From the YSU President’s Desk: An Overview of Semi-Sore Topics
The first semester is almost over, and the Wilf Campus student government has been excited by the strong feedback on different student programs thus far. It’s been a quiet year as far as controversies go for student government, but the year has certainly not been without its points of tension. I wanted to utilize this space to acknowledge a handful of them and give explanations (to the extent possible).
More than anything else, I’ve been hearing about budgets. Clubs receive a certain amount of money from the student government every year to put toward various events. While a not-insignificant number of clubs don’t run a single event throughout the year (a reality not lost on student government, specifically in recent weeks), many clubs run multiple events, some of which are quite large. The general rule of thumb for a club (certainly those under the Yeshiva Student Union, my government) is $500 annually, a fluctuating figure that serves as a helpful anchor. Many students see that number and, quite reasonably, think to themselves that that number is enough for four, five, or maybe six events. If all you order is snacks or pizza, what can raise the cost into triple digits for each event?
Yet it does cost that amount, and it happens every time. The reason is that in Yeshiva University, there are steep supplemental costs incurred for utilizing spaces and bringing food to them. This cost is in addition to the actual cost of food or other things your club may be spending money on. So, you may want to run a table on the Wilf Campus and spend $25 on food, be ready for your club to shell out $100 on it. The same applies, with a much higher number, if you want a real room, and certainly a large one.
The frustration that students may have about these costs is compounded by the student activity fee, where students pay a few hundred dollars per semester for clubs, societies, publications and the like. From that amount, we have to spend significantly more than the actual cost of the event. I don’t mean to accuse those who manage the numbers before they reach my desk, but it’s unfair for students to be left in the dark about how the money works for student activities.
Another polarizing point this semester has been the lack of a major trip to American Dream Mall. I’ve had wonderful times on the trip and sincerely wished to repeat those experiences. But the calendar was our enemy with this one: Chanukah takes place during finals. Dates before Chanukah were not tenable when considered, and we made a conscious decision to not go on, say, December 30th, when many students are either still taking finals or going away somewhere else. We have, however, been working to create different Chanukah programming that students will hopefully be excited about, including, perhaps, an alternative trip later on.
Along the same lines: the finals schedule has been a point of great contention in recent weeks, specifically in that it overlaps with Chanukah. The calendars are organized by a committee including deans and other administrators, and these decisions are made significantly before the school year. New York mandates a certain number of weeks on campus, and we lose several weeks for the holidays earlier in the year. For winter break to begin earlier so that it includes Chanukah, our school year would start significantly earlier in August; if finals were to begin later, the year would go on much later as well. While it’s something that students deserve to feel frustrated about, it’s also important to consider what the viable alternatives can be; for those on the calendar committee, perhaps reevaluating how to manage a Chanukah/finals overlap, even if ultimately inevitable, would be welcomed.
A few more points regarding polarizing topics on campus. I’ve been excited to see Aiden Harow run a new committee devoted to out-of-town representation; he and his team have had regular meetings with deans and administrators and have been granted opportunities to craft more Shabbat programming. Another conversation with the deans has been regarding the Pride Alliance: we have seen solid progress in creating a club that both fits the social wants of the student body and the religious desires of the administration. The conversations thus far have been heartening, and we look forward to seeing their continued development next semester.
Before I conclude, I’d like to point out a couple of developments that I’ve found somewhat troubling. The first is the general tenor around the recent election. While Yeshiva University students are generally great at feeling camaraderie with one another, the dialogue around the election was often deeply inappropriate and aggressive. Reading about and hearing students talk about their political identification leading to intimidation has been eye-opening, and I know that our school community is better than this. On other campuses, conservative voices often struggle to gain traction or expression; Yeshiva University, where conservatives are the majority, should not replicate that tendency to “other” one another. The second is group chat etiquette, specifically from Wilf Campus students. While it’s wonderful that students feel close enough with their peers to be uniquely comfortable in digital spaces, sometimes that comfort comes with an inability to filter texts and ideas shared. As far as polarizing points though, however, these aren’t wildly tense, and I look forward to seeing how our spring semester continues upon the great parts of the year so far.
Photo Caption: Yeshiva University’s Wilf Campus
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University