New EC policy poses problems for religious needs

Rebecca Herskovits, CC ’12, is the only first-year Orthodox Jewish girl who will be living in an East Campus suite next year.

Her friends did not fare as well. They will have to seek housing elsewhere, confronting challenges in other residential dormitories that may not accommodate their religious needs as effectively as EC does.

Herskovits’ friends are among many Orthodox Jewish students who will face the effects of one of this year’s housing policy changes. The same room/same suite policy, which allowed students to retain suites from one year to the next, was particularly beneficial to Orthodox students, who could pass down suites that accommodated their dietary and Sabbath observance needs. But with this policy gone, many might be faced with the difficulty of finding an alternative residential hall where these needs can be met.

“Right now it looks like there is no guarantee that a student who is Sabbath observant or who keeps kosher will be able to find a purely kosher environment,” Rabbi David Almog of Columbia/Barnard Hillel said. “It does not mean they won’t be able to eat—it just means it will be more difficult.”

Almog, who has been one of the primary communicators with housing administrators, first heard about the issue from students before winter break. He said that Housing believed that allowing students to maintain suites from one year to the next was unfair. But for Orthodox Jewish students, the removal of this policy may cause problems regarding religious observance.

EC, in particular, is a popular dorm for this group. Its suite-style living makes preparing kosher food possible. There are also non-automatic lights, a requisite for the observance of the Sabbath. And unlike in some other residential halls, students do not need to swipe their IDs in order for the EC door to open. Swiping is prohibited for Orthodox students on the Sabbath.

“The Housing Advisory Committee—made up of RAs and representatives of Columbia College and Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences student councils—took the proposal back to their respective councils and they voted yes [to removing same room/ same suite policy],” Joyce Jackson, Executive Director of Housing and Accommodation Services, said.

But despite ongoing conversations among Almog, Orthodox Jewish students, and housing administrators, a definitive solution has yet to be made as to how Orthodox Jewish students will be accommodated.

“Originally I thought that everything was going to work out fine, I thought housing would work out and we could do something along the lines of special interest housing,” Emma Lebwohl, SEAS ’11 and the Student Services Representative on the Engineering Student Council who brought the suite-removal issue to the attention of the council, said. “It turns out that after several meetings that either I attended or Jordan Katz and Rabbi Almog attended, we didn’t get anywhere. Housing did not see us eye to eye. It honestly is really hard to convey things to people who are not accustomed to anything remotely close to having concerns such as extremely strict dietary laws, or not using anything remotely related to electricity once a week.”

Jordan Katz, CC ’11 and president of Yavneh, Hillel’s Orthodox group, also remains unsure about what Housing plans to do for Orthodox Jewish students who may end up living in a residential hall unfit for their needs.

“Housing was not really responsive, to say the least,” Katz said. “I wasn’t saying, we need to live in East Campus, but we have these restrictions. The question we needed answered was, what are you prepared to do for the students who have these needs?”

But others support the removal of this policy, stating that the concept of allowing students to hold onto suites from one year to the next leaves others at a disadvantage in the housing selection process.

“Same room/same suite made for a really corrupt system,” a source said, who wished to remain anonymous due to what he described as the sensitivity of the issue. “Sure, a lot of Jewish students were happy, but that didn’t mean other people were who ended up having less rooms to choose from.”

Housing administrators acknowledged that they have not yet come to a firm resolution, largely because the housing selection process is currently taking place, which makes it difficult to discern the outcome of the change. But they affirmed that they will accommodate students on a case-by-case basis.

“When we know where the students are living and we know what their specific needs are, we’ll work with them to prepare the spaces the way the need them,” Jackson said. “If that means they need new appliances, we’ll order new appliances.”

But to many students, the removal of this policy may affect the sense of community that was once fostered in residential halls. Under the same room/same suite policy, there was a high concentration of Orthodox Jewish students in EC many of whom lived in suites on the same floor, spending weekends with one another and observing holidays together.

“For a religion that has its base in community, it’s really nice to have that community in the building,” Rami Levi, CC ’12 and an Orthodox Jewish student, said. “And now that it’s gone, it’s not the end of the world, but it does mean that people can’t appreciate what it means to be part of the community anymore.”

Almog agreed, pointing to the effects that this will have on the dynamics of this close-knit community.

“Students choose to come here because of the strong Orthodox Jewish community,” Almog said. “This is a campus that is committed to diversity—that includes religious diversity. Part of being committed to diversity is making people with different needs feel comfortable. I think that is going to be a challenge.”

Still, administrators maintain that the removal of the policy will not result in the diminishing of this sense of community.

“We look forward to working with Hillel and residential programs to make sure that that type of community can continue,” Michael Novielli, CC ’03 and Chief of Administration, said. “Obviously we don’t want to hurt in any way the vibrant community that already exists, and the great thing is Hillel is a very active organization and we have a good relationship with the Kraft Center.”

Columbia will tighten security regulations with Sabbath observer register book

Students—and sometimes strangers—have been able to wander into any Columbia residential hall during the Sabbath in light of lax security regulations intended to respect religious needs. But the policy is about to change, as the housing administration takes a firmer grip on dormitory security.

Traditional Jewish students—those who observe Shabbat and keep kosher—approached housing administrators to discuss the issue. Up until recent changes were made, students were allowed to enter dorms during the Sabbath by simply stating, “Sabbath observer,” in light of the fact that Sabbath-observant students cannot swipe their IDs on Saturdays or other days of observance. This policy created the prospect of a security threat, as strangers were allowed to enter dormitories and showed up at meals.

Prompted by Jewish students, the housing administration decided it needed to change the security policy so that it would protect students, while enabling them to move about without violating the Sabbath. Several changes have been made, which will be enacted this weekend.

Columbia Housing has created a Sabbath observer register book, which has the photo IDs of each person that is registered. These students, when entering the building during the Sabbath, will stand in line and tell the guards that they are Sabbath observers. After the students provide their names, UNIs, and room numbers, the guards will verify the information through the roster of photos of Sabbath observers. When Barnard students or other guests come to Columbia dorms on a Friday night, the host must supply a full list of guests in advance. On Saturdays—which are generally less busy than Friday nights—the hosts can meet their guests downstairs, and the guard will sign them in.

CORRECTION APPENDED: A previous version of this article stated that Rebecca Herskovits, CC '12, is the only first-year member of Columbia's orthodox jewish community who will live in East Campus next year. In fact, Herskovits is the only orthodox Jewish girl with this residential accommodation. Spectator regrets the error.