What’s Really Going on in Syria

For the past month conflict in Syria has been in the forefront of American minds, but where and how did it all start?

Unrest in Syria began in March 2011 with two major protests. The first, which is referred to as the “Day of Dignity”, demanded the release of political prisoners and the second the “Day of Rage”, where many civilians were shot dead by security forces. In May 2011, the government ended protests in major Syrian cities, which include Homs, Daraa and areas of Damascus. The government continued to enforce crackdown of protests, which led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians at the hands of the government. This event led to a response from President Obama who asked for the President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, to step down.

In the coming months Syria was further sanctioned by other countries, resolutions were also brought up in the U.N. to bring a cease-fire in Syria, but these resolutions were continuously stopped by Russia and China which are allies to Syria.

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The Museum of Modern Art adds piece by Hofstra Professor

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MOMA) recently added a “punk/post-punk archive” to its permanent collection; a poster that was created nearly 30 years ago by Tom Klinkowstein, Professor of Graphic Design and New Media in the Department of Fine Art at Hofstra University. Klinkowstein designed the poster in 1980 and has long since forgotten about it.

“Looking at it now, it is quite­ a piece of visual archeology: hand-made with label-maker typography in the tradition of ‘zines,” he said. “There’s the Polaroid SX-70 of Laurie Anderson and Peter Gordon and in the background is an image of an IBM digital device of some sort, very new for that time and a specter of things to come.”

Klinkowstein designed the poster, a lithograph, for performance artist Laurie Anderson. A lithograph is the process of printing from a plane surface, as a smooth stone or metal plate. “It is [also] what museums call “offset” printing, a common printing technology most newspapers use for instance,” Klinkowstein said.

From strutting the Unispan to the runway

Pictured above, is Hofstra Alumna Rachel A. Fenderson, at the Atrium Tables, highlighting her new fashion line Pepper Jaques.

Since Rachel A. Fenderson graduated from Hofstra in 2006 with a degree in English Literature, she created and distributed a clothing line called Pepper Jacques.

Fenderson was born in Jamaica, Queens, and raised in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens. As a child Fenderson always dreamed of designing clothing. She considered pursuing this ambition at Parsons The New School For Design for her undergraduate education, but the traditional four-year track for education won out. Thus she began attending Hofstra University in fall 2002.

Yet Fenderson never abandoned her ultimate dream. After graduating from Hofstra in 2006, Fenderson spent the summer in Japan. She visited the design center of Issey Miyake, a prominent worldwide brand. The creative force there and everywhere else in Japan moved her to make fashion design her forefront goal.

Political Slant: Editorial Cartoons

Political Slant: Editorial Cartoons is a series of contemporary cartoons that is displayed at the David Filderman Gallery from October 1 to December 21, 2012. Cartoons are from five editorial cartoonists including Walt Handelsman from Long Island.

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Photos are taken from the Long Island Report’s Facebook page, posted by Boston Powers Owens.

 

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. is resurrected on Hofstra’s Campus

Pictured above are Phi Beta Sigma member, Macario James, and Hofstra students at the Sigma Event Sigmabucks.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., has made a return to Hofstra University Campus.

Previous Members of the Alpha Alpha Iota Chapter, of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity along with other members of Phi Beta Sigma who are living in the area, are leading a movement for the permanent return of the fraternity to Hofstra’s campus.

The fraternity’s last line crossed in Spring 2004, and the last member of the fraternity graduated from Hofstra in May 2008. The fraternity however, was not banned or kicked off campus, but went through a gradual process of declination of members.

“I don’t like to say faded it out, the focus of the brothers that were on campus turned more towards graduation and their career paths. Unfortunately Sigma took a back burner thus us loosing membership at Hofstra,” Brandon Marinia, Hofstra Alum and member of the Alpha Alpha Iota Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma.

John Amandola: A Lighthouse on Long Island

John Amandola Photo taken by Li Wang

“When I was in college I made a commitment to follow Jesus no matter what.  I felt that I wanted to make my life count. I was not interested in gaining wealth or accumulating stuff. I just wanted my life to result in benefiting others.”

This was a statement professed by John Amandola, 49, Pastor of Lighthouse Community Church in Merrick, Long Island, on his commitment to choose an unusual life.

Amandola was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, and was raised in Babylon, Long Island. He attended University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, majoring in Psychology. Upon following the call to obey Jesus Christ, Amandola attended Pheonix Seminary School, in Pheonix, Arizona, where he obtained his Master’s in Divinity. While attending Pheonix Seminary School, Amandola helped out with neighboring high school ministries, spreading the word of Christ. After 15 years of being involved in high school and college ministries, he and his family decided to return to his roots of Long Island.

The Plight of the Dark Skin Girl – Great, but not enough

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, along with the National Association of Colored People, co-sponsored an event entitled “The Plight of the Dark Skin Girl” on Monday, March 26. The program was created to bring to the forefront the issues in the lives of dark-skin women growing up in America. Jonathan Foucault, president of Alpha Phi Alpha, stated the purpose of the event was to discuss skin color in an open forum.

“Skin color especially within the African American Community is always spoken about in private conversations, never in public,” he said.

Speaker Cathleen Williams, a journalist professional, was invited to host the event and truly probe audience members.

Williams began the event with audience members folding a piece of paper down the middle and writing stereotypes of fairer-toned African Americans on one side, and writing stereotypes of browner toned-skin women on the other. The floor was then opened to discussion.

The Black Female’s Struggle for Love

As I stroll through campus on my way to class, I can’t help but notice the absence of black love here at Hofstra University.

As a freshman I’ve only been here for a little over two months but, from what I’ve seen, it’s a rarity to see a black person in a relationship, let alone in a relationship with another black person.

I’m not criticizing couples in general, I support all forms of love, but what I ask is why are serious relationships such a rarity in  black culture? Every couple I have seen on campus  has either been two white people, or one white person and a member of another race. The most common form of this that I have seen is a black male with a white female. There is nothing wrong with an interracial relationship, for I’m the product of it — my grandmother being Irish-American, my great-grandmother being Native American, and the rest of my family being black — but part of me aches for the black female, which I consider myself distinctly, who is left out of this equation of love.