On such a small campus, it’s really easy to get stuck in a rut. By senior year, you may find yourself always studying in the same building, always eating in the same dining hall, always hanging out with the same people. Sometimes the “Conn bubble” is referred to jokingly, but there can definitely be something suffocating about having such seemingly limited options for four whole years.
If you’re one of those students feeling hopelessly trapped, keep this in mind: there is more to Conn’s campus than meets the eye. Our identity-oriented centers, like the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center and Unity House tend to be overlooked by a huge portion of the student population. The most recent addition to these resources runs the same risk of being misconstrued as an exclusive place: Zachs Hillel House.
Zachs Hillel House – the newest and nicest building on campus –has officially opened for business. Spencer Francus ’14 is Co-chair of Hillel, the Jewish culture club on campus. Ever since construction on Hillel House began, he says he is often asked, “Why Hillel?” How did this campus organization get an entire house to serve as a focal point for its activities? Francus responds: “We were fortunate to be the recipients of [Henry Zachs’] gift,” adding that Zachs has a plan to fund ten college campus Hillel houses in his home state of Connecticut.
Jewishness is not only a religious concept – it has very important cultural significance as well. The Jewish community at Connecticut College, Francus added, unites primarily around Jewish culture rather than the religion, but both reasons contribute to the necessity for having a safe space for Jewish students to celebrate their common identity.
Zachs Hillel House is currently only open during limited hours in the afternoon and evening until student workers can be hired to supervise the space. The school is also looking to hire a Director for the center, which will make it a campus space similar to the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center and Unity House. In that same vein, rooms in Zachs Hillel House can be reserved by anybody on campus for events, meetings or lectures.
The recreation room on the lower level is open for all community members to use as a gathering place, and the tables and chairs in the Great Room provide additional study space – an important campus feature with the impending renovation of Shain Library. Anybody who plans on-campus events should be stoked to have such great new spaces to reserve.
However, some students and staff have expressed concern about the misconception that these spaces are exclusive. The campus Hillel club seeks to do whatever it can to make the space welcoming and inclusive for the entire campus community while still maintaining a safe space for Jewish culture and religion to thrive.
Francus says that there has been a renaissance of Jewish life at Conn since his freshman year, with participation by both Jewish and non-Jewish students. Francus and Adam Rosenberg ’14 (Co-presidents of Hillel) emphasize the group’s desire to continue and strengthen partnerships with other campus groups and organizations.
In the past, Hillel has co-sponsored events with a number of student groups, such as Yalla Bina, Conn’s Arabic club. These collaborations will continue, and Francus hopes that Hillel will team up with even more groups on campus, which will contribute to student life by giving everybody “another flavor that everybody can taste.”
Professor Jefferson Singer of the Psychology Department has served as the advisor to Hillel for the last three years, and has “been excited to see an increased participation of non-Jewish students in our Shabbat dinners, bagel brunches, cultural events and holiday celebrations.” Rosenberg agrees with this sentiment, noting that a significant number of event attendees are not Jewish. He explains: “Our philosophy is that everything’s open to everybody, at all times.” Of course, all venues on campus abide by that very same philosophy, though campus culture is overrun by the misconceptions of exclusivity that dissuade students from experiencing these cultural hubs.
As a freshman, I spent a lot of time in Unity House, either attending events or just hanging out on while one of my friends worked a shift as a monitor. My experience seems to have been the exception: there is a huge proportion of Conn students – particularly white students – that have never set foot in Unity House. Unity House is the campus’ multicultural center, offering great programming that advocates for a diverse, inclusive campus. What’s not to love about that?
Antonio Jefferson, Director of Unity House, notes that the multicultural center has faced misconceptions of being exclusive. That being said, there are definitely ways to try to enhance the program’s presence on campus. Unity House collaborates with faculty, inviting them to hold classes in the space. This, according to Jefferson, brings students to Unity House that would never have done so otherwise. He encourages Hillel to continue with their efforts to promote inclusivity not only as a club, but also as a shared space. When asked if he had any advice for the Hillel group and their new, permanent location, he said: “Debunk that myth now, before it becomes a trend.”
The Zachs Hillel House, like the other cultural and identity-oriented centers on campus, is open to all students. It’s meant to be a place for learning and embracing Jewish culture. However, also like the other centers on campus, it is meant to be a safe space where students sharing a common background can feel at home.
The Hillel House, Francus says is a place where, “at the very least, I can go there and feel free to be at my weirdest, Jewish self” – he hopes the same will go for the rest of the Jewish community as well.
Professor Singer left us with this thought: “There is a Yiddish word, Haimish, which means homey or cozy, and this is what we want Hillel House to be for all of the Connecticut College community — a place where they come and feel at home.”
Check out the Zachs Hillel House, and keep an eye open for its soon-to-extend hours. Branch out and take advantage of the Hillel House, Unity House, Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center… you might have to wander down a secluded path or into the basement of a dorm to find these great spaces, but they’re worth the adventure and will make the Conn Bubble a little less suffocating.•
