Bwog’s just changed a big part of itself — don’t worry, we don’t have another fabulous new redesign in the works. We’ve created a new About Us page that is actually about us!

If you mosey over to the top of our site, you’ll see a little link on the upper right-hand corner that says “About Us.” There, you will find a newly updated description of who we are and what we want. Or, just move your eyeballs a little lower down the page to read our new About Us here. We’ve included our old About Us after the jump for never-ending glory posterity.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Comment!

About Us:

Bwog was launched in January 2006 as the online incarnation of The Blue and White magazine. Originally intended to post stories that warranted immediate attention–such as free food alerts and breaking news–Bwog has developed into Columbia’s preeminent campus blog. While our focus remains set on the university, we are a financially and administratively independent organization, published by Blue and White Publishing Inc.

Bwog is completely student-run and publishes multiple posts a day during the academic year. Our goal is to alert students to information of interest and offer a critical perspective on life at Columbia. This includes news from the administration, campus gossip, and events–in addition to, still, free food. We post what you should have heard about as a member of the Columbia community, packaged with bad puns and coarse jokes.

Bwog’s rise to legitimacy came with the Minuteman protests in the fall of 2006. Other highlights in Bwog history include September 2007 when Ahmedinejad came to campus–thus creating our beloved Hawkmadinejad–comprehensive coverage of Operation Ivy League in winter 2010, breaking the news on Dean Moody-Adams’ resignation in summer 2011, and the spring 2012 announcement of President Barack Obama as Barnard’s commencement speaker.

As seen in the case of Obamanard, the Bwog comment section is vibrant and active. This space is intended for readers to discuss relevant topics constructively and respectfully. Bwog leaves it largely self-moderated, but reserves the right to step in, as per our comment policy.

If you are interested in joining Bwog or have juicy news and gossip, email us at tips@bwog.com, or come to our open weekly meetings every Sunday at 7 pm in the Lerner SGO. For inquiries concerning advertisements, contact ads@bwog.com.

Our old About page after the jump.

It’s a metaphor for the changes in our future

Bwog sent our top agent, Maren Killackey, to Sunday night’s exciting CSCC meeting. This is her report.

Though initially excited – yes, excited – about the number of audience members at the CCSC meeting, my joy subsided to a disappointing realization that most people were only there to get their elections formed signed. ‘Tis the season.

Updates:

• Academic Affairs Rep Steven Castellano submitted the first-year pass-fail proposal this week.

• Environmental Rep Grayson Warrick discussed Earth Week, which will kickoff April 22.

• The Senate’s sending around its Quality of Life survey and are giving away over $3000 in prizes for people who complete it.

• The Class of 2015 will hold their formal event on Hudson Terrace this Thursday.

• The Class of 2014 will host a post-Bacchanal event.

• The Class of 2013 has another Lerner Pub on Thursday and is throwing a swim test event for seniors on April 19.

Ch-ch-changes: ABC President Saketh Kalathur stopped by to present on the reforms the board has recently made and make a pitch for the ABC representative elections coming up. The majors ones are:

• The appeals process is being replaced by a more direct procedure wherein student groups that need additional funding will go directly to the JCCC.

• Rather than continuing the two week new group recognition process, which is fun for no one, there will be one New Group Recognition Day.

• ABC awards are back and will be given to clubs in a variety of categories: ABC Group of the Month, Best Collaborator, ABC Group of the Year. Award amounts will vary from $50-$500 and will fall under the category of revenue, meaning groups can spend it however they want.

• Elections for the 13 ABC reps will transition to a direct democracy, so only groups that fall under the same category (i.e. dance groups, vocal groups, etc.) will vote for their representative.

(more…)

There’s so much room for activities!

Half of the space in Butler 310 that was taken up by the card catalog is now occupied by new neat-o desks and chairs for studying.

Which is a good thing, since apparently the catalog hadn’t been updated since 1985.

You can go ahead and leave your condolences for this dying and painfully time-consuming research form in the comments.

Just like this but not really

As may have come to your attention, the newly pastel lobby of East Campus transformed further over winter break, boasting new flora and cushy-yet-trendy lounge seating. In order to investigate the potential benefits of the new set-up, intrepid going-outer Josh Dillon reviews the shocking decor in the most realistic manner possible: drunk.

Our pregaming consists of hurried shots taken with too many people and too little alcohol. The girls look in the mirror one last time while the guys make sure their arms look pumped. So with just enough alcohol imbibed to remind us why we hate vodka, the group heads out. We had heard about a party in EC tonight, and we were ready to crash it. We were confident this party would be different; this one wouldn’t be awkward and sweaty. Our slightly too large group walks over: t-shirts and tank tops, jeans and mini skirts.

At the entrance to EC we flash the security guard a knowing smile. It says, “No I don’t live here, and yes, I am going to get drunk tonight.” Or perhaps, “Yes, I had braces in middle school but I don’t wear my retainer so my teeth are just barely askew again.”

But then we stop. What’s this?

Ch-ch-ch-changes…

At their December 5th meeting, the Activities Board (ABC) resolved to commit their efforts during Spring semester to a comprehensive reform of the structure and policies of the Board. The most significant immediate impact of this process is that, in order to redirect their efforts toward reform, the Appeal and New Group Recognition processes will be suspended for the Spring semester, tentatively resuming in the Fall. Their resolution is below, and the full proposal can be found here.

A Resolution for Comprehensive ABC Reform
Unanimously passed on December 5, 2012 by the Activities Board at Columbia

• WHEREAS, since its founding in 1998, the Activities Board at Columbia has expanded to represent 160 groups, becoming the largest governing board at Columbia, based on member groups, board size, and net funds controlled; and
• WHEREAS, the policy agenda of the ABC has been deemphasized as the full attention of all twenty members are needed to fulfill their obligations to existing and new groups; and
• WHEREAS, applications for New Group Recognition have consistently increased year after year, showing no signs of slowing down, requiring the redirection of valuable time and manpower; and
• WHEREAS, the ABC recognizes several fundamental structural and procedural problems with the organization of its board, and recognizes the need to refocus efforts and attention on large reforms; and
• WHEREAS, ABC member groups have urged us to reconsider our allocation process, citing that it relies too much on historical precedent, to reconsider the use of the Electronic Approval Form, citing its redundancy, and to reconsider our representative election process, citing that representatives may not always be experienced in the groups they oversee; and
• WHEREAS, many policy initiatives have been proposed over the years, but have fallen to the wayside due to lack of manpower and loss of institutional memory as new boards are elected:

Read on for ABC’s resolutions

You always want what you can’t have

After six years of faithfully dishing up feel-good Southern food, Rack & Soul is turning off its ovens and closing its doors. The 109th Street establishment endeared many in both of its past locations with its ribs, fried chicken, and biscuits. The owner, Michael Eberstadt, broke the news with a sign.

Mouth-watering meat via Shutterstock

Morningside Heights has slowly been transforming into a spooky place for the holiday season. Bwog endured the fright caused by this metamorphosis to snatch some photos of the changes.

Lemann will also use his free time to work on a new book

In the official email announcement this morning, PrezBo stated that Nicholas Lemann, Dean of the J-School, will not seek another five-year term. During his ten years as dean, Lemann oversaw “fundraising and capital improvements” such as in the new broadcast studio, student center, and café.

Working with faculty and the broader community of people interested in the School, Nick helped create a comprehensive and modern curriculum…The innovations included the decision to study and teach both the craft of journalism and the intellectual context for its practice, and the institution of a new Master of Arts in Journalism program stressing subject-matter expertise to complement the Journalism School’s core Master of Science program.

A New York Times article from last night noted that it is uncharacteristic for PrezBo himself to lead the search for a candidate. Typically, a separate committee provides three potential candidates. The article attributes this to the opinion that “journalism is in such a transitional phase” and that, in PrezBo’s words, the choice “was not only crucial to Columbia, but to the broader society.”

Lemann will continue to teach at the J-School and write for The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1999.

Lemann via J-School

Barnard’s Student Government Association meets every week, and every week we send our best Barnard bear Renée Kraiem to bear witness. This is her report:

Last night’s Rep Council meeting, which occurred sans administrative guest and a sizable portion of representatives celebrating the most recent Jewish holiday to fall on a Monday. These factors opened the door for an efficient meeting (that ended before 10! BEFORE 10!), and a productive series of internal announcements discussions.

President JungHee Hyun reported that, though she had initiated a discussion with Student Life regarding the recent changes in the campus posting policy, they had reached “no conclusion” and “no resolution.” “We’ll keep fighting,” promised Hyun, who reported that Student Life indeed recognized the faults in the stamping requirement, but remained concerned about the motivations behind the policy change: posting inside campus by individuals not associated with the University, the accountability for student life in the case of a bias-motivated incident, and maintenance of campus grounds.

VP of SGA Julia Kennedy also announced the agenda of the Policy Committee, which plans to address a broad range of issues this semester, including the changes made in library hours, the use of space in the Diana Center, the institution of a Good Samaritan Policy, a green fund, and how SGA interacts with students. If there’s an issue that students feel isn’t being addressed, said Kennedy, this is the place to bring it to.

Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees Mica Spicka reported on last week’s Board meeting. Spicka reported presenting, along with Junior Representative Ayelet Pearl, a report on campus life that focused on the recent policy changes on campus and how students perceived the changes as one general issue regarding student feedback on administrative decisions. Spicka also reported on the meeting’s agenda, which included reports from individual students on their summer activities, a conversation about career development and how grants might be offered to students taking nonprofit internships and those starting their own startups. The Board is also working on a “Barnard Firsts” project, working to uncover and promote Barnard alumnae who represent some type of larger “first.” First what, you ask? We’ll let you do your own thing with that one.

More SGA meeting shenanigans after the break…

From the green fields of Haverford to the bright orange Diana of Barnard

Linda Bell begins her tenure as Barnard’s new provost today, following the departure this fall of interim provost Paul Hertz, who took over following the departure of Provost Emerita Elizabeth Boylan in June of 2011. Bell comes to Barnard, in turn, following her own departure from Haverford where she has spent the last five years as Provost.

Following her appointment last February, Bell wrote:

As Barnard’s provost, I consider it my responsibility to listen and advocate for the ambitions of faculty and students and to advance the academic mission of the College wherever possible.

That part about listening should come in handy as Bell’s first week on the job includes SGA’s first town hall of the year–tomorrow from 6 to 8 pm in the Diana Center Event Oval–which plans to “Cultivate Better Communication between Students and Administrators.” Her experience as an economist shouldn’t hurt either as Barnard embarks on budget cuts and its forthcoming capital campaign.

Spec reports on today’s belle of the Barnard ball here.

Bell’s former stomping grounds via Wikimedia Commons 

A modern ESC meeting.

Every week, the Engineering Student Council sends us an update of what went down in their meeting. Most of this week’s meeting was “off the record,” so the update is short but sweet. Engineer entrepreneur Aria Sharma reports:

Andrew Kang, President of the Engineering Graduate Student Council (EGSC), graced ESC with his presence tonight to talk about TEDx Columbia Engineering, a symposium on campus about engineering at Columbia. The program, which is in its third year and started as a graduate-led event, has been successful in the past, drawing in crowds of over a thousand students. This year the event will take place on Friday, October 19th during the afternoon and will be composed of two sessions and 12 speakers. EGSC wants to collaborate on TEDx Columbia Engineering with ESC, in part because of the increased freedom the event will have from the administration. ESC voted to put $6000 into TEDx Columbia Engineering contingent on 50% allocation of spots for Columbia engineering students.

Vice-Dean Soulaymane Kachani for Academic Programs also stopped by to introduce himself to the council. He discussed his role in activities with ESC, including the research symposium this Thursday. Students on the council were also given opportunities. When asked about the case for P/D/F for engineering students (for the nine nontechnical courses), he said it would be necessary to compare to the other undergraduate schools and show that it has strong support. Along the lines of courses, study abroad could be a little more feasible because of thoughts on courses being taken through the Columbia Video Network. This would give students a little more wiggle room with their requirements.

In other administrative news, the City of New York and Columbia have partnered to develop a new Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering (IDSE). The IDSE will encompass five different “centers”: Smart Cities, New Media, Health Analytics, Financial Analytics, and Cybersecurity. Not only will the Institute focus on research, but it will also engage 300 New York middle-school students and 150 graduate students in education as well as research.

Laptop lewdness via Wikimedia Commons

It’s a new semester and the inexorable march of progress continues on campus. Except that you probably still don’t have air conditioning and someone gets stuck in an elevator on a bi-weekly basis, and stuff. But there’s new paint! Send any riveting developments we missed to tips@bwog.com.

Bwog was created in 2006 to give students a groundbreaking platform for learning about and communicating with their peers and the community at large. In the six years since, our readership and staff have steadily grown—but to this day, that dedication to our founding purpose has remain unchanged. From innovative and informational coverage of events such as Housing Selection and campus controversies to incisive engagement with all aspects of student life such as the food we eat, the shows we watch, and the shit we say, Bwog has provided the best online outlet for the Columbia community. Nothing else comes close.

But today, the staff is proud to announce that Bwog is about to get even better. Introducing, Bwog 3.0

We’ve been working with the best designers, the best engineers, and the best College students to construct an entirely new website. We’re fairly confident that this is the best Bwog ever. We’ve revolutionized content management—making it easier than ever to find the helpful information you need. Bwog 3.0 has an incredible, new Events calendar that will bridge gaps in the community like never before. It will change the way that you plan your day. All of this, and we’ve made Bwog 3x faster with even greater stability. Game changing.

Oh, and one more thing…

Bwog 3.0 launches tonight. If you are reading this right now, it means that old Bwog is functionally dead, and all the information (the soul, really) of Bwog is being transferred to the new host. Bwog 3.0 will become variably available to viewers starting around 8 pm EST. Unfortunately, any comments made on old Bwog will not be transferred to the new website for highly technical reasons. So if you ever wanted to call anyone a cumdumpster, now is your chance.

In the mean time, feel free to anxiously tweet things @Bwog until the new site is up.

This generic business meeting greatly resembles this week's ESC meeting.

Bwog’s Engineering Expert Aria Sharma reports from this week’s meeting.

President Tim Qin started this week’s meeting off by relaying information from his meeting with Scott Wright, VP of Campus Services. The package centers are fully updated, complete with kiosks and satellite locations in Wien and Carman to make picking up packages more efficient. Furthermore, all Columbia dorms now have a meter to measure energy use. New projects include renovating the first floor of Schapiro in the summer of 2013 and the possibility of a Bike Rental location at Columbia. For all of us who curse the Ferris Booth stairs every day, renovating them would cost roughly $300,000, so let’s not get our hopes up.

More campus projects include TurboVote, which is being co-sponsored by all four councils, as well as CU Republicans, CU Democrats, and Columbia Political Union. To register, go to columbia.turbovote.org.

Siddhant Bhatt, VP of Finance, spoke about JCCC’s first meeting and relayed that funding requests hearings will start next Sunday at 5:30 PM in Lerner 501. Two new funds, the Travel and Capital Investment Funds will be implemented this year. The Travel Fund will continue on a rolling basis throughout the semester and is intended for club travel needs, such as competitions. The Capital Investment Fund will be available at the start of each year and has been introduced to help clubs with large scale overhauls on equipment. The cost of both of these funds will be split over the four councils.

Upcoming Events:

• Research symposium — September 27th 5:30-8:00 PM in Lerner C555
• A career fair of sorts for researchers. Professors will speak for about an hour about research and lab opportunities, followed by students setting up a science fair for networking
•  Lerner Pub — October 4th
•  Bagel breakfast for the Class of 2014 – bagels will be distributed on September 20th at 8:30 AM
• “Major Discovery” — Friday, October 12th from 1-2:30 PM in Lerner Party Space
• Having trouble finding your major? There will be speakers from majors and CCE to help you find your path

And he seems to love gin just as much as we do! International has extended its weekend hours. Behold:

Total gamechanger