On October 23rd, hundreds of students flocked to Weissberg Commons for Sy Syms School for Business' annual Orientation event. The session created a forum for the recently instated student leaders and school Dean to address the student body. The new business school Dean Dr. Charles Snow keynoted the evening, stressing the importance of blending a variety of elements into decision-making in the workplace. Drawing on his knowledge of Torah and the business world, the Dean began by talking about the management principle of Participatory Budgeting and then exposed its biblical roots. "In the 1980's it was discovered that subordinates like to be part of setting budgets and goals in corporations...and we know that everything that is in the business world has its basis in the Torah" remarked Snow. To illustrate his point, the Dean invoked two passages from the recent sedra of Bereishit. When G-d decided to create man, the Torah states, "Let us make man." When G-d decided to castigate the evildoers that constructed the tower of Babel, the Torah relates, "And they descended...and mixed up their language." According to Snow, these passages underscore the paramount value of involving others in the process of developing policy. "G-d was teaching us how one has to act in relation to others. It is always useful to involve others when decisions need to be made. We in the Sy Syms School of Business view you as our clients and it is very important to understand what your clients want. We are certainly always interested in hearing from the student body," declared Snow. Concluding, he invited students to drop by his office and share their reflections on the school. Syms Student Council President Mikey Davis articulated a message to the students as well. He began by elaborating on the starkly different time periods before and after the September 11th tragedy. "Nobody is going to hand a job to person on a silver platter," warned Davis, referring to the height of the bull market when it was far easier to land a job at a large corporation. In contrast, he argued, securing a job in today's poor economic climate requires students to broaden the range of their abilities. He pointed to extra-curricular activities as a particularly successful mode of complementing classroom education. "The people who are active in YU will realize that they gain a great deal both for themselves and for the student body," pronounced Davis. Associate Syms Dean Ira Jaskoll attempted to assuage student concerns by assuring those in attendance of the copious amount of time spent working in conjunction with the Office of Placement and Career Services. "Even though you are concerned and should be concerned, it will work out. It might take longer but we must have faith that everything will work out. Last year we placed 99% of our students" reassured Jaskoll. Overall, the event was well received by students. One student who attended the event remarked, "I think the event ran very smoothly and I definitely benefited from being there. All of the speakers were well prepared and each relayed important information to the students."