Greek Life

In deciding what I wanted to explore with Caleb this week, I reflected back on my fraternal experience as an undergrad. I came to my undergrad looking for a diverse collegiate experience. However, when it came time to choose an organization to join, I decided to go with what was most comfortable for me, which was to join a historically African-American organization. I enjoyed the camaraderie and experiences I gained from joining my organization. It made me think about how joining a historically Jewish organization could do for Caleb's collegiate experience. While the difference between an organization like mine and the ones I intend for Caleb are clear, some of the reasons behind their very existence are very similar. According to Sanua (1999), "the mainstream Greek system as it existed around the turn of the twentieth century was virtually closed to all but the most exceptional or hidden Jewish students, as it was to black and Asian students, and in many cases, Roman Catholics as well (p. 7)". Like the Jewish students, only those Black students who were able to hide their ethnicity (also know as "passing) were able to function in White society without complication. Many of the barriers that kept college students of other religious and ethnic backgrounds from joining these organizations were written into the constitutions and by-laws of the organization. The need for organizations that allowed the students to express their individual differences eventually led to the diverse and widespread Greek community that exists today.



A big concern for Caleb would be discerning what type of Jewish students made up the fraternal organization. Are they devout Jews, following both the religious and social aspects of Judaism? Were they just social observers, the ones that are rarely seen at traditional events but are always present during socials? Did they fall somewhere in between the two like he does? I believe that Caleb would be most comfortable with students that did a mix of both. People that may not attend all of the religious events but are very involved with the campus' Jewish community.



Another major concern I think he would face is deciding whether or not the members of the organization were as good as they present themselves in literature. Some organizations have a tendency to put all of their best accomplishments forward to potential member, regardless of how long ago those events occurred. There are also organizations that claim to be committed to following the Jewish principles that were founded upon. However, these same organizations are so heavily influenced by the mainstream Greek culture that many of their traditional practices eventually become non-existent. They become replaced by alcohol and sub-standard living. Caleb's personality would deter him from an organization that did not practice what they put on paper. In this case, the aggregate of the members would play a vital role in his decision to join any organization.



Sanua also mentioned the concept of "Jewish student migrancy" (p. 6). This phenomenon is defined as Jewish males' willingness to travel a long distance from home in order to attend an unrestricted school. I liken this concept to the decision of a Jewish student to join a non-Jewish organization. Once again, the aggregate would play a major part in this occurrence. on one hand, the group could offer Caleb an opportunity to interact with a diverse group of students while maintaining his ties to the Jewish community. On the other hand, it could allow Caleb to distance himself from the Jewish community and explore the university outside of its watchful eye. The latter could have positive and negative consequences. My only knowledge of this type of interaction is when a Jewish friend of mine told me how the members of the fraternity he was trying to join drew a swastika on his back. That experience was enough to deter him from joining the Greek community in any capacity. I could not see Caleb joining any organization that would put his faith or his personal beliefs into question or criticism by those who do not understand them.

Resource:

Sanua, M.R. (1999). Jewish college fraternities in the united states, 1895-1968: An overview. Journal of Ethnic American History, Winter 2000, 2-42.

To Be Or Not To Be (Kosher)

An important part of the Jewish culture that I have noticed is the concept of kosher eating. I have seen the label on many foods and heard it used as slang but I never really knew what being kosher consisted of. I was under the assumption that it meant that Jewish people did not eat any pork products. However, I have come to see that it entails much more than that. I also can see how it could be an issue of concern for Jewish college students.

According to Bar-David (1872), keeping kosher means not eating any cloven-hoofed animal (i.e. pigs) or shellfish, no drinking of non-Jewish wine, no mixing of dairy and meat, and eating animals that have been drained of blood before being cooked. While many Jewish people do not maintain this specific regimen of kosher diet, it is followed to an extent. For Jewish students, following such a strict diet is probably very difficult. As a person who does not eat pork, I find it difficult to find certain items that are not made with pork on campus. Add on the other specifications that are a part of the kosher diet and the choices become much smaller.

What does the lack of food options for on-campus dining do to the comfort level of Jewish students? Do the university dining services make special consideration for this population or allow them to fend for themselves? How much does it cost to provide kosher products available for Jewish students? I would think that not being able to appease a basic need like eating would lead to a student being somewhat dissatisfied with the college environment. Why would a student go to the dining hall if there is nothing for them to eat? Not having (or not providing) the resources to accomodate a special population of students could be perceived as ignorance or a lack of concern on the poart of the administration if not dealt with properly.


Resource
Bar-David, M.L.. (1972). Food. In Encyclopaedia Judaica (Vol. 6, pp. 1413-1428). Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House Jerusalem Ltd.

3X, I'm Out (Well, Not Really)

What I mean by what is in the title is how I felt about almost getting my first in-person voice interview this week. I finally had heard back from the President of Hillel here at BGSU and scheduled a time to meet this past week. Unfortunately, she had some prior engagement and had to reschedule her time to meet with me. Three times this week I set up times to meet, and three times this week she was not able to make it at the last minute. For the time being, I have put that piece of fact-gathering on the backburner.

Earlier this week I came across an ethnography of the Jewish student population done by a student at Purdue University. The beginning of her report reads like something we would (or should ) be writing about in our journals. She gives a very vivid description of the physical environment of the campus' Hillel house. She describes every room in the house, it's purpose and its importance to the Jewish students on the campus. It reminds me that all types of students, in one way or another, need a place to call home on their campus. A place like the Hillel reminds me of my own experience working at the Paul Robeson Cultural Center at my undergrad. I spent alot of time there and was able to meet many students and adminisrators that made an impact on my college experience. The Cultural Center was a big part of my experience and in that sense I can see why a Hillel is such an important part of the Jewish students' culture.

Another important point I took from the report was the fact that the Hillel provided its students with religious and spiritual guidance. I thought this was important for a student who takes their religion seriously to have such an outlet in that time of uncertainty, which college can sometimes be. The author states that during her study she "came upon the realization that Jewish college students at Purdue face challenges retaining their faith due to law abiding issues, discrimination, and different levels or notions of Jewish identity (p. 3)". At a time in life when most people are still figuring out who they are, Jewish students acan turn to the Hillel to helop reinforce their beliefs and finds others who can relate to their experiences.

I think that for Caleb to have a place like the Hillel on his campus would help him to develop into a well-rounded college student. It would allow him to retain an important part of himself and socialize with other Jewish students without having to compromise his faith or integrity to fit in. I would like to find out how Jewish students on college campuses with out resources like Hillels manage to congregate and celebrate their faith. While I assume it is more difficult to organize a group without a home base, I would like to see (and hopefully, participate in) how it gets done despite the lack of resources.


Resource
Teuful, K. (2005). From shikses to nudnicks: A guide to jewish life at purdue university. Unpublished manuscript, Purdue University.