The RJ Insider's Guide to College Life - Fall 2013

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INSIDER’S GUIDE TOCOLLEGE LIFEADMISSIONS Admissions 104

What Makes a Campus Jewishly Vibrant?

Courtesy of Long Beach Hillel, beachhillel.org

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early, as a high school guidance director and president of the Jewish interest group of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, I visit colleges throughout the U.S. to see how Jewish life is changing campus-wide. I’ve learned that the traditional criteria for what constitutes an active “Jewish� campus are not always the best; and other Jewish factors you may not have considered can be much more important. In the past, two key indicators of a vibrant Jewish presence on campus were Greek life and the availability of kosher food. However, because Jewish fraternities and sororities are open to students of all religions, their numbers are not a good barometer of Jewish activity. Similarly,

having a kosher food option may not indicate a high number of Jewish students, but rather that the college is trying to attract Jewish students. What indicators, then, are more on target today? And what questions should you ask the school?

programming. Organizations such as Hillel have discovered that if they can’t get students into their doors, they can bring Jewish programs out to the students. Through Hillel’s Campus Entrepreneurs BEACH HILLEL STUDENTS AT UC LONG BEACH MAKE A HUMAN MENORAH. Initiative (CEI) program, in 2012–13, 308 trained student interns built relationships with uninvolved Jewish peers Jewish Engagement Programs on 48 campuses, helping them explore One of the hottest trends on today’s and connect to Jewish life on their own college campuses is student-led Jewish

TRINITY COLLEGE H ILLEL UĂŠ7>À“]ĂŠĂœiÂ?Vœ“ˆ˜}]ĂŠÂˆÂ˜VÂ?Ă•ĂƒÂˆĂ›iĂŠVÂœÂ“Â“Ă•Â˜ÂˆĂŒĂž UĂŠ-Â…>LL>ĂŒĂŠ>˜`ĂŠÂ…ÂœÂ?ˆ`>ĂžĂƒĂŠÂœÂ˜ĂŠV>Â“ÂŤĂ•Ăƒ UĂŠ ÂœĂƒÂ…iÀÊ >ĂŒiĂ€ĂžĂŠÂˆÂ˜ĂŠÂ“>ÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ`ˆ˜ˆ˜}ĂŠv>VˆÂ?ÂˆĂŒĂž UĂŠ >Â?ÂœĂ€ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠÂ“ÂˆÂ˜ÂœĂ€ĂŠÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ iĂœÂˆĂƒÂ…ĂŠĂƒĂŒĂ•`ˆiĂƒ UĂŠ Ă?VÂˆĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠÂˆÂ˜ĂŒiĂ€Â˜>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜>Â?ĂŠ>Â?ĂŒiĂ€Â˜>ĂŒÂˆĂ›iĂŠLĂ€i>ÂŽĂƒ UĂŠ Â˜Â˜Ă•>Â?ĂŠ ÂˆĂ€ĂŒÂ…Ă€Âˆ}Â…ĂŒĂŠĂŒĂ€ÂˆÂŤĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ>ÂŤÂŤĂ€ÂœĂ›i`ĂŠ ĂŠĂŠĂŠĂƒĂŒĂ•`ÞÊ>LĂ€Âœ>`ĂŠÂˆÂ˜ĂŠ ĂƒĂ€>iÂ? UĂŠ/Â…iĂŠ<>VÂ…ĂƒĂŠ ˆÂ?Â?iÂ?ĂŠ ÂœĂ•Ăƒip>Â˜ĂŠÂˆÂ˜Ă›ÂˆĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ ĂŠĂŠĂŠÂ…ÂœÂ“iĂŠ>Ăœ>ÞÊvĂ€ÂœÂ“ĂŠÂ…ÂœÂ“i UĂŠ/Ă€ÂˆÂ˜ÂˆĂŒĂžĂŠ ÂœÂ?Â?i}ipœ˜iĂŠÂœvĂŠĂŒÂ…iĂŠÂ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜½ĂƒĂŠ ĂŠĂŠĂŠĂŒÂœÂŤĂŠÂ?ˆLiĂ€>Â?ĂŠ>Ă€ĂŒĂƒĂŠVÂœÂ?Â?i}iĂƒ

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fall 2013

6/27/13 6:36 PM

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