2008 Woodie Awards
Reverse Discrimination
IBC Students Given Opportunities Not Afforded to MYP Population
Joshua Sladowsky
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Opinion
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At least half of Yeshiva University's marketable appeal is derived from the Academic requirements that make it a Yeshiva - the Talmud and Jewish Studies requirements. To many, that means enrolling in the Mazer Yeshiva Program (MYP) and learning Gemara until 3:00 PM. These students satisfy their required Jewish Studies courses in Yeshiva College. Others favor a more academically-structured, less Talmud-based morning schedule, and enroll in the Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies (IBC). These students can fulfill their Jewish Studies requirements with their morning IBC classes. Regardless of the program one selects, one must meet the minimum requirement of 20 Jewish Studies credits.
One consequence of this universal Jewish Studies requirement is that, typically, MYP students do not finish their daily classes until much later than students in IBC. They first begin their secular classes no earlier than 3:00, and in addition to their core and major requirements, they also need to fit their Jewish Studies requirements into their post 3:00 schedules. For some students, especially those pursuing rigorous majors, this means that their academic day begins at 9:00 AM and doesn't end until 10:05 PM - often with little time to spare throughout the day. Add to that night seder and homework (both are common among MYP Pre-Meds), and the 13 week semester is an exceptionally stressful and thoroughly exhausting undertaking.
As a result of this taxing workload, some YP students seek to ease the burden by transferring to IBC for a semester or two. This enables them to fulfill a portion of their Jewish Studies requirements in the morning. In addition, it allows them to end their class schedule earlier by beginning secular classes at 1:00 instead of 3:00. Not only does this give them more free time in the evenings, it also creates the option of taking certain classes and professors that would otherwise be unavailable to them due to their crammed MYP schedules.
Astonishingly, these efforts - made primarily by diligent students, desperate to maintain their high level of Torah learning while still succeeding in their secular classes - are met with dogged resistance. As a matter of policy, Yeshiva works to discourage, and often, to prevent students from making these temporary transfers. They view it as taking the "easy way out," by simply knocking off their Jewish studies requirements in one fell swoop, instead of spreading them over several semesters. They must feel that students who are "cut-out" for YP learning shouldn't switch to IBC just to make their schedules easier.
One consequence of this universal Jewish Studies requirement is that, typically, MYP students do not finish their daily classes until much later than students in IBC. They first begin their secular classes no earlier than 3:00, and in addition to their core and major requirements, they also need to fit their Jewish Studies requirements into their post 3:00 schedules. For some students, especially those pursuing rigorous majors, this means that their academic day begins at 9:00 AM and doesn't end until 10:05 PM - often with little time to spare throughout the day. Add to that night seder and homework (both are common among MYP Pre-Meds), and the 13 week semester is an exceptionally stressful and thoroughly exhausting undertaking.
As a result of this taxing workload, some YP students seek to ease the burden by transferring to IBC for a semester or two. This enables them to fulfill a portion of their Jewish Studies requirements in the morning. In addition, it allows them to end their class schedule earlier by beginning secular classes at 1:00 instead of 3:00. Not only does this give them more free time in the evenings, it also creates the option of taking certain classes and professors that would otherwise be unavailable to them due to their crammed MYP schedules.
Astonishingly, these efforts - made primarily by diligent students, desperate to maintain their high level of Torah learning while still succeeding in their secular classes - are met with dogged resistance. As a matter of policy, Yeshiva works to discourage, and often, to prevent students from making these temporary transfers. They view it as taking the "easy way out," by simply knocking off their Jewish studies requirements in one fell swoop, instead of spreading them over several semesters. They must feel that students who are "cut-out" for YP learning shouldn't switch to IBC just to make their schedules easier.