Slashing at Hofstra Incites Concerns Amongst Students About Their Safety

On June 19, an attack occurred outside of the David S. Mack Arena after the Academy Charter High School’s graduation ceremony. //Photo courtesy of Hofstra University

Two people were assaulted with a knife by a group of masked men outside of the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Center on Wednesday, June 19 at 4:20 p.m., where the Academy Charter High School was hosting their graduation ceremony. Since Wednesday, six men have been charged with gang assault and weapons charges after being taken into police custody, according to FOX5 NY.

 Charlotte Mysliwiec, a rising senior filmmaking major and creative writing minor, was at the Exhibition Center working as an audio and visual employee for the graduation ceremony. While she was packing up equipment and getting ready to leave she noticed people running towards the exit. She overheard an attendant say that “there was a fight out there,” referring to the outside of the Exhibition Center.

“I go outside and I’m kind of looking around the crowd and something definitely feels off,” said Mysliwiec. “I don’t know exactly where [the slashing] happened, but I know that it happened as people were leaving the arena, and it just came out of nowhere…I leave and I see a bunch of people and the vibe is definitely off. Like people look panicked, that guy especially, the look on his face that I’ll never forget, he looked shell shocked. The moment of genuine panic didn’t set in until I read that article. But seeing all the cop cars and all the chaos, I was just confused. I was very confused.”

According to News12 Long Island, an adult guest was slashed in the leg and an 18-year-old tried to intervene and was slashed by the ear. Both survived and were taken to the hospital. Nassau County Police and Public Safety Officers were on scene during and after the incident. Geraldine Hart, associate vice president of Public Safety and Community Engagement, said “We had a total of 17 Public Safety Officers (PSOs) working at the time, eight at the Arena and nine working the evening tour who also responded when the incident took place. In addition, there were two Public Safety Supervisors on scene at the time of the incident.”

At 5:12 p.m., approximately 52 minutes after the slashing, Hofstra University sent out a text message, email, and call to all students stating the following:

“Hofstra University Public Safety - Due to ongoing police activity avoid the [area] around the Arena. HU-PS”

While many students first received the news from Public Safety’s text and email, some on-campus students were left confused as to what was currently happening at the Exhibition Center due to a lack of information. “I had woken up from a nap around 4:45 to the sound of helicopters flying over the campus in a circular path,” said Margaret Sykes, a rising senior filmmaking major and fine arts minor.

Later, Sykes was crossing Oak Street from The Netherlands and noticed two Nassau County Police Department units blocking Oak Street. “A helicopter flew over again, and I was able to figure out that it belonged to News12. I didn't know what it was, but at that point, I knew something had happened. A few seconds later I got a text message from Public Safety warning all students to avoid the arena.” Sykes immediately walked back to the dorm with no incident.

“I was a little concerned at first. Not knowing exactly what's going on in a possible threatening situation and being concerned due to the lack of information is a natural human response; It's in our nature to want to know the answers to everything,” said Sykes.

Other students shared a similar experience of receiving the news from online sources before any official statements from Hofstra University.

Alexandra Santiago, a senior speech and language hearing science major, received the news about the slashing from a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) from FOX5 NY. “[Based on] the email we received, public safety responded in a great manner that helped save the victims lives. As a student, I only received a text message letting me know that the police were at the Mack arena to stay away. After I googled the situation, I felt extremely unsafe because I had no information what Hofstra was doing to keep us safe other than sending me a text message saying don’t go near the Mack arena…[I] was waiting all night for an all clear to let me know going on to [the] main campus was safe but we never got that all clear and just left me worried all night as I had no idea what was going on.”

The following morning, Thursday, June 20, at 9:09 a.m., Geraldine Hart sent this email to all students in response to the incident. The email stated the following:

“On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, the Hofstra community received a notice of police activity near the David S. Mack Sports Arena. I am writing to you today to provide clarification on the incident and commend the swift action of Hofstra Public Safety.

The Academy Charter High School was holding its graduation ceremony at the David S. Mack Sports Arena. Following the ceremony, outside of the arena, a fight broke out resulting in two people suffering non-fatal stab wounds. We wish them a speedy recovery. Hofstra Public Safety was the first on the scene, followed by Emergency Medical Services and the Nassau County Police Department. The suspects were quickly apprehended.

I applaud the heroic actions of Hofstra’s Public Safety who administered lifesaving emergency care. They were courageous and calm under pressure. Please join me in offering a heartfelt thank you to all the emergency personnel who responded to this incident,” Hart said.

 Hofstra students were grateful for Public Safety’s quick response to the incident. “I had no doubt Public Safety would handle this situation swiftly and they would be able to protect our campus, and they did just that,” said Sykes.

“While it is true that an all clear email was not sent until the morning after the incident had already ended and the Nassau County Police Department units had pulled out from Oak Street, the fact that Public Safety was able to handle this situation by locking down all of the gates around the campus, had patrols roaming around on campus well into the evening hours, and assisted in the breaking up of the attack after footage was released to the public, I still believe they did an excellent job in ensuring Hofstra was safe and well guarded,” said Sykes.

Mysliwiec stated that the incident will influence her to be more aware of her surroundings but will not interfere with her daily routine on campus.

“I feel like public safety was on it, and the cops were there, they were definitely on top of it. It’s horrible, what happened, and I’ll definitely be extra cautious, but it's also such a freak incident. This is not a normal occurrence, for at least campus life.”

Alana Zimon, a rising senior drama major and musical theater and public relations minor, first found out the news from Public Safety’s text but was off campus. “I think if anything this incident just emphasizes for me the importance of being aware of my surroundings. I live off-campus during the school year and will be also living there for most of this summer and will absolutely be paying closer attention to my surroundings, even with Hofstra’s campus being just a short walk away.”

For upcoming events with audiences, “Public Safety will continue to evaluate all on-campus events on a case by case basis to ensure a safe environment for the Hofstra community,” Hart said.

“While Public Safety was first on scene, the investigation is ongoing and being handled by Nassau County Police,” according to Hart.

If any person has any more information regarding the slashing, they can call Public Safety at (516) 463-6606.