Yesterday afternoon, approximately twenty men, and myself, entered the board room in Belfer Hall to hear President Joel and Provost Botman dispel and clarify rumors surrounding academic budget cuts in Yeshiva College. Students entered the board room with plenty of their own questions, and the Yeshiva College Student Association (YCSA) had prepared a sheet of “talking points” for students to discuss with President Joel during the Q and A portion of the meeting. This was the second meeting of its kind of the day. The first meeting occurred at 12:00PM and the second meeting took place at 4:30PM.
As reported in The Commentator, students had heard from angered faculty members that there would be a slew of academic related cuts including a cut to the first year writing seminar from the CORE curriculum. Other rumored cuts included a reduction of academic Judaic courses, an elimination of the Hebrew department, and various cuts to the Political Science and Philosophy departments. At the meeting, students first and foremost wanted clarification and a forum to express their disheartened feelings towards the possible compromise of diversity in their academics.
To begin the meeting, President Joel discussed the various challenges facing a small faith-based liberal arts college. He first spoke of Yeshiva University as a valuable “enterprise” that is overcoming the challenges of an unsustainable business model. He candidly remarked that the university has a two-and-a-half year window to achieve a sustainable financial model. President Joel affirmed that such turnarounds “will happen, but only if we do difficult and sometimes hard things now.”
The answer to this financial struggle resides in one word: efficiency. YU has to be cost efficient in regards to its size, and more importantly, in utilizing existing resources. As emphasized in the meeting, we are a relatively small university, yet we have the privilege to be offered the plethora of options characteristic of larger universities.
But before looking at making cuts, the administration at Yeshiva University is looking at consolidating and using available resources, namely cross-department faculty teaching across all campuses. We can expect that there will be larger class sizes, and that the faculties from both campuses will be combined in some of the smaller departments.
The Einstein solution was only the first piece of the necessary downsizing. President Joel emphasized that while the Albert Einstein Medical School will always be in affiliation with Yeshiva University (including having vacation according to the Jewish holidays), it is largely a research institution and requires the clinical funding that Montefiore can provide.
While students are up in arms regarding academic cuts, President Joel also said that more cuts will be happening outside of academics. However, he reassured that cuts need not to affect the robust student life on campus. There will be tightness, but that does not necessarily need to translate into a reduction of services.
While the A&M financial consulting team is responsible for collecting the data, and make recommendations as to how to be the most financially efficient university, President Joel affirmed that the financial advisors at A&M are not the decision makers. They do not have the background in academics to make these important decisions.
President Joel emphasized time and again during the meeting that YU’s undergraduate rigor and integrity will not be compromised.
Provost Botman echoed these statements, “There is no intention of diminishing anything that will compromise the academic experience.”
Provost Botman and President Joel also stated that the budgets are set for SYMS and Stern College. The discrepancy in the budget security in YC is due to the fact that Stern College and SYMS have already made the necessary cuts. Additionally, there are a larger number of contract faculty members in YC whose contracts are almost due.
She clarified and confirmed to students in attendance that the two major proposed cuts on the YC campus will be: the cutting of first year writing seminar and a reduction to the requirement of academic Jewish studies credits. However, both of these cuts are propositions that are subject to faculty vote and approval.
Provost Botman emphasized, however, that the same amount of classes will be available for those students who want to take academic Judaic courses; but the requirement will be reduced for the student body.
Another major point that came up in the meeting was the tangible dissatisfaction amongst faculty at YC. Students recorded statements in The Commentator of various professors who have shared with students their dissatisfaction over the rumored department cuts, slashes in their personal pension programs, and the unknown fate of their positions.
Provost Botman assured that not only has the administration sat down with each of the department chairs, but that there have been numerous faculty-administration meetings with the faculty council to discuss impending changes and to hear faculty input. The bottom line is that the faculty at YU is valued, even if the university does not currently have the financial means to properly show it in terms of current pension packages.
President Joel concluded the meeting urging students to continue to care about their college experience, but also to be aware of how an elevation of some of the rumors can be hurtful to the reputation of the university.
If there is going to be anything that is taken away from the article and the meeting it should be this: Let us continue to take student action and stop the noise.
To the faculty: Students appreciate your openness, especially when it feels like we are not on the receiving end of important university news. However, there must be a clear line between what is helpful and what is appropriate. Discussing your personal issues of dissatisfaction with students, and even taking class time to rant about the financial predicament is not only inappropriate, it leads to misunderstandings and perpetuates a contagious ominous attitude amongst the student body. Our university is not going anywhere, and neither is the quality of our education. We need to be “in the loop” via communication with both faculty as well as continue the important open lines of communication that have now been established with the administration. During the meeting, President Joel emphasized that he would be happy to have open meetings with students as frequently as once every two weeks on both campuses. Let’s take advantage of this offer.
Students, if we believe in the mission and integral place our university has in the Jewish world, we need to understand that some changes are necessary, and embrace them, but only to an extent that we believe that they are not hurting our academic experience.
Most of us, as students (with the exception of some promising SYMS students), do not know what is the best financial plan for a successful university. Let’s leave an element of that to the new team of financial advisors. I know there is a very real distrust in the administration and financial advisors as many feel that they have majorly “screwed up” before, but I for one certainly do not completely understand the technical financial aspects required to recover from an immense deficit. We need to have our academic priorities first and foremost, but we also need to reach a sustainable financial model in order for this university to flourish and continue to be the important light that it is to other Jews and the world. Sometimes, in order to achieve this goal, mustering a little faith in the professionals is required.
Unless we turn rumors we hear into immediate and effective action, all of the rumors and commotion turns into noise that affects prospective students, parents of prospective students, hurts your own outlook on your experience, and perhaps most importantly, creates hesitation for philanthropists and donors.
Do not mistaken my intentions: We need to continue to voice our opinion. Let’s keep the open dialogue that has been created between students and administration alive. Let’s maintain our vision for our academic success. It is empowering to see students come out and vocalize their advocacy for their academic institution. But, we also need to make sure that the reputation of YU is not hurt to an extent that it furthers or creates any new damages to the university.
Let us not allow rumors and noise to permeate at the surface, instead, let’s continue to take necessary action so that we can turn that noise into student advocacy and productive results.