58 How do you knowwhen you’ve got a winning student event? When even the rector wants a ticket, of course. Comedian Adir Miller, singer and actor Idan Amedi, the pop-reggae band Hatikva 6—these are just a few of the names who headlined events organized by Bar-Ilan’s Student Union recently. And if they’re not whom you think of when you think of Bar-Ilan, Student Union Chair Reuven Lorenzi and Deputy Chair Hila Weinbergwant you to know: One of the best things about BarIlan is its student diversity. They sat down to talk community, career fairs, and the culture of open communication that characterizes the Union’s relations with Bar-Ilan leadership. Was scoring Israel’s leading standup star the Union’s biggest accomplishment of the year? Reuven Lorenzo: It was definitely a highlight, but our role at the University includes a lot more than social activities. We’re also here to advocate for the student body, particularly in the academic sphere. I actually think our biggest success was the handling of exams, which took place during the height of the Omicron wave. About a month before, we realized that the infection rate would affect students’ ability to take their tests in all sorts of ways, whether because they themselveswere sick or had kids in quarantine. Our goal was to make sure that the University provided students with clear guidelines in advance and was sensitive to the range of issues they were dealing with, and we worked closely with Bar-Ilan leadership to make it happen. I’mpleased to say that the examperiodwas incredibly smooth. Granted, exams aren’t as exciting as AdirMiller, but the experience says a lot about howmuch the University prioritizes listening and responding to students’ needs. In the weeks before exams, studying is undoubtedly the most popular activity. But what are students doing on campus the rest of the time? Hila Weinberg: They’re in Debate Club, Model UN, or Stand with Us, and they’re volunteering with Holocaust survivors or with youth with special needs. Meaning: Everything. One of the things we do in the Union is help students turn their ~20 thousand students in Bar-Ilan The Student Union
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