A dive into Hofstra's Student Government
BY: ALEXA MCNULTY AND SARAH EMILY BAUM
Your insider guide to the Hofstra Pride. What students really need to know.
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This week, The Clocktower is breaking down what’s new with Hofstra’s Student Government Association. We looked through SGA’s meeting minutes for the spring semester thus far – which are posted publicly here – to bring you the most important highlights. If you want to learn more, all Senate meetings take place in the Student Center Greenhouse at 6:30pm on Thursdays and are open to all members of the Hofstra Pride.
First up, Susan Poser met with SGA to talk about raising student worker wages, the mask mandate repeal and more.
One highlight from Poser’s visit shows that a raise for student workers could be on the horizon – a cause championed by prior years’ SGA Senate and the now-defunct Hofstra Student Workers Coalition, which The Hofstra Chronicle reported on in 2020.
Poser said university officials are “awaiting a study” about raising the wage for students. "We have a spectrum from $8.50 to well over $15 and we are looking to boost these numbers,” Poser said. “Our goal is to have this ready at the beginning of the fall semester.”
At that same meeting, a representative from DREAM, a student disability advocacy organization, pushed for reinstating a mask mandate to support immunocompromised students and professors.
"We recognize that there is an emotional side of things, as we have been wearing masks for the past two years and we are cognizant of this reality,” Poser told students. “It may look like we make a change, then after some time make another change to ensure all students feel comfortable.”
Hofstra dining services dished on improvements to come.
On March 10, a meeting between a Compass Dining representative and SGA touched upon food options and prices on campus. The representative explained that vegan and vegetarian options are being expanded and implemented into the dining rotation under the name “Rooted” which will be added to the lineup of food stations.
Halal and kosher foods are currently in the works to spread out onto campus. Bits and Bytes and Dutch Treats should also now have kosher options available for students.
SGA met with Hofstra’s new Title IX coordinator.
Hofstra’s Title IX coordinator is responsible for facilitating the university’s efforts to comply with Title IX, a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. This includes overseeing the university’s policies surrounding and student complaints regarding sexual harassment, relationship violence and sexual misconduct; and for addressing any patterns or systemic problems revealed by such reports and complaints against students.
Starting in November 2021, Britney Rhoden took over the role. On March 17, she told SGA representatives that she’ll be in charge of training executive boards of clubs and athletic teams on sexual misconduct. She also pledged to bolster “It’s On Us,” a campus initiative to reduce sexual violence on college campuses.
The best way to get in contact with Rhoden is through her email, StudentTitleIX@hofstra.edu, or to visit her in her office in the Wellness and Campus Safety building.
