The new "My Groups" network

Last night, in the Faculty House’s fancy Skyline Dining Room, representatives of the 89 activist, political, religious, and identity-explorative student groups represented by the Student Governing Board met came together dinner to induct new groups, create an advisory council for the University Chaplain’s Office, and debate whether or not they should merge with the Activities Board at Columbia, which represents 150 other student groups.

The SGB was created in the aftermath of 1968, as a forum for students to discuss the administration. Comprised of representatives from the four undergraduate schools, it is dedicated to preserving to free speech, and promoting politics, humanitarianism, religion, spirituality, activism, by representing student groups with these affiliations.

First on the evening’s agenda was a presentation from the Columbia’s Office of Civic Action and Engagement, the administrative office that advises SGB. A representative encouraged the groups in attendance to use My Groups, a social network Columbia designed that enables people to check out all the different student groups at Columbia, join different groups, and view a calendar with all student groups’ activities (right now ‘Upcoming Events’ only lists the next 20 SSDP meetings).

After this, representatives from the 10 groups hoping to win SGB recognition were given two minutes to make their case to the audience. The SGB executive board had already voted whether or not to recommend recognition for each group, but that decision could be overturned if 2/3 of SGB groups disagreed with the board. As it turns out, none of the recommendations were overturned.

Read on for the rest of the proceedings

Discussion of debt ensued

Tuition drama? Talk of co-sponsorships? Debt? Peter Sterne held his own at Monday night’s action-packed SGA meeting; here’s the rundown.

• A-Hinks stopped by to answer questions about Barnard’s new full-time enrollment policy. She stressed that Barnard has always expected students to enroll as full-time students for all eight semesters, though they have granted exceptions in the past. Going forward, students will need a compelling reason (e.g. a medical condition) to get an exception. The rationale for the change is largely financial: Barnard students pay about $10,000 less in tuition if they go part-time for a semester. The consensus of the SGA reps and A-Hinks was that 20–50 students (out of a class of 600) go part-time each semester, meaning Barnard is losing out on $400,000 to $1,000,000 of tuition revenue each year. Students can still opt to graduate a semester or year early to avoid paying a full four years of tuition. This doesn’t deprive the college of tuition revenue, said A-Hinks, because Barnard can always admit a new student to take that student’s place.
• After Dean Hinkson spoke, she faced a multitude of questions from SGA Reps and concerned Barnard students. Most focused on the implementation of the policy, rather than the change itself. Why, many students asked, was the policy being applied to juniors who had already planned their academic careers assuming they would be able to take go part-time for their last semester, in addition to underclassmen? A-Hinks only answered that the policy change had to be implemented in a timely manner, which one might reasonably conclude means that Barnard really needs the full-time tuition revenue as soon as possible. 
• Hinkson also insisted that the change should not have a major effect on students, since they could always graduate early or change their class schedule. One junior explained to A-Hinks that her major, History, required a two-semester thesis seminar, but she could not afford to enroll full-time for both semesters of senior year. As a result, she’d have to change her major. A-Hinks offered no response, though SGA President Jessica Blank volunteered that Political Science is a great major that only requires a one-semester thesis seminar.
• In general, the Dean seemed willing to listen to suggestions on how to amend or modify the policy, but had nothing to say to those who simply opposed it. Only seven students had even emailed her about the change, she told SGA, though over 500 people have signed a petition, which she has not yet read, opposing the new policy.
• SGA considered whether to fund joint co-sponsorships with the other councils (CCSC, ESC, and GSSC) for various clubs. Far and away the biggest ask came from Bacchanal, for a co-sponsorship of $18,000 (from all councils) due to costs associated with moving the location of the Spring concert. Like CCSC, and ESC, SGA voted to table the issue, until they have more time to discuss the myriad of issues surrounding Bacchanal (which was already allocated $88,000 for the year).

Mo money mo problems

A board room (not in Earl Hall though.)

A hearty congrats to the new Student Governing Board e-board and reps, elected at this evening’s town hall. These are the guys that will approve funding for your activities that are “religious, spiritual, political, ideological, humanitarian, or activist in nature.”

Chair: Barry Weinberg
Vice-Chair : Daniel Bonner
Treasurer: Alex Pae
Secretary: Chloe Ruan

Representatives:
Danielle Arje
Maryam Aziz
Leah Greenstein
John Morgan
Natalee Rivera
Amirah Sequeira
Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein

Congratulations also to two newly recognized groups: Plateau Engage and 4Local.

Decision making locale via Wikimedia

Wikimedia Commons has its limits, kay?

Today is a big day! F@CU has just released their 2010-2011 allocations for your governing boards. Let’s talk big numbers and little percentages, shall we?

Activities Board: $393,459 granted, 7.4% increase from last year, 4.4% cut from requested allocation, which was $411,568

Club Sports Governing Board: $206,200 granted, 17% increase from last year’s allocation, $213,800 originally requested

Community Impact: $84,765, 23.6% increase from last year’s allocation, $86,440 requested

Inter-Greek Council: $9,680.56 granted, 47% decrease from last year’s allocation, 63% decrease from original request, which was $26,164. This bummer-rama is partly due to Barnard’s relative lack of involvement in Greek life the fact that Barnard students do not pay student life fees to the IGC. Part of F@CU’s reasoning:

Following much deliberation, the committee has decided to allocate a total of $9,680.56 to the Inter-Greek Council for the 2010-2011 academic school year. This represents a 47.0% decrease from the previous year’s allocation and a 63.2% decrease from the original allocation request. The decrease above is very significant and the committee would like to stress that this is not a reflection on the performance of the IGC. The cut is mostly due to the cut in funding from CCSC, ESC, and GSSC proportional to the percentage of Barnard students in the IGC. Given that Barnard students are not paying student life fees toward the IGC (as Barnard has not recognized the IGC and does not participate in its funding), CCSC, ESC and GSSC have decided only to fund their own constituencies and thus reduce IGC’s allocation to reflect that decision. Please refer to SGA’s supplemental letter for more details on their intended $1000 gift to IGC which is not part of F@CU.

Student Governing Board: $208,156 granted, 18% increase from last year’s allocation, $292,014 requested

Take a look at last year’s numbers here (all governing boards got a baseline 15.08% cut for 09-10) and check F@CU’s site for published letters to each governing board explaining the allocations. May you be spared from math until first semester rains Calc II down on you!

The Student Governing Board elected their new governing board last night in that most American of forums, the town hall meeting. Lisa Weber, CC ’11, will serve as chair for the organization, which represents “student organizations whose concerns are religious, spiritual, political, ideological, humanitarian or activist in nature.” The meeting also determined just which student groups continue to meet those guidelines and warrant support and funding–adios, ACLU@CU. The full announcement, in email form:

Thanks so much to all of you who came to Town Hall a few hours ago!

Congratulations to your new Student Governing Board members:

Chair: Lisa Weber

Vice-Chair: Elissa Verrilli

Treasurer: Rithu Ramachandran

Secretary: Amirah Sequeira

Read more…

2010: Year of the Petition.

Last week, we told you about yet another possible Study Days solution: an indepedent proposal submitted by faculty suggesting that our Fall Break be eliminated in order to end classes earlier Fall semester. The 50 comments on that post showed that most of you were none-too-pleased about the proposition, and the councils seem to have caught on. Another Study Days petition was born: Laura Gabriele and Eugenio Suarez, affiliated with ESC and SGB, respectively, started the petition and joined forces with ESC later in the day. If the petition gets 150 signatures, the motion is automatically sent to the University Senate for revision. As of 11:30 PM on Monday night, the group had 309 members, although not all members seemed to be in support of the petition. Some commented “take my fall break,” apparently preferring the extra days of school in November to getting home late for the holidays.

Check out the petition, and let us know what you think in the comments. The councils are listening!

Every year, the various governing boards show off cool Power Points and generally grovel before the Funding at Columbia University committee (known by the almost-scandalous abbreviation F@CU) for a nice cut of your student life fees. This year’s numbers were just released, and the various allocations are as follows:

• Activities Board at Columbia: $366,303.61 ($413,607.22 $473,527.31 requested, $307,516.00 allocated last year)
• Student Governing Board: $184,109.54 ($217,636 requested, $189,620.62 allocated last year)
• Club Sports Governing Board: $176,821.57 ($221,580.00 requested, $198,661.25 allocated last year)
• Inter-Greek Council: $18,254.20 ($34,970 requested, $23,565 allocated last year)
• Community Impact: $68,571.09 $68,511.09 ($104,055.00 requested, $79,917.15 allocated last year)

Sources also tell Bwog that there was an across-the-board cut of 15.08% from F@CU’s original recommended allocations. Letters justifying the various allocations should be on F@CU’s website soon are now on F@CU’s website.

UPDATE: Bwog has received a second tip, this time from CCSC VP for Funding Nuriel Moghavem, correcting two inaccuracies in the numbers we originally received. Most notably, ABC’s request was about $60,000 higher, meaning that they were not given more than they requested before the across-the-board cut. As for that 15.08% cut, Moghavem explains, “we added up all our recommended allocations for the governing boards — $958,582.36, looked at the amount of money that we (CCSC, ESC, GSSC, SGA) were able to contribute — $814,000.00, and cut all GBs evenly at 15.08%.”

- JCD 

The SGB has just released the results of tonight’s Town Hall meeting, during which the members of the SGB Executive Board were chosen. Two new groups were also approved: the Saving Mothers Research Team and the Responsible Endowments Coalition. Awaaz did not gain recognition from the SGB. And now, the winners:

Chair: Devora Aharon, CC ’10 (Hillel)

Vice Chair: Lisa Weber, CC ’11 (Scientists and Engineers for a Better Society)

Treasurer: Eugenio Suarez, CC ’11 (UC-CANF)

Secretary: Beezly Kiernan, CC ’11 (Rotaract)

Representatives: 

Kanak Gupta, GS (HSO)

Sana Khalid, CC ’11 (MSA, Ahimsa)

Jonah Liben, GS/JTS ’11(Hillel)

Rithu Ramachandran, CC ’12 (HSO, SEBS)

Elissa Verrilli, Barnard ’11 (SEEJ)

Owais Rasool, SEAS ’11 (MSA)

Becky Davies, CC ’10 (CU Food Sustainability Project)

Congratulations, newly christened SGB execs!

Two free food opportunities tonight, giving you the chance to both fill your stomach and get a job. In Earl Hall at 7, SGB, the Center for Career Education, and the Barnard Office of Career Development are hosting a “Civic Engagement Networking Night,” with free food for attendees. Confirmed employers include Habitat for Humanity, the New York Attorney General’s Office, and Teach for America, and Bwog’s been told that there’ll be alumni such as former CCSC and Dems head Seth Flaxman, CC ’07. And speaking of CCSC, the first of two final info sessions for potential candidates will be held at 8 in the Lerner 5th Floor Club Space.

For those with a different career path in mind, Club Zamana is hosting an “Alternative Career Fair” in the Satow Room, also at 7. Careers discussed include “Arts and Entertainment, Business Strategy and Development, Culinary Arts, and Advocacy and Non-Profit,” and, more importantly, “refreshments will be served.”

Big changes are afoot following tonight’s SGB Town Hall meeting. Here are some bulletpoints because we know your eyes are sore from all the end-of-semester “re”-reading you’ve been doing lately. 

• SDS was denied recognition. Again. (Last year, you’ll recall the group failed to turn up for their recognition meeting with the SGB board.) They’ve unofficially been on campus since Spring 2007, but are not officially sponsored. 
  

• Other groups denied recognition include: Alliance of Students Against Poverty, Edmund Burke Society, ICARE, Weave a Dream
  

• Among the newly recognized were: Columbia Right to Life, Columbia University Dance Marathon, Delta GDP, GlobeMed, Interfaith Collective, Students for International Indigenous Rights
  
  Read more…

The activities fair may be over, but you’ve still got a while to find your niche in Columbia’s extracurricular scene. To help you sift through the alphabet soup, our series of club crib sheets continues with groups that hand out money and groups that may eventually make lots of money.

Governing Boards and Councils (a.k.a. The Man)

Activities Board at Columbia (ABC) – This oversight organization funds publications, cultural groups, competition groups–basically everything SGB doesn’t pay for. Every club competes to have its friends on the board of representatives in hopes of upping their allocations.

Engineering Student Council (ESC) - ESC may be elected undemocratically—the executive board, which composes a much larger percentage of the total student body than any of the other councils, selects the president–but they do come up with the most wonderful web applications.

Student Government Association – Barnard College’s student council, this year headed by Sarah Besnoff. SGA mostly stays on the west side of Broadway, but frequently cosponsors events with the other undergraduate councils.

General Studies Student Council (GSSC) – Now with a cute owl logo and a website that’s at least helpful and up to date, GSSC is one of the more constituency-conscious councils out there. Bwog can only hope current president Brody Berg will be as entertaining as ex-leader Nico Cunningham. 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…

On Monday night, the Student Governing Board voted to elect their new board, as well as to determine new group recognition and to derecognize inactive groups. Their new board is as follows:

Chair: Arjun Kapoor,  CC’09, Amnesty International

Vice-Chair: Jacob Taber, GS-JTS’09, College Democrats & Hillel

Treasurer: Devora Aharon, CC’10, Hillel

Secretary: Jim Downie, CC’10, College Democrats (and Bwog staffer!)

Representatives-at-Large:

Nishi Dedania, SEAS’09, Hindu Students Organization

Charles Dwyer, CC’09, CU International Relations Forum

Sana Khalid, CC’11, MSA, AHIMSA and USINPAC

Aaron Krieger, CC’10, Hillel Executive Board, Gayava, Columbia Queer Alliance

Ali Shafei, CC’10, MSA

Eugenio Suarez, CC’11, Cuban American National Foundation

Elissa Verrilli, BC’11, SEEJ

New groups and groups-no-longer are after the jump—and in keeping with the theme du jour of objectivism, the ill-fated Ayn Rand Discussion Group is one of the latter.

Read more…

In the continuing saga of ABC/SGB budget and group allocations, SGB has just released their budget, as well as a handy Powerpoint presentation entitled “Fun with Funds” (really!). “I apologize for the lack of animation, but we wanted to get it out quickly,” explained SGB chair Jon Siegel.

So let the comparisons begin:

In the political arena, Democrats were allocated $7500, the Republicans $1500, the Libertarians just $350 despite a New Yorker write-up. CPU was a huge winner with a whopping $15,000.

On the publications front, Ad-Hoc apparently still exists and apparently was allocated $800. Who knew? The Current also received $800.

A group cryptically entitled “Catholics” received $8500, while Hillel took home $27,000. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship received $735, nearly double that of the Atheists and Agnostics, who received $350.

This was a only small sampling, so head to the SGB website to see the full budget.

- JNW

Like many of you, Bwog was curious and excited upon learning that ABC (unlike last year) had released their 2007-2008 budget and student group allocations. But what of the Student Governing Board, (the ABC of political and religious groups, among others)? According to Jon Siegel, a chair of SGB, the SGB has been in talks with various groups for about a year in attempts to publicize their budgets. This year, SGB will be releasing their full budget and all of their allocations.

“The only reason we haven’t published ours yet is because a member of a student council asked us not to release ours for another week or so so that they would be able to release theirs without appearing to have been pressured into it by us,” Siegel said. 

Because SGB serves mostly religious and political student groups, clubs and events, the release of individual allocations to groups is a very sensitive and charged issue. Bwog will be publishing SGB’s budget as it is released, check back for updates.  

- JNW