The Commentator

This past issue of The Commentator highlighted many of the political and social factors that YU students constantly face, in the editorial entitled “Wanted: New and Improved YU Student.”  Students, especially first-year and prospective students, should be made aware of the challenges that YU presents, and any preparation that veteran undergraduates can offer should be welcome.  The rigors of an intensive dual curriculum at the collegiate level overwhelm even the best students, but they aren’t insurmountable as the article may lead some to believe.  The intense cynicism towards almost every facet of YU life; the president, the administration, the Jewish Studies programs, the neighborhood, the Rashei Yeshiva, the CJF, and even the entire student body; certainly left me with ill-will towards such a reality.  Luckily, I’ve been here long enough to enjoy many enriching experiences, both intellectually and personally, that give me a very different picture of YU.  In addition, the article raised many important points that deserve to be investigated in greater detail and depth than in pretentious one-liners.

           

With the inauguration of Mr. Richard Joel to the YU presidency our institution has experienced a rejuvenation of the university.  And in order to liberate YU from an existence mired in an intellectually stifling status quo, the administration constantly challenges the YU community, itself included, to test its limits.  This does not mean that the administration considers the current YU student obsolete.  It means that they expect great things from him, even if he entered YU with an “outdated” mindset.

           

This spirit to challenge and encourage excellence should be conveyed to prospective students as a draw for high school seniors interested in the success that comes from hard work.  They need not be Renaissance men as the article suggests, but they should know that YU comes equipped with an outstanding faculty and state of the art facilities that grants access to a wide-ranging selection of substantive courses of study.  The administration should do whatever they can to dispel the prevalent notion that YU offers no more than another four years of high school.  Granted, most people accepted to Harvard or another Ivy League university will never forgo such a prestigious education for YU, but that does not mean that YU should accept mediocrity in defeat.  Shooting for the stars may be quixotic, but nevertheless should be commended for the progress it produces.

           

Though some apparently would have students believe that the Dean’s office conspires to trap YU students or that Dean Sugarman only entertains students who pander to his academic accomplishments, that simply cannot be farther from the truth.  In fact, Dean Sugarman may be the most friendly and helpful administrator in YU.  He breaks his back working for the students and attacking him as selfish spits in the face of all the hard work he does to make YU more pleasant for all of us. 

           

The article mentions the CJF and its projects several times in simplistic generalizations that do not do justice to the CJF and its position relative to YU students.  The CJF affords YU students unparalleled opportunities for increasing their leadership skills and improving the Jewish world.  Of course to what extent one should participate in such programs and at what cost deserves its own series of articles reflecting the many opinions of our campus.  One-liners usually leave people with simplistic and extreme ideas, where a more sophisticated discussion would facilitate a reciprocal outcome.

           

The general tone of cynicism saturating the article itself exemplifies one of YU’s biggest problems, which the article actually discusses.  Too often cynicism towards life at YU saps the idealism out of YU students.  Students may learn to talk the talk, but when it comes to “actual long-term goals,” their idealistic energy has been supplanted by a primitive and sometimes conniving desire to simply get by.  Rather than abetting this disease through cynical tirades and pillories, students should hear about the fulfilling and enriching opportunities that truly abound at YU.  The university rightly challenges its students to excel as individuals and as a community.  For such challenges often lead to the growth and development of knowledge, character, and the idealistic zeitgeist that permeates Jewish theology and culture.