Volume 67, Issue 3

Senate Briefs
by Ariel Weinstock

On Thursday, October 3, the Yeshiva University Student/Faculty Senate convened once again to begin another term debating and formulating academic policies.  The focus of the meeting was to create a working agenda of issues that would be addressed over the course of the coming school year. 

Discussions began with a student-proposed idea to create a multi-purpose venue that would enable students and faculty to mingle in a relaxed atmosphere on neutral ground.  A discussion in the open session of the senate focusing on the creation of a student bill of rights foreshadowed the debate that is sure to ensue over whose jurisdiction the writing of the bill of rights would fall under when the topic resurfaces later in the year.  Once again, the senate will not discuss a student dress code, a lingering issue for quite some time.

The student/faculty senate was created as a binding policy-making body in the late sixties at Yeshiva; it has since been transformed into a recommending body.  Ranking faculty senator Dr. Will Lee, director of the honors program at Yeshiva, feels that the senate is an important body.  “It is the only officially recognized place where students, faculty, and administrators get together to talk about academic life and standards. And due to the wide range of members, different points of view are automatically represented,” noted Lee. 

The many accomplishments of the senate include the creation of the writing center and the extension of library hours.  They have also voiced their opinions about important topics, such as recommending school wide policies on plagiarism and helping make decisions regarding various important academic dates on the YU calendar.

Student sentiments about the senate are basically nonexistent due to the lack of knowledge that a senate even exists.  Elie Kron, a SSSB sophomore, says, “In addition to many other student outlets I am completely oblivious to the existence of a YU student/faculty senate.”  Even those that are aware of a senate know very little about it.  “I know the senate exists but to date I have yet to hear of a single accomplishment,” said Marc Freitag, also a sophomore in SSSB. 

One Yeshiva College Junior who is familiar with the senate, summed up general campus belief about the senate.  “If more teachers informed their students about the senate, the students would be happier knowing that an academic advancement forum existed to facilitate them.”

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