September Newsbrief: Six-Semester Requirement Reduced; Shin Bet Chief Visits YU; Stabbing and Gunfire Incidents Reported Near Wilf Campus
Six-Semester Graduation Requirement Reduced (Brauner)
Students are no longer required to spend six full-time semesters on campus to graduate, undergraduate deans announced in an Aug. 26 email.
Through AP credits and summer courses, students may have the ability to graduate in less than three years on campus, though without these credits, it will likely not be possible, especially for rigid majors, honors students and students pursuing acceptance into prestigious schools after completing their bachelor’s degree, the email said.
The change comes “In response to input from students and parents,” the deans added. It applies to Yeshiva College, Stern College for Women and the Sy Syms School of Business.
Students must still complete their other undergraduate requirements, including earning 128 credits — at least 84 being on campus, including 24 of the final 35 credits — finishing a major — with at least 60% of it having been completed on campus — and fulfilling Judaic and General Education requirements, according to the email. Students wishing to inquire about their requirements are encouraged to contact their academic advisor.
“The decision to reduce the required semesters in residence allows students greater flexibility while ensuring the same rigorous academic standards and commitment to a predominantly in-person experience that have always been the hallmarks of a YU education,” the deans stated. “Such an education — from the beit midrash to the college classroom to a campus experience to the athletic field and beyond — is a formative opportunity that prepares students to lead successful, meaningful lives.”
Dovid Bluth (YC ‘27) spoke optimistically about the change.
“I’m very excited to see that the deans and the university as a whole are looking to find ways to improve the education here at Yeshiva University, maintaining its rigorous content but also allowing students to find a path of education that works best for them,” Bluth told The Commentator. “I think that’s exciting.”
Shin Bet Director David Zini Speaks to YU Students During U.S. Visit (Greenberg)
On Sept. 1, Major General David Zini, director of Israel’s internal intelligence service Shin Bet, spoke to scholars at the Rabbi Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership.
General Zini visited the United States to meet with FBI Director Kash Patel and discuss counterterrorism, intelligence sharing and terror financing. General Zini also met with President Ari Berman, who asked the director to speak to Yeshiva University students.
The director spoke about the importance of leadership and the unique strength of younger Jews. Students noted how General Zini integrated religious messaging into his address. Sara Cohen (SCW ’25) told the Sacks-Herenstein newsletter that General Zini “proudly embodies the identity of a Torah Jew while serving his country at such a high level.”
Students also said General Zini was an attentive listener and engaged them in conversation. General Zini asked students for their thoughts and led a discussion that lasted several minutes. “Those five minutes in which he gave us his time and attention will be remembered,” Shoshana Cypess (SCW ’29) told the Sacks-Herenstein newsletter.
“Director Zini’s visit speaks powerfully to the enduring bond between Yeshiva University and the State of Israel, and to our distinctive responsibility in the Jewish world,” President Berman told YU News. “Our mission is to educate students at the highest level and prepare them to lead with moral clarity, courage and conviction. Director Zini has devoted his life to serving Israel and the Jewish people, and the opportunity for our students to learn directly from his example was deeply meaningful.”
Separate Incidents of Stabbing and “Shots Fired” Reported Near Wilf Campus in Same Week (Brauner)
In separate incidents during the week of Sept. 6, a stabbing occurred near Amsterdam Ave. and 186th St. and a gun was fired on 187th St. between Amsterdam Ave. and Audubon Ave.
At around 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, “a serious assault between two individuals” unaffiliated with YU was reported, drawing police and emergency medical presence, according to a notification from YU Security. Yoel Horwitz (YC ‘27), a witness to the incident, told The Commentator that the assailant stabbed the victim with a box cutter.
Horwitz said the incident occurred near the kosher restaurants on Amsterdam Ave., “closer to Burgers and Grill,” near the corner of 186th St. He was in a different restaurant, Falafel Crunch, when he witnessed two people fighting. After seeing one of the men make “wild movements” and hold a box cutter, he called the police. He also witnessed the man standing outside Zysman Hall and then turning left on 187th St.
The witness said the victim was ok after he was “stabbed a little bit” in the chest or arm and that a YU student who is an EMT assisted him.
On Sept. 10 at around 9:35 p.m., a report claimed that there were “shots fired” in the same area, leading to police arrival and investigation, YU Security said in another notification, adding that no injuries were reported. A second notification that night stated that the NYPD “secured the area … have given the all-clear” and reported that no one from YU was involved.
The Commentator spoke with two YU security guards who clarified that the gunfire occurred on 187th St. between Amsterdam Ave. and Audubon Ave., the block where Muss Hall is located. The shots were directed to the air, a guard said.
YU security patrolling increased in response to the incidents, according to one of the guards.
Photo Caption: Wilf Campus; President Rabbi Ari Berman (l) with General David Zini; Zysman Hall, situated on two blocks that saw recent stabbing and gunfire incidents
Photo Credit: The Commentator; YUNews; Wikimedia Commons
