UCSB, Senior HSJCSC Fellow
2003-2004 home page
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Grad students don�t like planning things. They have a lot of studying to do, and teaching, and don�t have much time on their hands. It�s good to help them as much as possible, but I found that even when they plan things, they are more low-key and will tell you specifically how they want you to help them. It might be a good idea to get a couple of students to serve as Grad Student Liaisons to at least get the ball rolling and plan programs. What that means is normally creating an evite and sending it out to the Grad student list about our grad programs. It�s not really hard to do. Although it took minimal time for me to do this year, without me, I don�t know if the discussions would have happened. Try seeking someone to do this, who might be here for some time.
I would say that grad students also like just hanging out with one another, so perhaps from the beginning of the year we should plan ahead. Perhaps one Shabbat of each month as Grad Student Shabbat, where all grad students would know that other grad students will come to services/schmooze with one another. Also, I would recommend having a bi-monthly or monthly social gathering at a local bar. Sometimes I would just hang out with the Grad students and thought that if it were an organized thing, maybe more people would be interested!
Key Leaders:
People who lead discussions this year included Rabbi, Jonathan, Masen, Debra, Stacie, and Peter. Justin and Jonathan became die-hard Shabbat dinner-goers, and Debra and some others are always around too.
GRAD PROGRAMS:
�Taking the Pulse of American Judaism: How are our vital signs?�
The goal was to have an initial gathering of graduate students. Rabbi Steve led Havdalah and the discussion at his house, and students provided desserts and drinks. It was a lovely gathering and generated much interest in future grad programs.
�American Jewish Politics and Secular Jews in Israel�
A History graduate student lead the discussion and came prepared with articles and everything for us to read. It was nice to see new faces and hear that people who met at the first grad event were hanging out with one another!
The Jew in the Christmas Tree: Discussing Interfaith Relationships:
The January discussion was about interfaith marriage, and lead by a grad student in Religious Studies. Again, we met at the Rabbi�s house, and everyone brought either a dessert or drink.
Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality:
This one was lead by another grad student and it was the first one to be held at a grad student�s house. It was a very good discussion, and even though a lot of questions came up that we hoped could be answered by the Rabbi, his not being present actually allowed the grad students to not guard their tongue. With that being said, it allowed for a very social environment.
Jewish Grad Student Shabbat:
A grad student in Religious Studies asked me to send out an invitation to the grad students to have them do a potluck Shabbat dinner at his house. Although not many students attended, it was nice to see a program being implemented by them, and to see that they were seeking social activities with one another.
What it means to be Jewish:
Lead by a Grad student from the Religious Studies Department. It was held another grad student�s house. The rabbi came, and of course, people brought snacks and drinks.
Grad Student Passover Seder:
This was another meal planned completely by grad students and held at the apartment of a grad student. There were even a couple of new faces who came!
Judaism/Jews in Academia:
This one was also lead by a Sociology grad student and the location was at another student�s apartment. The turnout was small, but there were a couple of new faces who had never come before, which was great!