not cute

Newly flu-immune GSSC Bureau Chief Andrew Chee brings you the key highlights from tonight’s General Studies Student Council meeting. If you want to experience the action front and center, be sure to stop by the Jed Satow Room in Lerner every Tuesday at 8:15pm.

President Raisa Flor delivered some updates regarding the Alumni Affairs team, the upcoming Giving Day, and the Silent Auction. GS hired 4 people recently solely to improve alumni affairs and connect undergraduate students with alumni more effectively.  Giving Day is an event in which students are challenged to give back to the school, culminating in a series of competitions, where students’ donations will be matched by the trustees upon reaching a certain number of gifts. Giving Day is set for October 24, so keep your eyes peeled for further information as the date approaches. In addition, GSSC will be allocating funds toward the Food Pantry for the Silent Auction, as well as two tickets to the GS Gala. The Silent Auction is an event taking place on October 10 in Lerner 555 from 6 to 9pm, which aims to raise awareness of and combat the stigma associated with food insecurity. For anyone wishing to donate items or services (e.g. DJing, personal training sessions), make sure you email thefoodpantry@columbia.edu or send them a message on Facebook.

Committing to Carbon Neutrality

Meredith, BC/JTS’21 and Ariana, CC’21 came in to speak about their campaign for Columbia to commit to carbon neutrality in its sustainability plan, as well as to garner support from the student council and student body at large. They believe that a commitment to a pledge will serve as a positive example for students to emulate in order to be more green, and that the university will make back its financial investments in sustainability in the long run. Although Columbia will not be a leader in this sector, as many other universities have already made or completed formal commitments to carbon neutrality, it “hopes to align with New York City’s goal of 80% reduction by 2050 and a short term goal of 35% reduction by 2020”, the latter of which they are about to reach. As the largest property owner in New York City, Columbia can however be a leader within the city, and collaboration with the state would be likely and an effective move. As Columbia would need to release its data regarding its own carbon usage and emissions before further steps could be taken, the ball is now in their court as Meredith and Ariana ramp up the pressure on them and gather support from the general student body. Moving into the discussion, Meredith and Ariana stated that they plan to involve alumni as much as possible and avoid any and all potential financial repercussions for students in the form of tuition increases. Furthermore, a member of audience stepped up to state that, “[As a private sector energy consultant], 2030 is a very aggressive date, but very doable.” Let’s hope Columbia makes the right decision as world leaders and protects the environment.

Huge fan of Mashed Potatoes

Various Updates

Faces of GS is back! Showcasing the GS community on campus, the first feature of the semester launched today. If you would like to nominate a current student or alum, fill out the form here! The submission form for the Monthly Owl, the monthly email for recapping and planning ahead, will be going up tonight, and it will also be given in Raisa’s weekly email. Sandra Woodruff of Campus Life blessed us again with updates on some upcoming events, including a Dancing in the Rain event, a Shabbat dinner with the Jewish Theological Seminary, Spirit Week on the week of October 15 – culminating with Homecoming on October 20, and Basketball Mania on October 25. Most importantly, the VP of Finance Eric Lunzer finally made it to a GSSC meeting this semester, and he brought along his ridiculously adorable Pomeranian/Maltese named Mashed Potatoes. Playing with Mashed Potatoes was definitely the highlight of the meeting. Less importantly, Eric Lunzer made a motion for GSSC to distribute $10,000 to the Bacchanal planning committee, which was passed without objection. With the overall price tag of Bacchanal clocking in at $250,000, GSSC’s budget is representative of the number of GS students who attend, compared to the number of students from the other schools. Last but not least, Communications quickly noted that there is indeed an issue with the senior class listserv, and it will be amended as soon as possible.

Appointments

Students with Families Rep – Mark Franklin

Mark fits the bill through and through. He has been working ever since he enrolled at Columbia, and he supports his wife (also a student) and his child. Prior to running for this position, he served as the president of the Milvet organization, highlighting his experience advocating for student issues. He believes he knows what type of support students with families require the most, such as advocating for increased time slots for meeting with advisors.

Chief Negotiator – Phil Junquera

As the Chief Negotiator, Phil plans to contact vendors around campus, most notably with the goal of increasing food diversity and international options and snagging discounts from businesses.

Alumni Affairs Rep – Jessica Kim

Improving relations between current undergraduate students and alumni is Jessica’s top concern as Alumni Affairs Rep. She believes that events that assist the GS community in how to navigate and interact with alumni networks is a priority that will further enhance the benefits students will receive from interacting with alumni. Additionally, she hopes to reach out further to international alumni, with the hopes of connecting them to current international students.

And with that, we are all done here! Hope you enjoyed the photo of Mashed Potatoes as much as I did and happy midterm studies y’all!

Fake mashed potatoes via Adobe

The Mashed Potatoes we truly want and deserve via Eric Lunzer