President's State of the University address, isolation this semester, and SGA elections
BY: Abigail HarT and URVI GANDHI
Your insider guide to the Hofstra Pride. What students really need to know.
Know something we don’t? Want us to investigate? Wanna join The Clocktower team? DM us @HofClocktower on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or drop us a line at HofstraClocktower@gmail.com.
1. President Poser responds to student unions on campus
Amidst Hofstra University students getting raises for on-campus jobs, there is an ongoing movement to establish a student workers' union. There is some concern, however, over potential pushback from President Susan Poser, who began her tenure as president in Aug. 2021. Hofstra students are still concerned that $12 per hour (or $15 per hour for “specialized positions”) is still below a livable wage and are frustrated with Poser’s advice to “focus on their classes and experience college.”
Members of the Graduate Employee Organization, a union in the University of Illinois at Chicago, where Poser served as provost until 2021, described her as being “anti-union,” while Poser describes the GEO as being “strong and adversarial.” Poser’s official stance is that she is not anti-union.
Erin O’Callaghan, a member of the GEO, urged Hofstra students to “fight for what you need because the administration will only care when you make them care; when you give them no other option but to listen and give in to your demands.”
Read more in The Clocktower’s latest article.
2. State of the University Address
University president Susan Poser delivered her first annual State of the University address on Wednesday, Sept. 28, to provide an overview of changes made by her administration after starting her tenure in Aug. 2021. Here are the highlights:
Poser addressed changes made to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion: “A critical investment on our campus is in equity and inclusion,” said Poser.
She said this expanded program was renamed the Office of Equity and Inclusion under the chief diversity and inclusion officer, Cornell Craig, and relocated to a suite on the second floor of Axinn Library. “There, Craig will continue to extend the institutional reach of equity initiatives,” said Poser. Such efforts include the designation of Hofstra as a Hispanic Serving Institution and collaboration with the various colleges at Hofstra to implement their own diversity committees.
She also spoke about how the Office of Enrollment Management was combined with Student Affairs to produce a new, combined unit called Student Enrollment, Engagement and Success, headed by Vice President Jessica Eads. Poser said the goal of this unit is to “improve and ensure consistency in the student experience … from application to graduation.”
Poser emphasized her administration’s intent to invest in student retention as a means of increasing the graduation rate (which was recorded as 68% for the enrolling class of 2016) “because a student does not graduate if they are not retained.”
Poser also commented on the increased importance of recruitment following the peak of the pandemic with fewer high school graduates seeking higher education.
"Broadly speaking, this generation of students is going to be more diverse and from lower income brackets than Hofstra has historically seen. We are likely going to see the effects of the learning loss during the pandemic for years to come,” she said. “So it is possible that going forward, students are going to be less prepared for college than they used to be.”
To combat this, the administration has lowered the scholarship renewal criteria from a 3.0 GPA to a 2.8 GPA after the first year so students can “feel confident that their university will continue to provide financial support as they find their academic footing.”
With regard to other investments, Poser also announced that the new Science and Innovation Center will open in the spring of 2023. Additionally, Hagedorn Hall is undergoing renovations to house a new physical therapy program, and the Guthart Theater stage will be made more accessible in collaboration with a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) consultant who will review accessibility across the campus.
“As the 100th Anniversary of Hofstra University approaches in 2035, now is the time to envision what we want to be when we celebrate that milestone anniversary,” said Poser.
3. Hofstra’s Student Health Services clarifies isolation policies for the semester.
In response to concerns from students about the university’s isolation policies, Dr. Robert Stahl, the executive director of Student Health Services, outlined the updated requirements for students who test positive for COVID-19 and monkeypox.
In an email sent on Monday, Sept. 26, Stahl said any student with a confirmed infectious disease will be required to isolate in a private bedroom. Students living in suite-style dorms will be relocated to quarantine housing in Nassau Hall. However, those in single rooms in the towers are allowed to “isolate in place” and are required to wear masks while visiting common areas. These students are allotted time slots throughout the day to use communal bathrooms for “unmasked activities,” during which other students can “choose to avoid these spaces.” According to the email, these communal areas will be disinfected more frequently and all of the policies outlined are in compliance with CDC guidelines.
With the discontinuance of random surveillance testing, these isolation policies are only enacted once a student self-reports a positive test result. Moreover, the university is currently not requiring students in towers to be notified if there is someone with a confirmed case living on the floor in an attempt to maintain the infected students’ privacy.
What can you do?
While no longer mandatory, the university is still offering free testing for all students through Student Health Services. The CDC also recommends wearing a mask immediately after gaining knowledge of exposure and getting tested at least five days after close contact for the most accurate test results.
According to Hofstra’s Together Again webpage, the official policy of the University is that COVID-19 booster vaccines are no longer mandatory “in light of evidence suggesting that they are less effective against the currently circulating virus variants.” The “evidence” refers to boosters authorized for use in 2021 that are not as effective against the Omicron variant. The university still recommends that everyone be boosted.
For additional information or to express concerns about university policies, Stahl encouraged students to contact Student Health Services.
4. SGA Spring Elections Closing Soon
The elections for the SGA spring senators and justices will be closing on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 12:00 p.m. Eligible students can cast their votes through the Hofstra portal under the SGA tab on the dashboard.
According to the Hofstra SGA’s webpage, the senators are the highest legislative authority within SGA and have the authority to pass minutes and approve the actions of all standing committees, including allocation of funds. The Justice Panel is a group of five undergraduate students who possess jurisdiction with regards to any conflicts between SGA and other organizations. Information about the candidates is provided before casting votes through the portal. The candidates for this election are:
Senator candidates:
Sydney Livingston
Andrew Tauro
Ava DiSanto
Juliana Woodard
Sydney Greenlaw
Loryn Wong
Shirley Guenfond
Lyssa Nogueira
Rachel Katz
Hayden Schmidt
Justice candidates:
Palak Maniani
Roshan Varughese
