THE HOFSTRA
CHRONICLE
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 70 ISSUE 1
TUESDAY Septmeber 12, 2023
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935 NEWS
Supreme Court strikes down 40 years of affirmative action
Photo courtesy of Eric Lee for The Washington Post via Getty Images Students protest the Students for Fair Admission’s case against affirmative action.
By Moriah Sukhlal NEW S E D I TO R
Over the course of eight months, 40 years of legal precedent and progress toward diversity in education has been struck down by the Supreme Court. On
June 29, in the landmark case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Supreme Court came to a historic 6-3 decision rejecting race-conscious admissions in higher education.
The case was brought by activist and founder of the nonprofit organization Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA), Edward Blum. SFFA aims “to defend human and civil rights secured by law, including the right of individuals to equal protection under the law.” Blum and the SFFA filed separate lawsuits petitioning Harvard College and the University of North Carolina (UNC), claiming that the race-conscious admissions system utilized by both higher education institutions were illicit under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The term affirmative action first originated in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order to address racial disparity. The
OPINION
Acting on New York’s illegal cannabis market
Julia Nikhinson / AP Photo An empire cannabis club in Syracuse opening in fall of 2022.
By Tim Daly SPEC IA L TO T H E C H R O N I CL E
With a big green marijuana leaf sign brightly on display, Empire Cannabis Clubs on 8th Avenue is just one of the many illicit cannabis dispensaries of New York City. These retailers are not only illegal but also unsafe. An investigative report from the New York Medical Cannabis Industry found that
Empire Cannabis Clubs’ cannabis flower contained E. coli, salmonella and the pesticide myclobutanil. In addition, its vape cartridges contained the chemical pesticides piperonyl butoxide and pyrethrins in its vape cartridges. Despite receiving cease and desist letters, they have not stopped operating. Heavy metals in cannabis have been a genu-
ine health concern for cannabis users. A study published in an Environmental Health Perspectives study found that those who used cannabis heavily from 2005-2018 had increased levels of lead and cadmium in their bodies. With the fentanyl crisis at an all-time high, it is vital that there be better ingredient regulation. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that “drug overdose deaths rose from 2019 to 2021 with more than 106,000 drug overdose deaths reported in 2021. Deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) continued to rise with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021.”
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American Bar Association (ABA) stated that the order mandated “government contractors to ‘take affirmative action’ to realize the national goal of ‘nondiscrimination.’” Subsequently, colleges adopted affirmative action policies in the 1960s and 1970s for the purpose of “expand[ing] access to disadvantaged and underrepresented segments of society, including racial minorities.” In general, affirmative action was used to “elevate groups that were historically disadvantaged [by] giving them access to resources and opportunities that were denied to them in the past and the ability to build up capital – to build up the same kind of starting point as members of more advantaged groups,” said Alex Sinha, associate professor of law at the Maurice A.
Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. In the context of education, Sinha explained that affirmative action “take[s] into account certain features of applicants’ or candidates’ identities to start building in diversity into the classes and to start elevating groups that historically didn’t have access to educational opportunities, since those are so predictive of certain career pathways and success in their [students’] careers.” Ever since its conception, critics of affirmative action have questioned the practicality of race-conscious admissions and disputed the policy methods higher education institutions have employed. “There is also a negative stigma about affirmative ac-
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SPORTS
The state of the CAA Photo courtesy of the Coastal Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association announced a name change from the Colonial to the Coastal on July 20.
By Michelle Rabinovich SPO RTS ED ITO R
With the recent upheaval in college athletics, Hofstra’s conference of over 20 years, the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), is no different. Let’s go through the recent changes to fully understand the “State of the CAA.” On Jan. 25, 2022, the CAA announced that Stony Brook University, Monmouth University and Hampton University will
be welcomed into the conference starting July 1, 2022. “All three institutions fit perfectly into the framework of the conference’s vision that calls for our membership to work together to advance nationally competitive athletic programs, coupled with outstanding academic programs, that empower student-athletes as whole persons to strive at the highest level in every aspect of their lives,” said CAA commissioner Joe D’Antonio in a press release. “The CAA is excited for what the future holds and will continue to be focused on making decisions that ensures its membership a competitive and sustainable model.”
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