12 CommentsA letter from editor emeritus Taylor Grasdalen:
It is with great sadness that I tell you that I am leaving Bwog. Personal circumstances have necessitated my leaving Barnard, Columbia, and New York. Consequently, I have to forfeit my role as Editor in Chief. I knew I would join Bwog from the day I was hit in Lerner by a paper airplane which, when opened, told me the time and date of the first meeting (and included a screen shot of a nasty comment). I was intimidated but excited and Bwog quickly became my favorite thing about college. I know we’re widely criticized (and often fairly so), but that never made me love writing for — and later running — Bwog any less.
This thing is in good hands as I step down. Britt Fossum has been here as long as I have and now takes my place; Courtney Couillard is brilliant and so, so sharp, and continues as Managing Editor; Joseph Powers, one-time UVA transfer and all-around verbose arts writer, is the new Internal Editor. Most of our staff will stay this year and do even more. I’ve loved my time with them and I’ve loved my time with you. Have a great semester and say hello to the woman at the newsstand on Barnard’s side of 116th for me.
Sincerely,
Taylor Grasdalen
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12 Comments
@Best wishes to Taylor Taylor, good luck to you in Minnesota! I always enjoyed your writings at Bwog and your art at Barnard. Just ignore the haters. I know you would return if you could!!
@Anonymous Stop blaming Barnard for your personal choices and your personal situations. You knew exactly Barnard’s costs and exactly your family situation going in. Take responsibility instead of blaming. Yeah, I want to buy a Porche too, but I know exactly what they are and how much they are worth, and whether I “deserve” one or not.
@Taylor Grasdalen I never blamed Barnard. I blame myself (as I express in what I’ve written) and the education system wherein schools can charge thoughtlessly exorbitant rates. By your argument, any student unable to afford a school should be priced out — leaving only those who can pay or willing to take on that debt able to attend.
@hmmm I don’t know that the rates are thoughtless– probably the rates are determined at least in part by the costs associated with financing the annual expenditures of the institution. But the increasingly prevalent attitude expressed by mr./ms. “porsche” is, I believe, part of the problem– both within the university and without. Within because certainly it does not seem that the university strives to minimize cost of attendance, especially given the automatic schedule of annual tuition increases. The broader societal problem, though, is that universities do not receive the type of funding that would enable broader access, contrary to many other countries, some of much more modest resources.
@hmmm How repulsive that one would compare education– a public good– to a shiny but intrinsically worthless luxury commodity. It is not an unusual attitude, I suppose, but I nevertheless marvel at how people associated with such a fine educational institution can harbor it.
@hmmm Sad to hear that someone who wanted to finish their education at an affiliated school had to prematurely end it. Certainly if money is the concern it is especially sad, as I personally believe that no one should be denied opportunity because they don’t come from a high societal station. I don’t go for the conflation of “Barnard” with “Columbia” but I don’t want to beat a dead horse.
@Anon That was a whole lot of words to say, in essence, “I left because it’s too expensive.”
Best of luck at your new school.
@Anonymous Wishing you the best :)
@CC'14 Barnard is not part of the Ivy League.
@In case you're wondering why she's leaving... https://www.slantnews.com/story/2015-08-28-why-i-left-barnard-to-go-to-university-of-minnesota
@other alum Britt is smart and good
@Sad alum Bring back Strokos!