Raising awareness of climate change

By Samantha Schatz

Global warming: FAQ

Dr. E. Christa Farmer, of Hofstra University, helps organize events, such as the National Teach-In, to educate students about global warming. In her research, she studies the geological record for potential ideas of how climate systems operated in the past and how they might work in the future.

She was one of the first students to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in Earth Systems, an interdisciplinary environmental program. Farmer then went on to work for The Environmental and Energy Study Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank that helps educate Congress.

She also monitored the Kyoto Protocol negotiations as part of the U.S. Climate Action Network. She later earned her doctorate at Columbia University before joining the Department of Geology at Hofstra.

Q: What is one of the biggest obstacles that you have had to overcome?

A: I spent a good year of graduate school trying to do some very complicated statistics. One of the things that I did in my dissertation was that I looked into whether or not it would be possible to take multiple species of a particular marine organism, and use all of their geo-chemistry to get a detailed picture of the upper-water column.

I spent about a year trying to do the statistics all by myself, because I wanted to do it on my own. My advisor advised me to talk to a statistician, who was able to write a code for me to do it in about five minutes. I had been banging my head against the wall for a long time, and I finally realized that collaboration is useful in many things, in the sense that people bring various strengths to the table.

Q: Before coming to Hofstra University, you spent some time hiking in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Can you describe your experience there?


A: For a few years I completed my paid undergraduate degree,which was on a study of small weasels. We put radio collars on them, and researched the habitat that they were living in to see which areas they liked best. It was very rewarding living in such a gorgeous area, but it taught me a very valuable lesson.

Anything that you have to do everyday becomes a chore at some point, at first I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is amazing,’ and then there were days I woke up and said, ‘I don’t really want to do this, but it’s my job.’ So it taught me that you’re going to have good days and bad days, and you’re going to make the most of what you can.

Q: What exactly was the work you performed before Congress?

A: I helped put together educational events for Congressional staff; usually,it encompassed young folks like myself working for the Senators and Congress people. We would do things like bring in scholars who specialized in studying the tax code, and have them give presentations on better tax laws, or scholars who study environmental issues with better ideas for regulations. My job was mostly administrative support for these events.

Q: When did you first develop concerns about global warming?

A: In college, I started out as a geology major, and switched to biology, and was studying ecosystems and ecosystem ecology. I took an incredible class called Biology and Global Change, which really looked at the human impact on all ecosystems.


Q: What is your favorite class to teach here at Hofstra?

A: There are certain things I like about every class I teach, but the newest class that I've developed is a first-year student seminar called Global Warming and the Science of Climate Change. It allows students to go into detail on all of the parts of the climate system. It has been most rewarding to me because it is the topic closest to my heart.

Q: If you were to give one piece of advice to the Hofstra community on helping to combat global warming, what would it be?

A: I think everything you do helps in some way. The more we reduce our manufacturing, the more we reuse items, we are helping. Little things like that, as well as reducing the use of our cars, or trying to convert our homes to water or solar energy.

Q: Any advice for students here at Hofstra?

A: Young people who are very idealistic and see solutions to problems should push for them, because the system gets entrenched in the way it works now, and it’s not always best. Always keep pushing for what you think can be a better world.

Finance major dances at 2009 Oscars

By Saira Bajwa
From Hofstra to Hollywood, Aniejane Malika has had a memorable year. In February, Aniejane appeared on stage at the Oscars, performed on the Oprah Winfrey show, and met some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Drama students may dream of Hollywood, but Aniejane Malika spends most of her time academically crunching numbers as a finance major.

Anie, as she prefers to be called, began learning classical Indian dancing at a young age. Several years ago, she and a group of her friends started a dance team called “Yuba”. The group's first performance was at a church fundraiser. They went on to perform in Indian exhibitions and fundraisers, and even have traveled as far as Trinidad for a performace. Anie chose to attend Hofstra and major in finance, where she maintains much of her focus.

Yuba caught the eye of choreographer Rujuta Vaidya, who was asked to choreograph the Bollywood number at the Oscars; thus beginning Anie's unlikely journey to Hollywood. The dancer describes the event as being incredible. “Performing in front of the talented people who I look up to and who I watch on screen was amazing, "says Aniejane.

Vaidya fought hard to include Yuba because of their strong background in Indian dancing, which the other dancers lacked. Vaidya wanted the girls to bring their graceful, genuine Indian touch to the performance. “Being the only four Indian girls on that stage, it was an honor to represent the Indian community,” Anie says.

Anie also met some of the biggest stars in Hollywood: Oprah, Danny Boyle, Freida Pinto and Dev Patel as well as others whom she saw in passing. Despite being star-struck initially, Anie says they were “just really pretty people.” "The cast of Slumdog Millionaire was especially nice and spoke to us for quite some time. We actually snuck into Oprah’s green room the next day and met Danny Boyle just kind of holding his Oscar like it was no big deal. It was surreal.”

Dancers who make it to the Oscars are typically professionals who have devoted their lives to dancing. Anie, however, is a content finance major who has no plans of changing her dreams. “Dancing will always be a wonderful hobby of mine. I can’t rule anything out but I really do love finance.”

“I’m so grateful for this experience and I’m humbled by the response I’ve gotten from my friends and my community”. For now however, Anie says “I am looking forward to getting back to my normal, boring life,” catching up with classes, and preparing for graduation like any other stressed-out college student.

Being all you can be, in Hofstra's ROTC

By Sarah Kay

Elizabeth Tully, 18, of Massapequa Park, NY, is making big strides towards a probable career in the military.


Q: What made you decide to join ROTC?

A: I have always wanted to join the military since I was little. My three brothers and my father were in the military, so I guess I kind of dreamed about it from their stories and the way I admired them. At one point I wanted to do active duty because the bonus is immediate and I felt like me and my mom could use the money especially after my dad died. But since I was 17 when I joined, she made me do ROTC instead in order to go through college. The full tuition is also a plus.


Q: Is there a reason you are interested in combat?

A: This is a funny question. My mother had to sign my contract for me because I was 17 at the time. I remember the day I contracted she was late, and she asked what I would do if she didn’t show up. Although my entire family has military backgrounds, my mom still has trouble with my career choice. I know she isn’t happy still for little reasons. I know it takes families a lot of time to come to terms with a military lifestyle.
A: I think I want to get as close to combat as I can because it’s the most difficult and demanding job in the Army. I want to push myself to my limits physically and mentally.


Q: Do you feel pressure to get involved in another field of the army, instead of combat, because you're a girl?

A: There is hardly any pressure to push women into specific fields. In our battalion we are motivated by the cadre to pursue our career choice. The only way to guarantee your position is to excel in school and get good scores on the PT [physical training] test. Women are banned from the infantry and artillery branches, because of the high probability of direct combat. My career choice is to be an MP (military police). This is the closest women can get to combat.


Q: Have you ever done anything embarrassing in front of your superior?

A: Oh, do I have embarrassing stories! The day after Halloween I was out all night, without any sleep I headed to PT to play soccer and in front of the colonel I continued to kick the ball the wrong way for the entirety of the game. During last semesters FTX [Field Training Exercises] at West Point, we conducted a drill on how to respond to an enemy ambush. The master-sergeant followed us in order to grade us and provide feedback. We were traveling down a steep rocky cliff with our weapons, and it was raining and extremely slippery. We were expected to move swiftly, and in complete silence. Of course as I traveled down the rocks I tripped, busted my ass and slid down the incline. I looked up and the master sergeant was shaking his head trying not to laugh at me.


Q: What is your favorite part of being in ROTC?

A: My favorite part about ROTC is definitely the training. I’ve increased my physical abilities because of the program, and I get a good workout three days a week. Also, I’ve learned to be more organized, responsible and motivated.


Q: How do you plan to use your experiences in ROTC after you serve in the military?

A: My experiences in ROTC will definitely help me in future careers. The training we receive now is not only physical; the point is to turn you into a leader. We learn management skills, communication skills and learn to be confident in whatever we do.


Q: Describe a typical day for you, including any physical activity you have to do.

A: I wake up at 5:50 am in order to be at PT by 6:15. During PT we concentrate on specific workouts so it can be upper-body which may involve ridiculous amounts of push-ups, bear crawls, pull-ups, etc. Cardio is by far the worst, running almost three miles and singing cadences gets extremely annoying. We occasionally do pool exercises or ruck marches also. After every PT which ends at 7:30, I have to change out of uniform and run to my 8am class. Thursdays we have lab and we go over land navigation and tactical movements.


Q: What is the most difficult part of being in the program?

A: The commitment. Some cadets are not contracted, meaning they have little responsibility and aren’t held to high standards. Being contracted means you took the oath, and signed your name on an army contract. We have to make every PT, put aside one weekend every semester to train at West Point and commit eight years of service after school. It's not for everyone.


Q: Even though you've only been in ROTC for less than a year, how do you think it has changed you as a person?

A: My short experience in ROTC has changed me in great ways. I am more responsible and independent. I have my college paid for; I have to manage my stipend and my time. I contracted when I was 17 so I feel like I went from being a kid to being an adult over night. The program also allowed me to increase my physical abilities and push myself.


Q: Describe your favorite experience so far in ROTC, and why you enjoyed it so much.

A: My favorite experience in ROTC was the FTX at West Point. For three days we lived in barracks, trained in the mountains and barely slept. A helicopter dumped us in the middle of nowhere, and we hiked 4 miles to the training point in full gear. After that, we went over drills, night land navigation and learned important tactics. I think it was the FTX that made me realize this is what I wanted to do with my life, and what a good choice I made.


Q: Are you scared of the possibility of going to Iraq or Afghanistan after graduation?

A: Absolutely not. I would be honored to serve my country abroad in combat, and I’m willing to accept the dangers of my career choice. Two of my brothers and my father have served combat, and I’ve had discussions on the effects and emotional implications of those situations. When I contracted in the army, part of my oath involved my willingness to bear arms for my country in times of need. As a soldier, one of the army values we must live by is selfless service, and I truly believe in this concept. When it comes down to it, too many people don’t support our country’s efforts, and can’t even comprehend what it means to be dedicated, selfless and willing to give the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect everything else around us. I was raised to believe that these few people have to step up, and commit themselves to our country.


Q: What are your feelings about women not being able to be in combat?

A: Double standards exist in the army in order to make tests and physical boundaries fair. Men are stronger and faster naturally. I believe in order for women to serve combat, these double standards would have to be overlooked, and the few women that could pass the male standards and meet every quality necessary to serve infantry or artillery, should be considered. Also, positions such as military police, transportation, etc. face the same dangers daily in the Middle East. Although many women feel that the right to combat should be granted, many factors make this almost impossible. Family values, sex abuse in secluded units, etc. Our country may not be ready to see young women coming home in body bags because of traditional cultural values.


Q: How does your mom feel about you going into the army?

A: This is a funny question. My mother had to sign my contract for me because I was 17 at the time. I remember the day I contracted she was late, and she asked what I would do if she didn’t show up. Although my entire family has military backgrounds, my mom still has trouble with my career choice. I know she isn’t happy still for little reasons. I know it takes families a lot of time to come to terms with a military lifestyle.

From heart-surgery survivor to softball star

By Adam Malmut

While in high school, Hofstra University softball star Kayleigh Lotti underwent open heart surgery to remedy a heart condition that endangered her life. After three seasons on Hofstra's softball team, Lotti has set a record for strikeouts (958) and an all-time 82-27 record.

A big hit during a softball game between Hofstra and Towson University.

"After the surgery I basically had to start over. It became even more important for me to return to softball. It was a turning point in my life."

Q: How important has softball been to you throughout your life?

KL: It’s been very important, especially after my heart surgery. I was a 12-year-old little girl when my dad got me into softball. Reflecting now, it’s kind of my getaway.

Q: I heard you had open-heart surgery in high school. Why did you need the surgery and how did it affect your life?

KL: I was born with a heart condition and they didn’t pick it up back then. The doctors told me it was something that should have been taken care of when I was born. It went way too long without being fixed.

I first found out about it when we went to Colorado for a softball tournament in high school and I was having arm pains. My dad took me to a walk-in clinic while we were there and they told me I needed heart surgery right away. They told me that nobody had lived passed 21 who had the same condition.

I had a coarctation of the aorta, which means my aorta was narrowed in a spot to the point where it was almost completely closed. The condition blocks the right flow of blood from getting to my lower body. After the surgery, I had better circulation. It saved my life.

Q: Were you scared that you might not be able to play softball anymore?

KL: I wasn’t nervous at all at first. All I was thinking about was getting out of school for two weeks. Right before I went into surgery I was nervous and was thinking about how serious it could be. It was painful afterwards but I still came back to play even after they said I might not be able to. Three months later I was pitching again. I lost 25 pounds but I recovered pretty quickly.

Q: What was your most memorable moment as a pitcher?

KL: I would say it was last year during the CAA tournament. I pitched every game. We lost one, and coach said I’m going to have to pitch three games straight. We had to beat James Madison twice that day. The third game we went into extra innings and I was totally exhausted. I kept thinking that I didn’t want be the first to lose the streak (then 11- championships in a row). The team and I always talk about not losing the streak. My arm and legs felt like they were about to fall off. Winning that day was the most memorable.

Q: What is your “dream job?”

KL: I would really like to be a sideline reporter. I want to talk to people at the games; I think it would be really fun.

Q: Name the most important goal you have in your life, and explain why it means so much to you.

KL: Well, like any baseball player would tell you, and I know it may be a cliché, but I would love to go to the World Series.

Q: What is your favorite activity aside from softball?

KL: In the summer I really like to go jet skiing. I’m kind of a goofball so I like to go bowling and stuff. Most of my friends on campus are on the softball team so they usually come up with some crazy fun stuff to do.

Graduate Student Makes a ‘Green’ Difference

By Samantha Davies


Spend just five minutes with Michael LaFemina, Hofstra graduate student, and you might feel empowered to make a difference. He has helped bring about the ‘plate first’ policy and a ban against Styrofoam at Hofstra University. He is currently working on a ‘ban the bottle’ campaign; while simultaneously studying education.

LaFemina chairs the Student Affairs Committee for the Hofstra University Senate. Along with saving the planet, he has also worked to educate students about politics through the 2008 debate at Hofstra. During his reign in the SAC, he has been trying to create a full-time Officer of Environmental Sustainability position for the University.

Q: What motivates you?

Michael LaFemina: In general we [youth] are impatient, we are not self-motivated, and we have expectations that are too high of others and too low of ourselves. [It makes me angry because] it takes a lot for us to look past our televisions, MySpace pages, iPhones and the many other distractions to things that have influence on our lives and the lives of others.

Q : What has made you the person you are today?

ML: Everything I have done, everywhere I've been and every person I have interacted with, has had an influence on me one way or another. Of course there have been milestones and there have been people who have had more influence than others.

I’m constantly reevaluating myself as an individual, as a learner, as an activist, as an organizer, as a spiritual person in every dimension possible. The more time you spend with people and pay attention to who they are, the more you learn about yourself.

Q : Are you a vegetarian? Why or why not?

ML: [Yes, and] my reasons are ever evolving. My original reasons were animal rights because I was blown away by the lack of humanity that was in the factory farming industry. Then I learned about how to be a conscious consumer and it dawned on me that I shouldn’t buy sweatshop made goods.

This is another level of ethical disagreement I have with the production of an item that I consume. I also found out that the meat and dairy industry are the number one producers of global green house gases. I read a statement that said if you want to do something great for the environment don't drive a hybrid, give up meat, you will have a bigger impact.

Q : What have you done at Hofstra that you’re most proud of?

ML: For the last couple of years I have been sharpening what I believe in and making sure that I understand what I am talking about. I have been educating myself, focusing my energies and then acting on them.

It’s good to have beliefs, but if you don't carry them out, then they are useless. [However,] I wish I could have spent more time learning how to play the cello. It's a beautiful instrument.

Q: Since, you majored in music as an undergraduate are you trying to do anything with that at the moment?

ML: My studies in music were not so much that I could be a musician or a music teacher; I originally had intentions to be a researcher of music. My studies have kind of evolved to be just a deeper appreciation for music as an art form and a community. I value it and its part of my life, but as far as being active in my music that’s not really my focus right now.

Q: What would your friends say about you?

ML: They would tell you that I am pretty sincere, hardworking, concerned for their well-being and our planet. I would hope they would say that I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk.

Q: It seems you have made many friends here at Hofstra, but have you made any enemies?

ML: My reputation is not one of confrontation. I am more of a coalition builder, not someone who believes fighting with people who disagree with you is a way to further your agenda. There is no reason to make enemies in this world. It’s just counterproductive.

Q: Is there any story that your friends would tell me but you wouldn’t want them to?

ML: I don’t get embarrassed by the things I do, I revel in them.

Q : If there was one message you could tell everyone what would it be?

ML: Look in a mirror: if you’re happy with what you see, you’re doing something right. If you’re not, fix it. I can’t tell you anything that you can't tell yourself.


Hofstra Holds Climate Change Symposium

From unknown students to rapping sensations

By Stephen Cooney

When Giovanni Greene, Corey Abisdid and Darryl Semple met at their freshman orientation at Hofstra in 2005, they never expected to build a new hip-hop group.

“We were playing one of those stupid games that they make you play at orientation,” Greene says, “I went up and said I rapped. Then Abisdid said he rapped, too, and then Darryl came up and said he also rapped.”

After the meeting ended, Greene and Abisdid got together and started free-styling with each other, Semple joined the group.

“Everyone broke off from the meeting and we had our first rapping session,” Abisdid says. “We kept throwing verses back and forth and then finally we were like ‘Okay, we can spit.’”

As orientation closed, the three new friends returned to their homes in New Jersey, Westchester and Brooklyn to finish their summers and prepare for thier college careers. At Hofstra, they passed the time with hip-hop and impromptu rap sessions.

Several weeks into the semester, the friends were introduced to Adrian Pearce whom they heard could also rap. At first glance they were unsure if he was going to fit into their newly found group.

“This crazy lookin’ white dude with no shoes on came over with my boy and I was like ‘I dunno about this guy,’” Semple says. “Then he started spitting and I was like ‘He is nasty. We gotta start making music.’”

Coincidentally, Giovanni had recording equipment in his room so the four boys decided to give recording a try. They set up an operation in 1116 Estabrook Hall. “We called it HQ freshman year,” said Greene. “It was like being locked in a box and we wouldn’t come out until a song was completed.”

As the four finished their first mix tape, they grew even closer to each other, morphing into a group titled C-4. They now live together in an off-campus house. Their music is the baseline but their friendship is the bond that makes the band different.

“We are friends first more than anything,” says Abisdid. “We bond on a level because we all have a respect for the craft and anything that anyone does but outside of that we boys.” Abisdid said. “We are brothers to the end. College ain’t nothing easy and we are each others’ life lines.”

“It isn’t a fake friendship,” Semple says. “Us together is all day; all day since we met. That was a team right there.”

The rappers began to make themselves known around Hofstra by handing out free copies of their first mixed tape and getting a taste of a stage at a university-sponsored open mike. After a few campus shows, they produced a second mixed tape.

They performed at more university concerts including ones which featured Lupe Fiasco and Estelle. With the stage experience, the band has taken on the underground hip-hop circuit in New York City.

On stage they carry on more like four friends having a good time than a regular group of people on stage. They act as each others’ hype men, reading when one of the members is struggling and seamlessly filling in the gaps.

“There hasn’t been a group in a while that has been successful,” Pearce says. “It has been all industry-put-together shit that seems to crumble because they aren’t a cohesive unit.”

As friends and bandmates they have pushed one another to excel and learn from eachothers mistakes.

“We are four completely different people. Four different styles, four different people from four different places,” Greene says. “We all listened to the same music and were all into the same things but we are all individuals.”

Their four individual styles merge in the music to form a different type of hip-hop that seems to appeal to mass audiences, not just hip-hop fans.

Even as their college careers come to a close – Pearce will graduate in May and the remaining members will graduate in December – the band is confident that they will continue to work together.

“We love it too much not to,” Pearce says, “I am blessed to have met them. They were the brothers I never had.”

Make sure the head goes over the one line

By Jenny Stein

In 2005, AIDS activist Stacy Friedman and 15 others took a trip to Southeast Asia that helped define their lives and provide a better understanding of a recognized global epidemic.
Although Stacy Friedman, 32, has been volunteering for a variety of AIDS related projects since high school, it was only after 9/11 that her commitment to the cause gained definition.Six years ago she started volunteering at an AIDS hospice in Harlem, N.Y. There, she leads a group of volunteers while doing local outreach. “Now that I have been volunteering at the AIDS Hospice for so long, and spent so much time with those infected, I feel like I’ve put a face to the disease,” she says. “And now there’s no turning back.”
She manages to balance her hospice work with her full-time job at the Oxygen Network as a production manager for the on-air promos team. Her commitment inspired close friend and co-worker, Chelsea Tillett, to join the cause as well. “I was blown away at how committed she was to raising awareness about AIDS," Tillet, 29, recalls, "She quickly got me involved by the sheer dedication she gave on a daily basis".
In 2005, Tillett’s brother heard of an event called TrekAsia, which consisted of participating in an adventure challenge in Vietnam while raising money for AIDS research. TrekAsia is a fundraiser for the American Foundation for AIDS Research which requires each volunteer to raise $10,000 to participate. All funds go to support HIV programs in Asia. The adventure challenge consists of kayaking in Halong Bay, trekking through the Mai Chau Valley and sleeping in local tribal villages.
“As soon as he explained it to me, I knew we had to be a part of it,” says Tillett. Given Friedman’s background in TV/Film production at Hofstra and Tillett’s experience and passion for documentaries, she suggested they make a documentary feature on the experience, which would later be known as Leaving Mai Chau. “As soon as we told people what we were doing, their first question was always ‘Why Vietnam?’" says Friedman. “No one seems to know that there is an epidemic brewing over there, as all of the press is always about Africa.” Friedman and Tillett wanted to take this opportunity to shed light on the terrifying problem. The trip consisted of 16 volunteers, all from different walks of life with different reasons for participating, but all having been touched in some way by the epidemic.
Tillett and Friedman began to form their own production company, worldFrame Productions, in March 2005 so they could film the documentary. The 14 other volunteers who signed up for the adventure challenge agreed to be filmed. “They all believed in the story we are trying to tell,” says Friedman. “Just by participating in the trip, we knew that they had the same vision of publicizing the AIDS epidemic as we did.” Some volunteers used the documentary to tell their own stories. One woman who has been HIV positive for years is using the opportunity as a platform to come out and tell her account.
Friedman recalls her last day of trekking through the Mai Chau Valley. “It was over 100 degrees, with 100 percent humidity, and the cicadas were out in full force. If you have never heard the sound of a gazillion cicadas, consider yourself lucky.” The adventure challenge was much more physically strenuous than any of the volunteers had expected. Friedman, who suffers from an ailing knee and asthma, struggled to ascend mountains in extreme heat. “Thank God for Chelsea,” says Friedman, “because she was able to keep shooting while I was struggling just to make it through the day.”
Throughout the trip Friedman and Tillett did not want to lose sight of the goal they had set in mind. Most of the time, two cameras were rolling as the filmmakers tried to capture everything that was going on, from the fighting, tears and injuries to the excitement, camaraderie and sharing homemade wine with the locals. “The [first] trip definitely was more about the actual adventure challenge, and seeing these people wildly out of their element,” Friedman says.
The filming process and the adventure challenge proved to be strenuous for the two women. “It’s a great way to test yourself, and learn what you are capable of,” Friedman says. Tillett considers the entire process of filming the documentary humbling and inspiring. “On a daily basis we are working to create a film that will motivate our audience to promote change and education about the global epidemic of AIDS.”
They are currently working to complete the project and get it onto the film festival circuit. Friedman has freelanced for several festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival and the Lake Placid Film Festival. The ultimate goal is to take the film worldwide in order to reach the largest audience possible. Ideally, someone will buy the documentary and either air it in theaters or on television for maximum exposure.The experience only strengthened their commitment to inform the world of how important international funding of treating HIV/AIDS is. “This funding can literally save lives, we saw it in action,” Tillett says. Their goal with Leaving Mai Chau is to inform and educate those who are unaware of Vietnam’s struggle with AIDS.