Diana Correspondent Renée Kraiem brings the latest from the SGA.

Constellations: A major focus of the SGA meeting

DSpar stopped by SGA this week to give thanks and get thoughts from Rep Council about the College’s forthcoming capital campaign, its Global Symposia and its new Constellations program. Each conversation built upon the central topics of SGA discussions this semester: communication and cash, and what it means to be a women’s college.

DSpar was insistent that the Constellations program, launched this year as a networking system and community builder for Barnard students and alumni that is based on their first-year residential life, was one that was built to evolve with lots of student imput. The main sentiment among members of Rep Council was that upperclassmen felt substantially disconnected from the program and that its purpose was confusing to all involved, which, in this case, is everybody. SGA will submit a report on their suggestions for the Constellations program to DSpar, which she intends to discuss with A-Hinks.

SGA had many questions about the growth of Barnard’s Global Symposia and its presence on campus. The Symposium is in its fourth year, and is to be held over Spring Break in Mumbai. The purpose of the Symposia were brought up as a continuation of the discussion about the purpose of women’s colleges that began following the Seven Sisters Conference. Rep Council discussed what could be done to make the Symposia more of a presence on campus considering how few students are selected to attend each year. Spring Break in PI? Try Mumbai. Read more…

Catch!

Hopa! Spirit springs to life today. Barnard’s Greek Games are here at last. Open to all years and schools, the Games will see strong, beautiful women striving before the gods until Tuesday. Events range from ancient–the gymnasia (traditional discus throwing)–to the seventies–toga tie dye. Check out more Facebook event details here.

Tonight’s events are as follows:

7:30-7:45 – Outside Barnard Hall

• Torch Race

8-8:30 – LeFrak

• Opening Remarks, reading of The Poem [what is this poem?]

• Remarks by President Spar

• Short video presentation – the winner of a contest to produce a promotional video will be screened. The project asked Barnardians “to express their deepest feelings for our beloved school.” Can it really beat this though?

• Remarks by past alumnae

• Closing Remarks – schedule of events

8:30-10 – Lehman Lawn

• Toga Party/Symposium

Youth, vigor, and femininity via Wikimedia

fireside chat last night, and Zach Kagan was there to drink in the excitement. DSpar verily sparkled! Spar, although set apart from her audience in the middle of an arc of empty seats, conducted the chat more or less as a community conversation. The evening was focused on the identity of the Barnard student: as the slogan goes “Strong, Beautiful Women”.”>

Barnard's fearless leader

Barnard President Debora Spar held her latest fireside chat last night, and Zach Kagan was there to drink in the excitement. DSpar verily sparkled! Spar, although set apart from her audience in the middle of an arc of empty seats, conducted the chat more or less as a community conversation. The evening was focused on the identity of the Barnard student: as the slogan goes “Strong, Beautiful Women”.

Spar was full of praise for her audience, relating that a colleague of hers described Barnard students as “Willing to be inspired.” Perhaps that would be a better tagline for brochures, because several students expressed stress at trying to live up to the Barnard image. Between classes, clubs, and social events, students spoke about having a hard time finding, well, time. Some students felt that the mantra of being a strong, independent woman is creating too much of a competitive atmosphere at Barnard, at a detriment to the college’s “sense of community.” Read the full report after the jump! Read more…

Namaste to YOU, Al Gore

Zoë Camp tells all!

Of course, the night’s main point of interest was the revelation of the Greek Life poll results. But last night’s SGA meeting had other notable moments.

Big Bossy Lady DSpar stopped by the meeting for about an hour to address a number of questions and to give attendees an update on her recent travels. She’s been traveling to Dallas, Houston and Boston to reach out to alumnae and prospective students. Spar hopes to expand the alumnae clubs and further emphasize their inclusion in the greater Barnard community. Those looking for internships outside of the New York area should stay tuned– according to DSpar, the administration is investigating internship opportunities in Dallas, thanks to alumnae networking. In the spring, DSpar will head to South Africa and South Korea with the hopes of internationalizing the Barnard name and getting more young women interested in the school.

New Barnard Dean Avis Hinkson (A-Hinks!) will start her new job on February 14th (<3), and DSpar is thrilled to have her on board. “The New Dean is wonderful. She’s really Barnard- she loves this place and everyone who talks to her says she’s really excited to be here,” she said. Vice President Denburg will have plenty to do, as well – among the possible ventures she will be heading are expanding the college’s programs in Israel, developing a three-part, multidisciplinary study of the Hudson River, and planning more pre-college programs in areas like architecture and theatre.

Early Decision application rates are way up for the college – anywhere between 30 and 40 percent by current estimates, and, according to DSpar, this year’s pool is very strong. While she is excited by this news concerning the 2015ers, she stressed her vision for alumnae – “the most important thing you can all do is get involved as alumnae the second you walk off this campus” – and her idea that in order to get older alumnae engaged, younger alumnae need to get more involved as well. She also stressed the need for developing more Barnard traditions, and was visibly excited when SGA mentioned the Greek Games’ possible return. “The chariot’s in the basement!” she reminded them.

Students eager to voice their opinion on the proposed smoking ban on Barnard’s campus will have their chance to do so next Monday. In next week’s SGA email, students will be able to vote on the proposed smoking ban. SGA will take these opinions consideration when they vote on the issue in a few weeks’ time.

And a hearty congratulations to Yoga Inspire, who by unanimous vote was granted the status of a Stage 1 recognized group! Now go and perform Sun Salutations to your heart’s content.

Bwog’s Katheryn Thayer stopped by Sulzberger Parlor on Tuesday night to chat with DSpar about the world’s water problems.

DSpar, perhaps realizing that “water” is a broad topic of discussion for her first Fireside Chat of the year, passed around pictures of the overused, depleted Aral Sea and the arsenic-laced pumps in Bangladesh. She explained that these were some of the most extreme water-use case studies she encountered when she was doing research for a book about water use and management. The fact that she was doing this research while in business school was reflected by her opening question: How do we efficiently use something people have rarely been forced to associate with cost? Read more…

But who will tuck us in at night?! Photo via barnard.edu

Dean Denburg, we barely knew ye! “DD” has been Dean of Barnard for seventeen years, but became a part of the Columbia psyche (because she got a nickname) with a sort of tiresome sub-plot in V116. As of July 1st, Dean Denburg will become Vice President of Barnard College Relations to focus on the relationship between students and alum. Denburg is herself a BC alum; she graduated in 1970. Double D will continue to serve as Dean until a new one is appointed, and will continue to teach her first-year seminar. Read the whole email below, in which Denburg assures us that she isn’t leaving, but merely “changing hats.” Phew!

Dear Students,

I want to share with you some important news. After serving for seventeen years as Dean of the College, President Spar has asked me to assume a new role that will allow me to focus more fully on the connection between Barnard students and alumnae. I am excited to be taking on the position of Vice President for College Relations, effective July 1. As VP for College Relations, I will oversee Alumnae Affairs and Career Development, work closely with all of our Pre-College Programs, and help with follow-through on our global initiatives.

Being your Dean has been a privilege, something I will always cherish. You are remarkable young women and I am immensely proud of who you are and what you do. The relationships that I have had with several decades of Barnard students are very dear to me. So please note, I am not going anywhere, I am simply changing hats. I will continue to work on programs and planning, now with the goal of linking our alumnae to our students, and our students to our alumnae. Of course, I will serve as Dean until a new dean is appointed, and will advise students and teach a first-year seminar in my new role.

I look forward to seeing you in the fall semester and engaging with each and every one of you in my new position as VP of College Relations. You’ll know where to find me, I promise. And, of course, I will always know where to find you.

Have a wonderful summer and I’ll see you in September.

By now, she’s more a symbol of BC than DSpar herself…or the Vag, for that matter. Barnard, meet your new Chair of the Board, Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald (phew!), BC’81. Email from DSpar follows:

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

This afternoon the Barnard College Board of Trustees elected Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald ’81 as the incoming Chair of the Board, effective at the end of this academic year, for a five-year term. A pioneering Wall Street executive and philanthropist, Jolyne is president of the global investment company Platinum Gate Capital Management, former managing director at Lehman Brothers, and founder of two Wall Street firms. A trustee since 2000, she has served as vice chair of the Board, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, co-chair of the Development Committee, and a member of the Committee on Governance. I know that both the College and the Board greatly look forward to her ongoing leadership and support as Board Chair.

Read more…

Hey girlfriend!

Mark Hay is a boy. Here’s his dispatch from DSpar’s Fireside Chat.

Last night in Barnard Hall’s Sulzberger Parlor, Barnard President Debora Spar gathered with some odd twenty-five students to rehash a topic that has figured prominently in her thoughts and actions over the past year – how do Barnard girls engage with life in a big city? But where past fireside chats have seen Spar focusing on the student-life side of the equation, this time Spar sought to learn more through conversation about the work and internships students hold outside of the College. If that seems like a vague topic for discussion, it was. Spar knew it, claiming that although she wants to understand the motivations, struggles and benefits behind student engagement with the city, she had “no big comments and no agenda, so we’re winging it tonight.”

And so after a few requisite plugs for upcoming Women’s History Month events, Spar kicked off the conversation by asking all students present to go around in a circle and talk about their experiences working and interning in the city. Needless to say, listening to these women rattle off massive lists of professional experiences (even the freshmen and visiting students, much to the shock of Spar), one must suspect that all Barnard girls are issued a time-turner a-la Hermione Granger.

After a little chitter and chatter, Spar and company teased out a few trends from the massive heap of experiences: 1) Those who become hopelessly entangled in Barnard student life, to quote SGA President Katie Palillo, “can’t have an internship because [they] like to sleep.” 2) All the assembled students believe that, although internships do de facto detract from student life engagement, a balance can be reached between student life and intern/city life. One student suggested Spar institute a mentoring program for upperclassmen to help freshmen develop the balancing skills vital to sanity. 3) Barnard students, they agreed, tend to idolize the impossibly active and busy and view stress as a badge of honor. Spar noted that she and the staff tend to agree with this view and asked the students, “are you all trying too hard to be Wonder Women?” And casting one of not a few sideways glances across the room to your correspondent, she added, “… Or Wonder Men.” And 4) well, I will let Spar’s doe-eyed query speak for this common point: “Is there anyone here who doesn’t do babysitting!?”

Read more…

DSpar preaches about the mandatory meal plan against a backdrop of free food.

If you wandered past Barnard’s new Events Oval last night, the first thing you might have noticed at the Meal Plan Forum, even before the presence of the forty or so mostly angry attendees, would have been the two tables of catered food. Ironic, yes, but it did placate the hordes of meal plan-protesters, at least for the first half hour of the event. Here’s our recap of the the long, passive aggressive battle that was the Meal Plan Forum of ‘010.

Seniors v _?

A number of seniors showed up to voice their disapproval. Given that the meal plan is not in effect until next fall, no one quite understood what the seniors were one doing there, though one senior took the floor to violently express her dissatisfaction with the controversial Barnard graduation-room change.

Hand-Raisers v Other Hand-Raisers

Instead of instructing questioning students to form a line, the event’s organizers distributed approximately three microphones, all switched to “on,” among the first shift of hand-raisers, whose own questions initiated further hand-raising and general mic-fueled chaos. This disorder persisted until a full-scale mic war had broken out on the floor, with students straining to raise their hands the highest and gain entry into the next round of question-asking.

Read more…

Ancel Plaza (Image via WikiCU)

Strong, beautiful seniors, rejoice! Last we heard, you were going to graduate out of Levien Gym in Dodge Fitness Center. Thankfully, the Barnard administration has settled on something decidedly above ground.

The 2010 Barnard commencement will take place on Ancel Plaza in front of SIPA, after which new graduates and their families can continue the celebration on their home turf on Lehman Lawn.

DSpar’s email will be sent to the entire Barnard community shortly. The full email message is after the jump.

Read more…

CCSC and ESC both canceled their weekly meetings because of board retreats, but SGA is still around to keep the student government machine rollimg. Nikhita Mahtani reports.

Monday’s SGA meeting had a special guest, Carol Katzman, the new head of IT at Barnard fondly dubbed “VPK.”  VPK apparently just couldn’t bring herself to leave the ivory tower: she began by joking that she has “been involved with higher education since college!” She continued to ask students’ opinions about so-called ‘hot buttons’, which sparked a discussion about students’ IT problems. Some of the main issues brought up included greater wireless access, wired networks, dining, clubs, and money, with all suggestions passed along President Debora Spar.

SGA is also to meet with Barnard’s Board of Trustees next Wednesday.  The meeting will now only be between the students and the board, without any administrators attending, to facilitate more in-depth discussion. Plans have been made to discuss Barnard’s new college ranking policies. Barnard was ranked 30th under liberal arts colleges by U.S. News last year, before which it hadn’t been ranked. This causes concern for many students, some for whom the ranking would have influenced their decision to come to Barnard.  U.S. News also inadvertently entered into the fray of the eternal (well, at least twenty-six-year-old) Columbia-Barnard debate, not noting Barnard’s relationship to Columbia in the rankings.  Some expressed concern that Barnard is little known as an independent institution, but the U.S. News still ranks it as one. Read more…

Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

I sing of warfare and a man at war.

Exiled by fate from the Eastern shore,

He came to Israel by destiny.

A fugitive, buffeted by land, sea, and fluid,

Cruel funding losses were his lot in life,

Till he could found a team and bring them home to win.

Seems that Hillary Clinton can’t get enough of Barnard: Barnard President Debora Spar just announced via email that the new Secretary of State (and former Senator, presidential candidate, and first lady) has agreed to give the commencement address at Barnard this spring.

Clinton will also receive the Barnard Medal of Distinction – past recipients include Toni Morrison, Mario Cuomo, Madeline Albright, and Doris Kearns Goodwin. Now it’s your move, CC, GS, and SEAS. Full email after the jump (photo via Flickr). Read more…

“Let me begin with the caveats: I like men,” writes Barnard’s president in today’s Washington Post, “But as the financial debacle unfolds, I can’t help noticing that all the perpetrators of the greatest economic mess in eight decades are, well, men.”

Oh yes, you may have heard many other explanations for the Wall Street crisis: irresponsible lending agencies, insane hedge fund managers, a housing prices bubble,  and so on. But according to Barnard’s president (who was a professor at Harvard Business School before coming to Morningside Heights), though, the problem lies in the nefarious XY chromosome pairing. Male-dominated Wall Street DSpar argues, could have been saved by some female leadership, because “women may be less inclined than men to place the kind of bets that can get them in real trouble.” Oh, and female whistleblowers (on Wall Street or elsewhere) are also never listened to. 

Don’t worry, though, guys: Spar assures you that “I have spent most of my career surrounded by men, and I have no major complaints.”

“It was cooler than Ahmadinejad speaking at our school.”

That Debora Spar. Did we mention she doesn’t knit?

Big Goverment Spectator probably wants to raise your taxes too

Obamania grumble grumble movement building tsk tsk

Now you can talk like you ran the NYC marathon too!