Attend the screening of a documentary by an Oscar nominee!

Happening off campus: Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers will be attempting to appeal his conviction this morning using an argument relying on the First Amendment. They intend to make the claim that because the incidents for which he was convicted were recorded, they should be considered “creative” and thus protected under free speech. They also argue that Comb’s sentence was too harsh. In court documents, federal prosecutors have stated the sentence was proper and his acts were not protected under the First Amendment. Combs will not appear at the hearing. (AP)

Happening near campus: Union leaders representing workers for the Long Island Rail Road have warned they are in preparations to go on their first major strike since 1987 next month, claiming the MTA has delayed contract negotiations. The unions are seeking a pay increase, not having seen a raise in four years. The MTA is hoping to negotiate current work rules such as those doubling engineers’ pay for operating both diesel and electric locomotives in the same shift. A Presidential Emergency Board was brought in to assist resolution in March and found the unions’ demands to be reasonable, but the MTA is hesitant to accept the unions’ terms as they believe it may encourage other unions to seek similar intervention methods, rather than voluntarily negotiating. The national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen stated in a press conference that the strike would begin May 16 if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached. (Gothamist)

Happening on campus: A screening of Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa) will be held in Buell Hall today at 6:30 pm. The documentary by Kaouther Ben Hania, an Oscar nominee, follows Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters. The film has already won awards as festivals like Cannes and the Gotham Awards. Find more information here.

Song of the day: Drift Away by Dobie Gray

LIRR via Bwarchives.