By Shira Kramer, Editor-in-Chief
Prior to the New York City mayoral election, Yeshiva University encouraged students living in the dorms to change their registration and vote. In a new initiative called “YU Votes,” which was created by the Office of Student Life in conjunction with the Lieberman-Mitzner Center for Public Service and Advocacy, YU sent emails and set up tabling on campus to remind students that if they live on campus, they are residents of the City of New York, and therefore have the right to vote.
“YU was really pushing [for us to vote] and they made it really easy,” Naava Bodek (SCW ‘27) of Teaneck, New Jersey told the YU Observer. “They had stands in the lobbies and they sent links.”
The university’s efforts highlight that YU students, though dorming, are deeply ingrained in New York City life. “YU students are inherently residents of New York City — they eat, sleep, learn, pray, and work here,” Avygayl Zucker, Administrative Coordinator at the Lieberman Center, told the YU Observer. “It is important as Americans to be invested in the community you contribute to, and that contributes to your own well being (from picking up your garbage to running the local police department).”
In off-year elections where presidential or congressional seats aren’t on the ballot, voter registration numbers often drop. Dr. Jonathan Schwab, Director of Student Life at YU, emphasized that this is a critical time for student engagement. “We feel that this opportunity is a great way for students to fulfill their civic duties not just as Americans but as people investing in New York City as a home for the college years,” he told the YU Observer. “While Congress and the White House are not on the ballot this year, there is a crucial mayoral election in New York City, and these votes really matter as students may not be voting in their previous districts.”
“I’ve always voted since I’ve been able to, especially because I knew my voice was important in the smaller elections,” Bodek said.
As a nonprofit,YU cannot endorse any particular candidate or political party. But its students have strong feelings against mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. “Obviously, the Jewish community does not want Mamdani in office,” Bodek said to the YU Observer prior to the election.
Though Mamdani’s anti-Israel stance has drawn the attention of many students, others feel his other proposed policies will not help them either. “I’d like a mayor who has more than a short lived rock and roll career on his resume,” Sarah Berk (SCW ‘28) of Connecticut told the YU Observer. “I also don’t want my grocery store to run like the DMV.”
Students on Stern College for Women’s Beren campus are particularly worried about his stance on the police presence in the city. “As a Jew and as a woman, I believe we need more police, more security,” Ashley Gardner (SCW ‘27) of Dallas, Texas told the YU Observer. “I see a lot more difficulty with the homelessness as well.”
Through initiatives like “YU Votes,” YU made it easier than ever for students to fulfill their civic duty, reminding them that their voices can have a real impact on the city they currently call home.
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University