Ann Coulter last night called President Trump an “Ignoramus” and considered primarying him in favor of someone more supportive of the “MAGA agenda.”

Deputy Editor Zack Abrams was present last night at CUCR’s latest speaker event, a debate between conservative pundit Ann Coulter and political blogger Mickey Kaus, moderated by TV showrunner Rob Long. 

The Columbia University College Republicans had promised an exciting debate between Ann Coulter and blogger Mickey Kaus. What we got, however, was two friends debating not whether immigration is a net good in America, but how much to restrict it. Those who were hoping that Coulter’s conservative views would be challenged by a representative of the typical American liberal will be disappointed to hear that Kaus mostly espoused conservative views towards immigration, though he supported some liberal policies like Medicare-for-all.

Coulter’s policy toward immigration is twofold: firstly, a moratorium towards any legal or illegal immigration for “a few years” in order for recent immigrates to more clearly assimilate to American life; she supports building a wall on the southern border in order to achieve this goal. Secondly, she supports merit-based immigration so that the new immigrants will be “better than us” and wants to deport illegal immigrants currently within the United States while cracking down on businesses who employ them.

What else did she talk about?

Amanat and Rashid

This Tuesday, Bwog Arts Editor Riva Weinstein and EIC Betsy Ladyzhets attended Being The First: Reinventing Superheroes, a conversation with Sana Amanat (BC ’04). Barnard’s Being The First series showcases trailblazers, pioneers and women who were the first in their field.

In August of 2013, a new superhero burst onto the Marvel comics stage in a blue dress and a billowing red scarf. To young fans, she was a funny, relatable teenage protagonist hailing from Jersey City. Longtime feminist critics praised her non-sexualized design and realistic personality. But it wasn’t these facts that had the comics world convulsing with debate, backlash, excitement, and an instant mountain of fanart. It was the fact that Kamala Khan, co-created by Sana Amanat (BC ’04), is the first Muslim superhero in an American comic.

On Tuesday evening, Barnard’s Sulz Parlor was packed with eager listeners. Like her heroine, Sana Amanat was warm, funny and down-to-earth. Amanat, the child of Pakistani immigrants, worked in magazine publishing after graduating from Barnard. From there she moved to an indie comic book company. She was hired by Marvel in 2009, where she currently works as director of content and character development.

Interviewing her was Professor Hussein Rashid, adjunct professor of religion at Barnard, whose work focuses on Muslims and American popular culture. He starts with the most important question of all: How did her time at Barnard inform and prepare her for her work as a comic book editor?

More on the brilliance of superhero stories after the jump

This could be you!

Lucky Barnard juniors with good lottery numbers, read ahead for what your future may hold in Sulz Tower. 

Location: 3009 Broadway (the Barnard Quad)

Nearby dorms: All the dorms in the Barnard Quad (Sulz-Reid, Sulz proper, Brooks, and Hewitt), along with the 600s and Columbia dorms Furnald and Schapiro if you’re feeling adventurous.

Stores and restaurants: the 116th Halal cart (along with various other food trucks, which are there usually into sunset), Morton Williams, Shake Shack, Pret a Manger.

Cost: According to an e-mail from ResLife, all Barnard rooms will cost the same, except for 110 studio singles. Prices will be available in late April. Just be wary of the upperclass quad meal plan (not applicable to seniors)!

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Fun fact: images of Winnie the Pooh are censored in China because people makes memes comparing him to Xi Jinping.

From Venezuela, to the election of Trump, to Chinese president Xi Jinping’s recent dissolution of term limits, the rise of nationalism and authoritarianism around the world seems to have everyone on edge. The latter was the focus of panel discussion: “China’s Latest Strongman Leader: Putting Xi Jinping Into Historical and Comparative Perspective” whose title pretty much does all the heavy-lifting in describing the topic. Daily Editor and international politics enthusiast Isabel Sepúlveda attended and she’s trying not to fear for the future of The Republic as she writes this.

Running late, I slipped in at the very end of introductions but the fact that I almost couldn’t find a seat for a talk at noon on a Tuesday made it clear that the panel assembled before me was full of all-stars. Moderated by Columbia’s Carol Gluck, a Japanese expert,  it included Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a history professor at UC Irvine and Maura Elizabeth Cunningham a historian and writer, co-authors of China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know, which recently released its third edition. CU professors Charles K. Armstrong and Lien-Hang Nguyen, experts in Korea and Vietnam respectively filled out the panel, after Nina Khrushcheva, a professor of International Affairs and Russian expert at The New School, was unable to attend due to weather conditions in Moscow.

Cunningham and Wasserstrom opened the talk providing the historical part of the “historical and comparative perspective.” They unfurled the historical story backward, starting about 10 years in the past in 2005, when China’s leader was Hu Jintao and the era of more collective leadership. Cunningham, who visited for the first time at the time, commented that the atmosphere felt very settled after the reigns of Mao and Deng Xiaoping, compared to the more chaotic present atmosphere. Wasserstrom then spoke of his first visit to the country in the 1980s during Deng’s leadership and the many questions when Xi took power if he would reignite the reformist agenda of the era or if it would be stalled like under Hu? They quickly flagged that this question didn’t have a good answer: Deng and Hu are more like one another than Xi is to either of them.

So what historical figure does Xi resemble?

Roar, lion, roar.

Regular decisions admissions have finally spread their wings and flown free of their cage in the Admissions Office! Congratulations, class of 2022, you’re already making me feel old.

Decisions were released at 3 pm today. The usual fanfare and celebration could be witnessed as Admissions staff mailed out acceptance letters.

Columbia extended sweet admission offers to 2,214 high school seniors. The acceptance rate was 5.5%. The combined applicant pool for CC and SEAS was 8% larger than last year, making it the largest applicant pool in Columbia history.

See you soon, kids. Get a fake before you get to Morningside Heights and you’ll be the coolest frosh around. And hey, rush Bwog.

Image via Bwog Staff. 

Even the doors are nice.

Watt’s up with Watt? Other than being an all-around beautiful and conveniently-located building, Watt also offers students nice, apartment-style living with an off-campus feel. Read on for more deets.

Location: 549 W. 113th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam

• Nearby dorms: Right across from McBain & the brownstones (Symposium, Greek row, etc.)
• Stores and restaurants: Symposium, literally anything on 113th/Broadway (Junzi, Nuss, Community, Dig Inn)

Cost: Standardized at $9,538/year.

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Bougie and apartment-style. Each dorm has its own private bathroom.
• AC/Heating: None.
• Kitchen/Lounge: Again, Watt’s apartment-style dorms each have a private, fully-functional kitchen (sink, fridge, stove, the whole shabang). No common lounge between suites.
• Laundry: One washer/dryer on each floor.
• Fire Escapes: There are fire escapes between rooms that give it that nice, New-Yorky feel.
• Gym: None. McBain across the street has one, though.
• Bike Storage: None.
• Intra-transportation: One very slow elevator, which you must use to reach the basement when taking out trash. Stairs are also an option for six-story Watt.
• Hardwood/Carpet: Hardwood. What, you expected carpet, in Watt?

Let’s talk numbers after the jump.

Still don’t know where you’re going to be living next year? If you’re scrambling to find some last minute options before your lottery number gets called, here’s what living in 616 is all about. 

Location:

• Nearby dorms: 600, 610, Brooks Hall
• Stores and restaurants: Shake Shack, Morton Williams, halal carts, Sweetgreen

Cost:

• Single: $11,038
• Double or other multiple: $9,510

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: 1 per suite
• AC/Heating: no AC, but yes for heat!
• Kitchen/Lounge: 1 kitchen per suite; shared TV lounge and computer lab
• Laundry: located in the basement
• Fire Escapes: yes
• Gym: bold beautiful Barnard gym
• Bike storage: no
• Intra-transportation: two elevators (small and narrow, but functional) and stairs
• Hardwood/Carpet: neither – linoleum tile

sweet suites after the jump

If you couldn’t score tickets to Bill Clinton’s impeachment, you can at least go to ESC.

We’re back with our weekly ESC coverage!

WikiCU is making a comeback, and despite what VP Communications Julia Joern said in meeting, we would like to state that it wasn’t Bwog’s fault that it’s been inactive–we just no longer had access to it due to a former tech guy not passing along the admin login. As Joern did point out, though, beloved Bwogger Rachel Deal helped track him down and retrieve the password.

VP Policy Zoha Qamar

Columbia has approved a women’s health utilities dispensary but hasn’t picked a place that is both open 24/7 and doesn’t need swipe access to place it in. If you have any suggestions, let your representatives know!

Student Life

A couple of pretty cool things are coming up. There’s an alumni dinner today and tomorrow that may still have some spots open. Go grab some free dinner even if you aren’t interested in the actual event! Additionally, free SEAS 2019 hats are being given out today from 1-2 PM and Thursday 6-7 PM on Lerner Ramps. Junior boat cruise is coming up Tuesday 4/17 and tickets are $30 for CUID and a student plus non-student ticket is $75. There’s even a cost subsidizing form this year that will only be seen by administrators, which will reduce the regular ticket price to $10.

Constitutional Review

After two impeachment proceedings in one academic year, it was obvious that the ESC constitution did not have clear guidelines for impeachment. After much debate, the constitutional amendments have finally been voted upon. 14 votes were needed for each amendment to pass. Here are a list of approved changes:

1. When making a motion to impeach, the constitutional clauses that had been violated must also be stated. This passed unanimously.

2. A member that has violated their duties and position will be put under formal review, leaving impeachment as a last resort.

3. The impeachment committee used to say that it will be composed of four members, one from each of the four class councils, and two other representatives. The amendment changes “2 other members” to “1 from e-board and 1 other member”.

Other amendments, such as notifying the accused 48 hours ahead, or at the start of the meeting, did not pass, leaving the constitution, which states that “the impeached member must be informed of the motion for impeachment” but does not specify when, as is. 

And that’s a wrap! Catch you next week for more ESC coverage.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Hot sexy housing coverage continues today, starting with this review of East Campus’s townhouses. Seniors who want their own space but don’t want to deal with elevators full of sloppy-drunk freshmen, this one’s for you. 

Location: Technically 70 Morningside Drive, but accessible via Wien Courtyard or Ancel Plaza (aka the above-ground plaza outside Law and IAB).

• Nearby dorms: Wien and pretty much nothing else.
• Stores and restaurants: Arts & Crafts, HamDel, Appletree, Friedman’s, SubsConscious, Max Soha, Broadway Liquors (sort of), etc.

Cost: The cost for upperclassman dorms is standard: $9,538.

Amenities:

• Bathrooms: Each suite has a bathroom with two sinks, a shower, and a toilet in a separate stall. All the townhouses have been renovated, and these bathrooms are really nice.
• AC/Heating: All EC suites have AC.
• Lounge: Townhouses don’t have floor lounges like the highrises do. Every suite has a living room type common space that all the EC suites have and hold ragers in.
• Kitchen: As with the bathrooms, these renovated townhouses have really nice kitchens complete with an oven, stove, dishwasher, sink, microwave, and fridge. They also have a kitchen island that provides ample counter space. Edit 4/2/2018: Housing announced on Friday, April 30th that East Campus residences will not have stoves or ovens during the 2018-2019 academic year. Residents will be offered a hot plate and a microwave as compensation.
• Laundry: In the basement of the main building. There are a lot of machines, but can get pretty busy.
• Fire escapes: Nope.
• Bike storage: Available underneath EC in the Wien Courtyard.
• Computers/printers: There are computer lounges with one printer each on floors 10 and 18 in the main building, and there are two printers in the lobby.
• Gym: Treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals on floors 8 and 16 in the main building.
• Intra-transportation: Townhouses have weird floor systems with half floors within the staircases (with the staircases in the EC courtyard). No elevators for townhouses. There are two elevators in the main building that move pretty quickly but make frequent stops.
• Hardwood/carpet: All hardwood.

But can i get a single?

Flashbacks.

What’s Happening In The World: A fire in a Russian mall killed at least 64 people, including 41 children. Several thousands of protesters have gathered to protest in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, many of them calling for Putin and other Russian officials to resign over the disaster. (BBC)

What’s Happening In The Country: Twelve states have announced plans to sue to block the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 census. They argue that the change would violate the Constitution and cause fewer Americans to be counted, damaging the data included. (New York Times)

What’s Happening In The City: Yesterday, a New York police officer was arraigned on perjury charges for repeatedly lying about how the police found a gun in a South Brooklyn apartment. Really makes you trust the NYPD. (New York Times)

What’s Happening on Campus: Columbia regular decision candidates will be notified about decisions today. Good luck, kiddos. Also, Prince Moulay Hicham of Morocco is speaking at 7 in Roone about authoritarianism in the Middle East – check it out.

Song Of The Day: For all you coddled millennials out there.

Image via Bwog Archives.