The Commentator

Issue date: 12/6/04 Section: News

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Recently erected scaffolding around the front face of Belfer Hall on the Wilf Campus has created a stir, leading many to speculate its purpose. A consensus developed among students on campus that either Yeshiva was finally doing something to temper the natural wind tunnel that lives between Rubin and Belfer Halls, or Belfer, at one of the highest elevations in Manhattan, was falling apart.

The scaffolding, however, was put in place after a small piece of mortar detached from the building's brick surface and fell to the ground, hitting a Sy Syms School of Business student from the Beren campus who had come uptown for a job fair interview. The woman's injury was not serious.

Sources in Yeshiva's department of Facilities Management claim that the temporary structure was erected as part of the building's yearly maintenance. In January, Belfer Hall will undergo its annual inspection, but because of the incident with the loose mortar, the department decided to move it ahead.

"It is a tough season to do the inspection, because the weather conditions will slow down the inspection, which can take several months," added Mr. Jeffrey Rosengarten, associate vice president for Administrative Services.

In years past, inspections have lead to the remodeling of parts of the brick surface and brick realignment. The present inspection is part of the normal cycle of inspections. According to New York City building codes, a building such as Belfer must go through a routine inspection annually.

"The structure that is outside of Belfer Hall is there to protect," said Mr. Rosengarten. "It is not an enhancement of the building. We are eager to get things done, but we will not rush at the expense of everyone's safety."

Belfer Hall, the tallest inhabited structure in New York, is one of the principal buildings of Yeshiva University. The building, built in the 1960's to house the Belfer Graduate School of Science, is named in recognition of Diane and Arthur Belfer, well-known philanthropists and benefactors of the University whose commitment to higher education was marked with the dedication of the building.

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