Dec 9, 2024
1 min
Gregory DeFreitas, professor of economics and director, Center for Study of Labor and Democracy, was interviewed by Newsday for a story on a report from the New York State Comptroller’s Office that shows that the state lags behind others when it comes to cash payouts for several social safety net programs meant to help unemployed or injured workers.
Dr. DeFreitas explained that the state’s unemployment benefits system was challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state still owes the federal government $6.2 billion in debt from borrowing funds to pay out a record number of unemployment claims spurred by pandemic job losses, according to the report.
“We’re only one of three states in debt like that,” Dr. DeFreitas said. “What that means is we really can’t raise benefits until we repay that $6.2 billion or raise taxes.”
Prof. DeFreitas is an expert on labor studies.
1 min
Starting with the class of 2028, high school students will no longer need to pass their Regents exams in order to graduate. Professor Emeritus of Education Alan Singer talked to WNYW-TV Fox 5 and WCBS-TV about the change. “I don’t have confidence that many districts will actually maintain a high standard with these alternatives,” he said.
1 min
Alan Singer, professor emeritus of learning, teaching, and technology, appears in a Newsday article about how teachers are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in their classrooms. “For the generation that lived through 9/11, it was a day that will live in infamy,” he said. “But for [younger] people, it may not. So the question then becomes, what do we want kids to learn about 9/11?”
1 min
After an EF1 tornado touched down in Atlantic Beach on August 20, Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, talked to Newsday about this rare occurrence. Some parts of the country – particularly in the central United States – are more likely to have the atmospheric conditions required to form a tornado. One key condition these cyclones require is “a clashing of contrasting air masses,” said Bernhardt. “We just don’t have the ingredients that are necessary. The water around the island tends to moderate the climate a bit.”
Check out some other posts from Hofstra University
1 min
Starting with the class of 2028, high school students will no longer need to pass their Regents exams in order to graduate. Professor Emeritus of Education Alan Singer talked to WNYW-TV Fox 5 and WCBS-TV about the change. “I don’t have confidence that many districts will actually maintain a high standard with these alternatives,” he said.
1 min
Alan Singer, professor emeritus of learning, teaching, and technology, appears in a Newsday article about how teachers are approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11 in their classrooms. “For the generation that lived through 9/11, it was a day that will live in infamy,” he said. “But for [younger] people, it may not. So the question then becomes, what do we want kids to learn about 9/11?”
1 min
After an EF1 tornado touched down in Atlantic Beach on August 20, Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability, talked to Newsday about this rare occurrence. Some parts of the country – particularly in the central United States – are more likely to have the atmospheric conditions required to form a tornado. One key condition these cyclones require is “a clashing of contrasting air masses,” said Bernhardt. “We just don’t have the ingredients that are necessary. The water around the island tends to moderate the climate a bit.”
