Hofstra University sued Nassau County in April 2023 after learning about developments to build a casino at the epicenter of educational institutions. // Giovanni Salsa / The Hofstra Chronicle.

In April 2023, Hofstra University sued Nassau County over the state’s open meeting laws after failing to notify the public of a gathering to discuss Las Vegas Sands’ inclusion on the lease of the Nassau Coliseum (Nassau Hub). The case stems from controversy regarding the development of a casino close to Hofstra’s campus.

Regarding the case, Terry Coniglio, the vice president of marketing and communications at Hofstra, said, “Hofstra University has made its position clear; for many reasons, a casino should not be located across the street from approximately 30,000 college and high school-aged students between Hofstra, Nassau Community College and Kellenberg Memorial High School.”

On Nov. 9, 2023, New York Supreme Court Justice Sarika Kapoor ruled in Hofstra’s favor, nullifying the progression of the new lease. The university has since upheld its stance of not wanting the casino built.

“The Nassau Hub is not an appropriate place to site a casino development for a host of reasons,” said Susan Poser, Hofstra’s president, “because it would create serious dangers and hazardous conditions for our community – including gambling addiction, crime, traffic congestion and pollution.

Some students agree with Poser’s views.

“The casino issue has caused students at Hofstra to feel unsafe because we don’t know the people surrounding our area and who’s going to be able to come into our campus,” said Zainab Mozawalla, a junior political science and global studies and economics major. “It’s just going to cause more issues for students and also the Hofstra community and our area.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has been vocal in his disagreement with Poser. In his latest accusation, Blakeman claimed Poser has ulterior motives for opposing the casino at a Nassau County Legislature meeting where he shared an email from Hard Rock, a competitor to Las Vegas Sands that has expressed interest in building a casino in Queens .

“We found that Hofstra University and one of the competitors to Las Vegas Sands were working in coordination and some might even say collusion,” Blakeman said, also calling for Poser to be subpoenaed to answer questions regarding the incident.

However, Hofstra is not copied on this email, nor is there any evidence that Hofstra is involved in discussions with Hard Rock. As a result of appeals from Hofstra, the subpoena has been blocked until Monday, Feb. 26.

While much of Poser’s opposition stems from outside Hofstra, students have also expressed apprehensions regarding the case. A major concern among students is that much of the university’s time and effort is being spent on the lawsuit as opposed to bettering the Hofstra community.

“Poser shouldn’t be using her case with the casino to diminish different cases Hofstra’s having,” said Alma Glavatovic, a senior psychology major. “She should be focusing more on Hofstra and the things that are going on internally rather than focusing on her personal values and herself over Hofstra as a whole.”

The controversy has been a topic of discussion among students and the community since its very beginning. With Poser being the face of the case and the university itself, the criticism she’s been facing and the negative attention surrounding the situation have left many eager to see a conclusion to this legal battle.