THE HOFSTRA
CHRONICLE
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 89 ISSUE 3
TUESDAY February 28, 2023
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935
OPINION
The discussion about school shootings is a hard but necessary one
Photo courtesy of Dale Young MSU students attending a vigil in honor of their fallen classmates.
By Savith Collure SPEC IA L TO T H E C H R O N I CL E
CW: SCHOOL SHOOTINGS AND VIOLENCE I found out about the Michigan State University shooting through a friend’s message at 2 a.m. on Valentine’s Day. It was a passing text from them, just a statement. In the morning, I went
through the news as I scrolled through my emails. President Poser sent out an email at 10 a.m. discussing her thoughts and highlighting a gun violence summit held by the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine. I shifted it to the back of my mind and prepared for class. I stopped by the student center after to grab a bite to eat. Roses were being sold in the atrium, and the campus had a familiar buzz of energy. I asked a few friends if they were thinking of swinging by the summit tomorrow; nobody had plans of going. I didn’t bring
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NEWS
Hofstra community outraged over Black History Month post
Megan Naftali / The Hofstra Chronicle A discussion is held in the parlor of Hofstra Hall over the controversial Black History Month Instagram post.
By Megan Naftali N EWS ED ITO R
On Friday, Feb. 15, the Hofstra University Instagram account posted a picture of Jessica Eads, the vice president for Student
Speedy Claxton signs multi-year extension
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics Claxton has a combined winning percentage of 80% in two years as Hofstra’s head coach.
By Andrew Fantucchio SPORTS E D I TO R
After earning the Hofstra men’s basketball team its second straight 20-plus win season, a regular season championship and the first overall seed in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament, Speedy Claxton earned himself a new multi-year contract exten-
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NEWS
SPORTS
sion to remain the Pride’s head coach on Monday, Feb. 27, per a release by the university. “Speedy Claxton embodies Hofstra Pride,” said Hofstra president Susan Poser. “He is an outstanding coach who has established a special bond with his players and with the entire Hofstra community. I am thrilled that he wants to remain at Hofstra for the long term.” According to Claxton, the school approached him two weeks ago to begin initial conversations about a new deal. Although it came initially as a surprise, Claxton viewed Hofstra’s willingness to negotiate as a sign of validation. “They kind of caught me off guard,” Claxton said. “I told them what I wanted and needed, and to their credit, they gave me exactly what I wanted. I’m off
Enrollment, Engagement and Success, along with a quote from her about the importance of Black History Month as part of a month-long social media campaign.
The Hofstra community almost immediately grew outraged by the post. After a few hours, the post was taken down and a story was posted from the Hofstra Instagram account, apologizing for the post and explaining that the campaign was meant to showcase various voices. “We wanted to encourage dialogue among all members of the community about the meaning and importance of Black History Month. But, as you told us loud and clear, we missed the mark,” the Instagram story read. The Division of Marketing and Communications at Hofstra sent an email on Friday, Feb. 17, inviting members of the community to join a discussion
to really good start, and doing a really good job. They’re invested in me. I got to make a return on their investment and keep continuing to do well.” In two years as Hofstra’s head coach, Claxton has an overall record of 44-19, with a 29-7 mark against the rest of the CAA. With the Pride playing at a prolific rate since his arrival, speculation had begun among college basketball fans that Claxton’s name was on the shortlist for competing schools. While it’s uncertain if the university was aware of such rumors prior to the extension, it’s clear that Hofstra wanted to lock up their head coach long-term before he ever had the chance to even consider another offer.
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Hofstra hosts Civil Rights Day celebration
Photo courtesy of Hofstra University As a part of Hofstra’s celebration of Black History Month, post doctoral fellow Tasseli McKay presented: “The Time is (Never) Right for Reparations.”
By Moriah Sukhlal N EWS ED ITO R
In honor of Hofstra University’s Civil Rights Day and Black History Month, The Center for “Race,” Culture and Social Justice hosted its annual colloquia series on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The Center worked
in partnership with Hofstra’s Criminology Program and Department of Sociology to feature Tasseli McKay, a National Science Foundation postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Sociology at Duke University.
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