Shabbat is an important part of the student life at Stern College. It is a unique experience, creating new opportunities to bond with different people from the YU community each weekend. Different clubs sponsor Shabbatons every week, leading to diverse crowds of students staying in. Shabbat at Stern is a time to connect with different people than one normally would. Students share in the experience with their peers, the campus couple, and special guest speakers.
Many students, however, have been unhappy with the Shabbat experience at Stern. As incoming undergraduates, they anticipate a lively Shabbat life on campus since they are choosing to attend a school full of Jews. Yet, they are soon disappointed by the reality of it. Shabbat seems small and uninspiring at Stern compared to other non-Jewish colleges. Students from the New York and New Jersey areas mostly go home every weekend because, as one sophomore stated, “It’s not worth it to stay in. There isn’t much going on.”
The Shabbat Enhancement Committee (SEC) was created to improve the Shabbat atmosphere on the Beren campus. It takes complaints, such as those previously mentioned, into account, and tries to find ways to enhance the Shabbat experience so more students would be open to staying in. Carmelle Danneman, the president of the SEC, described the role of the committee: “As part of Shabbat Enhancement Committee, we work closely together with Torah Activities Council, the Office of Student Life, and the campus couple to create awesome programming, find speakers, invite guests, advertise, create menus, improve the food, and beautify the experience. I’m a senior now and I think there are definitely aspects of Shabbat on campus that have improved since I came to YU.”
In addition, the SEC really tries to listen to students’ feedback and subsequently take action. “We try everything in our power to follow through with their suggestions,” Danneman emphasized. “Sometimes, however, it isn’t in our control, but I can tell you that the food this year has improved significantly and that was a main focus of this year because we had been getting a lot of negative feedback previously.”
Other students really enjoy the smaller community that stays on campus each week. Shabbat is a shared experience that specifically strengthens the bonds between students. This type of experience is different than any other during the week because it occurs away from the stress and mundane aspects of the school week. “Some of my closest friends,” one senior mentioned, “have actually come about because I stayed in for Shabbat.”