Draft
2 min
This Saturday, March 24, thousands of students are expected in Washington, DC to participate in the March For Our Lives rally for gun control measures. Since the Feb. 14 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead, a generation of activists has been galvanized and a national movement born. Using the hashtag #NeverAgain and funded with donations from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Amal and George Clooney, the Stoneman Douglas students are speaking out against the National Rifle Association and the politicians who support the NRA – and students across the nation have joined their efforts. But is the #NeverAgain campaign sustainable? Can student activism advance an agenda that adults have been unable to achieve, and what does this newfound agency of American young people around a cause mean for the national political landscape? Hofstra has experts who can help you put this movement into political, social and economic context:
Aashish Kumar, co-director of Hofstra’s Center for Civic Engagement, can discuss how students’ newfound activism is crucial to the active citizenship that is at the heart of any thriving democracy.
Tomeka Robinson, associate professor of rhetoric and director of Hofstra’s speech and debate team, can address the role of rhetoric and public advocacy in swaying public opinion and shaping policy.
Alan Singer, professor in the School of Education and expert on social issues in public education, can discuss the measures proposed to improve school safety, including the president’s suggestion to arm school teachers. Professor Singer was also a high school teacher for 15 years.
Prof. Kumar is a social action scholar and a documentary filmmaker.
Dr. Robinson is an expert on effective public debate as well as health communication. She directs Hofstra's award-winning forensics team.
Alan Singer specializes in social studies education and United States history.
1 min
Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, is featured in the Politico report “Suburbia’s ICE Shift,” about voters – particularly those in suburban counties – souring on President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign. This is significant because the suburbs are a key indicator of how the national mood has dramatically shifted over the last month.
1 min
Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability and director of Hofstra University’s meteorology program, was interviewed by Newsday about the use of virtual reality technology to teach the public about the danger of driving in a snow squall.
1 min
Education Professor Alan Singer was interviewed by WCBS-TV News about the Connetquot School District on Long Island school being threatened with funding cuts if it does not reinstate its old mascot name, the Thunderbirds. The name change to T-Birds was made in 2022 to comply with a state ruling that mascot names like “Chiefs” and “Warriors” are demeaning and offensive to Native Americans. The U.S. Department of Education has ruled that these changes are a violation of federal law. Dr. Singer said Connetquot is “caught in the crossfire with the Trump administration, which is at war with blue states and diversity,” and the district’s mascot is part of a much larger political fight.
Check out some other posts from Hofstra University
1 min
Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, is featured in the Politico report “Suburbia’s ICE Shift,” about voters – particularly those in suburban counties – souring on President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign. This is significant because the suburbs are a key indicator of how the national mood has dramatically shifted over the last month.
1 min
Dr. Jase Bernhardt, associate professor of geology, environment, and sustainability and director of Hofstra University’s meteorology program, was interviewed by Newsday about the use of virtual reality technology to teach the public about the danger of driving in a snow squall.
1 min
Education Professor Alan Singer was interviewed by WCBS-TV News about the Connetquot School District on Long Island school being threatened with funding cuts if it does not reinstate its old mascot name, the Thunderbirds. The name change to T-Birds was made in 2022 to comply with a state ruling that mascot names like “Chiefs” and “Warriors” are demeaning and offensive to Native Americans. The U.S. Department of Education has ruled that these changes are a violation of federal law. Dr. Singer said Connetquot is “caught in the crossfire with the Trump administration, which is at war with blue states and diversity,” and the district’s mascot is part of a much larger political fight.
