For the first time in years, the Stern College Dramatics Society (SCDS) co-ed Shabbaton has been cancelled by the Student Affairs Committee. Jordyn Kaufman, President of SCDS, reported that the explanation given was “to create more opportunities for other clubs on campus.” However, students in the Society have expressed frustration that the cancellation of the Shabbaton, combined with the minimal funding for the Society, reflect a lack of support on the part of the administration.
For the first time in years, the Stern College Dramatics Society (SCDS) co-ed Shabbaton has been cancelled by the Student Affairs Committee. Jordyn Kaufman, President of SCDS, reported that the explanation given was “to create more opportunities for other clubs on campus.” However, students in the Society have expressed frustration that the cancellation of the Shabbaton, combined with the minimal funding for the Society, reflect a lack of support on the part of the administration.When asked for the reasoning behind recent budget-cuts from SCDS, the Office of Funding withheld comment.
Recent Observer and Commentator articles have expressed rising frustration towards the administration’s treatment of the Dramatics Society. A 2012 Observer article titled, “Stern Dramatics Society: Here to Stay,” underscored the success of the Society’s play, despite the lack of a stage and theater throughout the five weeks of rehearsals before the play’s debut. Similarly, a 2014 Observer article titled, “Stern Dramatics Society Triumphs in The Tempest” emphasized the extent of the Society’s ability to rise above the limited resources provided to them.
Most recently, an anonymously authored Commentator article, published in May 2016, highlighted the lack of support for the Stern Dramatics Society, specifically in contrast with the Yeshiva College Dramatics Society, which receives significantly more financial backing and resources. The article, titled, “The Heights are Alive with the Sound of Inequality” stated that, “It’s easy to write certain things off with classic college excuses like, ‘budget cuts,’ or ‘a lack of interest,’ but at a certain point we need to take a step back and see the truth. Yeshiva University is suppressing the Stern College Dramatics Society….”
Kaufman, who aspires to work as a playwright and director, said, “I believe that the Dramatics Society is imperative to Yeshiva University, and specifically to Stern. Often in the Orthodox community, women are told that they can’t really follow these dreams, that they can’t become singers or actors. For some Society members, being [involved] is part of their way of saying that they can successfully follow their passion[s] for the arts within the realm of halakha. For other students, even those who don’t pursue these passions after college, their involvement in the Dramatics Society is perhaps one of the last times that they can pursue these passions.”
Later, Kaufman added that “as an institution that’s really a global representation of the Modern Orthodox community, it’s a powerful statement [when] Yeshiva University supports the Society; it shows that the arts are important to the institution.”
Liorah Rubinstein, a member of the Stern Dramatics Society said, “this is one of the reasons why I chose Yeshiva University: To act on stage without compromising any of my values as a Jewish woman.”
Though members of the society have voiced their frustrations with the institution’s indifference to students’ efforts to create a theater culture, students have repeatedly acknowledged Dean Bacon’s constant support of and advocacy for SCDS.
In an email to The Observer, Dean Bacon wrote, “The Dramatics Society represents an important opportunity for our students to develop their creative talents, leadership and organizational skills while building lifelong friendships. All of this is in the context of providing wonderful theater for the appreciative audiences that attend the performances. The actualization of these goals is a joint process between Society members, its Artistic Director, YU Facilities, Student Affairs, the Dean’s Office, and the families and friends who support each production. We all contribute in different ways and manage to put together enough support for the students to do their magic.”
In response to the larger issue of Stern College’s dwindling support of the Arts, Dean Bacon said, “At this time in history, humanities and the arts [do] not receive as much attention and support as the sciences. Though we can’t change the world, we can continue to value and treasure these very human and personally enriching activities at our university. This is something that we certainly plan to do as long as the students are with us.”