Resources

RIT wants you to succeed in all aspects of your life, including your Jewish experience on campus. During a recorded webinar conversation on February 4, 2025, many tools, resources, and individuals were mentioned that might serve helpful as you navigate your time at RIT. Therefore, we have gathered those resources in one location so you can access them in the future and group them into categories. In addition, the video of the webinar is available through the SRL YouTube page by clicking here.

Please know that there is never anything wrong with asking for help or wanting more information. This list includes many resources, links, and contacts. Do not hesitate to reach out and ask questions. The earlier you think about supporting your academic journey’s success and personal development, the better. Please care for yourself, look in on people, and seek help if needed. That is why we are here!

The list below contains many of the professional resources available on campus to help you explore your journey, but is not exhaustive. There is a mixture of private and confidential resources as well.

Jewish Campus Engagement

Campus engagement includes those organizations that identify as Jewish or providing resources, care, and services to Jewish students, faculty, and staff (however, not exclusive in any way). The below organizations fall under various forms of leadership and oversight, including solely student-managed, internally-managed by professional staff, and externally-managed by outside partner organizations.

  • Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi)
    • -The mission of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (Rho Iota Chapter) is to develop the future leaders of the world's Jewish communities. This mission is demonstrated every day through acts of brotherhood, tzedakah (charity), social awareness, and support for Jewish communities and Israel. With over 100,000 living alumni, AEPi serves as the world’s largest fraternity identifying as Jewish.
  • Chabad at RIT
    • -Chabad offers a strong Jewish community at RIT and aims to be a home away from home for every Jew on campus. It is a hip and exciting place to be, where fun things are always happening! Chabad’s parent organization, Chabad on Campus, is a Jewish movement with over 4,000 emissaries worldwide and over 200 branches on college campuses. It is the largest Jewish outreach organization in the world today.
  • RIT Hillel
    • -RIT Hillel knows that a dynamic, pluralistic, diverse, and vibrant Jewish student life is essential to ALL campus members, Jewish and otherwise. Hillel aims to support Jewish students on campus while engaging them in their broader college context. Therefore, all Hillel activities are open to the wider RIT community as well as to club members. Hillel’s parent organization, Hillel International, is present on 850 campuses across the globe and provides a welcoming and safe atmosphere for nearly 200,000 Jewish university students.
  • WOLK: Deaf Jewish Culture Club
    • -WOLK is a Deaf Jewish community. Established in 2012, it is dedicated to providing the Deaf community with accessible Jewish events, both independently and in partnership with RIT Hillel.

*All of these organizations' descriptions and links can be found on the Jewish Student Life (JSL) homepage by navigating here.

These organizations, aside from AEPi, fall under the umbrella of Spirituality and Religious Life (SRL), the holistic, interfaith, and inclusive office on campus dedicated to fostering and guiding religious, secular, and spiritual communities that explore deep questions of purpose, meaning, and value. Please stop the Schmitt Interfaith Center Office Suite (SMT-1400) or contact us at srl@rit.edu or 585-475-5932 with any questions. Below are some of the chaplain (offering confidential spiritual counseling) and program staff contacts located within SRL.

  • Spirituality and Religious Life
    • -Andrew Cirillo (ancccl@rit.edu or 585-475-2137), University Chaplain
  • Jewish Student Life
    • -Marc Goldman (mxgrla@rit.edu or 585-475-6833), Jewish Student Life Engagement Coordinator/RIT Hillel Advisor
      • -Leah Cohen (lcccl@rit.edu or 862-222-4859), Chabad at RIT Co-Director
        • -Rabbi Yossi Cohen (ycccl@rit.edu or 347-546-3860), Chabad at RIT Co-Director

Campus Food and Dining

RIT prides itself on providing quality kosher food, with an extensive menu and operating hours through its location of the Loaded Latke. Certified kosher by STAR-K Certification, Inc., and supervised by the campus mashgiach, the Loaded Latke provides consistent, high quality food for those who observe halacha and for all others wanting to experience such historical and creative cuisine. Below is a list of some of the dining contacts and resources available to students:

  • STAR-K Certification, Inc.
    • -Rabbi Yousef Aurit (contact here or 410-484-4110), Loaded Latke Mashgiach

Emotional, Mental, and Physical Health

RIT provides resources for your entire mind, body, and soul. Just as SRL and JSL provide campus engagement opportunities regarding worship, service, and fellowship, in addition to spiritual counseling resources, the below offices work to provide students with safe, healthy, and viable options for a interdisciplinary approach to wellbeing.

Safety on Campus and in the Broader Community

Through RIT’s Department of Public Safety and area-wide initiatives, the RIT community is able to feel safe and take actionable accountability in making sure that issues on campus are made known to our team of experts. Please see below the resources that exist on campus regarding security, safety, and incident reporting (on all levels and for all reasons).

  • RIT Public Safety
    • -Anthony Yazback (axycps@rit.edu or 585-475-6192), Director, Public Safety Operations and Investigations
    • -Emergency Calls: 585-475-3333 or 911
    • -General Calls: 585-475-2853
    • -Text: 585-205-8333
    • -TigerSafe Mobile App (download here)
  • Incident Reporting at RIT
    • -All of the methods above based on your situation and the urgency of the issue (phone, text, TigerSafe App)
    • -Are you worrying about a friend? Here are some tools to examine the situation and act within the RIT structure.
    • -How reporting to Public Safety works on campus: How to Report
    • -Reporting forms for various other concerns regarding wellbeing, bias-related, sex or gender-based, employee-related, and ethics and compliance: Reporting an Incident

Organizational Policies and Procedures

The Center for Campus Life works to provide plenty of opportunities for campus engagement through its hundreds of clubs and student organizations available, while also making sure that certain procedures are followed for safety, security, and practical purposes. The resources below concern different responsibilities that organizations must follow when forming and maintaining their status as recognized, in addition to some policies that might affect students who would like to organize or gather for various reasons.