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Y e s h i v a U n i v e r s i t y Observer T h e Official Newspaper of Stem College for Women 02׳. ?! October 17. 2002 Volume XLVi Number 3 11 Ho*hvao % Students Storm Michigan to Protest SCW Forced to Leave Anti-Israel Conference 29th Street Art Annex By Miriam Colton By Alisa Rose become more obvious,” said Jeffrey Rosengarten, Yeshiva Director of his Sunday, approxi- eshiva officials have Supporting Services, noting that “it’s mately fifty Yeshiva stu- announced that the SCW will very likely” that the Art Annex will be Tdents rode toAnn Arbor, Ybe leaving the Art Annex, moving to the 8th floor of 215 Michigan to demonstrate out- located on East 29th Street, is mov- Lexington, side a Palestinian conference ing. The timetable SCW began and to hold a vigil “against for the move and its leasing the fifth divestment, terrorism and anti- new home have yet floor of 118 East Semitism.” The 2nd annual to be confirmed. 29th Street as a pro-Palestinian conference, According to one temporary home for organized by Students Allied SCW Art professor, the Art Annex in for Freedom and Equality the move will be 1997 from (SAFE), supports campaigns "any day now.” Sheltering Arms, a Students lay down on ground outside pro-Palestinian to urge university and corpo- Currently, the only non-profit organiza- conference, which they picketed on Sunday rate divestment from Israel. viable location to tion that provides house an art facility various services to ticipants came from SCW, with ״ They’re going to be talking and show that“ is the 8th floor of disadvantaged city about how Israel is an oppres- The students left New York roughly 25 women making the sor, said Beth Meshel, an 215 Lexington. For youth. ” on Saturday night for the trip, many the move is a Students are disappointed The attorney for SCW senior who organized approximately ten hour trip, Upon arriving in Ann Arbor - let-down from the Art hat the Art Annex, pictured sheltering Arms, the busses to. Michigan. “It’s from three locations Stern early Sunday morning, the stu- - Annex's spacious stu * above, will be moving Diana Lee, said that completely illegitimate, and we College, Yeshiva College and dents picketed outside the - dio the building is cur as Jewish students need to go Riverdale. Over half of the par- conference, which was held at . - Also, since the move is last rently under contract for sale, and the University Michigan minute and Yeshiva has had little Sheltering Arms is relocating to League. They led a peaceful time to prepare, the 8th floor, which Harlem. Yeshiva’s lease expired vigil, holding signs, waving currently houses Barnes and last May, but arrangements have Yeshiva Endowment Israeli flags, chanting anti - Nobles, will not be ready in time. been made to extend the lease until hate slogans and singing Last week, Professors Susan January, according to Lee Yeshiva Rises in Tough Market Jewish songs. Gardner, Marjorie Trenk and Carol officials would not comment on the “It was very scary and . Lowengrub from the Art department conditions of the lease or on why ' emotional,” said Shayndi * toured the 8th floor of the 215 they chose not to purchase the By Caryn Lift ment returns this year, accord- Raice, an SCW junior. “They Lexington. But Yeshiva officials building. l ing to a report in the The New were wearing shirts that said would not confirm the move or dis “It was a temporary arrange- s a result of savvy York Sun. free Palestine and divest from - close other possible locations for the ment,” Rosengarten said about the investment strategies, Ezra Merkin, the chair of the Israel. They were saying art annex. Yeshiva, unlike the Board of Trustees Investment nasty things, screaming at us A “Over the next few weeks it will continued on page 19 majority of colleges and uni- Committee, attributed continued on page 15 versities in the country, has Yeshiva’s success in the mar- actually posted growth in their ket, which as a whole has endowment investments dur- shown a 45% decline, to its Presidential Search Flounders ing the current economic involvement with alternative downturn. investments, investments as Shatz Withdraws In the fiscal year end- which attempt to compound a ing June 30, 2002, Yeshiva rate of return without the need By Miriam Colton sions, only saying that, “there will showed an investment return of a strong market. be some changes.” Since Stanton i of 3.5%, raising their endow- The Board of Trustees ollowing Dr. David is known to have a close relation- ments from $882 million to Investment Committee, which Shatz’s withdrawal as ship with Rabbi Norman Lamm, $917 million in one year, is responsible for making Fthe prime candidate for some postulate that Lamm will now according to Peter Ferrara, Yeshiva’s investment deci- the Yeshiva presidency, the have more of an input in the Director of Communication sions, is a volunteer committee search process that finally process than he did when Robert and Public Affairs. Yeshiva cur- comprising skilled investors. looked near completion has Beren was chairman of the Board. rently ranks within the top sev- Merkin works for Gabriel dissolved in ambiguity. Differing from former Beren, enty universities in the country Capital Group, and in addition Whether Yeshiva will continue Stanton is attempting to create for total endowments, accord- to his involvement with on its path, or create a new more of a sense of accord among ing to the United States Yeshiva’s investments, chairs process with different require- Yeshiva’s schools and Board. “I Department of Education. the investment committee of ments for the role, is undecid- don’t intend to do anything until I Although a 3.5% return is the UJA/Federation of New ed. have some kind of unification of low compared to the 14% and York. What is known is that purpose, said . There are Dr. David Shatz ” Stanton “ greater returns Yeshiva had “Ezra Merkin and the entire Ronald Stanton, the newly elect- a lot of individual opinions on all the been showing just a couple of committee have made some ed chairman of the Board of various boards of Yeshiva. We have years ago, it is considered very very wise decisions in the last Trustees is taking a firm hold on the process. Last to get some sort of consensus going.” high in the current market, in five to ten years so that they week, Stanton met twice with his Board, the first offi- Michael Jesselsohn, chairman of the search which many schools’ endow- could protect the money that cial action since Shatz’s resignation, to discuss the committee, did not return calls for comment. It is ments have suffered. For donors gave to the University,” future of the search process. “Since Shatz, nothing possible that Jesselsohn, who was close to Beren, instance, Columbia showed a said Ferrara. official has really happened,” said one top Yeshiva may lose some of the authority that he has held over return of 1.4% and Fordham, The endowment figure rep - administrator. “The whole thing is kind of falling the past year, Pratt Institute and Cooper resents endowments that have apart.” Union showed negative invest- continued on page 19 Stanton would not reveal to the Observer continued on page 19 whether or not he had reached any conclusive deci- N I Luders Revitalizes Lady Macs Art Goldman to Political Science Seek Teach Course Department to Draw Fans Next Semester Page 12 Page 21 . Page 7 Page 2 O b s e r v e r October 17, 2002 T h e O b s e r v e r 245 Lexington Avenue. Nev\ York, NY. 1001b. The fifty or so Yeshiva students who made the trek to Michigan for a protest should ( 2 l2 ) MO-4 »43. 1 ax: ( 212 ) 240-7773 be commended. However, they should not be commended because they traveled a ‘ Observ erfriyraail.yu.edu long distance, because they defended Israel or because they courageously stood up ,' ' to the enemy. Rather, they should be commended simply because they did something. YYW \V.Y1 OBSERV1i R.C 0VI There are hundreds of causes in the world that are worth fighting for, yet only a handful have penetrated our campus. There are so many issues to which we can devote our time. The paucity of activism on our campus is, at the very best, a sign of Miriam Colton & Caryn Litt our lack of creativity, and, at the very worst, a sign of our astonishingly high level of in״Editors self-absorption. -Chief Yes, we follow the news , and yes, we form opinions. But of what use to others are our opinions if we do not act on them? Knowledge that is merely amassed and not applied has little meaning. And, in a similar vein, information that is gathered but not translated into action really has no purpose. That the inclination toward laziness and self-absorption is always stronger than that Rachel Fyinan Alisa Rose of altruism should not be our excuse, but rather be our motivation to fight harder. Managing Editor Executive Editor Shayndi Raice Shifra Landowne Rachel Horn The Observer News Editor Features Editor Cultural Arts Editor Andrea Gelnick Anat Barber Ariella Goldstein welcomes Photography Editor ; Staff Writer Copy Editor Sarabeth Reingold all comments. Devorah Whidman l.ayout Staff Please call The Observer is published monthly during the academic year by the Stem College for Women Student Council. The staff of the Observer retains the right to choose newspaper 212-683-4943 content and to determine the priority of stories.