Volume 67, Issue 4  

Students Appointed to Faculty Committees

by Aaron Kraft

Here at Yeshiva University, mesorah (tradition) plays a special role.  No, not the archive of recycled tests on the web, but rather the tradition of students playing a vital role in the molding of Yeshiva College’s academics.  Recently, the Yeshiva College Student Assocation (YCSA) in conjunction with the three most important faculty committees – the Yeshiva College Academic Standards, Curriculum, and Honors Committee – preserved the tradition by appointing this year’s student representatives.

Because the various committees deal with issues that have far-reaching ramifications, such as residency, major/minor requirements, curriculum development and transfer credits, YC administrators and faculty members have long made it a point of including students in the nucleus of policy framing.  Given the power and influence these select few wield, careful deliberation, with special attention to the recommendations of fellow students, student leaders, faculty members, and administrators, preceded all appointments. 

The results were as follows: senior Joshua Sturm and junior Gavri Butler were appointed to Academic Standards; senior Reuven Fenton and junior David Zurndorfer will sit on the Curriculum Committee; and, rounding out the appointees, senior Zack Streit and junior Jonathan Wiesen will join the Honors Committee.

Elaborating on the criteria sought out for committee appointments Uzi Beer, President of the Yeshiva College Student Association, who oversaw the selection process and worked closely with numerous faculty members, explained that they were looking for students who are mature, interested in school, and not overly argumentative.  “It is essential that our appointees have good chemistry with the faculty,” said Beer.  We, therefore, took our time in handpicking the appointments.”  After the selections were made, Yeshiva University Student Union President Shai Barnea endorsed the nominees, making the decisions final.

Beer excitedly expressed his hopes that awareness of whom these representatives are “will allow students within the context of daily interaction to discuss issues that are important to them.”   Barnea also mentioned, “it is vital to have students sit on faculty committees… so that administrators know students’ opinions on various issues.”

Rabbi Shalom Carmy, chairman of the Yeshiva College Curriculum Committee, echoed the importance of student/faculty communication, saying that it had more relevance now than in years past. “Student participation on these committees is crucial… to bring to the table concerns and viewpoints of the student body,” said Carmy. “It is time to start reviewing the overall requirements, taking into account new developments such as the Honors Program and the growth of interdisciplinary departments.”

Yeshiva College Associate Dean Joyce Jesionowski noticed that over the past five years, student government response to appointing representatives has increased in levels of excitement.  “This reflects the students’ satisfaction experienced in their participation in this tradition,” Jesionowski opined.

After only one meeting of the Academic Standards Committee, student representative Joshua Sturm remarked, “Having student participation rounds out the discussion because only they know how their student colleagues will respond to any given issue.”

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