News Briefs
Morning “Married Bus” Transportation Eliminated
The YU transportation system paired its introduction of the shuttle app with a simultaneous cutback in services. In previous years, YU has provided free downtown transportation for Stern and GPATS (Graduate Program for Women in Advanced Talmudic Study) students who live in Washington Heights. Every morning, a yellow school bus would ferry students from the corner of 186th and Amsterdam to Stern College’s Stanton Hall. Though the bus was funded by GPATS, the bus’s ridership regularly consisted of a mix over fifty GPATS students and Stern undergraduates. Last semester, YU threatened to downsize the so-called “married bus,” and replace it with a fifteen-seat van for GPATS students only, but after receiving a flurry of complaints, YU elected to preserve the status quo. This year, though, due to budget constraints, YU has decided to eliminate the bus entirely. In a second attempt to downsize, YU again proposed a highly subsidized van restricted to GPATS students. GPATS students declined the offer, opting instead for other convenient modes of transportation like the subway. Thus far, this alteration in transportation has had no demonstrable effects on their Talmudic reasoning.
New Pre-Law Advisor
This past week, Yeshiva College announced the hiring of Ms. Dina (Dassy) Chelst as the new pre-law adviser on campus. Following Ariella Hellman’s departure from YU after last semester, there was distinctive void in the Pre-Professional Advisement office. With degrees from Columbia University and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Chelst brings a wealth of experience and ”has a strong commitment to undergraduate education and the role of advising in a student’s academic and professional success,” according to a university-wide y-stud sent out by YC Dean Dr. Barry Eichler. While the first meet-and-greet with Ms. Chelst was already hosted before Rosh Hashanah, students are invited to reach out to her via email, at dchelst1@yu.edu, or by visiting her office located in Furst Hall, Room 110.
