PSU blockades Student Center for hunger strike

In an attempt to raise student awareness of poverty issues, the Progressive Students Union (PSU) and with the One Campaign, performed a 92-second blockade in the Mack Student Center dining hall Monday to symbolize the 923 million hungry people in the world.

“We chose the Student Center because it’s the main dining location, but also because many people have to walk through here, too,” said Anna Rawlins, a junior who is a member of PSU. “It’s a heavily concentrated area.”

Despite lasting for less than two minutes, Rawlins said the length of 92 seconds was chosen as a ratio to the worldwide hunger statistic.

“I was actually approached by people who said ‘Wow, I never realized that,’” she said. “Some people really listened to the whole speech.”

The actual blockade was formed at both of the main entrances to the eatery and cafeteria area, while a banner was dropped from the upper level of the student center. According to Isabelle Goodman, a junior who is president of PSU, Lackmann services even agreed to refuse serving food during the 92-second barrier.

“Lackmann, Student Affairs and Public Safety were all really supportive of our efforts and actions,” Goodman said.

--Chrissy Smith

Issues debated amid music festival

During a free Jason Mraz concert on Saturday afternoon at the Intramural Fields, where he endorsed decriminalization of marijuana, ending all wars, eliminating handguns and calling for the U.S. to break its oil addiction, clubs with a political bent spent time lobbying students.

The Progressive Students Union, along with Students for a Greener Hofstra, planned six days worth of activism and protests during a Youth Issues Convention. They debuted green hardhats symbolizing green-collar jobs and had a graduate student dressed as Santa Claus decrying clean coal in the issues tent on Saturday.

"They talk about the economy, they talk about the war, they talk about the environment but they fail to see how they all connect," said Laura Comer, a junior who is president of Students for a Greener Hofstra. "Saturday was a push for us to inform the student body about the issues before the media gets here and asks questions."

Republicans tried to get out the University's Republican vote.

"We added about 10 more members to our roster," said Anthony Lucci, the treasurer of the College Republicans who is also president of "Students for John McCain."

"The point was to get our voice heard on a liberal campus, and to show there is a conservative side to Hofstra," he added.

The College Democrats gave students a "political quiz" so they could find out whether they were in fact Democrats or Republicans, and signed students up for a canvassing trip the club is taking to Pennsylvania in November.

"We registered 11 people for our club," said Robin Doublebower, the president of the College Democrats. "We got some good exposure. We were happy to be there to participate in the Jason Mraz concert because he holds ideals consistent to ours."

--Samuel Rubenfeld

Liveblog: The Town Hall Debate

The live blog of the second presidential debate, held at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. is a town hall-style debate where voters will ask the candidates questions:



--Samuel Rubenfeld

Liveblog: The Vice Presidential Debate

The Chronicle liveblogs the one debate between the vice presidential nominees, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), held at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.



--Samuel Rubenfeld

Panel previews Vice Presidential Debate

The University hosted a second DebateWatch event Thursday night for the debate between vice presidential nominees Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska).

The event began with a panel of University political science professors, each speaking about what the candidates should be doing during the debate and what to look for.

The panelists included Leslie Feldman, professor of political science, Matt Sobnosky, graduate coordinator for the School of Communication and Stefanie Nanes, assistant professor of political science.

Professor Feldman spoke first about what the nominees should do so as not to embarrass themselves and gave her opinion as to why John McCain chose Palin.

"McCain is considered to be a liberal republican, that's why many conservatives don't like him. That's why he picked Sarah Palin; she's super conservative--she's madam conservative," Feldman said. She then said someone else on the shortlist, former New York State governor George Pataki, was too liberal for McCain to have chosen him because McCain had to pick a conservative to placate his party's base.

Nanes said that Biden "tends to blurt stuff out" adding that "he takes a good point and just runs it into the ground."

The panel ended after one question from an audience member, just in time for the viewing of the Vice Presidential Debate.

--Tejal Patel

Liveblog of the first Presidential Debate

--Samuel Rubenfeld

Twitter the First Presidential Debate

Follow all the debate- and election-related posts on social-networking site Twitter here: Election.Twitter.com

--Samuel Rubenfeld