We imagine CCSC presented their Paper Plate Awards on Pantone 292 paper plates, not unlike these

It’s the end of the semester, and we’re all unraveling a little bit – stress about exams, end-of-semester projects, and those ever-looming course evaluations is really getting to us. It appears that CCSC might not be so different – a simple discussion about the Sandwich Ambassador nearly drove CCSC into chaos. But the council still came together to celebrate their accomplishments and present Paper Plate Awards (CCSC’s version of superlatives) at the end of the meeting. Throughout this high-emotion meeting, Bureau Chief Joe Milholland remained calm and collected, and his coverage is as stellar as ever.

Partway through a discussion about whether or not to rename the Sandwich Ambassador at last night’s Columbia College Student College Council meeting, VP of Finance Sameer Mishra motioned to vote for abolishing the position entirely. “Since there’s no written text [of a proposal to change the constitution], by Robert’s Rules, that’s out of order,” said University Senator Marc Heinrich, who got several cheers and claps from CCSC members at this deceleration.

At this point, CCSC broke out into a chaos of different voices and opinions, mostly concerning whether they needed a written proposal to change the name of the Sandwich Ambassador. Heinrich motioned to abolish VP of Finance at one point. [Update: since I’ve been asked to clarify, Heinrich’s proposal to abolish the VP of Finance was purely a joke, as was the the proposal below to abolish CCSC].

“I’m going to continue discussion. In the meantime, if anyone writes up any written amendments… [he was interrupted by arguments about the agenda] … We’re going to go down the speaker’s list,” said CCSC President Ben Makansi, trying to return the discussion to normalcy. Unfortunately, for the next name on the speaker’s list, someone had written “Lee.”

However, as PrezBo was not in attendance that night, the discussion moved to the next person on the speaker’s list: Larson Holt, Spectator’s CCSC reporter, who motioned to abolish CCSC itself (the motion did not pass).

How did CCSC get so frantic in its last meeting of the semester?

It began with 2016 President Saaket Pradhan presenting his proposal to change the Sandwich Ambassador. He came up with two alternatives: Community Outreach Representative or Community Outreach and Discount Extraordinaire (CODE).

VP of Policy Vivek Ramakrishnan said he preferred Community Outreach because it sounded more serious.

Makansi clarified that the job requirements in CCSC’s constitution would stay the same.

2017 Rep Sheila Alexander suggested changing the E in CODE to “Executive.”

Inclsuion and Equity Rep Ewoma Ogbaudu suggested Food Accesability and Discount Representative.

Abby Porter, next academic year’s VP of Policy, said she got a message from Dan Stone, who wanted the name changed to “Consumer Advocacy and Neighborhood Outreach.”

Makansi said he wanted to keep the Sandwich Ambassador’s name as-is.

I was asked what I thought, and I said I had no opinion.

Eventually, all of opinions on the table led to Mishra’s suggestion to abolish the position. Ramakrishnan ended up saying to Mishra that it was a bad idea to re-propose constitutional questions that CCSC had settled last week. Mishra responded that yesterday’s meeting had a different attendance than last week’s.

Heinrich suggested CCSC table the motion until next semester. CCSC agreed, and voted to approve this motion.

Updates (no livestream, but meeting minutes are here. See CCSC’s paper plate awards below this):

• Dan Stone wanted a foosball table at Columbia, and University Senator Sean Ryan heard about this concern. Ryan talked to VP for Campus Services Scott Wright, and Wright agreed to install a foosball table in Hartley soon.
• According to Ryan, the newly-revamped Inter Governing Board (IGB) will give out press credentials for Rules of Conduct protection.
• The senators hope to make the Wednesday before Thanksgiving an academic holiday starting 2017.
• The mail key replacement fee was unexpectedly raised to $50 this year. But thanks to Ramakrishnan, if you go to the Mail Services desk between today and senior move out day, they’ll give you your mail. However, the key replacement fee will still be charge to anyone who lost their key.
• Ramakrishnan has also received a list of classes that will increase their credits from 3 to 4, and he will publicize it.
• Inclusion and Equity Rep Ewoma Ogbaudu is meeting with the national branch of FLIP for help assessing Columbia’s FLIP microgrants.
• Ogbaudu also learned that there is a food pantry on the 6^th floor of Lehman for GS students, and he is trying to expand access to other students.
• CCSC voted to refer to 2016 Rep Allie Levine as Allie “MVP” Levine.

Paper Plate Awards

“Some of you used it as a way to congratulate the members of CCSC, others used it to shit on other members of CCSC,” Makansi said, of the submissions for this years paper plate awards.

The final decisions were as follows:

• Most likely to be a future rap star: University Senator Ramis Wadood (honorable mention: most likely to watch basketball during CCSC meetings)
• CCSC’s best news junkie: 2019 Rep Katie Cook (honorable mention: something about silent disco)
• Best at looking like Will Ferrel: 2019 Rep Adam Resheff (honorable mention: most likely to cite his high school student council experience)
• Most enthusiastic: 2017 Rep Jeremy Cooper (honorable mention: most likely to break his ankles in crossfit)
• Most likely to abstain: 2018 Rep Heloise Taillet (honorable mention: most Italian)
• Most likely to vote for removal of his own position from the CCSC constitution: Pre-profesional Rep Chris George
• Best Hair: Academic Affairs Rep Nicole Allicock (honorable mention: most effective member)
• Most likely to run in a hotly contested election for a very serious position: Sandwich Ambassador Kaitlyn Loftus (honorable mention: least likely to exaggerate her updates)
• Most likely to not do CCSC for ulterior motives: 2016 Rep Allie “MVP” Levine (honorable mention: most likely to volunteer for shifts)
• Most likely to share his snacks: Student Services Rep Andy Truelove
• Best dressed: 2018 Rep Sosa Omorogbe (honorable mention: most likely to stay awake during meetings)
• Most likely to make you smile: 2016 President Saaket Pradhan (honorable mention: most likely to send a Sunday agenda after 5pm)
• Most likely to disagree with whatever is going on: University Senator Marc Heinrich (honorable mention: most likely to hold a private session)
• Most gesticulations: 2018 Rep Nathan Rosin
• Most likely to smirk at his paper plate award: 2019 President Josh Schenk (honorable mention: best low-key Sandwich Ambassador)
• Best smile: 2017 Rep Leah Hays (her honorable mention was best attendance, but she did not show up to CCSC’s meeting yesterday)
• Most likely to subsist on bubble tea for a year: VP of Campus Life Kelly Ecchavaria (honorable mention: best speaker for women)
• Most likely to refer to Columbia students as “kids:” 2018 President Ezra Gontownick (honorable mention: most likely to have read the entire New York Human Rights Law)
• Most likely to get involved in every committee: 2018 VP Lani Allen
• Most likely to appear in GQ: Inclusion and Equity Rep Ewoma Ogbaudu
• Most likely to have a great week: VP of Finance Sameer Mishra (honorable mention: most likely to have a pornstache in his 40s)
• Most likely to get more likes on GroupMe than Sameer: 2016 Rep Amy Li
• Most likely to throw the dankest party: 2017 President Ravi Sinha
• Most likely to invite JJ’s staff to his wedding: 2016 VP Charles Sanky
• Most likely to organize an alcoholic event: 2016 Rep Anna Broadbent (honorable mention: most posh)
• Most likely to start a Facebook comments fight: President Ben Makansi (honorable mention: least likely to believe in God and most likely to describe someone first by saying, “to his credit”)
• Most likely to show up drunk to CCSC: VP of Policy Vivek Ramakrishnan
• Best pong player: 2019 VP Sophie Broadbent (honorable mention: most likely to show up on Saaket’s Senior Scramble list. Saaket Pradhan denied this)
• Most likely to run his own home by Robert’s Rules: University Senator Sean Ryan (honorable mention: most likely to have his face turn bright red)
• Most likely to proclaim his music taste: 2019 Rep Sam Safari (honorable mention: best at looking like Zayn Malik)
• Most likely to throw shade: 2017 Rep Sheila Alexander (honorable mention: most likely to only speak when she has something good to say)
• Most efficient ladder-climber in CCSC history: 2017 Rep Josh Sudman
• Most likely to run uncontested 3 years in a row: Student Services Rep Matthew Forest
• Best networker: Alumni Affairs Rep Daniel Liss
• Most likely to develop carpal tunnel: VP of Communications Grayson Warrick

Pradhan suggested my paper plate award would be “better attendance than all of CCSC,” and Makansi suggested “most likely to be on shrooms during a meeting.”

After this, CCSC members thanked each other, and Ben Makansi made some final remarks. “We probably succeeded in following through with trying to do things differently,” he said. He mentioned some different things that were successes, such live streaming and unconventional events, and some different things that were not successes, such as trying to appoint Deantini to Director of Security and sending out a survey about tampons and pads (he gave V-show a shout-out).

He said he didn’t know if his and Ramakrishnan’s changes would last, and he commented that some CCSC members were hardworking and others were not. As for the latter group: “I don’t know whether that’s the result of my lack of following with people,” Makansi said, but he also said it could be a result of the kinds of people who run for CCSC.

He praised Allicock, who then took the president’s seat in the Satow room with her E-board. Allicock spoke about how excited she was to be president.