Next week the student councils will be sending a survey out to the student body, to gather opinion on the proposed campus smoking ban. To provide a little background, tonight we present senior editor Adam Kuerbitz’s feature on the ban, from the new issue of the Blue and White.

The cigarette break has changed drastically in the past decade: What was once nothing more than a courtesy to anti-smoking relatives—or even just a good excuse to leave a bad party—has become a mandatory exodus. Since 2003, when New York State banned indoor smoking, a culture of urban smokers has developed under the city’s awnings and streetlights. Smokers at Columbia are no different: Friendships begin around ashtrays outside John Jay and Carman and continue during study breaks and chance meetings outside Butler and Lerner. Last month though, New York City officials led by Michael Bloomberg suggested banning smoking at all public parks and beaches.

Smoking is similarly under fire at Columbia, as the University considers a ban on lighting up inside the Morningside campus. The most recent proposal drafted by the administration prohibits smoking within the gates of the Morningside campus, including the bridge over Amsterdam Avenue and the areas around Wien Hall, the Law School, and the School of International and Public Affairs. But the movement has been tempered by bureaucratic mismanagement, confusion within student government groups, and a dearth of information about whether a smoking ban is even a policy Columbia students want implemented. Read more…

As the class of 2009 departs Columbia, the bright lights of New York will have at least one symbol of their achievements: CCSC has secured the chance for the Empire State Building to be lit up in light blue and white next Wednesday night.

According to CCSC President George Krebs, the project was “spearheaded” by CC ’09′s Jenni O’Reilly-Jones (also president of CASO). Columbia joins several other organizations playing around with the lights, including NYU this past Tuesday, the FDNY this weekend, and Fleet Week starting next Thursday.

Dear underclassmen: When you get to be a senior, Columbia will start dong nice things for you, in hopes that those good feelings will be the ones that stick when you have more money than you need for basic survival. Senior dinner is one of those things, and this evening, many thousands of dollars went into an elegant if predictably mediocre meal to celebrate the class of 2009′s last day of school.

Twas a convivial affair in that circus tent on South Lawn, as roughly a thousand seniors lounged with good friends and rediscovered others who had fallen by the wayside. Embarrassing photos beamed onto the tent roof above, disproportionately featuring senior class president Mark Johnson, who received lackluster applause when he took the stage to say a few words about something. There was decidedly more enthusiasm for the Senior Fund announcement by a beaming Kristin Kramer: 90 percent participation, which surpassed the 86 percent record set by the previous record-holder! Guess half a year of threats, bribes, and guilt trips finally paid off.  

CCSC President George Krebs did his signature song and dance, but he was really only there to introduce the night’s main attraction, dearly departing Dean Austin Quigley. No doubt slightly sauced himself, the ebullient Brit fairly leapt out of the Varsity Show throne installed for the occasion and into a routine based on his theatrical alter ego. Little too close to reality there, Sir! This, followed by a series of recycled one-liners (“Love makes the world go round, but alcohol makes it go round twice as fast!”) platitudes (“This is the greatest Columbia College class of all time, and I am proud to graduate with you”) and a few genuine pearls of wisdom (“The chief value of a Columbia life is the great company it allows you to keep.”) After 14 years on the job, he can be forgiven for a few cliches. 

- LBD

Much of last night’s CCSC meeting split two ways was concerned with the CCSC Town Hall and College Days, with George Krebs and Robyn Burgess reminding the council members to come out. Actual news was little in evidence, with one exception:

VP for Policy Adil Ahmed, CC 2010 President AJ Pasuca, and CC 2010 VP Sue Yang reported on their Wednesday meeting with Dean Cristen Scully-Kromm, in which they discussed noise policies and other parts of the War on Fun. Yang told the council, “In terms of the noise policy, I feel we agreed there needs to be a more informal system for minor noise warnings to small groups.” Currently, some RAs have logs differentiating for these, but there is no formal system for this approach: each complaint must be registered with ResLife. 

Pascua noted that “”Dean Kromm expressed a strong willingness to move forward in the near future with CCSC. She’d prefer to work over the summer, rather than working hastily now.” However, he also cautioned the council: “although Adil, Sue and I felt that we’d like a resolution as soon as possible, we felt some intransigence on the other side.” Ahmed also expressed concern about the actual influence CCSC would have: apparently, Kromm told them that ResLife is already working on a new policy, but when the CCSC representatives asked to see it, Kromm refused, saying that the policy was “unconfirmed” and asked CCSC instead to submit their own ideas separately in writing. Hey, at least she’s consistently secretive. Read more…

- Columbia University

The Sunday CCSC meeting effectively consisted of one item, and one item only: questioning Senior Executive Vice President Robert Kasdin, Kasdin, who has been described to Bwog by council members as “the man holding the purse strings” and “the damage control guy,” has been PrezBo’s right-hand man going back to Michigan. In the presence of such power, CCSC acquitted themselves well, asking tough questions, and pressuring Kasdin in numerous areas. Whether Kasdin actually answered their questions, or even cared about answering them, was another matter.

CCSC president George Krebs first asked Kasdin to talk about state of the university’s finances, with Kasdin assuring the councils that “”We’re relatively well-off compared to others. We’re in pretty good shape overall, and we’re making sure that the next few years’ spending matches our priorities.” As for any specifics on what “pretty good” meant, Kasdin did not provide any.

The council then moved on to the two pre-agreed-upon discussion topics: a university web portal and student group space. Director of Technology Ali Raza and CC VP for Communications Ian Solsky asked about the progress and feasibility of a University web portal, which would include an improved Courseworks and other useful features for students.  Kasdin begged off answering the question: “”I get that this website stuff is important to you, but I’m not really in a position to do anything about it, as it is not my area.” He also said that reports on the cost of such a portal were conflicting. Read more…

The weekly CCSC meeting began with a rousing singing of Happy Birthday for the members with February birthdays, and the distribution of free M2M coconut wafers. In a textbook case of crossed wires, a birthday cake appeared five minutes later (with trick candles! Teehee!), and a second round of Happy Birthday singing ensued…

On the “inky newsprint” front, Student Services Representative Aaron Edmonds talked about a possible program that would increase the number of free newspapers available on campus from one to three (though one would have to be USA Today). Currently, CCSC provides 600 copies of the New York Times, which cost $5280 for fall semester. The program would also potentially include swipe access for the papers so that only CC students (whose Student Life fees are supporting the papers) could take them. Apparently, many of the free copies in Lerner are currently snapped up by Lerner administrators (for whom tuition checks clearly aren’t large enough). Read more…

The deadline may have been pushed back, but candidates have already started to fall into place for CCSC elections, plotting the best ways to invade your life with posters. 

As usual, only some of the major tickets have received challengers (so far). The most competitive race looks to be for senior class president, with many tipping former VP for Campus Life candidate Cliff Massey to take on incumbent A.J. Pascua. Rumors had also been circulating that current CQA president Jeanette Clark was considering a run, but sources close to Clark say she has decided against running. And, like many freshman incumbents, the 2012 class council is apparently being challenged by at least one of the parties it defeated in the fall.

The other two major races, though, look to be uncompetitive: CC ’11 President Learned Foote looks to be unopposed for a third year as class president, though current VP Sara Partridge is departing to study abroad (replaced by class rep Sean Udell). Finally, in the race to replace George Krebs, current CC ’10 VP (and Study Day solver) Sue Yang is closer to cruising in unopposed, with CCSC sources saying that current VP for Campus Life Robyn Burgess is less and less likely to challenge her. A lot could change between now and March 6th, but, on the bright side, the more uncompetitive the races, the earlier you can tune out.

Procrastinating student politicos might have been surprised to discover that, until last night, the deadline for CCSC elections registration was this Friday. So little time!

Now, though, in order to increase the number of candidates, CC’s Elections Board has pushed the filing deadline back to Friday, March 6th, a full two weeks later. According to CCSC President George Krebs, “all other dates will remain the same,” including the elections themselves, still scheduled for April 21st and 22nd. The Board “will also try to have three interest meetings in that time,” in addition to one tonight at 8 p.m. in the SGO (fifth floor Lerner). Another two weeks, then, until the fun starts.

And, candidates, remember to be careful with the emails.

- JCD

Bwog-rover James Downie hunkered down in the Satow Room to follow the latest CCSC meeting:

The meeting began with a vote on cosponsorship requests: while most of the groups received their requested amounts, the Vagina Monologues did not get money for dildos for the audience (or maybe “dildoes for the audience”–Bwog and Demetri Martin aren’t sure).

CCSC President George Krebs then updated the councils about Flex. The Dining people are looking for more non-restaurant options, with a particular eye towards Duane Reade and Pinkberry. To make this work, though, Krebs said that the two venues have to know students are interested, “so everytime you go in, ask if they have Flex!” As for Westside’s chronologically-based rejection of Flex, no solution is yet available for the slowness of the system, and it looks like the hours will stay in place.

In other dining news, the Business school now accepts Dining Dollars again, because of lost business when it terminated the agreement. Again, the business school had a bad business plan. CC ’10 president A.J. Pascua also complained about the Fairway shuttle, saying that it didn’t stop close enough to Fairway, and that walking the distance in between at night was “scary.”

The councils’ alcohol plans after the jump. Read more…

Satow Room Bureau Chief Martha Turewicz attended last night’s CCSC meeting.

It’s that special time of year again, and last night’s CCSC meeting was infused with some of that special holiday cheer.

The meeting began, as it so often does, with President George Krebs pounding out a peppy little drumbeat on the desk.

Notably absent (at least, until near the end of the meeting, when he tried to enter the room through a part of the glass wall that was not, in fact, the door) was VP of Policy Adil Ahmed, who was bidding his parents farewell at the airport before they embarked on a hajj to Saudi Arabia. “A little bit of a higher calling than a CCSC meeting”, quipped Krebs.

Another higher calling than a CCSC meeting: the free pie event in Broadway, in concession to which the meeting would be ‘kicked out a few minutes early” (again, the ever-quotable Krebs).

Read more…

Satow Room Bureau Chief Martha Turewicz attended last night’s CCSC gathering, during which a move was made toward granting all student council reps voting rights.

President George Krebs started last night’s CCSC meeting off with a bit of tough love, declaring, “Like it or not we’ll start at eight o’clock and everyone who’s late will suffer the embarrassment of being late.”

Fortunately nobody suffered this terrible embarrassment, with the added benefit of not having to suffer sitting thorough an overly long meeting, as last night’s affair ended at 9:16 PM sharp.

Beyond his iron-fisted control of the schedule, Krebs also exhibited his more laid back side — a side we’re quite familiar with — in announcing that in the coming weeks, he will host a party which is “fully on the record.”

Read more…

Your (Columbia College) student government is officially functional! The full CCSC met for the first time tonight in Satow, where they’ll be taking care of business every week this year on Sundays at 8:00pm. “We’re going to get in, do what we need, and get out,” said a take-no-prisoners President Krebs of his meeting style. Bwog’s minutes follow, in approximate order of importance.

• Plans for Obamacain: Rest assured: there will be a jumbotron. In addition, the thousands of you who won’t get lucky in The Lottery (to be overseen by two student representatives to ensure fairness) can still see what CCSC hopes will be an all-star speaker lineup: the council has requested one or two from a list including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Angelina Jolie, Usher, and Kenneth Cole. The service fair, detailed below, is very much like the activities fair. It will also include a photo montage, augmented by inspirational music to rally the student population,  as well as an open mic for students to “speak about their own personal experiences with community service as part of the Columbia community.” The whole shebang starts around 6pm. Read more…

Well, they moved quickly this time. As we wrote about before, the announcement of a joint appearance by Obama and McCain on campus next Thursday took student government and group leaders completely by surprise.

Just before midnight, though, the presidents of the student councils, club governing boards, and Panhellenic councils have sent an email to President Lee Bollinger, as well as fellow administrators interim Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger, Executive Vice President for Student Services Jeffrey Scott, and Housing & Dining Vice President Scott Wright.

The email asks for two accomodations: “a fair share of the tickets made available are apportioned to undergraduates” and “arrangements, similar to those made for the Ahmadinejad visit, should be made for all students, including but not limited to the installation of a large screen on South Lawn.” In other words, “make sure everyone gets an equal chance at tickets, and give us another jumbotron.” The full letter will be printed in Thursday’s Spectator, but you can save yourself from waiting outside a residence hall until noon and just read it below the fold.

Read more…

This first issue of The Blue and White was made with Columbia’s newest inhabitants in mind.

Dearest overachievers: perhaps the humanities is not the way to go for that A+…

If you came to Columbia in search of fat cats, look no further.

They are at the top of student government and the campus music scene.  Take heed future presidents and rock stars.

For the strong and beautiful neighbors across Broadway, a conversation with your new president, maverick economist and baby expert.

Beware of documents named output.xls.

And finally, this is the very best of your prefrosh Facebook encounters.

Bwog spent the first hour of George Krebs’ presidency with the man of the hour and the rest of his camp in Krebs’ Watt Studio. 

Krebs bounded down the Watt stairs and greeted us. “Thank you!” he yelled. He ran back up the stairs and slammed the door to his studio open. “WOOOOO!” he yelled. His party and their drunken cohorts yelled affirmatively, and responded with similar “WOOOOs.” 

A random drunken cohort held up a pinata shaped like a donkey. Krebs grabbed a broom out of absolutely nowhere and pounded the pinata. More “WOOOOs.” Six Coors Lights fell out of the pinata and they were snatched up within seconds. 

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Krebs said of his win. He described the soundtrack to his mood right now as the musical stylings of DJ Tanner. He then pointed to his left and introduced us to DJ Tanner. DJ Tanner was not surprised at the Krebs win.

“I’m going to put on a record!” Krebs yelled. “WOOOO!” He puts on a record and starts to dance. Other join.

Read more…