MU Referendum
Jewish Student Union seeks seats on student board.
REBECCA LYNN ELKUS
Special to the Jewish News
East Lansing
f Michigan State University stu-
dents amend the student govern-
ment's constitution next month, the
Jewish Student Union will obtain seats
on the student governing board,
Associated Students of MSU.
The JSU president, Scott Lachman,
promised the change in his election
speech last March.
"One of my goals as president was
that I wanted to get Jewish students
involved at the university level," said
Lachman, a sophomore from
Farmington Hills. "I wanted to give us a
voice."
Jared Rapp, ASMSU representative
from the school of business, a senior
from Bloomfield Hills, proposed the
change with Lachman, a representative
from the university undergraduate divi-
sion, at an ASMSU meeting Feb. 10.
The two requested that JSU be consid-
ered for two seats — one on the aca-
demic assembly and one on the student
assembly.
"There are approximately 2,500
undergraduate Jewish students on
MSU's campus," said Lachman. "We are
a cultural group and our programming
offers a variety of cultural aspects for
members and the MSU community at
large."
ASMSU representatives voted 21-6 to
add the amendment to a student refer-
endum next month. Ten representatives
abstained.
"The Jewish student population, right
now, really has no voice," said Rapp. "If
this amendment to the constitution
passes, it will open the gates to so many
opportunities for JSU, such as facility
usage and money that they wouldn't
normally have."
Undergraduate students will vote on-
line March 23-24.
Student groups that are represented
on ASMSU are categorized as either part
of the Council of Progressive Students or
the Coalition of Racial and Ethnic
Students. JSU is categorized as a COPS
group, because being Jewish is not
defined as a separate ethnicity, said
Patricia Smith, vice chairperson for
internal affairs at ASMSU and a senior
from Livonia.
"Giving JSU seats on the assemblies is
I
a hotly debated topic," said Smith.
"There's the argument that JSU is a cul-
tural group, but a lot of what they are
comprised of is religious, too. It's good
to have underrepresented groups within
our governing body but it may open the
floodgates to all sorts of religious groups
requesting seats," she said.
If the amendment passes, JSU will
occupy the seats immediately. JSU elec-
tions for representatives will be held on
March 27, said Lachman.
"I am a strong supporter of JSU hold-
ing seats," said Drew Bell, ASMSU vice
chairperson for external affairs and a sen-
ior from Fort Wayne, Ind. "We are a
diverse group and the more diversity we
have among students, the better."
The last time JSU requested seats was
in October 2001.
"ASMSU's assemblies thought if they
allowed us a seat, then they would have
to give everyone representation," said
Jenn Stotter, program associate at MSU
Hillel. Stotter was a member of JSU at
the time.
Lachman hopes that if JSU acquires
seats, representatives will work on get-
ting kosher foods in MSU cafeterias and
making students more aware of JSU's
cultural programming.
"If anything, Jewish students should
know that they have a voice at MSU,"
said Lachman.
❑
Rebecca Lynn Elkus of Est Bloomfield
is a senior at Michigan State Universi t y.
Yad Concert Caters To Kids
YAD Parents with Kids, a committee of
the Young Adult Division of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit will
present singer/songwriter Joel Frankel in
a free concert on Sunday, March 20.
The concert will be at 11 a.m. at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel
Center in West Bloomfield children up
to age 8 and their parents. Light lunch
treats for children will be included.
Frankel has created three chilren's
albums and was featured in the movie
Big, starring Tom Hanks.
For reservations, by March 14, contact
Jonathan Goldstein, (248) 203-1471 or
goldstein@jfmd.org .
MSU Israel Scholarships
For college age through 30-something.
Send information to
ahitsky@thejewishnews.com .
March 10 Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Federation Young Adult Division meets
for drinks at Hard Rock Cafe in
Detroit and, at 9 p.m., skates at the
Campus Martius ice rink. Free skating,.
cocoa and coffee provided by Caribou.
RSVP: Jonathan Goldstein, (248) 203-
1471 or goldstein@jfmd.org .
METRO HILLEL
March 6 Sunday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Hillel
of Metro Detroit bowling to raise funds
to purchase an ambulance for Israel.
Royal Oak Lanes. Cost: $8 with dona-
tion of $10; free with $36 donation.
RSVP: Lesley Weiss,
hillelpd@wayne.edu.
March 22 Tuesday, 7 p.m. Hillel of
Metro Detroit Graduates and
Professionals 21+ Pre-Purim Casino
Night at MGM Grand. Meet at the
Oak Park JCC for pizza dinner and
carpool. Bring canned food donation.
RSVP: Lesley Weiss, (313) 577-3459
or Hillelpd@wayne.edu.
March 31 Thursday, 6:45 p.m. Hillel
of Metro Detroit free tickets to the
DSO. 6:45 p.m. pre-glow, 8 p.m. per-
formance. RSVP by March 25 to
Karen Adelman, (313) 577-3459 or
Hilleled@wayne.edu
MSU HILLEL, East Lansing
March 3 Thursday, 6:30 p.m. MSU
Hillel Koach "Meditating Like
Maimonides" Rabbi Eric Yanoff,
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
Southfield. Free dinner. RSVP: Rachel
Zuckman, zuckmanr@msu.edu .
March 14 Monday, 7:30 p.m. AIDAH
Film Night at MSU Hillel. The Lost
Boys. Refreshments.
March 15 Tuesday, 7 p.m. Jenn Stotter
leads book discussion of The
Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by
Joshua Braff. Dessert. For copies of the
book and RSVP: Jenn Stotter,
pa@msuhillel.org.
March 16 Wednesday, 7 p.m. MSU
Hillel discussion of "How Can You Be
a Lesbian? You're Jewish." Led by Leslea
Newman, author of A Letter to Harvey
Milk.
Scholarships for study in Israel are
being launched at Michigan State
University, with deadlines as early as
March 15 for study in summer and
fall.
The Levy Scholarship for Student
Leaders Studying in Israel supports
academic study in Israel and enrich-
ment activities on and off campus
_related to study in Israel. Up to 12
scholarships will be available begin-
ning this summer, said Kenneth
Waltzer, director of Jewish Studies.
An endowed fund donated by
Detroit industrialist Ed Levy Jr. has
grown to more than $500,000.
Scholarships from the income pro-
duced by the fund are available both
to Jewish and non-Jewish students.
Scholarships are $2,000 for the
summer term, $2,500 for semester
study and $5,000 for academic-year
study. Recipients are expected to
report on their experiences studying
in Israel on their return.
Applicants must be enrolled at
MSU for at least one year, have a
grade point average above 3.0, show
leadership skills or leadership poten-
tial and present a purposeful plan of
study in Israel. They should submit a
letter of application to the director of
Jewish Studies with a transcript and
faculty recommendation.
For information, contact Kenneth
Waltzer at (517) 432-3493 or e-mail
waltzer@msu.edu .
Noisemakers Welcome
Shalom Baby, a program of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit Women's Campaign and
Education Department and Jewish
Experiences for Families, welcomes
parents with little ones for a fun-
filled morning in celebration of
Purim 10:30-11:45 a.m. Thursday,
March 17 at the Max M. Fisher
Federation Building, 6735 Telegraph
in Bloomfield Township.
Participants will sing and play with
Miss Lori from the Franklin Athletic
Club Kid's Club. Costumes are wel-
come, and hamantashen will be
served.
The program is open to parents at
no charge. RSVP by March 11, 2005:
Lisa Soble Siegmann, (248) 205-
2534, or email
Siegmann@jfmd.org .
Co-chairs of the event are Amy
Schlussel and Barbara Zaltz with
associate chairs Nancy Kleinfeldt and
Anessa Kramer.
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