Revamping Hillel’s The Jewish Terp Guide (brochure)

8/3/2019 Revamping Hillels The Jewish Terp Guide (brochure)

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Revamping Hillels The Jewish Terp Guide:

A Recommendation Report with Deliverables

Submitted to:Rabbi Ari IsraelExecutive Director

University of Maryland Hillel

December 6, 2007


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4230 Knox Road, #1419DCollege Park, MD 20740December 11, 2007

Rabbi Ari IsraelExecutive DirectorThe Ben & Esther Rosenbloom Center for Jewish LifeMaryland Hillel7612 Mowatt Lane.College Park. Maryland. 20740

Dear Rabbi Israel:

As active members of the Jewish community on campus, one of us being a Hillel

staff member, we are aware of the inadequacy of the existing Hillel publication,The Jewish Terp Guide. In response to this problem, we have written a proposalwith recommendations for a new guide and better distribution. In addition, wehave produced two deliverables: an improved YourGuide to Jewish Life onCampus and a brochure to attract potential donors.

Maryland Hillels current Guide suffers from insufficient content, lacklusterdesign, and a poor method of distribution. The inadequacies affect the studentsand parents who have many unanswered questions about Jewish life on campus,your staff members, who must answer countless inquiries, and the reputation ofyour Hillel.

In this proposal, we recommend what Hillel should include in all future guides,how Hillel can improve its distribution methods, and how Hillel can implement alively and readable document design. With the revamped Guide, prospectiveand new students will be aware of the options available to them in the Jewishcommunity on campus. Your staff will have a resource to which to refer all thoseinterested in our growing community, its activities, and special events.

Thank you for taking the time to read this proposal and the encloseddeliverables. We look forward to hearing your response. We can be reached byemail at [email protected], or by phone at 703.XXX.XXXX.

Sincerely,


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Revamping Maryland Hillels The Jewish Terp Guide

Executive Summary

Maryland Hillel has the second largest Jewish population of any public university

in the country, but a handbook, The Jewish Terp Guide, that doesnt make the

grade. The current guide is inadequate due to lack of content, outdated pictures,

insufficient distribution and a general lack of visual appeal.

After reviewing Maryland Hillels Guide, we noted the following shortcomings:

Lack of updated information on all the Jewish student groups

Lack of information on being both an observant Jew and social on campus

Small, hard-to-read font size

Lack of color and visual appeal

These are the key consequences of the inadequate Guide:

Students and parents are unable to fully understand what Hillel and the

surrounding Jewish communities offer the Jewish community on campus;

Hillel staff members spend time answering questions that could be answered

by referring people to the Guide

Maryland Hillels reputation is compromised.

In our improved Your Guide to Jewish Life on Campus, we have updated all the

information and separated it into the following categories: FAQs, Kosher Around


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Town, Israel Travel, Alternative Spring Break, Jewish Holidays, and Meet the

Staff. The guide we have created is

Colorful

Easy to read

In PDF format, which makes it easy to add to the organizations webpage

Contains space for advertisements to cover the cost of printing.

If Maryland Hillel wants to keep up with its growing Jewish community, the

organization must provide outstanding resources to its members and their

families. Using our updated Guide will not only be beneficial to the students, but

will, undoubtedly, attract and inform potential donors.


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INTRODUCTION

As you know, the University of Maryland has one of the most

active Hillels in the country. Throughout the year, many families of

prospective students enter the Hillel house to gain information about

Jewish life on campus. Since 2003, Maryland Hillel has not been able

to provide these prospective students with suitable resources that

exemplify the vast opportunities available for Jewish students on and

around campus. The University of Maryland Hillels current guide

to Jewish student life, The Jewish Terp Guide, is inadequate.

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

The inadequacy of the guide is manifested in three ways:

Insufficient content

The inadequacy of the current guide to Jewish life is evident in

the insufficiency of its content. The 2007-2008 edition ofThe Jewish

TerpGuide (See Figure 1) does not contain the following:

1. Updated information on all the student groups that affiliate

themselves with Maryland Hillel. For example, the Jewish womans

book club, Lilith, is not mentioned anywhere in the Guide.


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2. Opportunities for observant Jewish students to be involved

with campus events during the Sabbath such as

Wristbands to attend sporting events

The availability of keys to enter their dorms as a

replacement of an electronic swipe Information.

Instructions on receiving a letter of excuse for class on

Jewish holidays. This has not been included in a Guide

since the 2003 Jewish Student Handbook (See Figure 2).

UC Berkleys Guide to Jewish Life successfully includes many

facets of the community both on and off campus that are relevant and

helpful to their Jewish student body (See Figure 3).

1. Their information is available electronically.

2. They include descriptions of different social organizations

arranged

by categories.

3. They include a description of the Jewish holidays and the

dates of these holidays on both the Jewish and secular calendars.


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Distribution

The Jewish Terp Guide is not distributed to any location on

campus nor is it available in electronic form; the Guide is available

only at the Hillel House. Prospective families visiting the University of

Maryland are not given a Guide unless they specifically request it

from Hillel (Weiss, 2007). Moreover, Hillel does not send the

handbook to new incoming Jewish students as part of their

orientation materials.

Document Design

The document design of the current Guide is visually

unappealing and taxing to the reader. Both the 2003-2004 and the

2007 editions of the Guide are lackluster and difficult to read because

they are printed solely in black and white; the covers are unattractive

and unprofessional-looking; the font size is very small; and the data

are organized into large paragraphs which makes finding information

often difficult. Finally, there are very few pictures in either of the

guides, and the pictures that they contain are not current, clear or

vibrant (See Figures 1 and 2).


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SITUATION ASSESSMENT -- THE NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES

The inadequacies ofTheJewish Terp Guide negatively affect

all parties directly and indirectly associated with Hillel:

The students and parents who have questions about Jewish

life on campus;

The Hillel staff members who spend time answering these

student questions;

The University of Maryland Hillel whose reputation is

compromised.

Negative Consequences Students

As a result of the inadequate Guide, prospective, incoming and

current students are unaware of the options available to them on

campus. In separate interviews, UMCP juniors and Hillel members,

Deb Kadish and Dani Lager, both indicated that they had not found

The Jewish Terp Guide to be useful. While discussing many different

Jewish groups on campus, they both said that they had never heard

of the club, Lilith, previously mentioned, and had only heard of the all-

male a cappella group, Kol Ish, through word-of-mouth. Additionally,

both Deb and Dani mentioned that they had not received the book as


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prospective students, and, as incoming freshman, they had to seek

out the information they needed by coming to Hillel and talking to the

staff directly (2007).

Negative Consequences Hillel Staff

The poor content and design of the existing Guide and the lack

of distribution also affect the Hillel staff who must answer countless

phone calls and e-mails from parents and students inquiring about

different aspects of Jewish life at Maryland. This situation results in

the staffs time being misspent: employees and administrators alike

are less productive and often stressed. This problem is especially

intense during the summer when there are many incoming freshman

who are curious about the programming available to them. While the

summer is an excellent time to prepare for the upcoming year and to

ensure that students have a great Hillel experience, many of the Hillel

staff spend more than half their day during these months answering

questions from students and parents (Weiss, 2007).

Interestingly, one of your employees, Jonathan Wood, was

unfamiliar with the The Jewish Terp Guide. In fact, he had never seen

the Guide before. If Hillel staff were to be educated and familiar with


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the Guide and how to obtain it, then they would spent less time

speaking to parents and students and more time further enhancing

programs at Hillel (2007).

Negative Consequences Hillels Reputation

While Marylands Hillel is definitely something to brag about,

the current Guide and the lack of distribution are not a strong

complement to the positive image of your organization. Sophomore

Stuart Davidovich, an active member of Hillel and server in the Hillel

Dining Hall, acknowledged that he had never seen the Guide before

and was unaware of its existence. He openly voiced his irritation with

Hillel that he had never been provided with a guide irrespective of its

quality, If I had known about this Guide before, there would have

been many more opportunities I could have partaken in at the

University. How could a Hillel of this size not fully understand the

needs of their students? This makes me truly reevaluate [the

University of Marylands] Hillel and question the leaders of this

organization (2007).


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WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM?

The insufficiency of the Maryland Hillel's guide to Jewish life

can be attributed to three factors:

Student groups in the past have fallen through with their

proposals to create a new guide.

There is a lack of funding for this project.

There is a shortage of Hillel staff able to commit to this project.

Student Groups Disappoint

Over the past two years, the Jewish Student Union has attempted

to take on the creation of a new Guide, and, as you know, has fallen

short of its promise. "Since 2003, the Jewish Student Union has

created their version of the handbook, but it has never met the

expectations of the Hillel staff," acknowledged Jessica Katz,

Communication Vice President and board member of the Jewish

Student Union, in an October 2007 interview. Katz admits that

compiling the handbook has never been a top priority and tends to be

done as a "rush job" during the week before classes begin.


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Funding Disappoints

To create a visually appealing and content-filled handbook would

cost Hillel more than its budget allots for printing, copying, and

advertising expenditures (Programming Budget line item, 2006-07).

According to Assistant Hillel Director, Danny Weiss, the current

budget allows $800 for the entire year for costs falling under the

category of copying at Kinkos/Banners/Advertisements (2007).

Staff Constraints

In the past five years, the Hillel staff has never committed to this

project since the Jewish Student Union had undertaken the task.

Moreover, the creation, upkeep, and distribution of the Guide are not

included in the job description of any of the Hillel staff (Weiss, 2007).

Understandably, then, these hard-working employees cannot commit

to such a large undertaking.


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RECOMMENDATIONS HOW CAN HILLEL IMPROVE ITS

GUIDE?

Better Content

Hillel can improve its existing Guide by including the following

information:

1. Concerning Campus Life

A list and description of all Jewish Student Groups on

Campus

Jewish Greek Life

Opportunities available to observant students:

Wrist bands for sporting events that fall on the

Sabbath

Keys that can be used on the Sabbath to enter

dorms

Letters of excuse for class on Jewish holidays

2. Concerning Religious Life

An updated and detailed description of the Kosher Meal

Plan


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An updated list of Jewish holiday dates and information

on how to obtain notes of excuse from class for

observance

Information for students about lighting Shabbat candles at

Hillel every week and lighting the Menorah during

Chanukah as it is prohibited in the dorms

Kosher Meal options close to campus

A Map of the eruvsurrounding College Park

Descriptions of the different service options

3. Concerning Travel

Alternative Spring Break trips

Birthright Israel trip information

Opportunities for studying abroad in Israel

4. Concerning Jewish communities near the University of Maryland

and their religious and cultural activities

Silver Spring

Pikesville

Rockville/Potomac


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5. Advertisements from Jewish organizations and businesses on

and off campus. This strategy will provide information and help

defray costs.

Better Distribution

Hillel can reach more prospective students by implementing the

following distribution practices:

Distribute Guide to prospective students and families who visit

the University of Maryland Hillel;

Distribute Guide at all of UMCPs Academic First Look Fairs;

Distribute Guide at the annual Hillel Barbeque at the beginning

of the year;

Make Guide available electronically from a link on the Hillel

website.

Better Document Design

Hillel can improve the design by implementing a few simple

strategies:

Use color in the font, photographs, illustrations, accents, and

cover;


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Update the photographs each year to reflect new officers and

members;

Put the Guide in PDF format to facilitate distribution through

email or inclusion onto a webpage.

DELIVERABLES A NEW GUIDE AND BROCHURE

We have taken the initiative to create two new guides to

facilitate the University of Maryland Hillel in its important work: the

first, a guide called Your Guide to Jewish Life on Campus, serves

prospective and current students and their families; the second, a

brochure, called Maryland Hillel, is designed with potential donors in

mind. Both the guide and the brochure are in a PDF format so that

they can be easily updated each year by one of the interns that work

for Hillel.

We trust that Your Guide to Jewish Life on Campus and

Maryland Hillelmeet all the necessary content and design criteria,

serve to inform the entire University of Maryland community, and

support Hillel in meeting its mission. Below we outline the contents in

brief, present several flexible cost proposals, and discuss the

benefits.


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Contents Your Guide to Jewish Life on Campus

Meet the Staff section with photographs

FAQs About Maryland Hillel: The Most Commonly Asked

Questions

Jewish Student Groups by category: Arts and Culture, Israel

Advocacy, Religious, Social, Social Action, Jewish Learning

Kosher Around Town: Bakeries, Butchers, Markets, Kosher

Restaurants, Kosher Dining at Maryland

Jewish Holidays and Dates

EruvMap that surrounds College Park

Israel Travel Opportunities

Alternative Spring Break

Maryland Hillel Quick Facts

Contents Maryland Hillel

This brochure, intended for distribution to potential donors,

alumni, parents of students, and community members, contains the

following features:

A brief description of the University of Maryland Hillel


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A brief description of the current budget

A section called Why Give to Hillel at UMD?

Quick Facts about Jewish life on campus

A picture heavy format which includes the familiar faces of

Hillel.

Cost Proposals

The estimated cost from Kinkos to create YourGuide to Jewish

Life in color is $1,050 per hundred copies.

The Copy Center in the Stamp Student Union provides the

following estimate:

[ ]

These proposals give Hillel a wide array of options for printing

the Guide from year to year, depending on the budget. In order to

help you visualize some of the Copy Center prices, we have

attached, in figure 4, a Copy Services Price List from their website

(Department of Business Services, 2007).


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Benefits

Your Guide to Jewish Life on Campus helps Hillel achieve its

mission: First, prospective students and incoming students will be

informed about all of the options available to them as Jewish students

at the University of Maryland. This understanding may well lead to a

larger number of active students in Hillel with a current and future

potential for donations.

Second, Hillel staff and administrators will work more effectively

by spending less time answering the same questions and spending

more time serving the students and community through programming,

fundraising, and the like.

Third, students will be able to see tangible evidence of the

wonderful resources that University of Maryland Hillel has for them

and will be more inclined not only to come to University of Maryland

for their education but also to talk to their friends about the amazing

and active Jewish life on campus.


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References

Beasley, Angela. College Park, Maryland. Manager at Copy Center,

Department of Business Services. On-phone interview. (2007,

November 5).

Copy Services. Department of Business Services. Retrieved

November 5, 2007, from the Copy Center Web Site at:

http://www.dbs.umd.edu/copy/copyplist.php

Davidovich, Stuart. College Park, Maryland. Server, Hillel Dining

Services. In-person Interview. (2007, October 30).

Greene, Yvonne. Tuscan, Arizona. Receptionist, University of

Arizona, Hillel. On-phone Interview. (2007, October 16).

Grossberg, Alexandra. (2007). The Jewish Terp Guide. Jewish

Student Union.

Hillel Staff. (2007). Programming Budget. Hillel Budget. Retrieved

November 1, 2007 from Assistant Hillel Director: Danny Weiss

Jewish Student Union. (2003-2004). Jewish Student Handbook. Hillel

Center for Jewish Life.

Kadish, Deborah. College Park, Maryland. Student, University of

Maryland. In-person Interview. (2007, November 1).


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Katz, Jessica. College Park, Maryland. Communication Vice

President, Jewish Student Union. In-person Interview. (2007,

October 25).

Lager, Daniela. College Park, Maryland. Cashier, Hillel Dining

Services. In-person Interview. (2007, November 1).

Mayer, Avi. Washington, D.C. Bronfman Fellow, Hillel The

Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. On-phone Interview.

(2007, October 15).

Northern California Jewish Bulletin. (2006). Resource: guide to jewish

life in the bay area. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from Jewish

Community Federation Web site:

http://www.sfjcf.org/resources/guide/

Sagan, Kara. Columbus, Ohio. Assistant Director, Ohio State

University Hillel. On-Phone Interview. (2007, October 16).

Student Life. (2005). Maryland Hillel. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from

http://www.marylandhillel.org

Weiss, Danny. College Park, Maryland. Assistant Executive Director,

University of Maryland Hillel. In-person Interview. (2007,

October 8).


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Wilson, Terrae. College Park, Maryland. Receptionist, FedEx Kinkos

Office and Print Center. On-phone Interview (2007, November

4).

Revamping Hillel’s The Jewish Terp Guide (brochure)

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