- 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…

Two years ago, we at Bwog lost the U.S. News and World Report‘s “Paper Trail” blog’s Best [Campus] Alternative Media Outlet poll to Wesleyan after some crotchety commenters lampooned their granola-eating ways and they retaliated en masse. We lost last year, too.

This year, we have another foe: Yale. That’s right, now you have the chance to reject them.

What makes this battle even more worth fighting is that the Yale blog is based out of one single residential college. That’s like a blog for Wien (albeit a beautiful, wonderful Wien with its own library and cafeteria) winning this whole contest. Egregious. And while we lower our lances at Yale, we also set our sights at Penn State. You may have an undergrad population of six million, but we have the fervor to best you.

Vote now, vote on multiple computers, whatever it takes. You have until midnight on February 17th. Do it for Bwog, because we’d do it for you.

Are you kept up at night by financial fears?  Yes…but PrezBo is always there for me with his consoling words. 

Are you proud to be an American now with an Obama Presidency?  Yes…but Obama’s Presidency could be as disastrous as the Trojan War was for the Greeks!  Wait, who won that war?   Better check Sparknotes…

Are you scared to go to 1020 with the crime spree in the area?  Yes…but now you just drink some delicious yuletide lager in your room for less than half the price.

Are you happy that your alma mater’s military veterans marched in a parade?  Yes…but making more vets is a terrible idea!

Students in President Bollinger’s Freedom of Speech and Press class were met with a surprise this afternoon when their esteemed preceptor eschewed his normal rapid-fire Socratic inquiry and instead launched into an hour-long elucidation of the ongoing financial and economic meltdown. After warning us that his cell phone might start ringing during the lecture, he first reminded us that he serves on the NY Federal Reserve Board, although he acknowledged that economics was by no means his area of expertise.

After ascertaining that not many students’ professors had been discussing the banking collapse, Bollinger commenced a 45 minute-long history of the events leading up to the current crisis, touching on everything from petrodollars to the wisdom of Warren Buffett, whom PrezBo knows personally, he would have you know. Read more…

Do you increase Columbia’s net worth?  Or should the admissions officer have accepted Joe State in your place?

Capitalism: keeping America on top!  What’s that you say China?  You are going to launch the Bird Nest into space?

Money: keeping the J-School on top!  But are there going to be any newspapers left?

Manhattanville’s consumer confidence decreases: losing property and can’t afford public transit.  But worry not, fair reader, Prezbo did a little work while chilling in Vermont.

Bwog received startling news from Tipster Casey Johnston who photographed the distressing sign (see right) outside of HamDel. And just three weeks into Off-Campus Flex’s brief flirtation with existence!

Bwog called HamDel, desperate for answers. “Um… I dunno,” answered a HamDel employee when questioned about the disappearance (death?) of Off-Campus Flex. CC ’09 President George Krebs responded first with disbelief (“I went last night and it was working fine. I haven’t heard anything from the administration about the system going down”) and later shock: “weird…..”

However, to HamDel enthusiasts, the news of the deli’s secession from the restaurants-united-in-Flex comes as no surprise. Explains one such HamDel loyalist: “In the last week they’ve been getting progressively (and visibly) more frustrated with the card reading device.  They collectively roll their eyes and sigh deeply and sadly whenever I present them with my ID.”

Responses from HamDel manager (who, according to previously mentioned HamDel employee will “probably be in tomorrow”) and Michael Novielli, Director of Manhattanville Student Outreach forthcoming.

The biggest day in the literary year has arrived: The announcing of 2008′s Pulitzer Winners. The Washington Post earned 6 awards this year, while hometown rag The New York Times earned just 2. Bob Dylan also earned a “Special Citation” for “his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.”

Full list of winners—including Junot Diaz, August: Osage County, and Robert Hass—available here.  

(Also, nearly every current member of the Pulitzer Prize Board is pictured above. However, PrezBo remains conspicuously absent. Maybe he was taking the picture?)

Last night, concerned citizen/tipster Karen Kwan alerted Bwog that Barnard students had once again received an email advertising free pizza. Only this time, it was to inform them that their free pizza party had moved locations. Instead of the Domino’s on 125th, the free, medium, one-topping pies had migrated south to Famiglia Pizzeria. “LOCATION CHANGE” the email announced, and this time, the free lunch at Famiglia would also supposedly include a small drink. 

Bwog was suspicious of the migrating free pizza party and called Famiglia to ask about its legitimacy.  “Yeah, you get a couple of slices and a drink,” the friendly Famiglia phone-answerer informed us. “But you gotta sign up with Citibank.” A-ha!

The Mystery of the Pizza Party: Solved.

In other food-related/money-related news, President Diamond has informed Bwog that Off-Campus Flex is now accepted at HamDel. One tipster already reports back with details of her HamDel transaction: “I just swiped for a sandwich at Hamdel and it worked perfectly, although I think they’re having a bit of a rough adjustment.  They’ve got to punch in a code and it takes longer than paying with cash.”

Nussbaum & Wu is now officially parent subsidized.  That’s right gentle reader–one swipe is all you need for the most cream cheese you could ask for on a toasted bagel.  HamDel will be coming by tomorrow morning at the latest, according to BB1 (the vendor).

BB1 plans to ship the equipment to Fairway tonight, so expect the supermarket to be accepting CUIDs by the end of the week.  The original go-live date was Monday, but how long is a day when you’ve been waiting your whole life for delicacies on your parents’ dime?

The Pellegrino splashed into champagne glasses and the trays of mini-burgers (already doused in ketchup) were stacked high on a circular table. Students and administrators milled about, waiting for Bollinger’s first Fireside Chat of the semester to begin. Expectations for the Chat were high, as many students were anxious to voice their concerns about last semester’s slew of Major Controversies, among other things. Adam Nover, SEAS ’10, wanted to know, “Why we can’t give money to the middle class like Harvard.” Paige Thompson, CC’10, was concerned with space issues and possibly renovating older buildings like Pupin.  At 6:20 PM the finger sandwiches were running low and there was still no sign of PrezBo. “If he gets fired, he gets evicted from this house right?” said Nover to a friend.

Read more…

Last night, the ESC and their political colleagues assembled for its second formal meeting of the semester. Policy, Glass House Rocks, and mystery were aplenty. Bwogger Tony Gong reports.

The meeting began unremarkably as several representatives of outside groups began to brag about all the things they had done. First up was the CC ’09 Class Council, who used the time to present its “Art of Community” campaign, which is a series of projects that aim to “utilize aspects of the vibrant culture present in our community in the form of art, and performance.” One initiative involves Columbia students attaching their crayon drawings of “personal images of Columbia” onto Low Steps, fulfilling the important two-pronged objective of community expression and community pollution. I immediately began working on my personal image, which involved PrezBo holding hands with a dinosaur in front of Hamilton Deli.    

Directly following that, a student services representative insightfully explained to us that stress was “not a good thing.” To remedy student stress, the Student Mental Health Services may be installing an online forum where students reveal secrets for public display, which sounds like it will cause even more stress.   

Read more…