2008 Woodie Awards
For The Honor of Shabbas Kodesh
Zev Eleff
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: Editorials
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I've attended and enjoyed each of the first three YUnite Shabbatons. With slight programming variations, they've been mostly the same. Same hotel. Same food. Same Torah u-Madda panel discussions. Still, this last one was my favorite.
I introduced myself to dozens of passionate students who care deeply about the progress of Yeshiva. Some of them expressed concern with the efforts of student leadership while others with the University's vision and how well it jives with the beit midrash.
Respectfully, each one spoke of various needs for change with regard to student life. I accepted their positions and graciously offered a response. Yet, at the end of each conversation I found myself concluding the same way: "I'm just a reporter," I told each of them. "Other student leaders are supposed to save the world. My job is to report and react to the news."
Upon reflection of those conversations and cognizant of the rapid decline of social leadership in recent years, this must change. Now.
Over the last week, I've tried to seek out those students I met in Connecticut so that we may revisit their concerns more thoughtfully and attempt to formulate strategies to address our concerns for this campus.
Most of us agreed that it is difficult to gauge the success of programs like the recent YUnite Shabbaton. After all, how does one measure momentum once the ephemeral excitement for these events gets lost in the shuffle of shiur and classes?
Even trickier are the creative programs like chulent cook-offs that have been initiated during the week to charge campus life. Though the cook-off in particular garnered attention from students and staff, the usual poor attendance at nightly programs is more indicative of students' heavy workloads and extracurricular responsibilities than disinterest in attending these events.
Recognizing that weekdays on the Wilf Campus are unavailable for the majority of students, our team of ambitious do-gooders turns elsewhere. The best and relatively untapped opportunity, it seems, to encourage student life on campus exists over the weekends. Therefore, when assessing methods of improving campus life, we advise the University take full advantage of Shabbas.
I introduced myself to dozens of passionate students who care deeply about the progress of Yeshiva. Some of them expressed concern with the efforts of student leadership while others with the University's vision and how well it jives with the beit midrash.
Respectfully, each one spoke of various needs for change with regard to student life. I accepted their positions and graciously offered a response. Yet, at the end of each conversation I found myself concluding the same way: "I'm just a reporter," I told each of them. "Other student leaders are supposed to save the world. My job is to report and react to the news."
Upon reflection of those conversations and cognizant of the rapid decline of social leadership in recent years, this must change. Now.
Over the last week, I've tried to seek out those students I met in Connecticut so that we may revisit their concerns more thoughtfully and attempt to formulate strategies to address our concerns for this campus.
Most of us agreed that it is difficult to gauge the success of programs like the recent YUnite Shabbaton. After all, how does one measure momentum once the ephemeral excitement for these events gets lost in the shuffle of shiur and classes?
Even trickier are the creative programs like chulent cook-offs that have been initiated during the week to charge campus life. Though the cook-off in particular garnered attention from students and staff, the usual poor attendance at nightly programs is more indicative of students' heavy workloads and extracurricular responsibilities than disinterest in attending these events.
Recognizing that weekdays on the Wilf Campus are unavailable for the majority of students, our team of ambitious do-gooders turns elsewhere. The best and relatively untapped opportunity, it seems, to encourage student life on campus exists over the weekends. Therefore, when assessing methods of improving campus life, we advise the University take full advantage of Shabbas.
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