STONY BROOK, NY — When Dan Mendelson’s finance classes end for the day at Baruch College, he hops on a subway and heads to his apartment. Hanging out after class with friends - a mainstay of campus life - is something he has little time for as he juggles class work and his job.
Chabad Reaches Jewish Students at Commuter Colleges
STONY BROOK, NY — When Dan Mendelson’s finance classes end for the day at Baruch College, he hops on a subway and heads to his apartment. Hanging out after class with friends – a mainstay of campus life – is something he has little time for as he juggles class work and his job.
Many students at commuter colleges have little time if any at all, for extracurricular clubs. In this spare atmosphere there are no – or few – dorms, frat life consists of twice-weekly club hours. Students are older, already working, and many have families of their own.
But Chabad representatives at campus centers have discovered innovative ways to reach Jewish students at commuter schools, and involve them in Jewish life.
“In a commuter school, you have to realize that every minimal contact you have with people should be planned to have the most impact possible,” said Pessi Stolik, co-director of Chabad at Baruch College.
This Purim, for instance, packages she and Rabbi Levi Stolik will distribute to students are a Purim-to-go. They’re stocked with holiday food, Purim information, and guides to the most convenient megillah readings and celebrations close to Baruch. “We act as a liaison between students and the Chabad centers close to their home,” Mrs. Stolik said.
