2008 Woodie Awards
The Power of the Pen
Yigal Gross
Issue date: 8/31/05 Section: Opinion
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We want to usher in the new academic year with some of our personal thoughts and objectives for this year's Opinion section.
We believe that the overriding theme and emphasis of the Opinion section should be campus-related, capturing student perspectives on their experience at Yeshiva. Thankfully, we have a vibrant campus bursting with activities and initiatives and full of animated and opinionated students. We hope that the students, faculty, administration, and all those affiliated with Yeshiva will turn to the Commentator's Opinion section for a forum of lively, informative, and exciting discussion about our campus.
There are a host of important campus-related issues that we believe need to be addressed: Should students be given a full year of academic credit for their year in Israel? Should they be obligated to spend six semesters on campus? Should fraternities be allowed? Should the cafeteria have a monopoly over the student meal plan? What do students think about the rapidly rising costs of education? What role should Israel and Israel-activism play on campus? How can we make sure that Yeshiva remains Modern Orthodoxy's preeminent institution and never becomes "spineless" and "gutless," as Howard Jones put it last year? Do Modern Orthodox Jews face a singles' crisis? Should Yeshiva host social events on campus? Is there enough of a relationship between the Roshei Yeshiva and their students? Do all of the departments in Yeshiva really meet the standards of a top-tiered college? And most importantly, what really happens to all of those teacher evaluation forms that we fill out at the end of each semester?
We are all unique. Each one of us has unique personal values and convictions that could enhance the dialogue on campus. We are enriched when we hear opinions different than our own, when we are presented with facts not previously considered, or when we see things from an entirely different perspective. We become stronger as a campus community when we encourage open and candid conversation on our most meaningful and pressing issues.
We believe that the overriding theme and emphasis of the Opinion section should be campus-related, capturing student perspectives on their experience at Yeshiva. Thankfully, we have a vibrant campus bursting with activities and initiatives and full of animated and opinionated students. We hope that the students, faculty, administration, and all those affiliated with Yeshiva will turn to the Commentator's Opinion section for a forum of lively, informative, and exciting discussion about our campus.
There are a host of important campus-related issues that we believe need to be addressed: Should students be given a full year of academic credit for their year in Israel? Should they be obligated to spend six semesters on campus? Should fraternities be allowed? Should the cafeteria have a monopoly over the student meal plan? What do students think about the rapidly rising costs of education? What role should Israel and Israel-activism play on campus? How can we make sure that Yeshiva remains Modern Orthodoxy's preeminent institution and never becomes "spineless" and "gutless," as Howard Jones put it last year? Do Modern Orthodox Jews face a singles' crisis? Should Yeshiva host social events on campus? Is there enough of a relationship between the Roshei Yeshiva and their students? Do all of the departments in Yeshiva really meet the standards of a top-tiered college? And most importantly, what really happens to all of those teacher evaluation forms that we fill out at the end of each semester?
We are all unique. Each one of us has unique personal values and convictions that could enhance the dialogue on campus. We are enriched when we hear opinions different than our own, when we are presented with facts not previously considered, or when we see things from an entirely different perspective. We become stronger as a campus community when we encourage open and candid conversation on our most meaningful and pressing issues.