“Alma Mater”
Charles Saxon, published in The New Yorker April 7, 1973

Last night, historian John McMillian spoke in the first in a series of events, co-sponsored by the Grolier Club and the Lehman Center for American History, that will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Columbia protests in April 1968. His talk, “The Sixties Underground Press and the Rise of Alternative Media in America” was just about as interesting as it the title makes it seem; luckily, Bwoggers Zack Abrams and Isabel Sepúlveda were there to take notes and watch alumni of 60s Columbia attempt to relive the glory days.

Shortly before the scheduled start of the talk, the seats in Butler 203 were already filled and attendees, varying wildly in age, began to line the walls and sit on the floor. The event began rather inauspiciously, with all the lights in Butler 203 shutting off just moments into the introductions. Shrugging off the technical difficulties and lacking a microphone, John McMillian began his talk about the New Left of the 60s and their unorthodox communication methods.

John McMillian opened his talk with his time as a Columbia grad student, unintentionally setting a reminiscent tone that would follow him throughout the night, occasionally to his detriment. He explained that he was drawn to study the 60s because all those who had done so before him had drawn from their own experiences living through the era. He was more interested in looking at other, more overlooked primary sources, which ultimately led to his discovery, and affinity for the underground newspapers that would dominate most of the discussion.

Does Bwog count as an underground newspaper?

Love me a nice red rose

Staff Writer Lucy Danger, who knows nothing about Columbia frats, and Social Media Editor Youngweon Lee, who knows nothing about The Bachelor, teamed up to match frats with contestant stereotypes. Lucy provided the stereotypes and Youngweon arbitrarily assigned frats to said stereotypes. Please don’t take this seriously. This list is completely made up and makes no sense.

• The contestant who causes the first dramatic event and is hated by everyone – ΦΓΔ
• The contestant who meant to go to an actress audition in LA and mistakenly ended up at The Bachelor‘s audition – ΑΔΦ
• Just on the show for attention – ΔΣΦ
• Gets sent home on a one-on-one date – ΖΒΤ
• The single mom who keeps letting everyone know that she’s very serious about this show because she needs a dad for her kids – ΣΦΕ
• The contestant with the really strong southern accent – ΠΚΑ
• The real estate agent – ΣΧ
• Gets the first one-on-one date and whines about it afterward – ΣΝ
• Gets sent home on a two-on-one date – ΑΕΠ
• The one with the really weird, niche job – ΒΘΠ
• The one who makes it all the way to the first “exotic” country and then immediately gets sent home – ΚΔΡ
• The one who doesn’t come to the rose ceremony because she doesn’t take it seriously enough – ΛΦΕ

Man With Rose via Hulu

Artistic rendering of my suffering

Sometimes, Bwog reviews professional performers showcasing their talent on campus. Other times, Bwog reviews less-than-professional performers holding us metaphorically hostage. This review, by staffer Levi Cohen, falls into the second category.

There are two meanings to the phrase “captive audience.” The first is an audience that is caught up in whatever is being performed. The second is an audience that is being subjected to a performance; an audience held at (usually metaphorical) gunpoint.

I am that second type of audience for the person on my floor’s newest artistic effort, Unearthly Off-Key Shrieking At All Hours Of The Day, released independently and available now on Spotify or through the very thin walls of your dorm room. My floormate has truly taken the musical concept of “what if I don’t understand how to shut up at 2 am” to its furthest conceptual limits. Never before has a performer stretched themselves in such a way.

Click here for the rest of this Bwogger’s scathing review of his suitemate’s singing

An accurate representation of this meeting’s snacks.

Diverting from her usual Bwog fare of oddly-relatable shitposts, Deputy Editor Jenny Zhu stepped in this week to cover GSSC’s (General Studies Student Council) first meeting of the new semester. 

This week’s GSSC meeting opened with a feast of fresh fruit offerings, courtesy of the newly-appointed GS Dean, Lisa Rosen-Metsch. Dean Rosen-Metsch, who introduced herself to GSSC in December, came to speak more about her upcoming goals, talked with students in the audience prior to the meeting’s beginning, and brought snacks. Yep, we stan Dean Rosen-Metsch.

Rosen-Metsch Rocks

Rosen-Metsch took the mic to discuss her background as a GS alumna, a chair in the School of Public Health, a member of the Committee on Instruction, and now, the 9th dean of the General Studies as of January 1. Referencing her first official email sent to the Columbia community, she spent a moment recounting the sad passing of GS/JTS alumna Hannah Weiss, as well as the deaths of two other Columbia students.

After the floor opened up to questions, she first spoke on her accessibility to students, which she named as her top goal as a new dean (yay!) – she planned on meeting this goal by attending more events, allowing students to sign up for lunch meetings, and even eventually accommodating individual meetings requested via email. Beyond accessibility, her other priorities included financial aid, food insecurity, and social justice.

She also responded to questions about cyberbullying and GS integration in Columbia. To the former, she stated that she would hope to be briefed extensively about the extent of the problem first, and to the latter, she referenced her own past as a GS alumna as a basis for working on creating more GS inclusivity in the larger Columbia community.

Everything’s New

With the new year also came the introduction of a slew of new GSSC members and projects. GSSC first re-introduced the newly-appointed members from last semester (Students with Disabilities Representative Matt Linsky, Health and Wellness Representative Olivia Hartzell, and Equity and Inclusion Chair Jeffrey Panosian). The council also was introduced to new captioner Ricky and new JTS Representative Zach.

Beyond new council members, however, GSSC also recently got a new website! Built from scratch over the winter break, the new website is ready to be unveiled, once CUIT gives GSSC the approval to go live with the domain.

Other Updates

Upcoming events included a mystery Valentine’s Day event, which would include activities for GS to mingle, “especially the single ones.” GSSC also discussed the upcoming Glass House Rocks on February 1, which needed GSSC volunteers to both help set up and to solicit updated club information from performing arts groups at the event.

We’re proud of our very own (almost) alumnus: Timothée Chalamet!

Happening in the World: Earlier this month, a woman managed to evade airport security and board a flight from Chicago to London without a boarding pass. This isn’t the first time she’s managed to sneak onto a flight. (The New York Times)

Happening in the US: Oscar nominations are out! This year’s nominees for Best Picture include “Call Me By Your Name,” “Lady Bird,” “The Shape of Water,” “Dunkirk,” and “Get Out.” (The Los Angeles Times)

Happening in NYC: Have time to go off campus this weekend? Here are some of Bwog’s recommended art exhibits (free with a Columbia/Barnard ID)!

• Items: Is Fashion Modern? (MoMA) – This exhibit “explores the present, past—and sometimes the future—of 111 items of clothing and accessories that have had a strong impact on the world in the 20th and 21st centuries—and continue to hold currency today.” Sunday is the last day to see this exhibit!
• David Hockney (The Met) – This exhibit features contemporary artist David Hockney, who’s most famous for his iconic depictions of Southern California. Highlights of the exhibition include Hockney’s duo portraits and his visual explorations of gay sexuality.
• Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer (The Met) – This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition has brought together many of Michelangelo’s best works. His ink drawings are particularly awe-inducing; you have to see it to believe it.

Happening on Campus: “Reflections on the UN Human Rights Committee: 40 Years of Practice” will be happening in Fayerweather Hall from 4-5pm. Kretzmer who formerly served as a member and a Vice-Chair of the Committee will discuss his work and the impact of the body in advancing and protecting human rights. Check out more details here.

Overheard: “I can’t go to Ferris with you. I’m on a 3-day juice cleanse.”

CC Boy via Rotten Tomatoes