2008 Woodie Awards
YU Knows How to Throw a Party
Issue date: 9/4/07 Section: Editorials
- Page 1 of 1
A week before orientation began, the Office of Student Affairs was fairly mellow. Boxes of YU paraphernalia covered desks and most of the floor space, but the staff was for generally calm. Then Sunday, August 26th hit. Hundreds of students ascended to the Wilf Campus, scores of RAs directed traffic, and still, the Student Affairs staff remained calm. Led by Associate Dean of Students Bradley Karasik, the Office directed students from party to party, event to event en route to a series of days that parents and students will surely remember.
Last year, Student Affairs spent more money and more hours supporting student activities including the popular Superbowl party in the Morgenstern Hall lounge and much student council programming. Orientation not only showed how crucial the office is to campus atmosphere but also gave top Yeshiva officials the opportunity to experience what more students have realized for some time: this place can be a lot of fun. The typical wax museum trip was scheduled and the baseball game was sure to be to score points with new students, but the on-campus programming is what separated this year's orientation from previous ones.
With the help of a bolstered Department of Food Services, the food served last week was unprecedented. Students appreciated the variety of events and meals - especially the number of meat dinners served - and the themes imbued into each picnic and luncheon. What topped everything else, however, was Ephraim Meth's Siyum haShas. While it is certainly important to treat students to amusement parks and arcades before they start marching into the Gottesman Library, nothing could have been more inspiring than witnessing a peer, someone only a few years older than incoming students are currently, achieve something so fundamentally important to the study we preach at Yeshiva. Nearly 500 students danced around the overfull Furman Dining Hall (alias The Caf) and saw University administrators locked in the arms of Yeshiva's Roshei Yeshiva and throngs of students. Amidst all the celebration, participants never considered the ambiance around them. This was no orientation buffet serving chicken nuggets. Attendees were treated to an elegant meal complete with several courses and organized speakers. It was perfect. But then again, there was a lot of that going around on campus last week.
Last year, Student Affairs spent more money and more hours supporting student activities including the popular Superbowl party in the Morgenstern Hall lounge and much student council programming. Orientation not only showed how crucial the office is to campus atmosphere but also gave top Yeshiva officials the opportunity to experience what more students have realized for some time: this place can be a lot of fun. The typical wax museum trip was scheduled and the baseball game was sure to be to score points with new students, but the on-campus programming is what separated this year's orientation from previous ones.
With the help of a bolstered Department of Food Services, the food served last week was unprecedented. Students appreciated the variety of events and meals - especially the number of meat dinners served - and the themes imbued into each picnic and luncheon. What topped everything else, however, was Ephraim Meth's Siyum haShas. While it is certainly important to treat students to amusement parks and arcades before they start marching into the Gottesman Library, nothing could have been more inspiring than witnessing a peer, someone only a few years older than incoming students are currently, achieve something so fundamentally important to the study we preach at Yeshiva. Nearly 500 students danced around the overfull Furman Dining Hall (alias The Caf) and saw University administrators locked in the arms of Yeshiva's Roshei Yeshiva and throngs of students. Amidst all the celebration, participants never considered the ambiance around them. This was no orientation buffet serving chicken nuggets. Attendees were treated to an elegant meal complete with several courses and organized speakers. It was perfect. But then again, there was a lot of that going around on campus last week.