News Briefs
Yeshiva University Ranked Among Best College Values
Kiplinger rated Yeshiva University 32nd among the best private college values this December. The ratings are based on academic quality as well as cost and financial aid measures. Each school is judged on its competitiveness of admission, graduation rates, academic support, cost and financial aid, and student indebtedness. Among private universities ranked, Princeton, Harvard, and Vanderbilt scored the highest. Yeshiva received the 111th place for all universities, private and public. Kiplinger is a Washington, D.C.-based publisher of business forecasts and personal finance advice, available in print, online, audio, video and software products. One of its best-known publications is the magazine Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
Peculiarly, the Daily News Telegraph, an online news company that reports on business, culture, science, sports, and technology with an online circulation of around 700,000 viewers, reported on the ratings when they were released, explicitly mentioned Yeshiva University’s ranking among only a select few schools mentioned in their article.
The Situation in France--Fireside chat with Dr. Neil Rogachevsky
On Wednesday, Dec 9, The Schneier Program for International Affairs hosted a “fireside chat” with Tikvah Postdoctoral fellow at YU’s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought, Dr. Neil Rogachevsky, on “The Situation in France”. Dr. Rogachevsky spoke about the political atmosphere in France, the French government’s approach to handling various situations, the successes and failures of French intelligence agencies along with the budget cuts they’ve experienced, and demographic changes emerging in France as a result of migration and the acceptance of refugees. He pointed to the French attitude of using the government to solve problems and pointed to the recently declared state of emergency that granted the police broad powers to investigate and detain suspects of terror, as well as the recent closing of several mosques accused of harboring and breeding radicals. Further, while Rogachevsky noted the rise of Marine Le Pen’s National Front party as a direct reactionary result of recent terrorist attacks on France and populist sentiment against accepting more refugees, he questioned its staying power over the long-term.
After his prepared remarks, Dr. Rogachevsky opened the floor to questions and discussion. Questions varied from attempts the French were making to integrate their new immigrants to questioning the legitimacy of multiculturalism as a viable option for a modern country, which prompted much discussion among those in attendance. Other students inquired about so called “no-go zones” for French police run by gangs and mobs, to which Rogachevsky acknowledged and was wary of their existence but also cautioned that to some extent, they are over-hyped by some in the media. On a whole students appeared impressed with the breadth and scope of Dr. Rogachvesky’s knowledge and preparation. Political Science major Joey Chesir (YC ’17) said “He gave a novel insight into one of the world’s most pressing issue…it seemed that all who attended came away with a broader understanding of the current French political environment.”
College Democrats Run Voter Registration Drive
The college democrats held a several day voter registration drive aimed at the student body in an effort to get more students prepared for the upcoming primaries for the presidential election and to raise political awareness on campus. The club tabled on both the Wilf and Beren campuses, urging students to exercise their democratic right to vote and have their voices heard. Since voting is governed by the states and not the federal government, the group printed registration forms for many different states, making sure they would be prepared to the various geographical hometowns of the Yeshiva student body. At the end of their drive, the club had registered students from New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts, Maryland and the critical battleground states of Ohio and Florida.
Political Science Department Hosts End of Semester Meeting To Discuss Course Offerings
Continuing its established tradition of hosting end-of-semester meetings, the Political Science Department held an event to brief students taking courses within the department for the spring semester. Open to students majoring and minoring in Political Science, as well as others just interested in taking a course or two, the meeting gave faculty a chance to present their courses to the students prior to registration. After a presentation by Dunner Political Science Society President Yaacov Sultan, professors began summarizing their courses. Professor Roberto Genoves explained the different areas his Politics Across Cultures class would engage while Professor Jamie Aroosi detailed the approaches he would be taking to tackling American Constitutional Law and his carefully designed Cultures of Revolt class, cross-listed between Political Science and core requirement Cultures Over Time. In addition to her Introduction to International Relations, Professor Zaitseva introduced the new Writing Politics course, which is carefully tailored to teaching upperclassmen how to craft and produce a thesis paper. The course is a pilot for an expansion of such offerings across many majors, partially as a replacement to First Year Seminar, which was recently cut due to budget and faculty constraints. Lastly, the event concluded with Dr. Bevan presented her Honors course on Great Political Thinkers and Israeli Foreign Policy, a class taught by her and visiting professor former ambassador Danny Ayalon.
