Student Pulse: Purim, Housing Changes, and the Wall of Lies
250 students took this issue's Student Pulse
Purim
What kind of Purim Chagiga and or Seuda did you attend? (Select all that apply)
YU- 56.4%
Non-YU Mixed- 39.4%
Non-YU Separate Sex- 15.7%
None- 11.9%
"I was at YU's Chagiga because I wanted to see the shpiel. And as for the Seuda, well, it was at home."
"I went to the STERN chagiga because it's awesome. Kind of a shame every event is separated these days though."
Did you imbibe alcohol on Purim night?
No- 76.1%
Yes, enough to fulfill my obligation 10.5%
Yes, I drank more than enough for my obligation but not enough to get drunk 5.5%
Yes, I got drunk- 8.0%
Did you imbibe alcohol on Purim day?
No- 42.2%
Yes, enough to fulfill my obligation- 33.3%
Yes, I drank more than enough for my obligation but not enough to get drunk 8.9%
Yes, I got drunk- 15.6%
"I got drunk as a means of fulfilling my obligation."
Did you dress up on Purim?
Yes- 60.3%
No- 39.7%
As?
"Mummar Gaddafi" • "Pirate" • "Half yeshivish-half normal" • "An Atom" • "A Sailor" • "The Four Seasons, with three friends" • "Holly Golightly" • "A Rainbow" • "Snooki"
Housing
Do you think the housing changes are a good idea or not?
Great Idea- 7.7%
Good Idea- 23.6%
Unsure- 49.5%
Bad Idea- 11.5%
Terrible Idea- 7.7%
"I like the structure of a Freshman Dorm. It will help develop a sense of FTOC community."
"Won't that make the separate economic classes in the student body stand out?"
"About time YU got some good living areas."
Do you agree that all students should have to pay an extra $500 for current university services?
Strongly Agree- 2.9%
Agree- 14.8%
Neutral- 25.4%
Disagree- 23.4%
Strongly Disagree- 33.5%
"I would like to see all these little fees included in tuition, so I know exactly how much YU costs each year. On that note, I would like to see a breakdown of where my tuition money is going."
"We pay enough as it is."
"On campus students are in essence subsidizing the amenities for everyone at YU. Those people who live off campus should pay a fee for their fair share of the costs."
"It's a way of raising the cost of attending YU for everyone, despite repeated ‘freezes' on the tuition."
"I don't have enough information to answer this question."
Wall of Lies
Did you see the Wall of Lies posted in Furst Hall during Israel Apartheid Week?
Yes- 45.9%
No- 28.0%
No, but I heard about it while it was up- 15.0%
No, but I heard about it afterwards- 11.1%
Were you aware that the Wall of Lies was in response to Israel Apartheid Week?
Yes- 46.1%
No- 35.0%
Did not know about it until someone told me- 9.2%
Did not know about it until I read it in The Commentator- 7.8%
Do you agree that displaying the wall was a proper response to Israel Apartheid week?
Strongly agree- 12.0%
Agree- 22.9%
Neutral- 35.4%
Disagree- 17.7%
Strongly disagree- 12.0%
"It was offensive to almost everyone I spoke to."
"It was not clear to most people that it was in response to Israel Apartheid Week, and I don't think it was in any way a positive response to the Apartheid Week. In fact, I think the entire Wall of Lies was just as destructive as the Apartheid Week itself."
"I think the idea was good, but the execution was not. The wall should have been objectively accurate, without ambiguous statements, and the use of blood font was probably ill-advised, based on the reaction it elicited."
"Tolerance is a two way street."
"While I do agree with generating discussion I also believe it should have been framed as such – some sort of accompanying piece saying how the Israel Club wants to generate activism and discussion rather than just displaying it as is would have been a good idea."
Do you think that displaying it in Furst Hall was an appropriate use of the space, and a constructive presentation of the idea?
Yes- 47.6%
No- 52.4%
"It wasn't publicized well enough. I only heard about it because I'm taking some classes about Middle East politics and some students mentioned it."
"We have to remain calm, composed, and civil. We cannot resort to vicious biting tactics which our political and religious rivals tend to use."
"I have confidence that YU students are capable of having more complex intellectual dialogue than the one sided Wall of Lies. Why did we stoop down to their level? The Israel club could have brought a much more powerful message."
"Kol Hakavod to the Israel Club and Yakum for shaking up the student body!"
Is Yeshiva University doing enough to combat anti-Zionism and/or Anti-Semitism?
Yes- 14.0%
No- 28.0%
I have no idea what YU is doing to combat these issues- 58.0%
What else can YU do?
"We should ask Columbia Hillel what YU students can do to help their cause there. By going to school in an environment that has both sides, they are far more qualified to develop a constructive response to IAW than we are, and offering our help to them would be the best thing we could do."
"Invite them to have a debate."
"We should house speakers and institute programming to help educate the masses about the facts surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict so that we can help combat ignorance."
"Go to those campuses and support the pro-Israel groups."
"Could the CJF team up with the David Project? Running smaller seminars on campuses could greatly help."
Interesting Statistics
Are all YU Chagigot created equal? 65.8% of Yeshiva College students polled attended the men's Purim Chagiga, while only 48% of Stern students polled attended the women's Purim Chagiga.
Who likes costumes? While 53.6% of Yeshiva College men dressed up on Purim, 69.4% of Stern Women dressed up.
While 71% of off campus dwellers dressed up on Purim, only 53.9% of their dorm or IHP residing friends did.
While 62.2% of non-honors students think that displaying the Wall of Lies in Furst Hall was an appropriate use of the space and a constructive presentation of the idea, 72.9% of Honors students believe it was not.
