And Moses Spoke Unto His People

It seems that some members of the University community are not privy to an understanding of the raison d'être of The Commentator. Indeed, on the basis of my discussions with peers, I am convinced that it would not be inconsistent with truth to suggest that a sizable component of the student populace fails to appreciate the urgency of this paper's mission. Thus, a cogent exposition of The Commentator's aims merits issuance in order that clarity of purpose may reign where existential confusion now lurks. Toward that end, I have elected to devote my inaugural column as Editor-in-Chief to explicating my vision for the function and future direction of The Commentator. As I see it, The Commentator must fulfill two primary functional imperatives. First, it must inform. This paper will keep students abreast of the developments that matter to them in a timely and engaging fashion. This responsibility requires provision of comprehensive coverage of what transpires on campus at the administrative and student levels. Under the tutelage of the recently selected paper leadership, exceptional vigor will be employed to uncover stories of consequence and report on them thoroughly. I believe this edition evidences that commitment in tangible terms. The Commentator's mandate to inform is not bounded in scope by this University's hallowed halls. Or, if it has been in the past, I do not believe it should continue to be. The Commentator's coverage purview should rightfully extend beyond the confines of the campus to include a broad swath of Jewish communal concerns and themes of importance to university students. This year it will.

The Commentator's second obligation, one that does not appear to enjoy wide understanding, is to advocate student interests. This charge is of intense significance at this University in light of the dearth of structural mechanisms for preventing the administration from running roughshod over the needs of students. In the absence of an effective campaign of student activism, the onus is upon The Commentator to crusade for the interests of students and register objection to administrative excesses that tend to encroach upon our legitimate rights. I do not mean to suggest that the University administration is a nefarious apparatus that consciously seeks to thwart student aims. It is not. When, however, the administration is left to operate unfettered, it, not unlike any self-interested entity, as a matter of course will pursue its independent objectives to the occasional abnegation of those of others. Those others are us -- the students. Such a state of affairs is untenable. As James Russell Lowell knew, "They have rights who dare maintain them." We cannot permit our sacrosanct rights to be sacrificed on the altar of student silence. That is why it is incumbent upon The Commentator to muster a pronounced student check on administrative machinations that would trammel our interests. I hold this truth to be self-evident. Under the aegis of this volume's leadership, The Commentator will exhibit a renewed commitment to advancing the interests of students. In the University sea of bureaucratic moral relativism, The Commentator will be the dependable vessel that safeguards students from the perils of the oft turbulent waters that swell around us and skillfully navigates our interests to fruition.

If we wish The Commentator to efficaciously fulfill its functional imperatives, we the students must assure that it is capable of so doing. That is why I exhort every undergraduate student in this university to contribute in some way to The Commentator. Only by harnessing the productive potential of the student populace can we hope to execute our designs optimally. Whether you have a propensity for writing and investigation, are possessed of keen business acumen, or have a penchant for organization, I strenuously urge you to contribute your services in order that The Commentator may better serve the University community.

For those skeptical would-be campus leaders who are given to conceive of The Commentator as an impenetrable campus elite concerned to consolidate power by prohibit access to newcomers, I must forcefully disabuse you of your fallacious notion. The Governing Board of this publication does not, nor do we wish to, dwell in an ivory tower hermetically sealed off from the student populace. If we were to so act, we would fail our sacred charge to serve students and corrupt an honorable institution. This year The Commentator will, as it has always sought to, function as a meritocracy. Commentator staff members will be awarded positional advance commensurate with their demonstrated level of contribution. We are not an "old boy's club." Our ranks include a fairly representative cross section of Yeshiva College student culture. The Commentator can only maintain this desirable diversity if students from all sectors of the student populace continue to participate in its function.

In closing, I can without hesitation certify my optimism for The Commentator's future. The confluence of the existing foundation of staff talent with our renewed commitment to fortifying the Commentator-student alliance by drawing more students into the orbit of paper activity augurs well for this publication's prospects of qualitative enrichment. Additionally, I am confident that our will to expand the scope of paper reportage coupled with a rededication to advocating the interests of students will enable The Commentator to better serve the University community. Little stands between the sixty-third volume of The Commentator and unprecedented accomplishment.