienced in recent years are not merely co-

“We had a 100-year storm, and then 10 years later, we had a 50-year storm,” McIntyre said. “I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work.”

“I don’t think that the sledgehammer is the way to go,” McIntyre said regarding making lifestyle changes for the sake of saving the Earth. “Do small things, like turn the light off when you leave the room [or] use less electricity. Small things like that are pretty easy.”

The marshlands to the north of Jones Beach are in danger of sinking below water because of sea-level rise, scientists said they fear. These wetlands are home to numerous bird and marine species, and serve as breeding grounds for both.

Photos by Angelo Vansant

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THE

ABOMINABLE

Southern Pine Beetle

How one little pest is setting Long Island up for disaster. These pesky beetles can destroy entire pitch pine forests, as they did in one part of the Pine Barrens. BY MARJORIE ROGERS In Eastern Long Island near the Hamptons lies a dense forest known as the Long Island Pine Barrens. In addition to the beautiful scenery they create, the pitch pine trees of this massive forest play a little-known and critical role in protecting Long Island’s water supply. The aquifers responsible for supplying most of Long Island’s water supply sit underneath the forest, protected and purified by the pine trees on the surface. However, these pine trees are in trouble, because they are also the choice snack and nesting location for an invasive insect species known as the southern pine beetle. Olivia Calandra is a conservation technician with the Nassau County Soil and Southern pine beetles steadily destroy forests like this one on Long Island.

An intact pine forest in Eastern Long Island. Photos courtesy of Long Island Pine Barren Society

Water Conservation District. She works to combat the spread of the southern pine beetle and has witnessed firsthand how these bugs tear apart pitch pines. “They burrow under the outer bark of the tree, and then they lay their larvae there,” Calandra explained. “As the larvae are growing, they create s-shaped galleries, basically eating under the bark in these galleries… That makes it so that nutrients and water are unable to get from the bottom to the top of the trees.” Beetle infestation has led to deforestation in the Long Island Pine Barrens. Calandra expressed concerns about the declining pitch pine population.

“It’s really important to protect the Pine Barrens,” she said. “When the water comes down in the rain, the trees filter the water through their roots and it creates groundwater. Having all these trees there is actually cleaning our water, so it’s really important that we protect this area.” Without the pitch pines acting as a buffer between the land and sky, the aquifers that supply Long Island with drinking water could become more susceptible to nitrogen pollution from landfills and farms. Water with high levels of nitrates has been known to cause many illnesses, including blue baby syndrome, which can cause permanent brain damage in infants. But how did the southern pine beetle, a native to the Southeast and Mexico, become year-round New York residents? According to Calandra, the bugs are now able to survive Long Island winters, which have become milder over the years because of climate change. “We’re having a lot more pests come up here because they’re able to survive now,” she said. “They’re not dying anymore [in] harsh winters. They’re able to survive all winter.” With climate change enabling the southern pine beetle to survive on Long Island, conservationists like Calandra have an increasingly critical job protecting pitch pines — and ultimately, Long Island’s water supply — from destruction.

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EDUCATING TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT BY CLAIRE BLAHA Many organizations across Long Island aim to get everyone involved in protecting the natural world and learning to live alongside it. “In order to properly protect our environment, it’s important for us to understand it and our relationship to it,” said Jimena Perez-Viscasillas, the New York outreach coordinator for the Long Island Sound Study’s National Estuary Program. “Education is a good first step.” The Long Island Sound Study provides information and programs for people to learn about the environment around them and their effect on it. “Nitrogen pollution is affected by fertilizer use on people’s lawns,” Perez-Viscasillas said. “What we try to communicate to the general public is the best way to take care of your lawn in an environmentally friendly way.” Other organizations also focus on providing information and resources, specifically in a classroom setting, in order to give children an environmentally conscious education. Ron Geraldi, an environmental educator with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, tries to simplify a complex issue like sustainability for students with programs like “Where Is Away?” “The title of the program comes from the idea that we all produce garbage, and we throw it away, but there’s still a place that it goes,” Geraldi said. “And so we take them through the entire process of the waste stream, and we talk about other things we can do to interrupt the volume of waste each of us individually produces.” This is just one example of a program that Geraldi conducts to teach students practi-

High school students work to save the natural world with Students for Climate Action. Photo provided by Melissa Parrott.

cal sustainability measures. “It’s not a Greta Thunberg crusade across the world, which hopefully will bear fruit, but that’s kind of difficult to do for the individual,” he said. A BioBlitz, taking pictures of flora and fauna found in an area in order to learn more about it, also presents a pragmatic way to engage with the environment. These photographs can then be uploaded into an app called iNaturalist. “Basically it’s like a network of naturalists, so other people will see what you posted, and they can help you identify it,” Perez-Viscasillas said. This app helps the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area identify invasive species and locate them on Long Island. Anyone has the ability to educate him or herself and get involved with protecting and conserving the natural world, whether it’s through program participation, volunteering or even direct interaction with legislation that promotes change. Melissa Parrott is the founder and executive director of Students for Climate Action, a non-partisan organization with high school chapters across Long Island and in Texas and Massachusetts. Students work directly with their elected officials and urge them

to transition to renewable energy and environmentally friendly practices. “We meet with town, county, state and federal officials, and we educate them on the climate issue and the solutions,” Parrott said. These high school students try to encourage officials to implement legislative change that can positively affect the environment. “Education and outreach is so important to help others be a part of the bigger picture solution, but when you change policy, you’re creating action and law,” Parrott said. Whether it’s through hands-on programming or taking legislative action, everyone should learn and understand the natural world and their effect on it. And environmental change can only happen if it’s approached from every angle and by the youth who will be directly impacted by the change. “We give them the option of understanding what’s around them,” Geraldi said, “so when they grow up and they become parents, voters and landowners, they have a holistic approach to how to manage the natural world around them, whether it’s how they treat their lawn or their neighbors.”

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KEEP IT CLEAN AND GO GREEN BY AUGOSTINA MALLOUS Long Island’s beaches are visited by millions of people every year, and Long Islanders take pride in the beautiful scenery and serene atmosphere that we call home. Unfortunately, scientists say that our beaches, saltwater marshes and infrastructure will be threatened by storm surges and sea-level rise in the near future. You may be wondering how you can help prevent that from happening, so we have gathered 12 nonprofit organizations that strive to restore and preserve Long Island’s environment so you can become a part of the change.

THE SAFINA CENTER

OPERATION SPLASH

The Safina Center advances the case for life on Earth by fusing scientific understanding, emotional connection and a moral call to action. The center blends science, art and literature in the form of books and articles, scientific research, photography, film, sound-art and spoken word.

Operation SPLASH is dedicated to bringing back the bays through the cleanup of local waterways, activism and education. Volunteers have rescued more than 2 million pounds of trash, marine debris and other hazards from Long Island’s beaches, bays and waterways.

FRIENDS OF CALEB SMITH PRESERVE The Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve runs several events to benefit the 543-acre Caleb Smith State Park Preserve in Smithtown. The park operates a nature museum with interactive displays, environmental education and recreational programs, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails, fly fishing, and guided nature walks. MORICHES BAY PROJECT The Moriches Bay Project is an aquatic restoration program created with a mission to improve the water quality in Moriches Bay and increase its environmental productivity. By working to re-establish populations of shellfish and eelgrass, the project strives to stem the tide of pollutants that have flooded the bay and filter out the excessive nutrients that are feeding harmful brown algae blooms. THE GARDEN CONSERVANCY The Garden Conservancy is a national organization dedicated to preserving America’s gardens for the education and enjoyment of the public. They seek to develop and deepen public appreciation of gardens as integral elements of our national artistic and cultural heritage. The Open Days program serves as the primary educational outreach for the conservancy and is a major component of the mission.

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COASTAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION SOCIETY OF L.I. This organization’s mission is to promote and foster understanding of coastal ecosystems through research and education. If you are interested in animal watching and research, this organization allows you to do just that by traveling to the outer islands of eastern Long Island, Cupsogue Beach, Montauk and other areas to observe seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises and more. HUNTINGTON-OYSTER BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is an all-volunteer chapter of the National Audubon Society and serves more than 1,000 members in Huntington and Oyster Bay townships. It works to protect wildlife and preserve habitat through conservation action, education and ethical nature exploration. HOBAS offers regular beach cleanups, habitat restoration projects, naturalist trips, hiking adventures and prestigious speakers to address conservation issues at monthly meetings. SUSTAINABLE LONG ISLAND Sustainable Long Island is a non-profit organization advancing economic development, environmental health and social equity. Sustainable Long Island works as a catalyst and facilitator of community planning for the betterment of all Long Islanders.

LEADERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AND FELLOWSHIP AT HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY This is a student-run organization that promotes the preservation of the environment while taking action to reverse the damage caused by humans on Earth. Hofstra students can practice deliberative dialogue and educate themselves about the current climate crisis.

CITIZENS CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT CCE was formed by a small group of citizens concerned with the need for public involvement in developing environmental policies. The group engages in extensive education, research, lobbying and public outreach. One of its primary goals is to help people increase their influence and participation in important environmental campaigns.

Trips to Hofstra’s greenhouse, social media challenges, guest speakers and open discussions are only some of the activities you’ll get to be a part of in LEAF. Photo by Bill Belford.

PARKS & TRAILS NEW YORK Parks & Trails New York is dedicated to improving our health, economy and quality of life through the use and enjoyment of green space. PTNY has worked with hundreds of community organizations and municipalities to envision, create, promote and protect a growing network of parks and more than 1,500 miles of greenways, bike paths and trails throughout New York State.

SOUTH SHORE AUDUBON SOCIETY The mission of South Shore Audubon Society is to promote environmental education; conduct research pertaining to local bird populations, habitat and wildlife; and to restore the environment. The group does this through responsible activism for the benefit of both wildlife and people.

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The Target parking lot in Westbury. Photo by Athena Dawson

PPE POLLUTION IS NEVER PRETTY BY ATHENA DAWSON Long Island legislators and sustainability experts are concerned about pollution unique to the pandemic. Discarded gloves and masks are everywhere, from parking lots to parks. This is the reality of the new environmental issue caused by Covid-19 — personal protection equipment pollution. Since the start of the pandemic, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Protection has advised people to wear face masks, many of which are not reusable. Annetta Vitale, a Hofstra University sustainability professor, said discarded masks and gloves enter Long Island waterways through storm drains, and antibacterial

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sprays and hand sanitizers may increase the prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment. Vitale is a member of a committee for the Blue Way, a South Shore aquatic kayaking trail. “At the meeting, people from the various stakeholder organizations expressed a concern about the increase in this PPE that they’re finding in the environment,” she said. Similarly, some Long Island Legislators have realized how this issue is affecting the environment. Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan drafted a bill last May to prohibit PPE littering in Nassau. “My own bill passed in Suffolk County and still hasn’t passed in Nassau County…” he said. “My bill will serve as a deterrent to make sure that people think twice before littering PPE.” In addition to a fine, those found littering would face a community service requirement. Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin said the town is pushing on social media to remind people to throw away PPE properly.

#PLANT WISE BY ROBERT TRAVERSO Emvironmentally friendly eateries sprout up on Long Island.

Pamela and Alex opened Plant Wise to make it easier for Long Islanders to eat healthy food daily and make going vegan less overwhelming.

Questions about the environmental cost of raising animals for food raced through the mind of Pamela Kambanis, co-founder of the Dix Hills-based vegan eatery Plant Wise, while watching a documentary nine years ago.

Plant-based eating was less common on Long Island when Plant Wise opened, but the eatery’s popularity has grown over the years. In fact, Plant Wise’s success was at an all-time high before Covid-19, Kambanis said.

“When I watched these documentaries, it was like the blinders had been taken off... I said to myself, ‘I don’t feel comfortable eating this way,” Kambanis said, referring to eating meat and dairy products.

Because of the rising popularity of plantbased eating, Plant Wise is planning the creation of a franchise program, expanding on the Island and beyond, to continue helping others adjust to adopting a plant-based diet.

Kambanis’ experience is common: Documentaries that focus on the environmental consequences of animal agriculture inspire many to go plant-based, adopting a diet that is growing popular in the U.S.

Kambanis acknowledged that this change is challenging for many people, but said it drives Plant Wise’s mission: to encourage people to eat one plant-based meal per day.

Pamela and her partner Alex, who co-founded Plant Wise with her, decided to go vegan for health reasons. Only later did they discover the benefits for the environment brought about by plant-based eating. “That’s what made it a lasting change,” Pamela said. She stressed that her journey to veganism is part of a larger change in consciousness. “People are starting to understand how their choices — how they eat, how they live their lives — how that affects so many other things in the world,” Kambanis said.

Pamela Kambanis and her partner Alex co-founded Plant Wise to make going vegan less overwhleming for Long Islanders.

“The major thing you can do for the environment is to change to a plantbased diet.” - Pamela Kambanis

“It can be overwhelming to try to change a whole lifestyle, and it can be difficult for people based on where you live and things that like that to change everything you eat overnight,” Kambanis said. “But focusing on something simple as one plant-based meal… it can have a positive effect on so many different aspects of your life and the world as a whole — especially the climate.” “The major thing you can do for the planet and for the environment is to change to a plant-based diet,” Kambanis said. “And we’re hoping Plant Wise can help in that way.”

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