Articles by Riva Tropp

Crushing Cancer: Cake Wars 2015

By Riva Tropp • Published: March 13, 2015 • Comment ()

Feeling hungry? This February saw the fourth anniversary of Yeshiva University’s most popular event: the YU Sharsheret Cake Wars. The Wilf Campus auditorium filled up as teams of students from both colleges competed to form the most creative designs on forty slab-like sponge cakes. Standing attendant at the doors, members of the student organization collected […]

At Panel, Stern Students Explore Careers in Computer Science

By Riva Tropp • Published: March 13, 2015 • Comment ()

The Computer Science major has long been a source of contention for Stern students. Several years ago, the administration cut the major on the girls’ campus, citing poor attendance and low economy. In the past year or two, however, there’s been an ever-increasing push to incorporate more substance into the minor, and ultimately, with hopes […]

Brookdale Rodents Banished

By Riva Tropp • Published: February 11, 2015 • Comment ()

It’s been a tough time for Brookdale residents lately, but the mice that plagued the main residence hall last semester seem to have finally been eradicated. When students returned after the summer break to Stern’s largest dorm building, most were startled to hear of the infestation. More information quickly followed. Notices were soon plastered on […]

Slimmer Pickings for Spring 2015 Courses

By Riva Tropp • Published: December 11, 2014 • Comment ()

Course Schedules are out, and with them, a bleak testament to the degree of downsizing that YU plans to implement in 2015. There are still an impressive 364 classes listed on the schedule, leaving enough choices for an ambitiously curious student to fill her schedule fifty-two times. But as it stands now, the list is […]

Republicans Rejoice After Midterm Elections

By Riva Tropp • Published: November 13, 2014 • Comment ()

America’s 113th Congress had a bad run. Between the government shutdown last September to Ted Cruz’s twenty-one hour Green Eggs and Ham inspired pseudo-filibuster, Congressional approval ratings are as low as they’ve ever been. So it was not surprising that America was ready for change, in sweeping Republican form. In contrast to last Congress’ uneasy […]

Bit by Byte: The Rise and Fall of Computer Science at Stern

By Riva Tropp • Published: October 1, 2014 • Comment ()
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In these tech-driven times, some knowledge in computer science is a must for any field. Medical researchers use complex algorithms to map genomes and model the living cell, psychologists evaluate information about their patients, and even the exegetical fields use programs to analyze literature like never before. The rise in career opportunities seems to have […]

Apathy Towards Environmental Awareness Raises Concern on Campus

By Riva Tropp • Published: April 9, 2014 • Comment ()

President Joel began the spring town hall meeting emphasizing Yeshiva University’s need to achieve financial sustainability, but environmental sustainability at Yeshiva University was the focus of Earth Week (March 31-April 4), a week-long initiative by the Office of Energy and Sustainability to raise awareness about environmental issues on campus.  Students’ enthusiasm for the Earth Week […]

Stern Alumni Panel Explores Possibilities for Humanities Majors

By Riva Tropp • Published: March 17, 2014 • Comment ()

Stern students often have the impression that if they love an impractical subject, such as the history of the baroque period or studio art, their only career options are to forsake their dreams and go into accounting, or become historians and live off of packaged soups.  In the shadow of the 2008 recession, this stereotype […]

Free Speech, Hidden Knowledge: Where Do Class Evaluations Go?

By Riva Tropp • Published: January 1, 2014 • Comment ()
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Everyone is familiar with those unavoidable class evaluation surveys given out to students at the end of the semester. Questions on the surveys range from the predictable (“How open was this teacher to questions?”) to the guilt-inducing (“How many hours did you study outside of class?”). This highly democratic tool reflects well on YU’s openness […]

Charlie Harary’s Tips for a Successful Life: Coming Soon to Your TV

By Riva Tropp • Published: December 16, 2013 • Comment ()

Over the last few decades, Professor Charlie Harary has become a household name among Modern Orthodox teens. Professor Harary’s motivational speeches and videos on the outreach website Aish.com attest to the quality of his unique wisdom in business and Torah, and Syms students enjoy learning from Professor Harary firsthand in his popular leadership classes. But […]