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.

An Observance (Ash Wednesday)

This past Wednesday saw the Catholic and Christian observance of Ash Wednesday. This religious holiday is recognized as a day of repentance and fasting and signifies the beginning of Lent.

As someone who does not have a strong religious background, I have never paid much attention to this holiday or its proceedings. I can vividly remember the first time I recognized the ash mark on someone. I was still in high school and it occurred while I was working. Initially, I thought it was a scar on the person's forehead. As more and more customers came into the restaurant with the similar markings, I figured out that it was not a coincidence.

Walking around this past Wednesday and seeing so many people with this now familiar mark made me think about Caleb and how he would perceive such an occurrence. How would he act to see so many people walking around with ash on their foreheads? Would it be an uncomfortable experience? Would it be of any alarm for him? It is still something I observe curiously, even though I have a slightly better understanding of the holiday. For someone who has never observed the holiday or seen it in action, I am sure that Caleb will have many questions and possibly experience some alienation.

I would like to get some firsthand accounts of similar experiences and how they were dealt with by Jewish students. I will be continuing my attempts to get in contact with Jewish students to give my voice informing a proper perspective.

Change Up

As much as I like writing in the narrative form (something I am actually surprised I even like doing) I feel that if I continue to write that way I will not be providing what I need to establish that I am getting what I should be out of this project. So from now on I will be discussing what I have read to inform my voice and my experiences in informing my voice.

So far my attempts to inform my voice by way of students who live the voice have been unsuccessful. Emails sent to the presidents of the Hillels at BGSU and Rutgers University have not yet been returned. An email sent to the Chabad House at Rutgers has not been returned either. I will continue to look into these resources. I feel that once I make those connections I can give my voice more authenticity. Until then, I will continue to inform my voice by way of articles related to Jewish students and the college experience.

This week I wanted to talk about the overall experience of a college student. I feel that there are many opportunities for students to develop and degenerate while in college. It is these experiences that produce the person that walks across the stage at commencement. Having experienced many successes and taken many backsteps as an undergraduate, I can definitely relate that experience. However, as someone who is not very religious, I wonder how influential the presence of a sense of religion is on the positive and negative decisions a college student makes. I sometimes believe that if I had taken religion more seriously I would not have made some of the mistakes I did. But I also believe that some things are inevitable and help you make better decisions later on in life.

I guess i am saying all of that to say I am curious to see how Caleb's devotion to his family and religious practices will impact his decision making while in college. All of the child-rearing in the world does not always prepare a child for what college can bring to a person's life. Will he succumb to the pressures of his peers and being away from home? Or will what he has learned in life thus far keep him on the straight and narrow path? Will being away from home make him think more or less about his faith? Will Caleb continue his practices from home or will he find new ones? Will his experiences in college lead to a disconnect from his parents?

Abraham D. Lavender (1971), in his study of Jewish college students, stated "That Jewish identity is affected by the college experience is generally accepted, but there is considerable disagreement over the extent and direction of this effect. He then goes on to present opposing viewpoints on the subject. In the first, Irving Greenberg describes college as "disaster area for Judaism, Jewish loyalty, and Jewish identity". He also states that an availability of positive models of Jewishness on college campuses could offset the negative effects of college on Jewish students. Conversely, Mansoor stated that many Jewish students enter college lacking committment to the Jewish faith and leave with a better understanding of their faith as a result of taking courses in Hebrew and Jewish culture.

There are a multitude of paths available to Caleb within the college environment. It is important foe me to be aware of all of the avenues available to Caleb and make sure that I find articles taht speak to a variety of experiences a Jewish male may encounter on a college campus. I am curious to see if I can find more articles related to religious attrition during the college years.

Cracking the Shell

It's my second night here and my parents are long gone. My roommate arrived a few hours after I did. He is from Connecticut and came here by himself. I was a little surpirsed that he came all the way here on his own. He seems far more assertve about things than I am. I helped him move his stuff in and we talked about what we wanted to do this year. I told him that I really didn't know what to expect and that I wasn't all that good at making new friends. I have known the same people my entire life and now I would have to find a new group of friends. Luckily we had that in common. He suggested to me (which was his plan also) that I should find things here that remind me of home. Things that would make me more comfortable being here.

The more he talks the more I feel myself closing up. As much as I am actually interested in what he is saying, I'd really just rather be home. There would be no thinking about it if I was there. But I can't show him that, so I continue to look interested and engaged.

I'm not sure when what he said actually started to sick in (or if I just gave in so he would stop talking about it) but I told him that I would look into some of the stuff available on campus after classes got started. Although he was happy to hear me say that, he was more interested in what I would be doing to fill my void NOW. I told him nothing, to which he responded "you're not sitting in here, that's for sure!". After much prodding I eventually agreed to go with him to the main campus to see what was there. Apparently he wasn't happy being on the quiet, secluded engineering campus. I think having someone to do things with will make for a easier transition to being away from home. Next stop: College Ave.

Throughout Caleb's college career, I can anticipate him facing issues that will challenge both his moral and religious integrity. There will be moments of triumph and disaster, but all will be steps toward Caleb developing into an indepedent and self-sufficient member of the Rutgers community. His roommate is slowly becoming his big "A" authority regarding navigating the Rutgers campus. Whether or not this will be a compliment or detriment to his development is to be decided.

The Landing

As I moved my stuff out of my parents' car and into my dorm room, I realized just how big a moment this was. This would be the first time I have lived on my own away from home. I mean, it's not like I moved across the country or anything. I'm about 45 minutes from where I grew up. But to me it might as well be as if I moved to California. I think it's times like this when having such a close family can be difficult.

I could see the tears welling up in my mother's eyes everytime she took something of mine up the stairs to my new room. My father handled it much better than she. That is understandable considering he always taught me to be strong and not give off the impression of weakness. Oddly enough, I am handling this alot better than I expected. Or at least i think I am. I'm sure they cannot see if but I am going all kinds of crazy inside. I just got here but I am already thinking about the next time I'm going home. I just want to see my friends from high school and temple.

What if I need something? What if something happens at home? How will I get there? Will I make friends here? Will I have anything in common with anybody? All things running through my head. Maybe the anxiety IS getting the best of me. Regardless of how I feel, this day was inevitable. I had to fly away from the nest someday. I am sure my parents are proud that I have made it this far and expect me to go even further. I just have to take the wheel and make this situation the best it can be. But in the meantime, I still have unpacking to do.