Jewish Life On Campus
On Tuesday evening, December 26th, TABC and Ma`ayanot parents and students went to the Jewish Life on Campus event held at TABC. Alumni from TABC and Ma`ayanot spoke to parents about Jewish life on their college campuses and there was a question and answer period at the end. The main topics were: food and kosher dining areas, available minyanim, learning nights, social events and shabbatons, and the presence of Boycott Divest Israel (BDS) chapters on campus. Some of the colleges represented that night were; Rutger, Binghamton, Columbia, Cornell, Yeshiva University, and Queens College.
Most of colleges at the event had with a small to no BDS presence, multiple options for kosher food, available minyanim, and social events, the event was very eye opening. Jewish life at college has drastically changed over the years. I spoke with my parents about it and they said that when they went to college, there was barely any kosher food, and learning programs and social events were unheard of. Nowadays, because of programs like Hillel, Jewish students can make a bigger impact in the professional world because of a warmer feeling on different campuses. It is truly groundbreaking that TABC has started these informational programs. Before the event, Dr. Carol Master, Chair of the English Department and Director of the Writing Center, who organized the college fair, sat down to talk with Eye of the Storm.
Q. Is this the first time that TABC has done something like this?
A. The College Guidance Dept. started this special event in December, 2012
Q. Was it hard to plan? A.It takes time to plan because it involves bringing in college students from about twenty different universities, plus rabbi/educators from colleges where there is a JLIC presence. This takes a lot of coordination. We also have to publicize the event, make sure the rooms are ready on the night of the event, create and print programs, and work on bringing in new colleges for representation as well.
Q. Why was there was a need for a program like this?
A. There is definitely a need for this program because we want every student to know about Orthodox Jewish life on all relevant campuses when he is deciding which colleges he wishes to apply to.
Q. How important is Jewish life on campus?
A. This is important to the College Guidance Dept. Every student needs information about which universities have a vibrant Orthodox Jewish life if he is deciding not to go to YU. We want students to choose wisely, so we make sure that every student has the information to make an educated decision.
