An Open Letter to the Student Body
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FEATURES SPECIAL A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR YU HOOPS 13 NEWS THE BOTTOM LINE IN HEALTH IN LIGHT OF RECENT EVENTS An Open Letter from Now, that's what I call Bad News About Your the Staff of 22 MAC-TASTIC New Abs Workout 29 The Commentator The MARCH 18, 2015 OMMENTATOR Volume LXXIX CThe Independent Student Newspaper of Yeshiva College, Sy Syms School of Business, and Yeshiva University • www.yucommentator.org Issue7 Administration Proposes Damaging If We Cannot Win Here, We Cannot Win Anywhere: Cuts to Our College Education An Open Letter To The Student Body By Yadin Teitz Quantitative Methods (EXQM) classes. This By Michael Osborne readily find on nearly every college campus dichotomy is precisely the purpose of the around the county. We have an undergraduate The Yeshiva College Core Curriculum has Core. All students are invited to foray into We attend Yeshiva University, the pre- student body of over 2,100 Zionists -- or so I been the subject of much consideration since worlds where they may be uncomfortable in mier institution for a fusion of Torah study thought. When I took on my role as head of its inception two years ago. To many students order to broaden their horizons and become and higher education in the country and argu- the Israel Club at the beginning of the year I and faculty, the Core is a valuable asset to well-rounded, thoughtful individuals. ably the world. Our campus proudly flies the quickly realized our greatest challenge is Zi- YU. Josh Tranen, a junior in Yeshiva College, The recent rumor in the halls of Yeshiva Israeli flag above our heads day in and day onist apathy. This student body does not care claims that “The Core has offered me classes College that the First Year Seminar (FYSM) out. We are blessed to not be faced with anti- about Zionism. At all. that center around different topics from an in- requirement was likely to be terminated only Semitism in any of its forms that you now Too many are unaware, uninvolved, and terdisciplinary perspective, allowing me unengaged. to evaluate a given topic from multiple As a club we bring in all sorts of methodological approaches.” Tranen speakers and run all sorts of events credits the Core for having honed his that should cater to every single Zion- critical thinking skills across multiple ist student of Yeshiva University. There disciplines, topics, and time periods. are events about diverse topics such Likewise, Professor Rachel Mesch, Di- as Gaza, Aliyah, and AIPAC. We even rector of the Core, asserts that “We have bring in Members of Knesset. We ran made great strides toward education in a kumzitz in Times Square in solidar- the past few years with the implementa- ity with Israel. All this among so much tion of the Core.” more. Yet there is one constant through- On the other side of the spectrum are out nearly every event we run. Small those students who dislike the full scope turnout. 20 here, 3 there. For a member of Core classes. While some science of Knesset about 100 will turn out, un- majors may enjoy The Natural World less its Danny Danon, and then its less (NAWO), they are puzzled as to why than 50. Imagine that on a campus of they are required to take First Year Writ- 2,100+ Zionists less than 2% showed ing (FYWR), considering that few of up to an event that students on a nor- their courses require intensive academic mal campus would be lining up for--the writing. English majors, conversely, chance to hear and ask questions to a appreciate Interpreting the Creative foreign dignitary. But not just a mem- (INTC), while bemoaning their Ex- ber of government from some random perimen- country, see A Message from the tal and see Cuts to Our one from Education, cont p. 19 Israel Club cont p. 16 Proposed Changes at YU Lack Focus on Education, Professors By Etai Shuchatowitz ous job, her history and role in the restructur- of the respondents disagreed with her manage- YU will see in the next few years will com- ing of YU has not yet been clarified, and this ment of the university. According to the Port- pletely change the entire structure of YU, par- As Yeshiva University’s financial diffi- source was more than happy to fill in details. land Press Herald, during her time at USM, ticularly the ‘Yeshiva’ aspect and Jewish part culties continue, recently announced plans According to the Yeshiva University web- “four [members] of Botman’s administrative of the curriculum.” Current proposals include to cut costs on campus have left all adjunct, site, “As the president of the University of staff received raises of between 18 percent eliminating the Hebrew department entirely contract and non-tenure track fac- Southern Maine, [Botman] and 22 percent, while faculty salaries had been and replacing it with online placement exams, ulty in fear for their jobs. These inspired new academic pro- frozen for three years.” Similarly, the same ar- cutting the time allotted to Mazer Yeshiva changes, which include cutting grams, raised scholarship ticle reported that “the USM faculty released Program shiurim, cutting the Judaic Studies courses, faculty, and even depart- dollars for students who a list of grievances they had with Botman.” department heavily, conflating Core courses ments, singularly focus on the fi- would have otherwise been There are some very serious administrative with major requirements and slashing the nancial strains on the University, unable to attend the univer- concerns running throughout the faculty, and English and writing departments significantly. paying little attention to how its sity, and promoted technol- there seems to be very little trust of admin- As Liesl Schwab, a Lecturer in Writing, First effects on the university’s aca- ogy assisted instruction.” istrators due to the “lack of transparency.” In Year Writing, and First Year Seminar ex- demic standing. According to one However, it does not men- a candid interview with The Commentator, plained, “We have developed a really strong, source, “Since such lines are not tion she left her position at one very distressed professor who wished to dynamic, and engaging writing program that evenly distributed across depart- USM when over half the remain anonymous remarked on how little will now be lost, more or less in its entirety.” faculty gave her a vote of anybody was saying, and how, “emails just On the whole the mentality seems to be, in ments, the cuts [are] happening Provost Selma Botman selectively and with no clear cur- no-confidence. The vote did include euphemisms like ‘increase student ac- the words of one anonymous professor, “de- ricular objectives or planning.” not receive the requisite ⅔ majority to pass, cess to tenured faculty.’ It doesn’t take a ge- crease Judaics and increase enrollment.” One Though illuminating articles from newly but indicated strained faculty sentiments, as nius to know that means firing as many non- professor noted hired Provost Selma Botman’s previous uni- evidenced by a survey conducted of USM fac- tenured faculty as possible.” that, “Yeshiva see Proposed Changes versity reveal some of the details at her previ- ulty union members, which found 77 percent The professor continued, “The changes University has at YU, cont p. 5 2 Editorial Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 27 Adar, 5775 The The DITORIAL COMMENTATOR Arieh Levi E Editor-in-Chief Now What? Ben Kohane So, we’ve managed to get rid of Einstein, and with it will increase, allowing less time for research. While ten- Senior News Editor two-thirds of our debt. Of an estimated $150M annual defi- ured and tenure-tracked faculty will stay on, large num- cit, we’re now down to $50M – Einstein supposedly ac- bers of contract faculty will be replaced by adjuncts that Avi Strauss counted for $100M. Which begs the question: how do we cost a fraction of the price and can only add a fraction of Juntor News Editor fill a $50M hole? More specifically, how do we fill it with the value. To illustrate, adjuncts typically make between Benji Richter sustainable and increasing cash flows? $3,500 and $6,500 per course. The average adjunct, then, Senior Opinions Editor As always, it comes back to in- must teach 12 courses to receive an income of $60,000. Arieh Levi creasing revenues and decreasing The average New York City-based adjunct will therefore Editor-in-Chief Daniel Atwood costs. Let’s start with the former. be teaching hundreds of students spread across 12 cours- Senior Opinions Editor In my conversations with Presi- es at – for example – Fordham, City College, Manhattan dent Joel, the President pointed to two specific revenue- College, Columbia, and YU. Cutting contract faculty for Yechiel Schwab raising initiatives: increased donations, and YU Global. adjuncts, then, can only mean a lower quality “fast food” Senior Features Editor Obviously, fundraising is not a long-term plan. No uni- education. versity can survive on acts of generosity alone – no matter Further, using adjuncts might not prove as cost-efficient Josh Tranen how generous. In 2006, YU received a $100M gift from as hoped. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal high- Senior Features Editor businessman Ronald Stanton. Of that $100M, one must lighted the unionization of adjuncts at universities across Raymond Cohen wonder how much is left, considering that $250M of our the country, where adjuncts have increased from 43% of Senior Business Editor valuable New York City real estate is currently collateral- total US college instructors in 1975, to 70% in 2011. Ac- ized against debt. cording to the article, the Dani Weiss Nor is YU Global a real National Labor Relations Junior Business Editor remedy.