A few days before Thanksgiving, the University received the best news it could have gotten from the Commission of Presidential Debates. Not only was the University chosen to host a presidential debate, but the final presidential debate of 2008, the debate that will push undecided voters over the edge.

Plenty of criticism has been given to my recent crowning of Derek Anderson as the NFL's Most Valuable Player. So, I figured with all of this publicity, it's time to prognosticate further, and predict each one of the league's award winners. Remember, not only will each one of these predictions be correct; they come with a full guarantee.

In case you haven't heard (or were born right...now) Cinderella does exist in the magical world of college hoops. I'm not sure if anyone understands this rediscovered truth more than Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora. Entering his seventh season as the sideline general at mid-major Hofstra University, Pecora isn't hoping for successful seasons anymore; he's expecting them.

There's no simple way to describe "Camille," Robert David MacDonald's drama, currently being performed at the Black Box Theater in Hofstra's New Academic Building. The play is an exciting enigma-a work which combines three versions of the same story and has each performed simultaneously.

Well, the end of the semester is upon us once again, signaling the traditional campus-wide hysteria as students frantically cram for finals and professors frantically cram in more work. We still have one more push before the semester's done. It's much like giving birth, except it doesn't make babies (thank God).

Complaining about Long Island traffic is about as productive as disparaging the weather forecast: a fruitless exercise. Sure, it seems as though no one has a job in the area when you're on the road. Being stuck in a backed-up, monster traffic jam on the Southern State at 2 p.

Reflecting back on the semester, as finals loom, upperclassmen may ponder how this fall at the University has stacked up against previous semesters. A few factors are pushing Hofstra toward the "lose" column. As veteran University students entered the Student Center in the fall, they found summer renovations to the cafeteria were disastrous.

The popular Web series "We Need Girlfriends," (WNG) created by three University alumni, is being developed as a new comedy for CBS with "Sex and the City" creator Darren Star helping to lead the way. Steven Tsapelas, class of '03, and Angel Acevedo and Brian Aymot, '04, all film studies and production majors, created the series when they were dumped by their girlfriends after graduation.

This winter, the University is giving back to the community as part of its holiday celebrations. University social and religious groups have organized events this week to commemorate the holiday season. The Student Government Association (SGA), with the assistance of the Office of Student Leadership and Activities (OSLA), organized the 24th Annual Sinterklaas festival, in which members of the Greek community along with various clubs built a life-size "Winter Wonderland Village.

Despite the nonstop barrage of one-sided reporting on the Iraq War by our national, mainstream media, it is a sad fact that too few Americans know of the progress that our American forces have made in trying to stabilize Iraq, especially in the past 10 months since President Bush's surge plan went into effect.

After Saturday's frustrating 87-83, conference-opening overtime loss to UNC-Wilmington, this much remains certain for the Hofstra men's basketball team: nothing is certain. In what is already shaping out to a nothing-is-as-it-seems type of season, Saturday was the indicator.

Hand scanners are necessary safety measure The hand scanners that were installed at the Netherlands complex during my freshman year were installed for a reason: to make sure that it is you, and only you, entering the complex. Everyone can agree that your hand is unique and is only used to grant you access.