By Betty Khirman and Shoshana Fisher
As the fall semester began, the Beren Campus Student Government (BCSG) got to work right away, albeit under unusual circumstances. The biggest challenge we faced immediately was the unclear nature of the student organization renewal process and its timeline. With student organization events unable to proceed, we recognized a clear moment of choice: wait for approvals or begin building community right away.
To that end, we started the year by frontloading our events right away, making sure that opportunities were created for students to meet each other. From CycleBar to an ice cream truck to the midterm study hall, we aimed to create a vibrant student life and an atmosphere of excitement and community on campus.
While the calendar was filling up, the root cause of the lack of communication between the administration and the student body was not yet addressed. After hearing concerns and confusion from students, we met with the Office of Student Life (OSL) and Dean of Students Sara Asher to discuss establishing better channels of communication regarding the effects of Project Yamim on student organizations and their approval. We suggested a town hall meeting to explain the thought process behind the new student organization system, and we urged the administration to open clearer lines of communication to students going forward. As student organizations have now been approved, we are confident that all parties are working hard to support the new system and the students involved in it. We thank the students who brought their concerns regarding this process to our attention.
During this time, we also focused on building collaborative relationships and meeting frequently with a number of deans, the Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, the Office of Torah Studies and Spiritual Life and the Torah Activities Council (TAC). With these departments, we were able to work on a variety of events and programs, such as the Camp Shabbaton, a campus-wide kumzits (Jewish musical gathering), the October 7 memorial and the early planning of Chanukah programming.
It is important for us to work with a wide variety of departments, collaborating with everyone who has a stake in improving the student experience. It is also important that we expand students’ ability to express their thoughts. We have begun to achieve this goal by hosting a series of BCSG office hours, each of which drew crowds of upwards of 60 students coming to share their concerns, suggestions and ideas (and for the free food). Meeting with the relevant administrators to address this feedback, we have begun to implement changes already. To that end, we have added new weights and mats to the dorm gyms, instituted a weekly melava malka and are exploring new shuttle time options.
Based on input from students and the BCSG board (including our three newest members, Sarah Berk, Rosa Marks and Shaina Shaoolian), we are excited to share some of the things you can look forward to this semester: Beren Unity Week, an expanded selection of cafeteria options on Fridays, song sheets for Shabbat, a Beren campus swag store and a chock-full Chanukah, including a chagigah and a trip to the American Dream mall. We will also continue to fill the calendar with events and programs, hopefully together with student organizations, TAC and OSL.
As the year continues to fly by, we encourage you to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns with us. Come to open hours, reach out individually or find us in the hallway and tell us how you feel! We are here to serve as your representatives and can’t wait to continue to build a better student experience with all of you.