Spring Break
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Dr. James Otteson seemed to possess all the ingredients the Yeshiva College Honors Program needed in a director: his brilliant pedagogical skills captivated students, his sterling academic record commanded respect from faculty, and his strong, decisive style of leadership impressed Yeshiva University administration.
Early this summer, Yeshiva University decided to consolidate all Independent Housing Program (IHP) apartments into 475 West 186th Street. The rather unanticipated move has resulted in the loss of sixteen apartments from the Independent Housing Program - fifteen from 90 Laurel Hill Terrace and one from 480 W 187th Street.
From July 20 to July 22, about 210 leaders of the American Jewish community gathered at the ChampionsGate resort in Orlando, Florida.
Though at first glance it may not seem to be the case, construction on the Glueck Center of Jewish Study at Yeshiva University continued throughout the summer months. Nevertheless, the project has a new projected completion date of June 30, 2009, approximately one year past the originally scheduled completion date.
Over the summer months, YU hired Mr. J. Michael Gower as its new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Gower, who joins Yeshiva after working in finance at the University of Vermont, will also serve as the vice president of business affairs. Mr. Gower replaces Mr.
Dr. David Berger (YC '64, RIETS '67), chair of the Jewish Studies department at Yeshiva College, has been appointed as Dean of the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He replaces Dr. Arthur Hyman, who will remain as a professor at Revel.
On May 12, 2008, federal immigration officials raided the Agriprocessors meat processing plant in Postville, Iowa. The investigation alleged many human rights violations, in particular employment of hundreds of illegal immigrants. This raises questions about a plant that has already been involved in animal rights and pollution controversies in 2004 and 2006 respectively.
Following the success of its previous two conferences, the YU Medical Ethics Society will hold its third annual conference on Sunday, September 14th. Entitled "The Sanctity of Life - A Jewish Approach to End of Life Challenges," the conference will focus on issues including assisted suicide, hospice care, and pain management.
As a result of the increasing number of incidents on college campuses throughout the nation in recent years, Yeshiva has launched the AlertFind system. In the event of an emergency, AlertFind notifies participants of the emergency situation via text messages, emails and voice messages.
This past summer Yeshiva University organized its first ever friends and alumni cruise. The trip began with a pre-cruise Shabbat in Rome on June 27th. From there, the group embarked on a week long journey with stops including locations in Italy, Spain, Tunisia, and Malta.
Over the summer months the Career Development Center moved from its previous location in Belfer Hall to its new home at 90 Laurel Hill Terrace. The Career Development Center's state of the art facility, accessible from an entrance on 186th street, includes multiple offices, a conference room, and a host of materials for students interested in planning for their post-Yeshiva futures.
The Commentator is happy to reintroduce News Briefs, a section which graced the YU newspaper of old. This section will present short, abridged news reports concerning both the Yeshiva University campuses and the greater Jewish community. The fact that these reports are smaller, less in-depth, and not subject to critical analysis is by no means indicative of their importance.
This past summer, the Counterpoint Israel Program ran three-week summer camps for non religious teens in two southern-Israel development towns, Yerucham and Dimona. The program was organized by Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future (CJF). This was the third summer that the CJF ran this program, which began on July 13th and ended on August 14th 2008.
Members of the class of 2012 arrived on the Wilf campus on Sunday, August 24th to begin their careers as Yeshiva undergraduates. With its catchy theme "Many Voices, One Song," orientation introduced the new students to the ins and outs of Yeshiva. Highlights of the first day of orientation were receptions with the Deans of SSSB and YC, and an evening barbeque for all members of the Yeshiva community.
Simply put, last season was a disaster. The soccer team won only one game, and gave up forty-nine more goals than they scored. While no one was expecting a Manchester United-like season, no one was expecting a one and fifteen season mimicking the Miami Dolphins of football either.
From Israel to America, from Long Beach to Long Island, from Brookline to the Main Line, many an undergraduate spent their summer tucked away in some cramped cubicle, photocopying, filing, and fetching coffee. Somehow, amid the resume building and networking, they missed the summer; catching mere glimpses of its grandeur on their way to and from the workplace and, for the lucky few, through high-rise office windows.
