Posters advertising the Presidential Symposium outside of the Guthart Cultural Center Theater. Photo Courtesy: Camryn Bowden / The Hofstra Chronicle
Coming off of the heels of a pro-Trump rally in the Nassau Coliseum last week, and just over a month before the presidential election, Hofstra University will host four days of lecture as part of the Presidential Symposium from Sept. 23-26, addressing the broad topic of “Higher Education in an Election Year.” A variety of faculty and department perspectives are expected to speak and provide analysis for their research throughout the four-day series.
Some of the topics will include free speech and First Amendment rights, news coverage of elections, policy debates on hot-ticket issues, public resources for colleges and universities and the role of higher education in the 21st century and civic engagement.
Public relations professor Jeffrey Morosoff said that on the panel he’s participating in, he’s doing a deep dive of the perception that the two candidates provide to the public. His goal is to draw attention to the different campaign styles between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, starting by highlighting the fact that Trump has sat down for interviews and hosted more rallies than his opponent.
“It’s really a great case study for us,” Morosoff said. “I’m preparing simply by observing and taking notes.”
Journalism professor Scott Brinton said that he’s working on a panel regarding offshore wind and the politics around windmills. “We’re going to be looking at offshore wind and the politics around offshore wind here on Long Island.”
While ordinarily, it might sound like a journalism professor might elect to talk about press freedoms, the interest stems from the debate regarding climate change between the two nominees earlier in September.
Some students, like senior music business major Abbie Herring, are using this as an opportunity to learn, given the gravity of the upcoming election.
“I think that it is a great idea to talk about, hear about topics from leaders and experts, [and] for voices of our community to be heard and to be further educated on issues that pertain to us,” Herring said. “I think there are a lot of subjects, especially pertaining to education that are highly politicized in election years and especially this election being one of great concern for not only our community here at Hofstra, but of concern for the entire nation. I think it’s always good to hear the thoughts and the ideas of experts and leaders in our community and it’s something we should pay attention to.”
There’s also the other end of the student-interest sliding scale, like junior psychology major Alexander Kropp, who said he has “pretty much no interest [in] attending the symposium.”
“I understand why politics are in place and why [this election] is so important, but I just never have gotten into it, I guess,” he said. “In terms of our politics and presidential stuff, I see the divide between adults, and I just think it’s ridiculous, so I’ve always stayed away from it.”
The goal, at least for professors like Morosoff and Brinton, is to showcase their research to students from all disciplines and to educate as many as possible.
“This is an opportunity that students should not miss, this is an election year for the president of the United States, it only comes once every four years. There’s going to be a lot of great discussion about what we’re seeing, what to expect, what we might not know is going to happen, so it really is an opportunity for students to learn,” Morosoff said.
“I think the important part is that you’re going to get good, factual information if you come to these panels,” Brinton said.More information can be found on Hofstra’s website.
