CMU’s Jewish students create like-minded connections through Campus Builders Network
Engaging Jewish students in Jewish life leads Hillel JUC to concentrated Carnegie Mellon communities
In a quest to foster greater Jewish engagement at Carnegie Mellon University, Hillel Jewish University Center is having students lead the charge. The initiative, which is being implemented by CMU Hillel’s Campus Builders Network, reflects campus dynamics.
“We know that CMU students are incredibly busy and dedicated to their studies. CBN is a way for CMU Hillel to develop peer leaders and ensure that students’ Jewish identities are catered to in whichever department or activity that they are engaged with,” Hillel JUC executive director and CEO Dan Marcus said.
Since September, the pilot program has brought together Jewish students with shared passions: athletes are gathering with athletes, engineers with engineers and students in the School of Drama with fellow Jewish classmates.
Meetups of discipline-specific groups bodes well for CMU students, according to Hillel JUC staffers.
“Of course everyone is welcome on Shabbat, but we also know that CMU students have told us their time and energy demands new ways of meeting certain needs,” Marcus said.
CMU students are “very studious and busy,” Hillel JUC staffer Madi Jackson said. They aren’t often the ones “we see in the building or are having coffee with staff.”
Hillel JUC offers multiple means of engagement, but traditional programs weren’t working for some CMU students, staffer Brian Burke explained.
Jackson, the Jack G. Buncher director of Jewish student life at Carnegie Mellon University Hillel, and Burke, the IACT director of Israel and Jewish experiences at Hillel JUC, spent last summer reevaluating past practices at CMU Hillel, and eventually proposed CBN. Upon receiving a green light from Hillel JUC leadership, Jackson and Burke contacted Jewish students in various campus communities and asked them to engage their peers through opportunities best suited for a specific group.
“We know that Friday nights are often rehearsal nights for students in the School of Drama. So for these students, coming to Hillel for a Shabbat meal can be difficult,” Marcus said. CBN works because it “reaches students in ways that are relevant and meaningful to them.”
The reality is that bringing Jewish students together doesn’t always need to be around a Shabbat table or inside the Hillel JUC building, Jackson explained.
Last week, CMU students Ari Reimers and Orit Shiang hosted a kosher pizza party for Jewish student-athletes. The event welcomed nine individuals at a time that didn’t interfere with class, practice or a game.
Reimers, 19, is one of three Jewish athletes on CMU’s 37-person soccer team.
Hanging out with other Jewish student-athletes — even if they don’t know a pitch from a pitch — is comforting.
“On Yom Kippur I’m fasting, but the majority of people are going about their regular schedule,” he said. Realizing that others struggle with similar challenges “makes you more confident in knowing you have the ability to do what you want to do.”
Shiang, a member of CMU’s cross-country and track teams, said CMU Hillel’s pilot program is an important resource for Jewish student-athletes.
“Even if you are not observant there is a lot that you can gain from these connections,” Shiang, 20, said.
CMU’s cross-country team has 25 members, and Shiang is lucky enough to have teammates who understand the challenges of speed work on a fast day or the dreaded matzah carb load.
“There’s about six of us on the team who are Jewish, and it’s been nice for me to talk to them,” she said. “It might be nice for other people to have that level of support or connection.”
Shiang got involved with CBN months ago after Jackson reached out about increasing engagement among CMU’s Jewish student-athletes.
While it’s great going to Hillel JUC or Chabad on Campus, finding a community within a community is also beneficial, Shiang said.
Reimers is studying electrical and computer engineering. Shiang is studying chemical engineering. Along with spearheading get-togethers for fellow Jewish student-athletes, the two said they might increase their involvement with a CBN contingent of Jewish engineers.
“Just because you are in one group doesn’t mean you can’t find other Jewish communities,” Shiang said.
There are about 400 Jewish students at CMU, according to Hillel JUC.
CBN’s strength, apart from bringing Jewish students together and cultivating new campus leaders, is that it allows participants to craft their own Jewish connections, Marcus said.
The pilot program also is predicated on a recognition that “a lot of students are kind of scared of institutions,” Jackson, 27, said. Too often, going to one program results in “being bombarded with texts.”
CBN operates differently, Jackson said. “This is a low-barrier way for students to find a community without having to commit to an institution.”
The mindset isn’t specific to students, she added. Attitudes on campus are similar to what “a lot of young adults my age are experiencing.” Even though they might be interested in attending a Jewish event, “they’re not looking for synagogue membership. And they don’t want to end up on a mailing list.”
Hillel JUC’s goal is to “engage Jewish students in Jewish life,” Jackson said. “If that means letting them form their own community then that’s great.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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