the FIG

As a member of the Jewish Studies Freshman Interest Group (FIG) and a Jewish Studies major, I think that it is more than appropriate for me to discuss this in my blog.

Coming into Indiana University, I was determined to make this large school into a smaller community. I have several friends who participated in the FIG in past years, and they made it seem like a great option for me to consider when it came time for me to finalize my enrollment at IU.

When I applied for the program,  I was under the impression that I would be living on the same floor as people who I would have a lot in common with. I was pleasantly surprised to come to school and discover just how diverse the FIG was. I was also surprised to find out that not every person in the FIG was a Jewish Studies major. This brought up a big question for me, did they do the FIG just so they could live in McNutt? Or are they generally interested in Jewish studies?

According to my friends who participated in the program in the past, my FIG advisor would be a Jewish IU student who is active in Jewish life. I, however, experienced a very different advisor. My advisor was a Jewish student who knew a lot about life at Indiana University, but he did not have many ties to Jewish life on campus. I think that he brought a lot of good things to the table, but he fell short when it came to providing us with a rich Jewish campus experience.

In the future, I hope that things will return to the way that the Jewish Studies FIG used to be. A friend of mine is the advisor for next year, and I think that he will do a great job at incorporating the JEWISH aspect of the FIG back into the program.