At the “coolest” part of Barnard’s Spirit Day – “Celebrity Scoops,” where administrators served free ice cream to students – President Deborah Spar announced that the Nexus will now be known as “The Diana” (yes, just “The Diana”).

The new moniker replaces the unofficial name of “The Vagelos Center,” a change that possibly maybe perhaps almost certainly came about because of the building instantly being nicknamed “The Vag.” Not only is it the first name of Diana Vagelos, whose family gave $15 million to the project, but, as President Spar noted in her announcement, “Diana is the goddess of female power and strength.” Spar did not note that Diana is also a virgin, the goddess of the hunt and chastity, and notable for her enjoyment of revenge, often taken on men.

A quick informal naming survey suggested that students in attendance approved of the name. Then again, several attendees also commented that, with that much money, the Vagelos family “can name it whatever they want.”

- JCD

They motion to vote, we Bwog. Another Sunday evening of CCSC.

A sunburned CCSC gathered in Satow last night for their penultimate meeting of the year to discuss the Big Issues: smoking, Manhattanville, meal plans. The meeting started off with a round of applause for, in Kreb’s diplomatic words, “a few of the people in this room” who were nominated to next year’s CCSC.

El Presidente then announced that the meeting would include talks from two reps on Manhattanville as well as a discussion with Scott Wright, VP of Student Services. CCSC welcomed Victoria Benitez and LaVerna Fountain to discus the current state of the Manhattanville project, which Krebs assured confused CCSC-ers was not in fact “not the Manhattan project”, but just harmless old Manhattanville. The reps fielded questions from the council on topics ranging from displacement and Floridita to graduate school housing.  Read more…

Barnard cowgirls and uh, cowgirls, will be treated to a host of Wild West-themed free food and fun today, available for whole campus. Today’s Spirit Day includes free Krispy Kreme donuts in all Barnard dorms, followed by the third consecutive day of BBQ in a row at Lehman Lawn. The Nexus will finally be named during “Celebrity Scoops” at 3, when deans give out ice cream to students. There’s also a class carnival beginning at 7:30.

The posters encourage you to saddle up and see how the Upper West Side was won. Yee-haw, etc. 

Who’s the new kid in town? Uh oh, it’s swine flu. The newest fad in respiratory diseases, is, as you’ve heard from just about everywhere, sweeping its way through the U.S and will probably creep up behind your comfy chair in Butler 209 any second now. 

Although all cases of the flu in the U.S have been mild, Health Services is staying alert about a Columbia outbreak. Scott Wright, VP of Student Services, discussed the need to be aware of flu’s ability to spread during his cameo at last night’s CCSC meeting. He passed around flyers from the NYC Department of Health that instructs New Yorkers on avoiding getting down with the sickness: “clean things that are touched often,” “avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth,” and, you know, wash your hands.

Wright echoed the general sentiment that we are at a moment where the situation is “changing hour-by-hour”, but that it has the “potential to be very serious.” Halp! He assured CCSC that Columbia has access to flu vaccines anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu but is “not positive” that they will be effective against this strain of the flu. Although, according to Wright, “not enough is known yet to take further action”, Columbia is considered one of the city’s main hubs in case of an emergency and Columbia administrators will know updates on the situation “before anyone else in the area.”

We’re all gonna die!

- ECS

Skip business school, go to TC

When school gets too stressful: take an art class and find yourself

After four years at Columbia, this senior has determined that the world is “a complicated, challening place.”

If we don’t like Paterson, who does?

The men’s golf team won their second Ivy League title in a row today, coming from three strokes back to beat Penn by one stroke. First-year Brendan Doyle made par on the ninth hole, while his Penn playing partner bogeyed, to keep the title in Morningside. They join the men’s tennis team as the 2nd Columbia sports team to medal this spring. 

In other sports results, the baseball team lost three of its four games against Penn, finishing 7-13 in the league and failing to qualify for the Ivy League playoffs. The track team competed at the Penn Relays, with first-year Monique Roberts winning the high jump, the men’s 4×800 team setting a new school record, and several other members setting NCAA qualifying times. Meanwhile, softball also lost three of four to Penn, and lacrosse had its three-game winning streak snapped by Dartmouth.

On the water, things were no better, with the men’s varsity eight losing their first race of the reason, finishing behind Boston University and Syracuse. The women’s varsity eight finished third as well, to Cornell and Brown (photo by Columbia University Athletics).

It’s the last hurrah before finals.  Music, theatre, and the disposal of the year’s leftover free food.  Join in!

Monday

BC Spirit Day:  In-dorm Krispy Kreme, a barbecue (hopefully for real this time), and a carnival.  If none of that piques your interest, go just to be among the first to know the new name of the Nexus at 3PM.  11:30 AM to 9:30 PM @ Lehman Lawn.

Chamber Ensembles: The Music Performance Program hosts Columbia student classical ensembles.  It’s an evening of Schumann, Mozart, and Ravel.  8:00 PM @ Philosophy Lounge.

Wednesday

Big Apple BBQ: Every student life organization ever created is joining forces for Dining’s day off, featuring waffles, pizza, dumplings, dosas, and much more.  5:00 PM @ South Lawn.

Blaeu String Quartet: An extension of the resident Moebius Ensemble.  Arriaga, Schubert, Kodaly, Janacek.  8:00 PM @ Casa Italiana. 

Friday

Varsity Show: That one time the entire campus comes together to hate on itself under one roof.  F @ 8, Sa @ 8, Su @ 3, 8.

Match the quote to the speaker.  To give you a break from problem sets, it should be pretty easy, but answers after the jump anyway.  Good luck!

Answers after the jump! Read more…

You’ve eaten your fill from three, count them — three feeding opportunities this morning.  Now, put a cap on this glorious day with four, yes, four campus concerts.  There’s something for every cynic.

For those who’ve had enough of the sun or music written after 1950, there’s the air-conditioned Senior Choice Concert in Roone, put on by the CU Wind Ensemble at 2:00 PM.

On the sun-scorched steps, there’s the acoustic side of Bacchanal’s bagel shebang.  Neal Goldberg of Miss Distress will be playing.

Postcrypt has crawled out of the catacombs into the bright light.  They’ll be in front of EC until 6:00 PM tonight with new acts every half hour, should you tire of a particular strum-and-moan ensemble.  Sweetheart Anthony Da Costa will be wrapping things up at 5:10.

After you grab a quick dinner, head on over to Philosophy Hall for the Music Performance Program’s end of semester concert.  Starting at 8:00 PM, it features undergraduate ensembles playing works by Beethoven, Dvorak, and other lesser-known composers.  No worries if you can’t make it — the second part of the concert will be Monday night at the same time.

Photo via MySpace

Second breakfast, charcoal, and quaintness – it’s yours on Sunday morning.

It’s all thanks to a school spirit organization, a women’s college, and an outdated, ye-olde-style philosophical debate group.

First on the agenda this morning, WBAR has their annual WBAR-B-Q on Lehman Lawn at 11:00 AM.  It’s free, several bands are playing, and there are probably hamburgers.  It’s a wonderfully carnivorous lunch.

At the same time, the Philolexian Society will be hosting their croquet and tea party on the steps.  They promise “a small spread of victuals” whilst you piddle the morning away hitting wooden balls in a circle and making delightful exclamations.

That should only last an hour because Bacchanal will be taking over at noon for their Bagels and Beanbags.  They’ll have your post-lunch breakfast and hackysacks, moving from the 1950′s into the 1960′s.

Image via IEatTreats.com

Perhaps CUSnacks’ issues have you down.  Perhaps you feel hunger pangs in the wee hours of the morning.  Perhaps all you want is something sweet to keep you company (not like that).

Enter I Eat Treats, a new service which offers “Decadent Nibbles Delivered Nightly 6pm-4am in the Columbia University Area.”  A quick perusal of the business’ website reveals fudge brownies for $1.50, red velvet cupcakes for $2.50, and carrot-ginger cake for $3.00, among (many) other desserts offered. 

As long as you live within the area bounded by 103rd and 122nd streets and Riverside Drive and Columbus/Morningside Drive, you could have treats baked by “elves” (yeah, we have no idea either) brought to your door.  Just remember that the minimum order is $5, and “at this time” you have to pay in cash.

Image via the BBC

For once in your life (savor the moment) something’s been completed before facilities said it would be!

Tipsters report that the Hartley laundry room is back in business today after last week’s spontaneous combustion; the email Housing sent out didn’t anticipate the laundry room’s return until Monday, the 27th.

Not only do “all the machines seem to be working,” but the room is also “really clean.”  “Cleaner,” in fact, than Bwogger-About-Town Adam Kuerbitz has “ever seen it.”  Clean laundry in a clean laundry room!  It’s the simple things.

Want to take a quick break from the sun? CU Search is holding its closing event in Furnald right now, and tipsters tell Bwog that there are “over a hundred cupcakes!!!” Enjoy the frosty goodness. 

Alternatively, Fu Foundation Bureau Chief Sean Zimmerman recommends the Tae Kwon Do tournament currently going on in Dodge. He sends us this action shot.

Hungover East Campus residents stumbled out this morning to people assaulting each other with rang. 

This year’s Holi had its largest ever turnout – Bwog saw many neighborhood kids rolling around in the colors. As Bwog left, trashcans were being filled with water to make people recognizable again. Another picture of the aftermath after the jump. Read more…

Feeling broke?  Feeling angry?  Bwog’s Movie Marathon Man Mark Hay offers up three films about people who have even less money than you do.  Mmm…schadenfreude.

The Full Monty (1997)

The message of director Peter Cattaneo’s film wavers back and forth somewhat between a grim conclusion on the economic plight of the workingman and an uplifting assertion of man’s nature. On one side, Cattaneo’s Sheffield cannot support its population anymore and its citizens have been reduced to scavenging the corpses of their old workplaces. The characters in this film are all either desperate, deadbeats, or just defeated. Never does Cattaneo offer hope – there’s no economic stimulus cavalry charging into the pub after the men bare their bits to give them new jobs and resolve their crises. Their fate stays largely loose and dark. Read more…