School
Insiders' Guide To
Jewish Life On Campus
A thumbnail
sketch of
Jewish life
on six
Michigan
university
campuses.
JENNIFER FINER
SPECIAL TO THE
JEWISH NEWS
Students fill the room for a lecture at the University of Michigan Hillel.
aintaining a Jewish identity
on campus can be tough,
especially at some of the
state's smaller schools.
Students attending Mich-
igan's six biggest univer-
sities talk about what it is
like to be Jewish on campus.
While most students
interviewed said they did
not attend Hillel-sponsored
events on a regular basis,
many agreed that Hillel is a
good place to frequent to
maintain a Jewish identity
away from home. Another
way to meet other Jewish
students on campus is to
join Jewish sororities and
fraternities.
Many of the statistics for
this article are from the
1993 edition of The Hillel
Guide to Jewish Life on
Campus published by the
B'nai B'rith Hillel Foun-
dations.
This insider's guide is not
the final word on Jewish life
on Michigan's campuses but
hopefully a helpful start to
find a university.
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Contact: (313) 769-0500
General
population:
35,000
Jewish population: 6,000
Student perspective:
Darcy Lockman, senior,
Farmington Hills
Comments: We have a
pretty strong Hillel. From
everything I hear, ours is
one . of the best. There is a
lot of Jewish life here on
campus. A lot depends on
where you live your fresh-
Man year. The dorms on
the hill are known for heavy
Jewish populations, so if
you live there, you're more
likely to have a broad base
of Jewish friends. It seems
like everyone around me is
pretty Jewish. Jewish stu-
dents are involved in all
aspects of campus life. It's
just a good Jewish environ-
ment.
Hillel perspective: Dianne
Harrison, director of devel-
opment.
Comments: U-M Hillel is
an umbrella organization
for the over 20 student-run
groups. We offer social, reli-
gious, cultural and educa-
tional programs. Freshman
should know they can come
here for meeting other
Jewish students, services
and kosher meals as well as
other activities.
Michigan State
University
East Lansing, Mich.
Contact: (517) 332-191
General
population:
43,000
Jewish population: 2,000
Student perspective:
Robyne Meyers, 1993 gradu-
ate, Oak Park
Comments: Maintaining
a Jewish identity at MSU is
basically what you make of
it. There is not a huge
Jewish population, but join-
ing a Jewish sorority or one
of the Jewish fraternities
really helps. When I first
started State, a lot of
Jewish students would live
off campus on Spartan and
Stoddard Street, but it's not
really as popular as it used
to be. I don't really know
that much about Hillel; I've
only been there a few times.
I think that because so
many people live so close to
school, they tend to go home
for holidays but it's nice to
know Hillel is there.
Hillel perspective: Jenni-
fer Epstein, program direc-
tor.
Comments: College can
be a very difficult time and
being connected to a healthy
vibrant Jewish community
can make the transition so
much easier. Whether your
needs are social or religious,
Hillel can help you figure
out how to best meet them.
Wayne State University
Detroit, Mich.
Contact: (313) 557-3459
General
population:
30,000
Jewish population: 400
Student perspective:
Kevin Elbinger, 4th year,
Oak Park
Comments: All the stu-
dents at Wayne go to class
and then they go home; it's
a commuter school. There is
no collaboration of Jewish
students except for some
involved in Hillel or the
Jewish Fraternity Alpha
Epsilon Pi. Right now we
have 14 people in our frater-
nity and only a few people
always go to Hillel. That's it
for groups of Jewish kids.
Maybe friends hang out
with each other. They are
trying to change Hillel but
it's pretty much the same
people who go to all the
events. It's also kind of out
of the way on the 6th floor
of the Student Center build-
ing.