The Towerlight, January 26, 2009

TheTaiuerlirjhli.cnm. Footage from Polar Bear Plunge, photos of student’s Birthright trip to Israel пит Published by Baltimore Student Media for the Towson University Community Towson students among largest crowd In Polar Bear Plunge history. Frigid fund-raiser in Chesapeake Bay supports Special Olympics ... See page 7 www. thetowerlight. com Amy I letter I The Towerlight Towson sophomore business major Andrew Rothman carries Israeli soldier Rebecca Navon on his back during a foot race with two other Towson student/Israeli soldier pairs in Caesarea on Jan. 12. Six Israeli soldiers accompanied the group for all 10 days. Undeterred by violence Accompanied by young soldiers, students take Birthright trip to Israel NICK DIMARCO Senior Editor On the wall, ascending the stairs of Hillel, there is a quote painted, "One does not travel to Jerusalem, one returns." For more than 10 years, Jewish youth have been given the gift of a free 10-day trip to Israel to establish solidarity and connect to the homeland of their religion. On Jan. 11, a group of Towson and UMBC students embarked on Taglit-Birthright. Meanwhile, Israel began sending in reserve troops to the Gaza Strip. According to director of Towson Hillel Ken Krivitzky, only a few students dropped out of one of the highest application classes he has seen in recent years, despite the increased risk of violence. On their first day of the trip, there were reports of danger in a town they were headed toward. The group remained in their hotel for about an hour, only to discover it was a false alarm— the only hiccup over the 10-day excur¬ sion. "We were very fortunate that, that was the only case," Janna Zuckerman, sophomore fam¬ ily studies major, said. Taglit-Birthright has a number of built-in security measures to ensure traveler safety. For the students of Bus 826, there was never a time when they felt unsafe. They took the exposure of a country well versed in war as a personal learning experience of the Jewish faith. "There were some things that we were going to do in the initial trip that we didn't do. We ended up cancelling parts of the trip because the places we were supposed to go were dan¬ gerous," Adam Gaynor, a sophomore exercise science major, said. "It’s just another thing that we dealt with. It didn't [detract] from the trip at all. Everyone was just a little more educated with the situation in Gaza having been there." An armed guard and six soldiers accompa¬ nied the students, although for the soldiers it was more of a vacation and time away from battle. Krivitzsky referred to them as peers to American college students. In Israel, young men and women are required to enlist in the army. See ISRAEL, page 9 Registrar rescinds electronic add/drop policy Concerns from Univ. Senate, Student Government halt change to process KIEL MCLAUGHLIN Editor in Chief Changes to the add/drop policy that would have allowed students to add classes electronically after the semester begins have been rescinded. As a result, signed slips will continue to be required for students seeking to fill their schedule. Registrar and associate vice president for academic affairs Bob Giordani said he was prepared to notify all students via e-mail, contact all faculty, and post a Daily Digest entry on Wednesday, Jan. 21 before a meet¬ ing with provost James Clements and repre¬ sentatives from the University Senate. The policy will be discussed throughout the spring semester for implementation for the fall semester. Apprehension voiced by members of the Senate and Student Government Association president Kristen Guy halted the process. The campus representatives were not involved in the discussion of the new policy and thought that due to the University's tradition of self- governance, the organizations should have an opportunity to speak on the issue. “If we are going to change it, we need to talk to students and faculty," Guy said. "It would be too much of a shock, changing it right before we all got back into the semes¬ ter. I don't know if I like the change, but I know I think we need more discussion." See POLICY, page 8 ласк 0 University! 18 Allegheny Ave Towson Next toTHB! 7am - 7pm Mon. - Sat. 7am - 3pm Sun. www.chilimanweiners.com