The Hofstra Chronicle, April 5, 2022

THE HOFSTRA

HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 87 ISSUE 11

CHRONICLE

TUESDAY April 5, 2022

KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935.

NEWS

Opinion

Eli’s Kosher Kitchen remains closed

Virginia Thomas’ texts proves the Supreme Court needs reform

Jacob Lewis / The Hofstra Chronicle Eli’s Kosher Kitchen has been temporarily closed since Dec. 14, 2020, due to staffing concerns.

By Megan Naftali ASSISTA N T N E W S E D I TO R

Hofstra University has one of the largest Jewish populations among colleges in the U.S., according to Hillel International.

With a sizable Jewish community, some kosher students believe the food options should be more extensive.

Eli’s Kosher Kitchen, the oncampus kosher dining establishment, has been temporarily closed since Dec. 14, 2020, for the second time since the start of the pandemic. This is due to staffing challenges, according to Jose Rodriguez, resident district manager of Campus Dining by Compass Group.

“[Hillel has] been working very closely with food services to make sure we can have more kosher food for our students and for our community,” said Rabbi Dave Siegel, the executive director and university chaplain of Hofstra Hillel. “To be fair, I also eat [at Eli’s] so the biggest problem has been some staffing challenges and making sure that we have the right mashgichim.”

A mashgiach is a supervisor who ensures adherence to kosher food laws (kashrut) by inspecting the premises where food is prepared. Many mashgichim are older and have been uncomfortable being on a college campus amidst a pandemic, according to Siegel.

“They could pull anyone off the street [to be a mashgiach], but I won’t eat there,” Siegel said. “I know other people won’t eat there.”

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Features

This Hofstra Life: Steve the Night Shuttle Driver

Photo courtesy of Steve Oswiecimski

Oswiecimski has been driving Hofstra shuttles for eight years.

By Julian Rocha FEATUR E S E D I TO R

Students who have taken the night shuttle after a long night of studying, home from a night

out at Catch or simply just to grab a bite to eat from Dutch Treats likely have ridden with Steve Oswiecimski. A bus driver at Hofstra for around eight years, Oswiecimski has interacted with members of the Hofstra community who come from all walks of life.

“I tell my family members about students, who I’ve always had nothing but positive experiences with,” Oswiecimski remarked. “Even when I sometimes drive the train shuttle, I’ll meet professors and administrators, and they’re also very nice.

It’s always nice to see alumni and hear how they’re doing.”

As a constant presence con-

necting Hofstra’s campus with the surrounding streets, Oswiecimski gets to make meaningful connections with students and watch them grow over their time here. Whether it’s a midterm, project or cultural event, Oswiecimski hears from the students about their lives, just as a friend or family member would.

“You meet people from all over the world, and it’s fantastic to meet all these different people, and [understand] how everybody gets along and fits together,” Oswiecimski said. “They have their clubs and different outings. It’s always good.”

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ence Thomas, to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the lead up to and during the insurrection are some of the most concerning discoveries by the congressional committee tasked with uncovering the full story of what occurred on Jan. 6.

Photo courtesy of The Hofbeats Photo courtesy of Gabe Skidmore The texts sent Virginia Thomas sent controversial texts to by Thomas charge Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Biden and the left with “attempting

By Lincoln Anniballi the greatest Heist of our HisSTA FF WRITER tory,” while sharing a baseless As the Jan. 6 committee and absurd conspiracy theory continues to uncover texts, propagated by Alex Jones that emails and phone calls to and ballots had been somehow from GOP legislators, executive watermarked as proof to show officials and now even a wife of they had been fraudulently cast a Supreme Court justice, it has for Biden. Thomas went even become increasingly clear just further, seeming to support the how out of touch many of those violence which would appear at at the top of the Republican the Capitol, writing, “The most Party are while also highlightimportant thing you can realize ing just how broken our politiright now is that there are no cal system is. rules in war.”

The uncovered texts sent

by Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice ClarCONTINUED ON A12

A&E

‘Bridgerton’ returns for sultry new season

By Eleni Kothesakis A RT S A N D EN TERTA IN M EN T ED ITO R

In December 2020, the world became enthralled with the glamour, poise and gossip of London’s elite with the release of Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” It quickly became a sensation, making it Netflix’s mostwatched series (until “Squid Game” replaced it in October 2021). On March 25, Netflix

released the highly anticipated second season.

The series is set in London during the Regency era, specifically following its high society known as “the ton.” The first season follows the wealthy Bridgerton family as their eldest daughter, Daphne, enters society looking to find a husband, which she finds in the Duke of Hastings.

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A2 • APRIL 5, 2022

THE CHRONICLE

NEWS

Kosher food conundrum caused by staffing issues 203 Student Center hofstrachronicle@gmail.com Editor-in-Chief Editors-in-Chief Anthony MelanieRoberts Haid

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CONTINUED FROM A1 Campus Dining offers hot and cold grab-and-go meal options that are prepared by a part-time campus mashgiach, according to Rodriguez.

“Our Kosher is certified by the Vaad of Merrick under the direction of Rabbi Ira Ebbin and Rabbi Dov Winston with a menu that consists of 15 different sandwiches, 12 salads and 28 ready-to-heat meals that are on rotation each week and available at select convenient locations across campus,” Rodriguez said.

“We will continue to evaluate the needs of the campus community and the future of the kosher dining program at Eli’s.”

Victoria Bell A&EEleni Assistant Editor Kothesakis

Even with the grab-and-go options, students long for more variation in their diet.

“It is a little frustrating because [Hofstra is] supposed to be a relatively Jewish campus,” said Andie Bigio, a junior Jewish studies and history double major. “But they’re not really helping orthodox or traditional Jews keep kosher.”

Other students have expressed frustration on social media.

Hadassah Schneider, a first-year law student, commented on an @EatingatHofstra Instagram post inquiring about where to get kosher food on campus.

“When I was looking into Hofstra, I wanted to make sure that there would be a place for

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the mass-produced packaged stuff like potato chips, but that’s not real [food].”

Separate from Campus Dining, Hillel offers kosher food at various events that they hold throughout the semester.

“At our Hillel programs, there is often food,” Siegel said.

“Probably the best thing we offer is Friday night dinners where people can come for Shabbat, spend time together and have a variety of different foods.”

If students have any questions or concerns regarding kosher food on campus, they can contact Rodriguez at Jose.Rodriguez@compass-usa.com.

Hofstra mutes Zoom options as COVID-19 numbers decrease

Jacob Huller

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me to be able to eat on campus,” Schneider said. “When I actually got here, there was almost nothing that was kosher, and so the post on Instagram [said], ‘Oh, we have kosher food available,’ and I’m like, ‘Where?’ Because I’ve been looking for it and I can’t find it.”

The Campus Dining website states that kosher grab-and-go options are available at locations across campus for “convenient access to kosher meals throughout the day,” but some students feel it is hard to find.

“Online they list places where you can get kosher food, and I’ve gone to some of those places, and there is nothing there,” Schneider said. “There’s

Photo Courtesy of Lucas Law DREAM advocates for Zoom classes amid mask removal.

By Ahjané Forbes NE WS E DI TOR

After Hofstra University made masks optional for every facility on campus on Monday, March 7, a Change.org petition was created on Wednesday, March 9, titled “Bring back remote options at Hofstra.”

“By lifting the mask mandates, and [demanding] students attend in-person classes, Hofstra has decided that it is acceptable to risk the health of disabled students to appease the masses and ‘return to normal,’” the petition said in part.

The petition has received 258 signatures since its creation,

with many students from the Hofstra community expressing their support. One student who signed it says what Hofstra is doing is not right.

“I signed the petition because making Zoom learning inaccessible for those with disabilities makes it so much harder for people to access an education during this time,” said Alice Patry, a sophomore women’s studies major. “If you take that away from students, then how are people expected to work without putting themselves in danger and their education in jeopardy?”

The university has not made a public statement regarding the

petition. However, Karla Schuster, assistant vice president of University Relations, explained why the decision was made.

“We’re committed to inperson learning as the primary mode of instruction.

Many studies have shown that in-person instruction is the most effective way for students to learn,” Schuster said. “Also, the experience of our own students and faculty back that up. Based on what they told us, there are fewer distractions, there’s increased concentration, more collaboration [and] a stronger bond between the professor and the students and among the classmates.”

The lack of response from the university has made many students feel unheard. Kadaline Jackel, a senior psychology major, creator of the petition and president of Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentorship (DREAM), believes that what the petition is requesting is something that Hofstra can easily do.

“We do acknowledge that not every class can give remote options such as labs or music classes, but [for] just strictly lecture classes, we do know that Hofstra does have the technol-

ogy to do that,” Jackal said.

“They spent 18 months using that technology, so we figured we have the technology and we already have been accommodating these students, so why go back on accommodations now?”

While many university administrators agree that remote learning does not compare to the engagement of a classroom inperson, some agree with Jackel.

Director of Student Access Services, Julie Yindra, explains that students with invisible and physical disabilities could benefit from this option.

“Remote learning can also be a good solution for students who may, from time to time, be unable to attend class for specific periods of time due to what we often call chronic or episodic conditions,” Yindra said.

One student who signed the petition and is a member of DREAM shares how remote learning would be convenient for her success as a student.

“I’m actually on medication that when I take it, I basically am sedated and I kind of fall asleep, so if I have to take that before class or something – I’m not able to come into a class-

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NEWS

Getty Sports photographer becomes a Hofstra professor and end at 11 o’clock at night.”

Last month, Bello returned to his home in New York after working the 2022 Photo courtesy of Al Bello Beijing Al Bello, a sports special correspondent for Getty Winter Sports, has been named Sport Photographer of the Year by three different committees.

Olympics for Getty

By Alexis Friedman Sports. He was at the games M ULTI M E D I A E D I TO R during the month of FebruSports special corresponary and was in Tokyo just six dent for Getty Sports, Al months before that for the SumBello, spoke to Professor Mario mer Olympic Games.

Gonzalez’s multimedia video In Tokyo, Bello photographed journalism course on Thursday, aquatic sports and focused on March 31, about his career as a diving into more underwater sports photographer. Bello will photography. This year in Beibe back at Hofstra University in jing, he and his camera headed the fall to teach a photojournalup a slope. ism for sports course and plans “Now it’s freezing cold every to mentor the young photograday, I’m bundled up. I’ve got a phers. vest with heating pockets; it’s “If you’re going to succeed, minus 20 degrees every day. My you’ve got to want it,” Bello fingers are split; they’re bleedsaid. “You’ve got to work hard, ing,” Bello said. “So every day, relentless, long hours, off hours, it’s kind of a challenge just to strange hours. This is not a get to the mountain. You climb 9-to-5 job, by no stretch of the up 45 degree angle mountains imagination. You don’t shut the and ski to the top. It’s physical, computer and that’s it. My job right?” can start at five in the morning Students who are going into

sports reporting found it helpful to hear Bello’s anecdotes. “[It’s] most interesting to learn how he positions himself where the action is, uses shutter speed to slow the game, how to watch where the best lighting is and what goes into taking shots of different sports,” said Avery Torff, a sophomore sports journalism major.

Bello got his start in photography after taking a class in the subject during his junior year at Stony Brook University. As a player for the Seawolves’ football team, he first began photographing his teammates and friends in other athletic programs. Once Bello realized the impact of his photography on his friends, he was hooked.

“For them to just say, ‘Oh, wow, this is really cool, Al. I’m so happy you did this for me.’

That’s when it resonated for me that I can get a reaction out of people,” Bello said.

Throughout his over-30 year career as a sports photographer, Bello’s most memorable images are capturing the one-handed touchdown catch by wide receiver Odell Beckham of the New York Giants in 2014 and the COVID-19 hug image he took in 2020. Bello reflected on “The Beckham Catch.”

“Sometimes I’ll just see

what’s happening on the field and right away, he dropped back and he launched it, and I just knew,” Bello said. “I couldn’t orchestrate that; I can only hope that’s how a catch like that happened. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve actually missed something like that, too.”

When sports were shut down because of the pandemic, Bello found a new subject to photograph – news. One day, his sister called with a possible lead for an image. Her husband’s grandparents had not seen the family in three months but were dying. Bello drove over and found a clothesline with a clear plastic sheet pinned to it that the family could hug and embrace each other through.

“When the grandparents showed up, it just got so emotional, very quickly,” Bello said.

Bello’s presentation to Professor Gonzalez’s class was very insightful, according to the students in attendance.

“I never in a million years thought I would consider taking a sports journalism class at Hofstra,” said Elisabeth Ford, sophomore journalism student.

“But I’m definitely taking his class if I can.”

For the opportunity to learn more from Bello, students can take his photojournalism for sports course in the fall 2022 semester. The class will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:40 a.m. to 11:05 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Al Bello Bello was honored in the Football Hall of Fame for his sports photography.

Hofstra student presents documentary on diversity in education

Cody Hmelar / The Hofstra Chronicle Amudalat Ajasa presents her documentary on diversity in the Cultural Center.

By Cody Hmelar STAFF W R I T E R

The lights dim in the Guthart Cultural Center with images of idyllic skies and a suburban

neighborhood on the screen.

This is how the scene was set for a screening of Hofstra student Amudalat Ajasa’s documentary for The Guardian,

“They’re Teaching Children to Hate America,” on Wednesday, March 30.

Originally published on The Guardian’s YouTube channel on Feb. 16, 2022, Ajasa follows the struggles of different sets of parents who both support and protest the introduction of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Curriculum and Social-Emotional Learning in the Carmel Clay School District in Carmel, Indiana.

After watching the documentary, Dr. Katrina Rochelle Sims, assistant professor of history, who co-moderated the discussion, pitched the event.

“I received via email a link to Amudalat’s documentary,” said

Sims. “I watched it and thought: ‘This is so timely.’ We’ve been having these conversations in my classroom. I think it’s also relevant to what we are doing as a community here at Hofstra trying to center diverse, equitable, inclusive curriculum and initiatives.”

Before walking into the Cultural Center, Ajasa was slightly nervous about the turnout for the event. “I was really surprised by the show of support both by administrators, professors and my friends. [It] was really heartwarming, and it made it really easy to talk about the harder topics that we were talking about,” Ajasa said.

Students from various majors,

such as philosophy, accounting and film attended the event.

Lailah Neighbors, a senior music business major, found some of the interviews in the film to be shocking.

“What stood out to me was this Black mother, who wasn’t really for the change [that occurred] in Carmel, Indiana,” said Neighbors. “And I thought that was very interesting because growing up, being a Black woman and learning new things from my parents, they always educated me and always made sure that if I saw something that wasn’t right in the school system, that I should let them know

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NEWS

Hofstra puts a pause on remote learning

CONTINUED FROM A2 room like that,” said Bianca St. Onge, a sophomore psychology major. “Having that online option would at least have helped me [by] being able to at least try to be in that classroom setting but obviously not falling asleep in the middle of the classroom.”

Jackel had met with President Susan Poser to discuss the optional mask mandate before making the petition. She and the vice president of DREAM attended the Student Government Association senate meeting on

Thursday, Feb. 10, to explain that remote learning can help other students with disabilities who are not immunocompromised. On another occasion, St. Onge claimed that after submitting a letter, it was dismissed.

Jackel did not appreciate the responses Poser gave regarding both incidents.

“That didn’t sit right with me because it’s not just her, but the administration in its entirety, [who] is not focusing this conversation on disabled students.

They’re kind of just making the policies and then telling us

to advocate for and accommodate ourselves rather than the university kind of working our needs into their plans,” Jackel said. “So after that meeting, I emailed her [and I] didn’t really see much in her follow up.”

The university has not revealed their plans for next semester. However, Schuster says the university does have enough experience with COVID-19 now.

“We have to be nimble; we have to be ready to evolve and change quickly as conditions change. So with that said, and

understanding that we are prepared to make whatever adjustments may be necessary as time goes on, right now, what we’re doing is working with Northwell Health,” Schuster said. “We will do what we’ve always done, which is follow the science, and if the science and the advice from our partners at Northwell Health indicate that we need to make adjustments to our protocols, [we] will do that.”

In addition, Schuster says that the university is committed to everyone’s individual comfort and that students, faculty and

staff should respect people who choose to mask or not. Jackel, however, is still advocating for change.

“I don’t want to burn any bridges, but they already were able to accommodate us before, so kind of just forcing us to come back in-person and not give us any alternatives, it’s not conducive to a good education,” Jackel said.

fore, not the best approach to understanding the experiences of those who work in the industry. There is a personal definition of sex work, a cultural or societal definition and a legal definition, all of which differ from place to place and person to person. From a legal standpoint, many sex workers advocate for decriminalization rather than legalization, a key talking point throughout the panel.

“When we consider how society considers sex work, that is the most criminalized form,” said Jared Trujillo, policy counselor for the New York Civil Liberties Union and steering committee member for Decrim, NY, an organization that works to decriminalize, decarcerate and destigmatize sex work. “The problem with legalization is it removes legal penalties for some people – but that also means you need to meet whatever barriers the state establishes in that legalization.

For example, [for] non-citizens, LGBTQ+ and trans folk, it’s very hard to meet those legal thresholds. There are barriers to entry that preclude those who are facing the most marginalization.”

“I’ve heard of Decrim before and have been fascinated by how the narrative around sex work is changing,” said Rebecca Fulman, a sophomore psychology major. “From OnlyFans to ‘cam girls,’ more people are joining the community to destigmatize the profession, which is

awesome considering many sex workers are from marginalized groups, as one of the panelists mentioned.”

Opponents of sex work often argue that legislation regulating the industry is designed to protect victims of and prevent human trafficking, a claim that seasoned workers and survivors widely dispute.

“The way the media covers it makes it seem like it’s a twosides issue, which it’s not,” Trujillo said. “People create a false equivalency where one side is on the side of workers and one is on the side of trafficking survivors. This model criminalizes workers who live and work together, and any third party involved, making an already bad situation worse.”

“There isn’t a freaking debate; it’s a bunch of dog-whistling,” said Sawyer Eason, a social worker, organizer and Bluestockings Cooperative consultant. “If you want to care about people who are being [trafficked], then why is the entire movement focusing on sex trafficking when the large portion of the trafficking in the U.S. is labor trafficking? The reason we are able to eat [and] the services we are allowed to have are enabled by the slave trade in this country. It’s all a front against compassion and kindness [found in sex worker communities].”

“Trafficking laws are written very poorly and always have been,” Trujillo added. “They are often levied against sex workers rather than protecting survi-

vors. We have this moral panic around it but don’t actually understand it, and then these laws are passed that harm workers.”

According to Jill McCracken, co-director and co-founder of Sex Worker Outreach Project Behind Bars, it’s vital to have those who are most impacted lead the narrative when having these conversations. That was the exact reasoning behind the planning that brought this panel to Hofstra, according to sophomore Margo Latty, head IEI peer educator and disability specialist and one of the co-organizers of the event.

“I grew up hearing misinformation and wanted to break the stigma,” they said, adding that many college students turn to sex work to pay their tuition.

Latty hopes to continue this panel series with IEI next year to educate the student body on the issue.

For Haley Kugler, political science senior and IEI head peer educator, this event connected the student body with resources and experts to combat misinformation about the sex work industry. “No one knows the experience better than those who are in the profession,” they said. “And when people say sex work is synonymous with sex trafficking, I think it’s important to question why they think that and ask them what they personally have done to vindicate this idea.”

According to Athelene Collins, executive director of the Hofstra Cultural Center, the

event was pitched and planned in relation to how effective, impactful and valuable it would be to the Hofstra community, per discussions among representatives across disciplines, including student representatives.

“Between panelist testimony and responses to questions, I left feeling like I had learned more during the panel than I would have if I had just tried to do research online,” said Alia Ervin, a senior public relations major.

“I hope Hofstra continues to hold space for events like these in the future.”

The key takeaway from the panel was for individuals to support sex workers and their autonomy and pay them for their expertise and guidance. Then, by extension, challenge the way they think about and approach issues such as this one and try to see a range of perspectives.

“It is very possible and likely that you know people in the industry or who have been in the industry,” Eason said. “Instead of coming from a place of judgment, come from a place of understanding. When it comes to support, work to deprogram what you have learned, whether it’s internalized or externalized.

Do new programming that’s more informed from a place of facts, rather than from a place of pearl-clutching fears. When you see your friends making whorephobic comments, you can stop in those moments and not play into it.”

IEI hosts The Secret Lives of Sex Workers panel

Photo courtesy of Ronald Harry Lodge New York State pasess new sex work legalization and decrimilization laws.

By Dickinson-Frevola M ANAG I N G E D I TO R

As of February 2022, the New York state legislature is considering two bills in the fight to decriminalize sex work, though the bills vary in their approaches. The Stop Violence in the Sex Trades Act would fully legalize sex work in New York State, while The Survivors Justice and Equality Act would decriminalize sex work while upholding existing laws penalizing involved members.

On Wednesday, March 16, the Office of Intercultural Engagement & Inclusion (IEI) hosted The Secret Life of Sex Workers, a panel of sex workers, experts and advocates seeking to lead a conversation about sex work and the existing legislation that targets workers and their clients.

To begin, defining sex work is challenging. For many, being an escort, having an OnlyFans account or dancing for money comes to mind. But, according to Alexia Lazaro, an activist, business owner and consultant, the question in and of itself is one-dimensional and, there-

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Documentary shows uproar against new education curriculum

CONTINUED FROM A3 and speak up about it.”

While watching the film, students and staff alike made astounded faces at some of the interviews. Sims asked viewers who had a visceral reaction to the film in terms of anti-critical race theory: “What are you doing in your daily life to counter the narrative?”

“I walked away thinking, OK, I need to get activated. I need to be mobilized,” said Sims. “I need to consolidate my ideas with other individuals and organizations to make sure that we are responding in a meaningful way to this anti-critical race theory movement.”

Frank Shields, a senior film studies and production major, stated that it was nice to see students of other ethnicities than Black attend the screening. “I think sometimes when you do go to these events, the majority of the audience is Black,” Shields said. “We need more white students to be educated.”

While some students were surprised to hear that the racism portrayed in the film occurs on Hofstra’s campus, others reflected on their own experiences.

“It is a predominantly white institution. And it definitely is a school where I’ve even talked to my white friends about racism that I’ve experienced,”

said Neighbors. “The reaction is always like, ‘Oh, my God, really, that actually happened?’

And I’m like, ‘Yeah, guys, like, these things happen. They’re not new.’ So, I do think that students who are white should be more educated and come to these things.”

For some viewers, this was a new film that shed light on the effects of racism. For Ajasa, this was the culmination of months of research and filming shown on the big screen.

“What was really interesting ... [was] watch[ing] people watch me on a screen – it gave me a second window into how people perceive me. It’s different from ‘oh, these people per-

ceive my future career work,’” Ajasa said. “I got a few emails afterward, and a lot of people came up to me to talk about it. That’s what journalism is: forcing [people] to start discussions.”

Lessons learned from the documentary are just the beginning. “Don’t be ignorant to having conversations about race,” Shields said. “Don’t be opposed to learning. I think it’d be much appreciated if [Black people] weren’t the individuals who always had to bring up these hard conversations. Today especially, it was surprising to me how many white, Caucasian students actually spoke up and asked questions and were very

concerned.”

Sims cautioned that the issue of criticisms of race-based education on Long Island may impact the Hofstra community.

“I will pair it with Alicia Garza [founder of the Black Lives Matter movement], who said, ‘We need to focus on consolidating power and applying pressure.’ We need to figure out how we will move forward and gain a meaningful way to respond to this anti-critical race theory, because I do believe that [it] is threatening to the meaningful, important substance of work here at Hofstra by demonizing DEI initiatives.”

Public Safety Briefs Compiled by Megan Naftali

On March 14 at 3 p.m., a Hofstra University student reported to PS that they had parked their vehicle in the Netherlands parking lot on March 12. Upon return, the student discovered that the back window was broken.

Police assistance was declined.

Key PS - Public Safety CS - Community Standards NCPD - Nassau County Police Department NTG - No time given

On March 15 at 11:55 a.m., a Hofstra University student reported to PS that they parked their vehicle in parking field number two at 11:30 a.m. on March 14. Upon returning at approximately 7:30 p.m., the student noticed damage to the passenger side view mirror. Police assistance was declined.

On March 17 at 5:24 p.m., the fire alarm in Bill of Rights sdfjs;dlfjk;sldkfj;aldfjk Hall was activated due to an unknown condition in a room on the tenth floor. The building was evacuated within four minutes without incident. A search of the building proved negative, and the situation was corrected.

On March 18 at 12:55 a.m., the fire alarm in Bill of Rights Hall was activated due to hair products in a room on the eighth floor. The building was evacuated within seven minutes without incident. A search of the building proved negative.

On March 18 at 7:55 p.m., PS received a call saying there were vehicles racing in the parking lot behind the Graduate Residence Hall. PS was able to stop one vehicle.

The other vehicle fled the scene. The student driving the vehicle was issued a referral to CS for reckless driving.

On March 20 at 1:15 p.m., the fire alarm at the Graduate Residence Hall was activated due to burnt food in a room on the fourth floor. The building was evacuated in three minutes without incident. A search of the building proved negative, and the situation was corrected.

On March 21 at 1:50 p.m., the fire alarm at Shuart Stadium was activated due to dust in room 114. The building was evacuated within two minutes without incident. PS personnel, Plant Department personnel and the Uniondale Fire Department responded to the scene. A search of the building proved negative, and the situation was corrected.

On March 29 at 1:07 a.m., the fire alarm in Calkins Hall was activated due to dust by room 165B. The building was unoccupied at the time.

A search of the building was conducted, which proved negative. The fire alarm was reset, and the situation was corrected.

Alexis Friedman / The Hofstra Chronicle

A6 • APRIL 5, 2022

THE CHRONICLE

FEATURES

Personal reflection: Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference

By Yashu Pericherla OPINION EDITOR

As a senior English major, writer and soon-to-be graduate looking for a professional career in the publishing industry, I’ve been on the hunt for events and opportunities to submerge myself fully into the literary field.

Thankfully, over spring break, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2022 AWP Writer’s Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

AWP, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs, holds a large, nation-wide conference once a year. The location changes regions every year, with this one being in Philadelphia and the next one being on the west coast in Seattle, Washington. The conference is for anyone interested in the world of writing and books, from readers to students to those who work in the pedagogy of writing: all can gain fruitful knowledge from being an attendee. Between the many wonderful panels offered and the enormous open book fair that spans all three days of the event, AWP is a writer’s dream.

Following last year’s successful virtual conference, there continued to be a variety of online programming for people who wanted to attend virtually.

I was first made aware of AWP through Professor Kelly McMasters, director of the publishing studies department here at Hofstra, when she mentioned it at the beginning of the year in her literary publishing course.

A writer’s conference was an experience I’d never had, so I did some digging into it and was

pleasantly surprised to see that they had a student discount that was both affordable and something I knew I had to take advantage of before I was no longer a student. Professor McMasters was also wonderful enough to

three days, from Thursday, March 24, to Saturday, March 26, and it was a blast! The bookfair was so large that it genuinely took me the three days to cover it all. There were publishing imprints, small presses, univer-

gram booths that had brochures for their programs. Some even gave out old issues of their literary magazines. All that is to say, I have a lot more reading to do before dismissing an MFA now!

I also attended a lot of really

Yashu Pericherla / The Hofstra Chronicle Meghan Graves, Yashu Pericherla and Emily Arthur attended the AWP Writer’s Conference in March.

talk to some people at Hofstra and pull some strings to help get me a stipend from the English department to go. I also got to do

sity presses, online magazines, graduate programs – and any kind of writing-adjacent entity, really! Although I went into this

cool panels over the course of the weekend. One panel of writers that talked about their recent memoirs and how they wrote

about how to be a woman and write rage in female characters, navigating the tricky line in a patriarchal world of how to depict women expressing emotion without making your readership lose interest or stop taking the character seriously. One panel I was fortunate enough to attend highlighted queer culture in rural areas and how writers from outside a metro-normative world crafted queer narratives based on their own experiences. As a writer who has lived in the Texas suburbs for the majority of their life, as well as living in countries outside the global west, it was nice to hear pieces from writers whose experiences I could see were connected to mine.

My favorite moment of the entire event, however, was a conversation and reading that highlighted authors Dawn Lundy Martin, Deesha Phillyaw and Elizabeth Acevado. They all read pieces from their various novels, all prose-in-verse, and spoke candidly about how their experiences as Black women crafted their works. I’ve been a huge fan of Acevado’s works since I read her book “The Poet X” in high school, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to meet her and have her, Martin and Phillyaw sign my copies of their books.

AWP 2022 was an amazing experience, and I am very grateful to both Professor McMasters and Hofstra for helping me get there.

Thank you to my friends Emily and Meghan for coming on this trip with me and sharing in my book nerdiness. This was a unique experience, and I hope to attend next year, too!

“Just because you don’t have your dream come true right away, that doesn’t mean your dream will never come true. It just means it might take a lot of tries.”

a little Instagram takeover of the event while I was there!

The event took place over

weekend not really thinking about getting a higher degree in writing, there were so many pro-

them in conjunction with their cultural monsters really fascinated me. There was another panel

Interested in writing for Features? Email us at chroniclefeatures@gmail.com for more information on joining our section!

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 5, 2022 • A7

FEATURES

QTPOCC strives to create a space for all

By Anna DeGoede FEATURES EDITOR

For many students of color, it can be difficult to find spaces to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community within the wide scope of extracurricular clubs at Hofstra.

Although the club is not new on campus, the Queer and Trans People of Color Coalition’s (QTPOCC) executive board is attempting to revitalize the club after taking a hit to its membership during the pandemic. Creating an environment where people feel like they are welcome is something that QTPOCC strives to achieve with each meeting.

“One of the biggest things that we’ve been trying to do as QTPOCC starts up again is just to encourage as many people that want to come to come, because we are simply trying to make a space where everybody can be themselves, no matter what identity they have or want to explore,” said Arielle Ruiz, a senior journalism major and the president of QTPOCC. Meeting attendance is a key part of QTPOCC’s journey to stretching members’ understanding of each other and continuing to raise awareness about the queer and trans communities, as well as the communities of color, within the Hofstra campus.

“We have to be a little more active because there is such a stigma around the trans and queer communities, particularly amongst people of color,” Ruiz said. “We have to show up just a little bit more, even if it’s just coming and showing up to these club meetings ... just even promoting [the club] and letting people know this club exists shows that the little things matter, too, not just the big gestures.”

Even for people who might not

Photo courtesy of Leah Wrazin QTPOCC members bond during an event.

initially feel like they fit perfectly into the club’s description, QTPOCC provides an opportunity to continue to develop a new sense of intersectionality.

As a white person, Patrick Kraft, who is a sophomore drama and music double major and QTPOCC’s secretary, was originally

“I am gay, I use he/they pronouns and I can still be a voice for people in the community. I can still represent QTPOCC without taking away from a student of color’s experiences and while helping to echo their experiences using my privilege.”

This concern is part of the

of their identity interact.

“There’s no exclusivity to any identity,” said Sam Gong, a senior forensic science major and the vice president of QTPOCC. “There’s always going to be intersectionality. There’s always going to be people that overlap into all of these communities

harder, especially when it comes to things that you may not value yourself,” Ruiz said.

“This could absolutely mean something for someone else. We don’t know the other struggle someone else is going through, and it isn’t our place to decide for someone else.”

While QTPOCC itself continues to struggle with gaining recognition from campus organizations like Student Government Association (SGA), its e-board hopes to become recognized as a full-fledged club in the near future. “[SGA’s] recognition is something that we’ve been trying to get for a while, that unfortunately, we haven’t [had] the most success with,” Gong said. “Beyond that, support from university offices has also not been the most abundant in this case.”

Due to a lack of funding, club events have been somewhat limited in scope and scale. In the meantime, QTPOCC has been forced to turn their focus to their meetings and building a welcoming atmosphere for any student who might want to join as they pursue full club status on campus.

“If we want to do bigger events, which we really do, we would love to do more social events and more advocacy events, but it has to start with people caring enough to show up,” Gong said.

QTPOCC holds meetings biweekly on Wednesdays, and their next meeting is on Wednesday, April 13. More information about the club and future events can be found on Instagram @hu_qtpocc.

“We are simply trying to make a space where everybody can be themselves, no matter what identity they have or want to explore.”

worried about holding a position on the e-board in fear of overshadowing the voices of the people of color in the organization.

Ultimately, he found community in the club while also learning to navigate privilege.

“I still represent a good chunk of what QTPOCC stands for, because I’m still queer,” they said.

reason QTPOCC encourages people of all races and sexualities to join. Members of the club’s e-board have strived to break down preconceived ideas of what it means to participate in QTPOCC as they work toward rebuilding the club. They hope to expand the ways students perceive how different elements

... just because you’re queer or just because you’re trans or just because you’re a person of color, there is no actual ‘just.’ Everything intersects with each other.”

Through QTPOCC, members hope to encourage people to work at developing their awareness of others.

“Show up. Try a little bit

A8 • APRIL 5, 2022

FEATURES

MAN ON THE UNISPAN What’s a relationship red flag?

THE CHRONICLE

Overheard

at

hofstra

By Anna DeGoede and Julian Rocha FEATURES EDITORS

“He tried to abduct her, and she said no.”

“I ate too much at Chili’s last night, and it kept me up all night.”

“When ‘Pulp Fiction’ is their favorite movie.”

“I’d rather get an STD.”

- Anna Evans, freshman

“The thing about men is that we love stupidity.”

“Whoever invented zip lines must have had non-working genitalia.”

“Being a fan of YUNGBLUD and AJR.”

“I had another breakthrough. Not in therapy ­– just in my head.”

- Alexander Quinones, junior

“You wouldn’t put an eggplant emoji on LinkedIn.”

“It’d be fun stepping over dead bodies all day.”

“Dick me down, Sam the Onion Man.”

“If they can’t make microwaved mac and cheese.”

- Charlotte Dippel, freshman

“I don’t think that I have all the answers. I just know that you don’t.”

Julian Rocha / The Hofstra Chronicle

Spread by Audra Nemirow

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 5, 2022 • A9

FEATURES

T h i s Ho f s t r a L i f e :

S t e v e O s w i e c i m s k i , n i g ht s hu t t l e d r i v e r

CONTINUED FROM A1

Like every other department and service at Hofstra, transportation has become a bit different because of COVID-19. With mask wearing and physical distancing in place, the night shuttle became much less intimate than it once was. “[The students] didn’t want to contract COVID, with some students having to go into quarantine,” Oswiecimski said. “I know it was a hard time for a lot of students, and a lot of them felt they lost their college experience.

I definitely understood it completely. And now some of them are graduating, but it was hard on everybody.”

Compared to most other people at Hofstra, and in the larger workforce for that matter, Oswiecimski works a rather unconventional schedule. His job

By Anna DeGoede

as a night shuttle driver requires him to be awake when many people are asleep and vice versa, but he is certainly up to the task.

“I’ve had one student tell me that I’m like a cat,” Oswiecimski remarked. “I sleep all day and I’m up all night. That’s one of

a problem working nights.”

Since becoming a member of the Hofstra community, Oswiecimski has been known to frequent the theater productions and sporting events on campus, often running into current and former students.

present and past teams involved with the school, [such as] tennis and the women’s and men’s basketball teams. I’ve met a lot of people from all these different walks of life, and they’re very positive people.”

An unexpected bright spot of

“You meet people from all over the world, and it’s fantastic to meet all these different people and [understand] how everybody gets along and fits together.” the best analogies I’ve heard.

Also, I work the 9-to-5, but I throw everybody off. I want the opposite 9-to-5, from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. I can listen to the traffic and see everyone going to work, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m home now.’ It’s an adjustment, but once you get accustomed to it, it’s not

“I went to see ‘The Revolutionists,’ and I thought it was fantastic,” Oswiecimski said. “The singing was great, and the acting was phenomenal too. They’re going to be putting on a Neil Simon play very soon, and I’m going to attend that as well. I have a lot of positive memories with all the

Oswiecimski’s job is not just the bonds he forms with the students, but also the connections they make with each other, which can last even longer than the typical four years.

“I pick up students from different areas, and I still remember singing ‘Watermelon Sugar.’ The

whole bus was singing it like a celebration, and everybody was happy. Over the pandemic, I met two students that graduated.

They came on campus, and they told me they met on the night shuttle, and they were engaged.

I’ve had two couples that have met on the shuttle and gotten engaged. The nights are really what bring people together.”

A very helpful and knowledgeable figure on campus, Oswiecimski encourages students to take advantage of the free night shuttle, which serves Hofstra’s campus and much of the surrounding area and is available between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Those who would like to do so can track its location using the night shuttle icon on the MyHofstra portal.

Chron Cooks ft. Anna DeGoede: Brown Sugar Boba Tea

FEATURES EDITOR

Ingredients:

Instructions:

3/8 cup brown sugar

1. Cook pearls as instructed, either by making your own or by following the instructions for your pre-made boba pearls.

1/8 cup water 2 ½ cups milk 2/3 cup instant boba pearls (recommended: Wu Fu Yuan brand) OR follow a recipe to make your own tapioca pearls Anna DeGoede / The Hofstra Chronicle

Lately, boba has taken the world by storm as a drink that’s aesthetically pleasing, customizable and delicious. I personally struggled to understand the hype until I encountered brown sugar boba. Unlike basic boba tea, the pearls (or balls, as some say) are cooked in a brown sugar syrup and layered on the bottom. There’s no tea in the drink, only milk. This drink is often made with lactosefree milk, which is perfect for the lactose intolerants who pay attention to their dietary needs (I don’t).

2. Next, add the water and brown sugar to a pot and boil until the mixture is a thick brown syrup.

3. Lower the heat, add the pearls to the syrup and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

4. Remove the pot from the stove and allow the mixture to thicken.

5. After the mixture has thickened more, drizzle the syrup on the inside of a cup or glass and pour some in the bottom, before letting the extra syrup drip out of the glass.

6. Add the pearls to the glass and then pour in the milk.

7. Enjoy!

Hofstra Greek Life Dives into Community Service On the afternoon of Saturday, April 2, Hofstra’s swim center was filled with members of sororities and fraternities for Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash.

Anchor Splash, the annual swimming competition temporarily halted by the pandemic, included performances from fraternities and sports teams alike, with all ticket sale proceeds going to DG’s philanthropy, Service for Sight. Highlights of the event were the synchronized swimming routines by the club ice hockey team, Delta Chi and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The groups competed in a relay race, tug of war and dance routine presentations. Delta Chi was crowned the 2022 Anchor Splash Champions with an all around great showing at the event.

Photos by Alexis Friedman

Spread by Alexis Friedman and Jacob Lewis

Arts and Entertainment

VOL. 87 ISSUE 11

Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ returns for sultry new season B3 Courtesy of Town and Country Magazine

B2 APRIL 5, 2022

THE CHRONICLE

A&E

Historic wins and an unplanned slap: The Oscars 2022

placed front-row table, walk on stage and land a slap on Rock. Smith then sat down and proceeded to yell at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth (with more expletives). Smith then went on to win Best Actor about twenty minutes later for his role in “King RichPhoto courtesy of New York Post ard.”

Actor Troy Kotsur took home an Oscar for Dubbed “The Slap” Best Supporting Actor for his role in “CODA.” by many commenters, the

By Caitlin Treacy moment quickly dominated SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE the national discussion around the Oscars. People pointed out that The Oscars took the world by Pinkett Smith sports her shaved storm last weekend – but not in style because of her diagnosis of the way they hoped. The 94th alopecia, which she has spoken Academy Awards’ historic wins publicly about struggling with. were overshadowed by the unThe discussion of who was in planned moment that people just the wrong, the ethics of both can’t stop talking about – Will the joke and the slap and what Smith’s strike at presenter Chris consequences Smith should face Rock after the comedian made (if any) took over social media for a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s days after. expense.

One thing most people agree on The joke in question, a jab at is that the spontaneous moment Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, took away from the numerous caused Smith to get up from his other events that happened during conveniently (or inconveniently) the awards. There were multiple

historic wins during the night, including Ariana Debose becoming the first openly queer actress of color to win an Oscar for her supporting role in “West Side Story.” Jane Campion also broke barriers by becoming the third woman ever to win Best Director for “The Power of the Dog.” She was the second woman ever to get a nod in the category and the first woman to be nominated twice.

“CODA” took home Best Picture, making it the first streaming movie to win the award. The film first premiered last year at the Sundance Film Festival and was bought and distributed by Apple TV+. “CODA” won two other awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur. Kotsur is the second Deaf person to win an Oscar (his co-star Marlee Matlin was the first). The actor’s heartfelt and funny speech was easily the best of the night.

Another big part of the ceremony was the exclusion of eight categories, including Editing and Score, from the live broadcast.

The categories were presented before the show as guests took

their seats (which many commenters pointed out as disrespectful) and were edited down and aired throughout the ceremony.

The night’s biggest winner, “Dune” (which won six Oscars), took many of these awards. The categories were cut because the producers wanted a shorter show.

Musical performances were a highlight of the night, which started off with a performance from Beyoncé of her nominated song “Be Alive,” which was pretaped at a Compton tennis court.

Both “Dos Oruguitas” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Best Animated Feature winner “Encanto” were featured, the latter including a surprise rap verse from Megan Thee Stallion. Billie Eilish and FINNEAS ultimately won Best Original Song for “No Time to Die” from the new James Bond movie.

The 94th Academy Awards had high moments, low moments and even a briefly violent moment.

Advertised as Hollywood’s big return to pre-pandemic normalcy, last week’s Oscars felt stranger than ever.

Lightning strikes twice on Charli XCX’s ‘CRASH’

By Aidan Judge

ASSISTANT ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

All the way back in 2008, a 16-year-old girl from Essex, England, by the name of Charlotte Atchinson began posting songs she made in her bedroom on MySpace. Soon after, she was discovered by label Asylum Records and rose to global stardom in 2012 with the worldwide smash hit “I Love It.” Since then, Charli XCX hasn’t missed a beat, working tirelessly to reinvent the face of pop music.

“CRASH” is an incredibly huge achievement for the experimental pop superstar. For the first time in her decade-long career, she has an album that has reached the top 10 on the US Billboard 200 Chart, debuting at number seven. In her home of the United Kingdom, she’s done even better – her very first number one album.

The last time we saw Charli XCX, it was the height of the pandemic all around the world and the release of her sixth

album “how i’m feeling now,” which was produced over a swift 39-day period in the comfort of her own home. Fans played a crucial role in the creation of the album, with Charli XCX herself going on Instagram and creating the songs via livestream. Now, she’s back in full swing with her most cohesive, polished record yet.

“CRASH” opens with the electric, high-energy title track of the same name. She opens the song with quite fitting words for the vivacious and energetic album that lies ahead – “I’m about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me” – and a fabulously on the nose metaphor for the 12 spirited tracks that await the listener.

Each track has an irresistible and recognizable flair, whether it be the airy and bubbly vibe of “Twice” or the cynical and thrilling spirit of “Good Ones.”

Charli XCX doesn’t take the listener on this electropop journey alone, however. She is joined by collaborators Caroline Polachek and Christine and the

Queens on the synthfilled powerhouse “New Shapes.” Charli XCX also worked with Rina Sawayama on a reinterpretation of September’s “Cry for You,” transforming the song into a chillaxed bedroom popinspired interpretation called “Beg for You.” Photo courtesy of Pitchfork The standout tracks, Charli XCX’s “CRASH” tour kicked off on however, come when Saturday, March 26, in Oakland, California Charli XCX shows her sassy and provocative “Move Me,” “Lightning” and side on empowering anthems “Every Rule” cool the jets; like “Baby” and “Yuck.” “Baby” each song is soft and soothing is a career highlight for Charli enough to bring the listener down XCX – a high-speed, steamy from the adrenaline rush of the song about chasing down a lover album’s more unconventional that incorporates a fast and allur- and rambunctious tracks. ing beat along with a gorgeous Although “CRASH” isn’t as series of strings during the song’s much of a risk as Charli XCX’s anthem. “Yuck” is quite similar other projects, it’s still exactly thematically to “Baby” but with a what it intends to be – fun. Every bit of a more pessimistic view on tune brings something to the chasing lovers down. table, forming the pieces to a Charli XCX rounds the album cohesive pop puzzle that makes out with a nice collection of for an enjoyable listen, even for breezy and pleasant tracks that non-fans of the experimental pop divert a bit from the high-speed aficionado. tracks of the rest of the album.

Quick Hits

Courtesy of Architectural Digest

Harry Styles released the lead single “As It Was” of his new album “Harry’s House” on Friday, April 1.

Courtesy of Us Weekly

Estelle Harris, known for roles such as Estelle in “Seinfeld” and Mrs. Potato Head in “Toy Story,” passed away on Saturday, April 2.

Courtesy of Deadline

Kanye “Ye” West officially withdrew from Coachella on Monday, April 4, an event he was set to headline.

Courtesy of Distractify

Worldwide anime sensation “Attack on Titan” announced that the final part of its final season would be released in 2023.

Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly

The 64th Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, April 3, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 5, 2022 • B3

A&E

Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ returns for sultry new season comer Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).

Anthony decides that this season is his time to find a viscountess so he can fully become the man of the household after his father’s passing. Kate, on the other hand, is adamant about never marrying and is instead in London to find the perfect, loving Photo courtesy of The Washington Post husband for her sister, A “Bridgerton” spin-off is in the works based on Edwina. After overQueen Charlotte’s love life and rise to power. hearing Anthony talk CONTINUED FROM A1 about how he plans to marry only the best eligible lady As their relationship forms, of the season rather than marry for “the ton” is also surprised by the appearance of an anonymous news- love, Kate becomes set on keeping him away from Edwina. Of course, letter from an unknown woman what happens instead is they blur who goes by the name of “Lady the lines between hate and love, Whistledown.” Intent on revealing unknowingly wanting each other everyone’s deepest darkest secrets, from afar the entire season.

Lady Whistledown becomes Because of their “hatred” for the talk of the town. Suddenly, each other, the romance between everyone starts wondering who the Kate and Anthony was a slow woman behind the pen might be. burn. It’s impossible not to sit on The second season follows the edge of your seat during any Daphne’s brother, Anthony Bridginteraction between them, thinkerton (Jonathan Bailey), and new-

ing, “Is this finally going to be the moment they get together?” While a slow burn is great, especially with the “enemies to lovers” arc, “Bridgerton” paced it poorly.

Watching the season was like lighting a firework and waiting for it to burst into the most beautiful colors, only for it to spark a bit before fizzling out a second later. At times, it was hard to even imagine them getting together at all because of how long it was being dragged out. Until Anthony cried in front of his mother about Kate in the last episode, it was hard to even tell if he even loved her that much. When the two finally got together, there were only seven minutes left of the eight-episode season. The seven minutes they had together were underwhelming and made the whole season fall flat.

However, what makes “Bridgerton” so special is its ability to create a quality romance storyline without falling into the clichés that most modern-day romance movies and television shows often fall into.

This isn’t to say that “Bridgerton” is perfect and never harps on outdone romance tropes. In fact, it’s

hard to find a show that was able to cramp as many cliché storylines into two seasons as “Bridgerton” has. The first season gave viewers the classic “my brother’s best friend” plot, mixed with “fake engagement” and sprinkled with “enemies to lovers.” Now, with its new season, viewers see even more “enemies to lovers,” along with “in love with someone who’s already engaged.” Despite using every trick in the book, “Bridgerton” somehow gives new life to a genre that has been beaten to death by studios. Watching Kate and Anthony’s relationship can make your heart race and can turn any love cynic into a true romantic.

What “Bridgerton” also does exceptionally well is casting insanely talented and gorgeous people who make London’s Regency period even more glamorous and beautiful. Season One blessed us with Regé-Jean Page, and they’ve done it again with Simone Ashley (“Sex Education”). Ashley was outstanding in the series and is sure to become a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

Another standout this season

was Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise Bridgerton, the rebellious Bridgerton daughter who detests the role that women are forced to play in society. In Season One we catch glimpses of Eloise’s defiant attitude and desire to be her own person while also trying to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown.

In Season Two, Eloise really comes into her own as she finds herself and finds love while still on this quest to find Whistledown – who she eventually realizes is her closest friend, Penelope. Eloise is, by far, the most compelling character in this entire series. Jessie perfectly captures this struggle Eloise faces between living up to her mother’s expectations and forming an identity of her own.

While there isn’t a release date yet for the third season, it will surely bring as much drama, romance and rebellion as the first two seasons did. This season’s “Bridgerton” has once again proved that, while some shows may have settled for pandering audiences with poorly used clichés, quality romance is still alive and well in television.

‘Turning Red’ turns a new chapter on resolving generational trauma

By Yashu Pericherla OPINION EDITOR

Disney Pixar’s latest movie “Turning Red” is turning heads in more ways than one. The film follows the story of Mei Lee, a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl who must balance her unique personality with being an obedient, diligent daughter. Things take a hairy turn when Mei wakes up in the body of a giant red panda.

Apparently, the women of Mei’s family harbor a dark secret – once they hit puberty, they inherit the ability to turn into a red panda.

The movie catalogs the highs and lows of becoming a teenager, particularly one with strict parents and a family to honor.

Many touted the film for addressing more societally taboo aspects of growing up yet to be more normalized, like puberty and preteendom. The film particularly resonated with children of immigrants – from Asian nations or otherwise – who were moved

by the depiction and resolution of ics condemning the film for being though the vitriol being slung at “Turning Red” seems more generational trauma passed down too crass with puberty allegories pointed, probably because this via the red panda blessing. Along and depicting 13-year-olds in their true, awkward nature. Many film takes place in a much more similar lines of Byron Howard recent time and place and Jared Bush’s in comparison to the “Encanto,” other two films. director Domee The film places Shi captured the a focus on Mei’s first-generation friendships and how narrative, and the kinship she finds her experience with her friends ends growing up as up being her saving Chinese Canadian grace. While some during the early criticize the film of 2000s definitely supporting parental sold audiences disrespect amongst on the authenticity of the film. teens, Shi and her Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone The film also team have been vo“Turning Red” director Domee Shi became the first Asian woman to cal about portraying received acclaim direct a Pixar film. the influence that for the original good friendships can have on a soundtrack which features Disney criticized the film for also being young adolescent and how a supPixar’s first-ever studio boyband, unrelatable to certain audiences port system in general – regard4-Town, comprised of real-life – specifically, white audiences less of whether it’s made from a musicians like Jordan Fischer and – due to Mei and most of her FINNEAS, amongst others. friend group being Asian. Similar blood-related family or a found family – is the most integral Along with praise comes back- criticism was dealt to “Encanto” lash, however, in the form of crit- and “Raya and the Last Dragon,” aspect of growing up. The movie

centers its themes around the different types of love and how the manifestations of that love can be helpful or harmful to children.

Similar to “Encanto,” which also dealt with generational trauma and the effects of societal expectation, this film resonated with a lot of first-generation children of immigrants. The themes of family and forgiveness were a cathartic necessity, and this new wave of stories Disney Pixar seems keen to explore is a welcome departure from their penchant to readapt old, animated films into live-action. While the film is not meant to portray a hyper-realistic depiction of how one heals from generational trauma, “Turning Red” serves almost as a love letter to the children (former and current) who felt like they had to split their identities between what was expected of them and what they truly were.

B4 APRIL 5, 2022

THE CHRONICLE

A&E

HBO’s ‘Winning Time’ won’t be winning trophies of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball dynasty of the 1980s.

The cold open of the first episode starts off with a flashback scene of Magic Johnson’s HIV diagnosis, which marked an early end to his basketball career. This sets the tone for the rest of the series, which details Photo courtesy of The New York Times the ups and downs of Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson, portrayed by John a big-market sports C. Reilly and Quincy Isaiah respectively, are the two franchise. main characters of HBO’s “Winning Time.”

Since the miniseries is a biopic, it has very

By Julian Rocha serious and tense moments. Jerry FEATURES EDITOR Buss, the then-owner of the team, To viewers who might not know is portrayed by John C. Reilly.

From the moment Buss first enters much about sports, “Winning the screen, it is clear that he is Time,” one of HBO’s newest the main character and comedic miniseries, does a great job of relief of the show. The audience introducing the core members finds him partying at the Playboy

mansion, seemingly without a care in the world. Reilly’s portrayal of Buss is not one of a serious businessman; rather, he treats everyone like a guest at his party. This carries over into the overall plot of the show, as much of the conflict revolves around his risk-taking and lack of planning.

“Winning Time” also does a great job of incorporating basketball into the scenes. Johnson, played by Quincy Isaiah, is shown playing 1-on-1 with his teammates, working on drills and pretending to narrate game-winners. Isaiah, without an advanced basketball background, transforms into the superstar point guard, dribbling around the court just like Johnson once did. This accuracy extends beyond the court, as Isaiah also captures Johnson’s largerthan-life personality and moviestar smile.

This show is not without its

shortfalls, however. Normally, shows about sports do not normally require headphones, but this is an exception. Without much warning, the scenes often switch between everyday conversation to very auditory sex scenes, which make things awkward when watching the show near family members. It is clear that many members of the Lakers organization engaged in very intimate lifestyles, but the way that they force sex scenes into the show is rather over the top. However, to be fair, what’s an HBO show without forced nudity?

Additionally, although the significance of each character is made clear early on, many of them seem to have very exaggerated personalities. The events of the show rarely ever paint Buss or Johnson in a negative light, and although Buss finds himself in the center of conflict, he is almost

always the protagonist in the situation. The same cannot be said for the supporting characters, often thorns in the side of West’s plans for the Lakers. Jerry West, the manager of the team, is depicted as an insecure diva, frequently butting heads with Buss and talking down on Johnson’s basketball abilities.

Overall, “Winning Time” is far from the best show on HBO. If viewers want an exciting sports story, then this is the show to watch, as it brings audiences 40 years into the past for unfiltered entertainment. However, it is certainly as disorganized as the Lakers organization, with messy narratives and unnecessary sexual content. Fans of “Euphoria” can certainly soothe their HBO Max itch, with new “Winning Time” episodes streaming on the site on Sundays at 9 p.m.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ offers a refreshing interpretation of a classic pirate story Avast ye, all who enter here: there be spoilers!

By Dickinson-Frevola MANAGING EDITOR

I’m a simple man: I saw promotional content of Taika Waititi as a pirate and I threw all caution to the wind, diving headfirst into the world of HBO Max’s most recent period romantic comedy, “Our Flag Means Death,” from David Jenkins of “People of Earth” fame and Taika Waititi, best known for “Jojo Rabbit,” “Thor: Ragnarok” and “What We Do In The Shadows.”

The show introduces Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby, a longtime friend of Waititi), a bumbling, excitable, eccentric and decidedly not-a-pirate dandy who seems to care more about crafting than plundering on the high seas, who leaves his cushiony upper-class life to pursue a career in piracy.

Taking historical accuracy more as a suggestion than a guideline, Darby delivers a gratuitous portrayal of “The Gentleman Pirate,” loosely based around the real 18th century pirate and plantation owner of the same name. With an equally boisterous and bumbling crew, the show begins lightly, earning easy laughs that make you wonder if maybe you’ve been

into the progress of a natural romance, one that’s as easy as breathing. Bonnet becomes the object of fascination by none other than Blackbeard himself and learns more about the life of a pirate, throwing himself into learning and gaining the respect

built up and allowing themselves to explore their relationships hearing people rave about the with each other and themselves. wrong show.

Whether it be the patient gentleWith only ten episodes in this ness of Bonnet breaking down first season, the overall plot comes Teach’s cutting, sharp exterior or into view with the introduction Bonnet struggling with his fears of Waititi’s character: Edward of being inadequate and cowardly, “Blackbeard” Teach. Yeah. That the two interact with a one. softness that provides a Taking the Golden glance into Waititi and Age of Piracy genre Darby’s over ten-year and flipping it on its friendship. head, Waititi and Darby Outside of the deliver a tender, realistic central relationship and entirely domestic between these two portrayal of the backseemingly complete and-forth of questioning opposites, the show yourself and what you’ve also prioritizes the supbeen taught and figuring porting cast, allowing out what to do with the them to be fully fleshed weight that you’re forced out, snarky, endearing Photo courtesy of USA Today to carry. The show begins and complicated. with the most rag-tag “Our Flag Means Death” has become the most in-demand For Latine actor Vico group stumbling through new television show, beating out “The Book of Boba Fett.” Ortiz, portraying the piracy by sheer luck, role of knife-wielding, but – a far cry from the action-first-plan-later Jim was and loyalty of his crew in the lightness of the beginning – the not only refreshing but was also process. Teach, inversely, learns finale is the kind that leaves you enabled by the love and support to soften and allow himself to white-knuckled, mouth agape as they said they found alongside explore who he is outside of the you watch everything unfold in co-star Samson Kayo, who plays mantle of his pirate name and the front of you with no way of getfear it instills in those around him. the empathetic, sturdy Oluwande, ting back to how you started. one of the primary reasons for To the surprise and wonder Besides subverting the often Bonnet’s continued survival of the crew, and the disgust and dark and gritty standards and onboard the initially-mutinous fury of a first mate, Teach and tropes of the pirate genre, “Our Revenge.

Bonnet dance around each other, Flag Means Death” offers a look “When I first read the script, letting down the walls they’ve

I cried,” Ortiz said in an Entertainment Weekly interview.

“I was like, ‘I can’t believe that I’m not even asking for [a nonbinary character] to be a thing.’

In part, it’s because we had three non-binary writers in the writers’ room. So there’s already this space in which this character is being nurtured and taken care of. It’s not just like, ‘Oh, we’re going to hire a non-binary actor to do this. And then they’ll fend for themselves.’

There was already this space that’s created that people already are vouching for this character and their storyline. It felt incredible.”

In a Polygon interview, Jenkins has said he hopes to tell the story in three seasons, commenting on the overwhelming enthusiasm and support the show has earned since it was brought to streaming. Should the show be renewed, fans can expect to see the journey between Teach and Bonnet, the sea monster and the lighthouse, as they move forward with their new outlooks on life and love.

A refreshing, light-hearted and moving body of work, the show provides solid representation with a fun, eager storyline that has left hundreds of thousands of fans hanging on the edge of their seats in desperation to know what comes next.

OPINION

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THE CHRONICLE

The views and opinions expressed in the Opinion section are those of the authors. They are not an endorsement of the views of The Chronicle or its staff. The Chronicle does not discriminate based on the opinions of the authors.

Russia and Ukraine: a modern conflict and a result of liberalism

By Daniel Cody

Amidst continuing violent conflict, the German government has announced that all European companies contractually bound to Russian state-owned gas corporation Gazprom can continue making payments in the euro currency, after Putin said he would issue a law requiring gas supplies to be purchased in rubles. Gazprombank, the entity’s financial arm, remains unsanctioned by the West.

Rob Kapito, American businessman and president of multinational investment management firm BlackRock, declared to oil and gas executives on Wednesday, March 30, that “entitled” Americans will suffer the consequences of “food shortages and inflation.” BlackRock had previously hedged in favor of Russian markets after stock values crashed when the conflict began. However, they continue incurring enormous losses, causing Emerging Frontiers Fund – BlackRock’s subsidiary – to lose a tenth of its value. Their

decision has backfired, according to Bloomberg.

BlackRock has amassed over $10 trillion in assets, breaking records earlier this year – more than the GDP of Germany and Japan combined, according to Jacobin. The United Nations has condemned the company for contributing to the global housing crisis.

Russian billionaires have been spotted in Turkey, including the “architect” of the privatization of Russia and influential figure in Russia’s dealings with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Anatoly Chubais, who was caught withdrawing cash from an ATM in Istanbul, according to Russian American journalist Yasha Levine and reporting from Kommersant.

Roman Abramovich, an oligarch close to Putin, has moved his second superyacht to Turkey, where he maintains the ability to move money freely.

President Zelenskyy held hopes for a peace deal as the anticipated invasion of Ukraine seems more like a so-called “lib-

eration” of Mariupol, Kharkiv and the Donbas Russian-backed city-states. Whether Putin will follow through is tentative to a halt of shelling that, as of the last week in March, has not stopped in Kyiv or other places where ceasefires were proposed.

Viktor Orban, the far-right president of Hungary, has accused Ukraine of election meddling, saying that oppositional parties in his government have been in constant contact with Ukrainian officials.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mistotakis has met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, asserting that they will “seek common ground” over the conflict, a move that I would have not thought possible given the fear of a full-on Eastern Mediterranean security blowout two summers ago. Sporadic movement and frightened calls from political figures and the hyper-wealthy in Russia, Ukraine and the West shows that something is shifting around in anticipation. We are left with declassified suggestions from

the White House, originating from ambiguous “intel” informants who say that Putin is being misinformed, and that his advisors are compromised and unable to reason with him.

I find it hard to stop myself from moralizing, most times.

Given the absurd nature of longtime Kremlin careerists gunning to Turkey and American backlash against sanctions coming from a venture capitalist who refers to the public as “entitled,” it’s hard to conceptualize the material impact of Western politics and years of decaying, last-minute solutions to liberal failure that have led to destabilization. What we were afraid of happening is happening: Russia is not happy with NATO growth, and Putin has wrought consequences on the people of Ukraine.

The Russian Federation – not the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) – relies on an economic agenda more akin to perestroika, and its legacy of rapid, IMF-powered privatization, than a communist geog-

raphy of rage to reclaim and rebuild the now defunct USSR. Believing in a glorious reclamation of Russia is an ideology that Putin wants you to ascribe to him. Putin is a modern dictator of a modern Russia, whose energy, agriculture, financial and defense industries are inextricably tied to ours; the supply chain does not discriminate against authoritarianism.

The wealthy and political class is scrambling, and despite the seemingly auspicious warnings of Rob Kapito, there will be more damage done; food will become more expensive and gas price hikes will not end, as the Russian market is too large to refill with the instantaneity that Western leaders demand.

Daniel Cody is a junior from Dallas, Texas and Carlisle, Pennsylvania studying journalism and political science. He currently serves as an Opinion Editor for the Chronicle.

Virginia Thomas’ texts are proof that the Supreme Court needs reform CONTINUED FROM A1 Thomas’ texts show us nothing new about the right’s growing instability (the former president and his thousands of violent supporters showed us just how absurd they are), but they do give us a glimpse into the broken nature of Washington.

While Thomas’ texts may not have greatly impacted anything leading to the attack or the White House’s reaction, it raises questions about the sanctity and impartiality of the Supreme Court and brings her and her husband’s past ethical blotches to the forefront. For years, Thomas has been a key player in the far-right conservative movement, working

closely with a consulting firm that would openly advertise her insider status.

Despite his wife’s deeply political involvement with many conservative groups, Justice Thomas has frequently failed to recuse himself of cases which involve organizations or issues closely associated with her.

Thomas’ connections and beliefs in absurd far-right conspiracies and groups calls into question how much sway her passionate voice has with her husband, one of the most powerful people in the nation, especially as some of her texts mention her talking about the “fraudulent election” with her “best friend,” a possible code name for her husband. Would

Justice Thomas vote to overturn the election? Would the justice ignore the Constitution so his wife could get a political and potentially financial win?

Justices are supposedly

“Thomas’ texts show us nothing new about the right’s growing instability ... but they do give us a glimpse into the broken nature of Washington.”

required to recuse themselves of any cases where there is a strong possibility that the judge’s decision will be biased.

In recent years, nearly every other justice on the court, both liberal and conservative, has failed to recuse themselves in various cases in which there were clear appearances of a conflict of interest, suggesting the issue of court ethics is a problem much bigger than just the Thomas’.

Although our legislators are far from being perfectly transparent and accountable, we can often see what groups donate to their campaigns and why they may cast a given vote. If we perceive there to be corruption, then we can vote them out – a process that does not exist for a justice on the Supreme Court.

A judge in a small criminal court has more laws and regulations regarding ethics than a

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justice on the Supreme Court.

Robust and enforced ethics codes should be central to a court that the American people can trust. With the conservative movement shifting farther to the right, the American people are rightfully growing more distrustful of our political institutions, and Thomas’ involvement in the Jan. 6 incident and her relationship to the Supreme Court exemplify both.

Lincoln Anniballi is a freshman political science major and can be found on Twitter @LincMass.

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OPINION

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OPINION

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THE CHRONICLE

The Academy Awards, Will Smith and ‘The Slap:’ Beyond Accountability

By Julian Rocha “The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” tweeted The Academy on Monday, March 28. In reality, it does, and it has for decades.

Chris Rock’s joke at the Oscars was in poor taste, and Will Smith might not have been justified in punching him: these two statements are not mutually exclusive. The way the events were discussed has spurred greater discussions about celebrity culture, particularly how people will bend over backward to defend actual abusers.

When scrolling through Twitter on the night of the Oscars, I was baffled by many of the reactions people had toward the punch heard around the world.

Fans and entertainers alike acted as though Will Smith is a deeply violent person, and some were calling for his Academy Award to be revoked. Now, I want to emphasize that punching

someone at arguably the biggest awards show in the world is not a good idea, but it would be ridiculous to act as though it were the worst thing to ever happen at the Oscars.

During the 1973 Oscars, Sacheen Littlefeather, an Indigenous rights activist, gave a passionate speech on behalf of Marlon Brando, who had just been awarded the Academy Award for best actor. Her speech was met by boos from the audience, and actors such as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood publicly ridiculed her. In fact, Wayne attempted to storm the stage and attack Littlefeather, but he was unsuccessful.

More recently, the Academy Awards have furthered the platform of many entertainers with documented histories of hate crimes and sexual violence, including, but certainly not limited to, Mark Wahlberg, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Harvey

Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

Wahlberg has committed violent hate crimes against people of color, yet he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2007.

Polanski, Allen, Weinstein and Spacey have committed heinous acts of sexual violence, yet

of the #MeToo Movement over the past few years, many of their wrongdoings have been brought to light, albeit without any further punishment.

The Academy Awards are not without their issues, but they still are the most prestigious awards show in Hollywood.

Many people received welldeserved recognition that night, such as Samuel L. Jackson for his contributions to film and charity. However, the buzz around Will Smith and Chris Rock drowned out much of the attention Jackson and his other award-winning peers received.

Will Smith should have known better than to smack someone on live television.

However, Chris Rock was also out of line for his deeply offensive joke toward Jada Pinkett Smith, who has publicly discussed living with alopecia, and he deserves the criticism he has received.

If the Academy Awards want to truly take a stand against violence, as they half-heartedly claim to on social media, it should stop honoring racists and abusers. If fans care about accountability, they should stop bending over backward to defend problematic entertainers.

Oscars committee has decided to start an official investigation of the situation due to backlash from viewers around the world.

Recently, reports of attempts to remove Smith from the show have been released. NBC News claimed that officials at the Oscars were prepared to arrest Smith. NBC News also reported that Smith had refused to leave the show when asked. This may explain why a full investigation has been started surrounding the situation, with the Oscars announcing that Smith would receive adequate punishment.

There is still a large audience advocating for Smith’s actions, saying that Rock’s “joke” was out of line and that he knew about Pinkett Smith’s condition. However, the question as to whether Smith should be

punished is not up to the public, and conduct codes still apply.

While I cannot say for sure who was in the wrong that night, I do believe that Smith’s actions were uncalled for and a bit outlandish for such a prestigious event.

“If the Academy Awards want to truly take a stand against violence, as they half-heartedly claim to on social media, it should stop honoring racists and abusers.” they still have their Academy Awards, and Polanski even garnered one while on the run from the law for his crimes. Because

Julian Rocha is a sophmore geography and global studies major from Virginia.

Every morning he changes his Bitmoji to match his current outfit. Julian serves as a Features Editor and Secretary for the Chronicle.

‘The Slap’

By Adallis Pantry Regardless of who keeps up with social media in this age, everyone has likely heard of “The Slap” – and not the one on Nickelodeon’s hit TV show, “Victorious.” During the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27, Will Smith shook the internet almost as hard as Chris Rock’s jaw. Rock made a poorly timed “joke” about Jada Pinkett Smith’s resemblance to the character with buzzed hair in the movie “G.I Jane,” due to her alopecia.

In response, Smith rose from his seat, stormed onto the stage and gave the presenter a hearty slap across the face. He then proceeded to reclaim his seat in the front row of the audience, yelling some very vulgar words

at Rock to not speak about his wife in such a way.

Emotions ran high that evening, and audiences around the world had different reactions about the situation. For someone that originally chuckled a bit, Smith’s reaction was perceived as incredibly irrational by many viewers. After glancing at his wife’s upset expression, he then put on a big display.

Many people believed that he had no right to do so after laughing at the joke himself.

The lack of reaction from security and officials of the award show raised concerns on social media, as users argued that Hollywood is allowing and congratulating violent behavior by not only allowing Smith to stay in the building but also still

handing him an award.

Many celebrities voiced their opinions on the situation – Amy Schumer even claimed to be “triggered and traumatized” by the incident. Catherine Shoard from The Guardian noted plenty of other negative responses towards Smith from other celebrities like Wanda Skyes, Ellen DeGeneres and Jim Carrey.

Many others believe that Rock got what he deserved, even if it meant public shaming on international television. Regardless of everyone’s opinions, on all technicalities, Rock’s joke was insensitive (assuming he had prior knowledge of Pinkett Smith’s condition), and Smith did, in fact, assault him because of it. As of right now, Rock has chosen not to file any charges against him, but the

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Email us at huchronicle.op.ed@gmail.com

Adallis Pantry is a freshman political science major with a double minor in journalism and creative writing.

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APRIL 5, 2022 • A15

SPORTS

Pride Performer of the Week

Anthony Roberts / The Hofstra Chronicle

Men’s lacrosse loses third-straight in CAA opener

By Samantha Rose Walker STAFF WRITER

Saturday kicked off the first game of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) season for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team as they traveled to Connecticut

to take on the Stags of Fairfield University at Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium. Unfortunately for the Pride, the Stags snagged a 12-10 victory, as they now advance to 1-0 in conference play and 6-4 overall. The Pride fell to 0-1 in the conference and 4-7 overall.

The game was explosive from the start, with both teams scoring seven goals in the first quarter. At 13:39 of the first quarter, Matt Elder struck first for the Pride, but the Stags came back and scored two goals immediately after, taking a threeminute lead. Then, at 8:43, Sam Lutfi tied it up, and after another Fairfield goal, Gerard Kane tied

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it up again. Finally, at 3:21 of the third quarter, Lutfi scored his second goal, putting the Pride up 4-3.

In the second quarter, Kane scored the Pride’s following two goals, and Lutfi completed his hat-trick off an Elder assist to take a 7-4 lead. The Stags scored again in the quarter, and the teams went into halftime with Hofstra leading 7-5.

To get the third quarter started, Dylan McIntosh earned his first goal of the game, but the Stags scored three straight over the next 11 minutes, tying the game at 8-8 going into the fourth. With 10:19 left in the fourth, McIntosh scored his second of the day off a long assist from Tom Ford. Daniel Ochs scored his first goal of the season off a blocked Fairfield clear, giving Hofstra a two-goal lead. Fairfield went on a 4-0 run at the end of the game, includ-

ing the game-winning goal with 1:21 left, to earn its first CAA victory since 2018.

With 18 saves versus Fairfield, Pride goalie Mac Gates set a new personal record, with six of them coming in the third quarter. Gerard Kane and Sam Lutfi had three goals and an assist, while Bryan McIntosh had four caused turnovers to lead

all Hofstra players, and Chase Patterson had eight ground balls while going 12-24 in face-offs.

As part of their CAA schedule, the Pride will play the No. 17 University of Delaware on Saturday, April 9. The Pride and the Fightin’ Blue Hens will face off at 1 p.m. in Newark, Delaware.

Hofstra Athletics Fairfield outscored the Pride 7-3 in the second half.

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THE CHRONICLE

SPORTS

Malinowski’s walk-off seals sweep over Charleston

By Frank DiCalogero

ASSISTA N T S P O RT S E D I TOR

The Hofstra Pride softball team swept the College of Charleston on Saturday, April 2, at Bill Edwards Stadium.

The Pride won two nail-biters, defeating the Cougars by a score of 9-7 in game one and winning 4-3 in game two.

The sweep moves Hofstra to an overall record of 11-18 and 4-1 in conference play.

“It was a great performance.

Any time you can walk out with two wins in a conference series, it’s a good day,” said Hofstra head coach Adrienne Clark.

Both teams traded runs in the first inning, with Charleston converting on a wild pitch and the Pride taking advantage

of a fly out to center field.

Charleston broke the tie in the third inning, starting with a reach on a fielding error by the shortstop, leading 2-1. An RBI single by Peyton Wade made it 3-1, and Mia Dittoe ended the rally with a single to left field coupled with a throwing error to bring the score to 4-1. The Pride did not stay quiet in the bottom of the third, with fielding errors bringing in Kasey Collins and Meghan Giordano to cut the deficit to one. Hofstra tied the game back up with an RBI single by Sam Ward.

Hofstra took its first lead in the fourth inning. Amanda Maffucci got things going with a single to left field. With bases eventually loaded, Collins drilled a single to send home Maffucci and Devyn Losco to lead 6-4. A bunt by Giordano was the catalyst for another run to go in front 7-4. The Pride wrapped up the inning with Collins running home to extend its lead to four, 8-4.

In the sixth inning, Charleston fired back at the Pride with a three-run homer by Jenna

Helberg to cut the deficit to 8-7. Hofstra answered with one score in the bottom of the inning thanks to Giordano stealing home to go ahead 9-7. The Cougars had a solid chance in the seventh inning to tie or take the lead, but they left little to be desired with two runners left on base after the final three outs to end the game.

Nikki Mullin got the win, her first of the season, pitching 6.1 innings with five strikeouts.

In game two, both teams were held scoreless through the first two innings. Charleston took an early lead in the third off a single by Malaka Beiser to lead 1-0. The Pride continued to struggle in the following two innings, only landing one batter on base across the two frames.

Hofstra was able to bounce back in the fifth inning, scoring three runs to go ahead 3-1. Collins and Angelina Ioppolo recorded a RBI single apiece.

Charleston added one run in the sixth inning with a homer to right field by Dittoe to trail 3-2. The Pride was fortunate to only give up one run, with the

Hofstra Athletics Malinowski’s game-winning hit was the fifth hit of her collegiate career.

Cougars leaving two runners on base in the inning. The Cougars tied the game up with another homer in the seventh, this time

by Helberg.

It was either extra innings or a walk-off finish, and Hofstra chose the latter as Olivia Malinowski delivered on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to secure the dramatic victory. Julia Apsel got the start for the Pride, striking out six batters in a completegame performance. Gianna Iaquinto led the way with three hits.

“We’ve been talking a lot about, ‘Everyone’s going to get an opportunity at some point throughout this year to get the job done,’ and we keep mixing things up, we keep giving people opportunities and [Malinowski] stepped in without hesitation, without any nerves, and just got a good pitch and put a good cut on it, so it was awesome,” Clark said.

No. 12 JMU extends Pride’s losing streak in CAA opener

By Michelle Rabinovich ASSISTA N T S P O RT S E D I TOR

Clear skies over James M. Shuart Stadium did not translate to a clear path to victory for the Hofstra Pride on Saturday, April 2, as the women’s lacrosse team hosted the No. 12 James Madison University (JMU) Dukes for Hofstra’s Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) home opener of the season.

The Pride was off to a promising start when Hofstra’s Erin Demek was the first to leave a mark on the scoreboard,

scoring a clean-cut free position goal. JMU did not hesitate to respond, as redshirt sophomore Taylor Marchetti’s speedy zigzagging netted a goal 62 seconds after Demek. This was the first of several consecutive goals for the Dukes, who went on a 4-0 streak before Taylor Mennella’s free position goal began closing the score gap to 4-2. Demek extended the courtesy in her assist to Grace Langella, sneaking in between defensive players to stealthily strike just 41 seconds later.

Just under three minutes into the second quarter, Lauren Coletti scored her first goal of the game, only for JMU attacker Isabella Peterson to respond by completing a hat trick, followed up by a fourth goal less than a minute later. Coletti had no issue getting assistance from midfielder Jackie Gatti to find the back of the net for the second time, following up on her scoring successes from the

team’s previous game against the University of Connecticut.

Peterson sought to change that up and did so when she scored 39 seconds later. Only two minutes after this did usually high-scoring attacker Katie Whelan net her first goal of the day.

In the third quarter, the Dukes proved why they have their ranking. JMU took over in the blink of an eye after Gatti scored two minutes into the third. Tai Jankowski sandwiched her goals, buffered only by another score by Peterson, all in less than three minutes. One minute later, Kacey Knobloch found the time to complete a hat trick, followed up by Peterson scoring again 50 seconds after.

The Pride barely had possession for the remainder of the quarter, and Marchetti’s second goal of the day with 2:33 left in the third gave the Dukes a 15-8 advantage.

“We didn’t capitalize on

[scoring opportunities],” said Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith.

Whelan gave the Pride a shot at redemption when she scored first in the fourth quarter.

Demek followed up to make it a five-point game with 9:15 remaining, but the Dukes outlasted the Pride and didn’t allow any more scoring. One more goal apiece for Peterson

and Knobloch brought the final score to 17-10 for the JMU win.

The Hofstra women’s lacrosse team is scheduled for their next faceoff against the University of Delaware at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware on Wednesday, April 6.

Hofstra Athletics Whelan found the back of the net on two of her four shots on goal.

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 5, 2022 • A17

SPORTS

Baseball falls despite quality start from Nemjo

By Josh Sager STAFF WR I T E R

The Hofstra Pride baseball team fell short and was shut out in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2, losing to the College of Charleston Cougars by a final score of 4-0.

The win was credited to Charleston’s starter, freshman Daniel Brooks, who picked up his second win on the season, making him 2-2. Tristan Nemjo

was credited with the loss, despite only surrendering just one earned run across six innings of work, making him 0-4.William Privette got the save for the Cougars, his fifth of the year.

“I thought Nemjo looked good,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “He pitched well, and that game kind of got away from us.”

The Pride dropped to 11-10 overall with a 3-2 record in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play following the loss.

The Cougars are now 16-11 overall with a CAA record of 4-1.

Nemjo struck out two and walked three batters while giving up three hits, one of which being a home run that ultimately proved to be the spark that the Charleston needed In the top of the sixth inning, on an 0-1 count, Donald Hansis hit a solo home run that bounced

off the right field foul pole to give Charleston a 1-0 advantage.

The Cougars added on to their small lead in the top of the seventh when Cam Dean scored on a Sam Cochrane ground out to shortstop.

Charleston put the finishing touches on its victory with two runs in the ninth inning on a fielding error by Brian Morrell and double by Sam Cochrane.

Brooks went six innings, striking out six, giving up five hits and only one walk for Charleston. Privette pitched the final third of the game, walking one and striking out three, while only giving up a lone hit.

Hofstra had multiple scoring chances but were unable to convert. The Pride’s best opportunity came in the bottom of the fourth, with runners at the corners. However, a flyout and a swinging strikeout foiled those plans.

“I felt like we could’ve been

up 3-0,” Catalanotto said. “We couldn’t get a guy in a couple of times from third base with one out. We couldn’t get a guy in from second base with no outs.”

Nick Marrero led the Pride in hits in game one, going 2-4 with two singles. Brian Morrell, Anthony D’Onofrio,

Kevin Bruggeman and Michael Florides all picked up hits as well. Bruggeman extended his hitting streak to nine straight games.

Alexis Friedman / The Hofstra Chronicle Hofstra left seven runners on-base in the loss to the Cougars.

A18 • APRIL 5, 2022

THE CHRONICLE

SPORTS

Golden Gates of lacrosse keeping it steady for the Pride

By Samantha Rose Walker STAFF W R I T E R

Redshirt junior Mac Gates from San Francisco, California, one of the biggest lacrosse hotspots in the U.S., is the starting goalie for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team. From recording a career-high of 18 saves against Fairfield University on April 2, Gates has exceeded expectations early in the season.

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, seeing as his father is a part of the lacrosse community and his brothers, Jamie and Sedge, both play for Division I programs.

“My dad played in college,” Gates said. “So it’s always been kind of a part of my family.

Then it happened to be really popular at my elementary school, so I got into it at a young age.”

When it came to searching for a position that fit him best, Gates found his spot as a goalie.

“No one ever wanted to play it, especially at a youth level, because you get hit with the ball and all that ... no one ever stuck with the position,” Gates said.

“So, I tried it once in fourth grade, but I was pretty good at it.”

Hofstra men’s lacrosse alum Andrew Gvozden shared a similar path as Gates. Being ranked third in the country in save percentage with a .602 mark and leading the nation

in goals-against average with a 6.00 mark in 2011, the Maryland native was significant to Gates’ development as a goalie.

“We started working together probably when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school, and he was probably the first coach that I had that was strictly my goalie coach,” Gates said.

“We formed a really good relationship right away. I would work out with him all the time, and the main thing about him is he had such an excitement for the position and coaching.

Within those two years, we’ve gotten extremely close and when I committed to come here, him being alumni, we’ve continued to get closer.” Gates also noted that he and Gvozden have many shared experiences, such as playing under Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney.

Traveling from San Francisco, California, to Hempstead, New York, is a long way from home.

The West Coast differs from the East in many ways regarding the overall culture, from clothes to food, communication and even varied popularity in sports.

But when it comes to lacrosse, Gates said, “I mean, there are some slight differences, definitely.

But overall, no, not really.

Especially not the lacrosse culture.”

It’s evident Long Island has an extensive lacrosse community, but so does

California.

“There’s a budding and exciting lacrosse culture on the West Coast, too,” Gates said.

“There might be a little bigger crowd for the sport out here, but the West Coast isn’t too far behind.”

Gates has massive amounts of love for his team, and he describes Hofstra’s team atmosphere as optimistic.

“Our record doesn’t necessarily reflect that at the moment, but we knew coming in losing a lot of the older guys would be a growing experience,” he said.

“So, you’re going to have to adapt and overcome certain challenges when it comes to not having the game experience.”

The team has struggled a bit, as Gates mentioned, with a current record of 4-7 and a standing of sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), which isn’t exactly where the team envisioned it would be. “But we’re feeling pretty good. We like the direction we’re going into leaving in a conference place,” Gates said.

“I’d say, overall, the vibe is pretty positive and extremely optimistic for what we can do.”

Gates has many accomplishments under his belt, such as receiving the John M. Senyard Award as Saint Ignatius Prep School lacrosse team’s Most Valuable Player.

In addition, he was a threetime member of West Catholic

Athletic League championship teams during his high school years.

As far as his accomplishments at Hofstra, he said, “My favorite experience or performance is probably that Merrimack [College] game. Being a backup in years prior and getting to come out and that first game, there’s a ton of nerves, obviously. So, getting to perform as well as I did in that game helped me kind of settle in and set the tone for the season.”

Aside from his astounding lacrosse skills, he is an academically exceptional student and has been named to the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll every semester at Hofstra.

Before he graduates, Gates hopes to achieve a championship win with the team at Hofstra.

“Like many players, I’m sure,

would say it’d be incredible to win the CAA Tournament,” he said. “I think if my grade or a team that I’m a part of can do that, that would be my ultimate goal.”

Gates has big plans for when his time at Hofstra comes to an end.

“The dream is to work and probably go back to California to work for professional sports someday,” he said. “I will always want some sort of involvement with lacrosse, whether it’s coaching youth programs or whatever it may be.

But aside from a professional, working career, just giving other people from California the same experience that I’ve had, the opportunities to have the same experiences that I’ve had playing at East Coast schools at a Division I level.”

Will Wiegelman & Andrew Fantucchio / The Hofstra Chronicle

Harrington continues walk-off heroics, lifts Pride over Cougars

By Samantha Rose Walker STAFF W R I T E R

When the Hofstra Pride and the College of Charleston Cougars went head-to-head

for the second half of their doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, April 2 at University Field, Steve Harrington’s walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth gave Hofstra a 7-6 win in a dramatic manner in game two. Hofstra has won the conference series for the second time in as many weekends, while Charleston won the first game 4-0.

Hofstra improved to 12-10 overall and 4-2 in CAA play with the win. The Cougars have a 16-12 overall record and a 4-2 conference record after the game.

The Pride came back from a pair of deficits to win the second game. Charleston led 3-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but Hofstra rallied to a one-run lead, with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Anthony D’Onofrio singled in a run to start the scoring for the Pride, and Brian Morrell’s sacrifice fly made it a 3-2 contest. Then, with his third home run, Nick Marrero gave the Pride the lead with a two-run home shot to left field.

The Cougars reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning on a three-run home run by Trotter

Harlan, but Hofstra responded in its half of the eighth with a two-run double by D’Onofrio to tie the game at six.

The top of the eighth was an immaculate inning for Michael O’ Hanlon, who struck out all three batters on just nine pitches. After pitching the final 2.2 innings in relief, Michael O’Hanlon (1-1) earned the win.

He struck out four batters while allowing two runs. The Pride got huge days at the plate from D’Onofrio, batting 2-4 with three RBIs, Kevin Bruggeman, hitting 2-4 with one run and Zack Bailey also going 2-4 with

one run.

Harrington came up with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and hit a 2-0 pitch from Cole Mathis over the fence in right-center for his fourth home run of the year and his second game-winning blast.

After today’s win, Hofstra’s all-time record against The College of Charleston is now 10-17. The Pride is back in action on Tuesday, April 5, when they host Long Island University at 3 p.m.

THE CHRONICLE

APRIL 5, 2022 • A19

SPORTS

Jess Smith brings pride off the field to those around her

By Michelle Rabinovich ASSISTA N T S P O RT S E D I TOR

Coming from a family of lacrosse players, women’s lacrosse goalie Jess Smith knows what it means to work for something larger than herself.

“My whole life, my whole family, my dad has played lacrosse,” Smith said. “[Hofstra women’s lacrosse head coach Shannon Smith] is actually my cousin, so all of my cousins played lacrosse, and it was kind of just following in their footsteps.”

In a post-match press conference, Shannon Smith reiterated the importance of “no-hero lacrosse” as the team came out on top over the University at Albany earlier this season. From putting in extra hours in the cage to strengthening the defense to volunteering on and offcampus, Jess Smith has shown time and time again how much dedicating herself to others means to her.

Averaging well over 10 saves per game so far this season, Smith noted the importance of every single minute she spent prepping for her 60 minutes in the cage on game days. Most notably, she reflected back on her teammates and coaches just as much as on her own efforts.

“I’m very hard on myself, [but my teammates are] always supportive on and off the field, and that’s what makes it not just about lacrosse,” Smith said. “We’re always there for

each other and just making a difference together is really, I guess, my favorite part.”

To push forward day in and day out, Smith says that she draws inspiration from major sources in her personal life.

“I think my biggest inspiration is my sister. She just really shows me that anything is possible and anyone can change your mind. She really just makes me want to be a better person and do better things,” Smith said. “I go out on the lacrosse field and I play for her every day.”

On that note, Smith says that she keeps her teammates close to her heart and mind while everyone is working their hardest.

“Not everything’s perfect.

There’s going to be times that I mess up, [but I know] the

her.

“We get team dinners a lot.

We do games and stuff, we love to make – a lot of girls like to make TikToks, so there’s always TikToks going on,” Smith said.

On top of being a senior marketing major, Smith is the team leader for the women’s lacrosse involvement in Hofstra’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“It’s [aimed at] getting all athletes more involved in on-campus [activities] and making a difference besides the sports that they play,” Smith said. “This way, we’re helping the community [around us] and we’re getting involved in Hofstra. We’re not just athletes.

We’re there to help others, too.”

“It’s, I would say, engraved in our culture,” Smith said. “We are a part of this school as much

Hofstra Athletics Smith’s impact on her teammates has been key to their success this season.

to see that people want to help girls’ sports, and people want to get involved and [ensure that] girls get the recognition that guys do.”

This begs the question: how

“It’s really inspiring to see that people want to help girls’ sports, and people want to get involved.” defense or the attack [team] is going to be there to pick me up, and if they’re having a rough game or a rough practice or something, I’m able to pick them up,” Smith said.

On the flip side, away from schoolwork and interning and being a goalie, Smith still does her absolute best to build a community with those around

Hofstra Athletics Smith is second in the CAA in save percentage and third in saves per game.

as anyone, and we know we [owe it] to make a difference not just on the lacrosse [field], and we want to be part of this community.”

SAAC also hosts a number of volunteer and fundraising events, many of which Smith has taken part in.

“I would say [my favorite event was] gardening,” Smith said. “I think it was fun to see what [my teammates] can do and what they don’t know how to do and then helping each other.”

In addition to this leadership position, Smith also expressed pride in a marketing internship that she has in Queens, New York, where she’s explored more philanthropic pursuits. “[My internship] actually just had a fundraiser for girls’ sports and we raised $10,000,” Smith said, grinning ear to ear at the accomplishment. “It was great to bring something else to the table, and just really open their eyes to how much of an impact they have. It’s really inspiring

does one of the most important players of the team celebrate a win?

“Big dance party after in the locker room!” she said.

From dancing with her friends to cheering on the players that contribute to the goals, Smith is as much of a fan of her teammates as an actual fan would be.

“I think that’s a great experience that we all get to enjoy after a big win with our music and our dance circle,”

Smith said.

Competitive sports aside, Smith’s favored way to recharge is to give back to those she loves.

“I love making phone calls to my family and my sister, my parents, and I think that kind of just resets me and [I] just realize that it’s not just about lacrosse,” she said. “There are other things in my life that are happening, so [it’s good to] just to slow down and really enjoy every moment of it.”

Above all else, Smith’s message to both herself and to younger girls in sports is one of calmness.

“Don’t stress out so much.

It’s going to be okay,” she said.

“Just go out there and play.

Don’t stress about the little things.”

Back Cover: Baseball continues hot start to conference play, picks up series win over Charleston

THE HOFSTRA CHRONICLE SPORTS April 5, 2022

N ew T eam , W ho T his ?

Hofstra’s latest series of comeback victories shows it’s not the Pride of old.

Hofstra Athletics