Both male and female students at WU Hillel will be able to say kiddush on behalf of the community, beginning this week at Shabbat dinner. This decision was reached by a consensus of the Conservative, Orthodox and Reform minyanim.
The plan proposes that each minyan will have a representative say kiddush at the end of services, allowing every student to fulfill their obligation to say kiddush according to his or her own standards. The kiddush performed during dinner will then be performed by either a male or a female.
This proposal originated from controversy during the Fall semester over the way in which kiddush would be performed. Discussions are ongoing about whether to make the leadership of grace after meals egalitarian as well.