News Brief: Security Fee Introduced and Commencement Delayed a Week

YU Introduces New Security Fee in Wake of Increased Security Measures

YU instituted a new $375 security fee this Spring semester due to increased security measures taken by the university since the Oct. 7 massacre.

Although the university has said there have currently been no credible threats against YU, tensions have been rising in recent months with pro-Palestinian protestors blocking major bridges in the city, storming both Grand Central and Penn Station and protesting throughout Murray Hill, in close proximity to the Beren Campus.

Security presence across campuses has increased with use of the NYPD paid deal program, consisting of off-duty policemen who provide services for the school. Additionally, YU has been working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), along with conducting daily intelligence briefings. 

May 2024 Commencement Delayed a Week

Yeshiva University updated its undergraduate academic calendar late last month, moving commencement for Spring 2024 graduation from May 22 to 29, over a week after the conclusion of final exams.

Many students expressed dissatisfaction with the move, and a petition to move graduation back to its original date drew 84 signatures. The switch particularly poses a problem for students who rely on university housing, which is scheduled to close May 23. Graduating students will have access to university housing before graduation, Director of Residence Life Avi Feder told The Commentator.

“To me, I don’t care much that it has been moved,” Zev Granik (YC ‘24) told The Commentator. “As long as it is after finals, I’m okay with it. The part that is surprising is that our graduation is going to be in the middle of the week. I feel bad for friends and family who have work or school that day, but at least we got advanced notice about it.”

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Photo Caption: YU announced a new security fee for the coming semester.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Levin