Well, we have survived another year at Yeshiva University. Who would have imagined? The year flew by like a car on Amsterdam Avenue, but it has been a truly successful year on many fronts despite certain speed bumps along the way. Hopefully we have all done well for ourselves, be it good grades, a nice job, or priceless time spent with terrific friends.

As this year comes to a close, we say goodbye to a class of journeyed individuals and prepare to usher in a new crowd representing the next YU generation to take their place. Friends will move on to start their promising lives and inevitably new friends fill the somewhat empty voids. While the goodbyes will be rough and the new screening process will seem frustrating, as is always the case, these things manage to work themselves out.

And as we shepherd in the new crowd of Yeshiva students, let us realize that we are on the brink of something great.

We are about to conclude a progressive year at Yeshiva University. Student activism is on the rise, and the overall indifference regarding our stay at this hallowed institution is fading. Many of our goals have been accomplished, and we have made the necessary steps to ensure our unfulfilled goals will soon be successfully addressed.

Our multi-faceted university is anticipating the welcome of myriad valuable additions. An Honors College is sitting at our doorstep, waiting to be the essence of secular scholarly thought. WYUR is equipped to return as a genuine sounding board for students to voice their opinion in a forum once a vibrant entity on our esteemed campus. Noticeable improvements have been made throughout beautifying our campus and simplifying our college experience, in an attempt to thrust Yeshiva into the twenty-first century as one of the foremost centers of learning in the country, and many more changes have passed the planning phases.

Our Student Councils have done a superb job keeping us afoot in addition to setting the groundwork for major future reform. An expanded depth of coverage and readership have assisted The Commentator in reaching new heights, positively affecting students, alumni, and the entire Jewish Community. Hamevaser and The Masmid have established new traditions of excellence as have many other student publications and organizations.

Overall, we have done tremendously well for ourselves. However, while we congratulate ourselves and the supporting administration, our job is far from over. In fact, our work has merely begun. As we usher in the new academic year, it is important that we realize our potential and recognize the significant assets we as a student body have to work with.

As is the case with every new year, we are fortunate to have a new collective student leadership at the steering wheel. Our newly elected representatives have promised to work diligently to achieve the goals of the students, and now they are implored to do so. Additionally, Student Services is continuously committed to working alongside students to improve our respected institution in accordance with the manner we see fit.

As your official student publication The Commentator will remain committed to upholding excellence and journalistic integrity in an enterprise operating solely for the benefit the student body. But while promises have been made and groundwork has been set, it is initially up to each and every student to take on the responsibility of moving Yeshiva to the next level.

It is ultimately up to you to make things happen. It is your duty to get the ball rolling again next year in the right direction. It is your job to jump start the effort promoting student activism. Do not take this charge lightly. There is serious responsibility lying on your shoulders. The same responsibility is lying on mine.

The cause is obvious; the foundation has been set; it is up to us to complete the building process. I look forward to a good year, a progressive year, and lets not forget a fun year. I hope that one year from now I will sit back with the knowledge that we have truly made a difference here. That difference will be appreciated by current students, past students, and those future YU students with absolutely no idea what they are getting themselves into. And as I watch the next car travel Amsterdam Avenue, I can only hope that eventually it will meet its ultimate destination.