THE
HUDSONIAN
STUDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION AT HUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE May 4, 2021
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Volume 76, Special Issue 2
Antisemitism accusations bar planned commencement speaker Alice Walker By: Lomie Blum News Editor Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and activist, best known for the legendary novel, The Color Purple, was scheduled to speak at Hudson Valley Community College’s commencement ceremony. However, due to promoting antisemitic ideas, Ms. Walker’s appearance has been canceled. The well-known writer has also written “The Temple of Familiar,” “Meridian” and “Processing the Secret of Joy” among several short stories and poems.
Walker is a figure in the civil rights movement. Walker marched in Washington along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. She was an editor for the seminal feminist magazine, “Ms.” She coined the term “womanism” and discovered the grave of influential black anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, bringing her back into public attention. In a New York Times interview in 2018, Walker alluded to and praised antisemitic writer David Icke’s book And the Truth Will Set You Free. Icke is best known for promoting conspiracy theories that suggest the Holocaust was fabricated, that Jews run the world
and that Jews are “lizard people.” Walker showed admiration for Icke saying that he was “a curious person’s dream come true.” Walker’s statements regarding Icke were controversial, so she received swift backlash, criticism and accusations of antisemitism. Walker later released a statement regarding her comments on Icke on her website. “I do not believe he is antisemitic or anti-Jewish. I do believe he is brave enough to ask the questions others fear to ask and to
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COURTESY OF NBC NEWS
Campus reopening in fall Vaccine passports in New York A return to normal or an invasion of privacy?
COURTESY OF NYS EXCELSIOR PASS
By: Nolan Cleary Editor-in-Chief
COURTESY OF TROY RECORD
By: Nolan Cleary Editor-in-Chief Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, students have been largely prohibited from going on campus in person. For half of the Spring 2020 semester, students were prohibited from entering campus and since the Fall of last year, students have been allowed to enter campus, but with vast regulations. Gone are the days of busy campus life. Despite loosened rules, most Hudson Valley Community College classes are still being held online. However, that seems to be changing soon as HVCC hopes to return to some sense of normalcy soon. This Fall, the college is planning to return to have some classes in person. With vaccinations on the rise in America, the college is confident that they can soon get students back in the classroom safely.
According to the official Hudson Valley Community College website, “our hope is to be able to transition to holding the majority of our courses in-person/on campus again for Fall 2021 and plans are being made to safely accommodate that shift. We also plan to continue to offer a robust selection of online, remote and hybrid courses to accommodate all students’ learning needs and interests.” Now, as students prepare to return, they say, they’re ready to go back. Tatianna Morange, the Secretary of the Student Senate, says she appreciates the work that has been done by students. “To me, students have demonstrated that they are very capable of returning to campus. I’m super proud of our students for being awesome and compliant with testing. I know a lot of people did not like it at first, but I appreciate that it’s happening because of this we’re able to go back in the Fall. It’s helped our case,” Morange said. Morange said she’s very confi-
dent students will be able to roam campus safely again soon. “I feel super comfortable going back to campus. My understanding is that there will be a limit when it comes to capacity in terms of how classrooms go. I do have two classes on campus at the moment. I have an environmental science lab that is on campus and I have a vertebrate Zoology class on campus,” Morange said. Morange said the college is doing everything possible to ensure the safety of anyone going to campus as of right now. “Everyone is making an effort to be safe. Additionally, there is testing going on every week,” Morange said. Antonio Tarver is a student in individual studies. He said, he also believes now is the time to return to campus. “I don’t want to be home. Regardless of if it’s safe or not, I don’t think we have much to fear,” Tarver said. Morange said she’s not 100%
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Americans have generally remained divided on several requirements imposed as a result of the virus. Mask mandates and social distancing guidelines polarized the nation. Now, with COVID-19 vaccinations on the rise, America may once again be separate on major COVID-19 policy. On March 26, 2021, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the Excelsior Pass, a digital app showing the vaccination status of an individual. The pass also shows whether one is COVID-19 positive or negative. According to their website, “Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of
The NY GOP’s Unlikely Hope
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NEWS PAGE 3
Excelsior Pass — a free, voluntary platform developed in partnership with IBM, which utilizes proven, secure technology to confirm an individual’s recent negative PCR or antigen test result or proof of vaccination to help fasttrack the reopening of businesses and event venues in accordance with New York State Department of Health guidelines.” As of the current moment, passports are voluntary for all New Yorkers. Despite recent consideration, President Joe Biden’s administration recently declined to make vaccine passports mandatory for airlines. However, that doesn’t mean the idea may soon be adopted in certain areas of the state,
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