THE HOFSTRA
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 93 ISSUE 8
CHRONICLE
TUESDAY December 2, 2025
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935 NEWS
Black students at Hofstra University draw Club feature: A cappella attention to racial issues on campus co-ed groups features
By Hannah Mudry and Emilie Morrissette
FEATURES EDITOR AND ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
Hofstra University has four a cappella groups on its campus. Two of which are coed mixed-voice groups that arrange their own music to perform at international collegiate events every spring: The HofBeats and Sigma’cappella. Each group has their own audition, rehearsal and performance process that prepare them for the competition.
The HofBeats Photo Courtesy of Micah Gary
Individuals surrounded the vandalized car. Some took photos while others pointed at the Prime stickers shaped into hate speech.
By Natalia Rivera STAFF WRITER
Black students at Hofstra University say that the fall semester has been marked by fear, frustration and a lack of transparency after multiple incidents of racial harassment and discrimination on campus. From vandalism involving racial slurs to alleged bias inside the classroom, students say they feel unsafe and unheard. Students’ concerns intensified on Oct. 2, when a car parked on the north side of campus was vandalized with a racial slur spelled out with Prime stickers. The slur targeted the Black community. Sophomore film major Micah Gary witnessed the incident. “I saw firsthand as they were vandalizing the car with Prime stickers and using the stickers to spell the hard ‘R,’” Gary said. Gary recorded a video of the incident and immediately shared what he saw with other students. Days later, during Alpha Phi Alpha’s Ski Week opening event, he spoke publicly about what he
had witnessed. “It’s widely known in the Black community on campus about what happened after I spoke about the vandalization of the car at the Alpha’s Ski Week first event,” Gary said. Gary gave the video to the president of Black Leaders Advocating for Change (BLAC) who addressed the incident with administration. He said the video was also given to Public Safety. But after that, communication stopped. “They did not catch the people who did it,” Gary said. “It was basically a dead end on their end.” Public Safety was contacted multiple times for comment, but there was no additional reply. The lack of follow-up has shaken Gary’s sense of safety on campus. “My biggest concern is that other people on campus, including myself, are not entirely safe,” Gary said. “Promises were made to students [of color], not just on this campus but other campuses, and from what I’m seeing, those promises are not being met.”
He said he believes that change will only come if Black students speak collectively. “The voices of the Black community need to be unified, because that is the only way that [leaders on campus] will listen,” Gary said. “The bigger the voice, the more likely they are to listen.” BLAC confirmed that the organization has been supporting students who reported the vandalism and is preparing a statement addressing ongoing racial concerns on campus. Students’ experiences aren’t limited to vandalism. Three Black students said that during their sophomore year, they noticed troubling patterns in grading, treatment and communication from a professor. Donte Salgado, junior business management major, Omari Shand, junior business management major, and a senior mechanical engineering major referred to as S.C. for anonymity purposes, said they all experienced these issues.
CONTINUED ON A5
When junior psychology and criminology double major Grace Gustafson stepped into The Hof-
Beats audition room, she didn’t expect to find a home. “[HofBeats] is my family. It’s the group of people that I feel safe with,” Gustafson said. “It’s where I get to be my most authentic self.” Her freshman year, Gustafson auditioned for The HofBeats because her musical family members participated in a cappella groups during their college years. Gustafson first heard of The HofBeats when she received her college acceptance letter (Hofstra would attach The HofBeats cover “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” by Panic! At The Disco to the bottom of each acceptance email).
CONTINUED ON A6
multimedia
Dancing with the students
Lilith Walpole / The Hofstra Chronicle
The Fall Danceworks Productions show was a student choreographed performance.
CONTINUED ON A10