Gershman then runs through the many controversies that Massad has been involved in in his time in Morningside, before adding two new plot points. First, he calls Dean of Arts and Sciences Nicholas Dirks a “key ally” for Massad in getting an uncommon–though not unheard of–second tenure review. Second, Gershman alleges that “President Lee Bollinger and Provost Alan Brinkley took extraordinary measures to protect the secrecy of Massad’s tenure case and guard against an outcry from Jewish alumni and donors,” including shielding the names of tenure committee members from the Board of Trustees.

University spokesman Robert Hornsby did not comment to Bwog, citing the “longstanding policy” of no comment on tenure cases. While no complaints at the faculty level have made their way back to Bwog’s ears (yet), several MEALAC students told Bwog in April that, contrary to Massad’s first tenure review, far fewer details were leaking about the tenure process, and there appear to be fewer leaks to the media as well. Whatever makes the faculty happy.

- JCD

The hidden forces around Columbia are readying themselves for the arrival of that mistress of madness Ann Coulter on Monday.  But oh, twist!  Conversio Virium, the BDSM campus group known for its sex toy demos, will be hosting author Kate Bornstein starting sixty minutes after the Coulter debacle.  She’ll be talking about when “the way you express yourself makes other people queasy.” Quite the back-to-back billing.

That touchy-feely liberal “victimization” might raise Coulter’s hackles a little bit.  The last time she sparred with Conversio Virium was two and a half years ago, when Fox News invited Coulter to comment on a report that Columbia has a lot of sex. A lot of kinky sex. Coulter told Fox, “[S]omeone who needs to join a club at college to find a way to have sex, probably not your lookers…probably something a little wrong about them.”

It’s so on. Bags and signs are forbidden at the Coulter event, but students do have a history of creative protest.

Coulter is being brought by the Columbia College Republicans and the Columbia Conservative Forum, with assistance from Young America’s Foundation and the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute (Coulter’s speaking fee is typically $20,000), and will speak at 8 p.m. in Altschul Auditorium in IAB. Her speech will be followed by a signing of her latest book, Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America. No doubt many measured repartees will accompany the signings.

Not surprisingly, the event will be ticketed, with passes available starting either Sunday or Monday at the Lerner Box Office and at CUArts online. Should be a blast (photo from Wikimedia Commons).

- JCD

Massad, who is in Egypt this semester, did not respond to an email request for comment (although this CSU-Stanislaus professor claims Massad’s already heard the news), and University spokesman Robert Hornsby told Bwog, “it is our longstanding policy not to comment on any tenure case.” But even when they do comment, the news will probably go unnoticed, and the internet will move on…or not.

- JCD

- Photo by JCD

Jonesing for a good Gaza protest? About 20 members of the Columbia Palestine Forum are out on Low Steps for several hours today, calling for divestment from Israel and other non-contentious ideas. Those looking for more background can check out the LectureHop of last night’s teach-in.

If nothing else, they’d appreciate the audience – when Bwog stopped by, listener numbers were rather low (and included at least several Hillel board members, who probably were not there in support). 

- JCD

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 Photo Courtesy of NYU Local

The Columbia Students for a Democratic Society, who used to know a thing or two about campus protest, just sent out a press release from Take Back NYU, the pro-Gaza-ish, Marxist-y group that took over Kimmel Hall last night.

Their first demand? They request, “full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.” Style tip for radical, leftist protests: Don’t mention yourself until the end.

According to the New York Times and NYU Local, the protest started with around 70 students and has dwindled to less than fifty. The Times posited that only half the students are native NYUers and many New School students, apparently addicted to building occupation, are among the crowd. Full press release after the jump.

-DJB

We, the students of NYU, declare an occupation of this space. This occupation is the culmination of a two-year campaign by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow.

In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we demand the following:

1.    Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.

2.    Full compensation for all employees whose jobs were disrupted during the course of the occupation.

3.    Public release of NYU’s annual operating budget, including a full list of university expenditures, salaries for all employees compensated on a semester or annual basis, funds allocated for staff wages, contracts to non-university organizations for university construction and services, financial aid data for each college, and money allocated to each college, department, and administrative unit of the university. Furthermore, this should include a full disclosure of the amount and sources of the university’s funding.

4.    Disclosure of NYU’s endowment holdings, investment strategy, projected endowment growth, and persons, corporations and firms involved in the investment of the university’s endowment funds. Additionally, we demand an endowment oversight body of students, faculty and staff who exercise shareholder proxy voting power for the university’s investments.

5.    That the NYU Administration agrees to resume negotiations with GSOC/UAW Local 2110 � the union for NYU graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants. That NYU publically affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU publically affirm that it will recognize workers’ unions through majority card verification.

6.    That NYU signs a contract guaranteeing fair labor practices for all NYU employees at home and abroad. This contract will extend to subcontracted workers, including bus drivers, food service employees and anyone involved in the construction, operation and maintenance at any of NYU’s non-U.S. sites.

7.    The establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee. This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions. The committee will be composed of two subcommittees: one to assess the operating budget and one to assess the endowment holdings. Each committee will be composed of ten students democratically elected from the graduate and under-graduate student bodies. All committee decisions will be made a strict majority vote, and will be upheld by the university. All members of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will sit on the board of trustees, and will have equal voting rights. All Socially Responsible Finance Committee and Trustee meetings shall be open to the public, and their minutes made accessible electronically through NYU’s website. Elections will be held the second Tuesday of every March beginning March 10th 2009, and meetings will be held biweekly beginning the week of March 30th 2009.

8.    That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance committee will be:

a) An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.

b) A reassessment of the recently lifted of the ban on Coca Cola products.

9.    That annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year. These scholarships will include funding for books, housing, meals and travel expenses.

10.    That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.

11.    Tuition stabilization for all students, beginning with the class of 2012. All students will pay their initial tuition rate throughout the course of their education at New York University.  Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation, nor shall they exceed one percent. The university shall meet 100% of government-calculated student financial need.

12.    That student groups have priority when reserving space in the buildings owned or leased by New York University, including, and especially, the Kimmel Center.

13.    That the general public have access to Bobst Library.

Along with this, students have issued a SOLIDARITY STATEMENT

We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student [sleepovers] in Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, as well as those of the University of Rochester, the New School for Social Research, and with future

[sleepovers] to come in the name of democracy and student power. We stand

in solidarity with the University of Gaza, and with the people of Palestine.

Or, you know, not. The administration’s “War on Fun” campaign looks to be well on its way to destroying a proud senior pastime, as sources tell Bwog that Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger and SDA Director Robert Taylor have ordered the student councils to come up with a replacement for the once-loved tradition of 40s on 40.

Up until two years ago, seniors would drink 40s on Low Steps to celebrate 40 days before graduation. The public drinking made for some actual class unity, and hilarious scenes of tour guides assuring parents “no, we only get this way once a year.” But, like any evil dictatorship, Columbia soon tired of the civil disobedience, and forced the class councils to put on a poorly-run picnic instead. Both years of cheap imitation saw nothing but frustrated students in long lines for little beer.

What’s the new excuse? Apparently, Shollenberger and Taylor told the councils that the university is “no longer comfortable” hosting an event whose primary draw is alcohol. Aside from the lack of any incidents to support this new crackdown, of course, the university’s quick to drop such quibbles when donors are involved: for example, the official Columbia University Club of New York, which has an open bar, or almost every single cocktail party that the university throws for potential donors. But if the War on Fun’s been any guide, justification is not the University’s strong suit.

The events include a protest, a speak out, and a series of candlelight vigils (three types of events often called the “Activist Trinity”). The protest and speak out will start at noon on Monday on Low Plaza and Tuesday at the sundial, respectively, while the vigils will be held at sundial in the early evening throughout the week. For the protest, the announcement encourages students to make different kinds of posters, giving examples like “Columbia Students Stand with Gaza,” “Jewish Students Stand with Gaza,” “People of Color Stand with Gaza,” and “Queers Stand with Gaza.” Though there just may be a pattern in those examples, Bwog recommends against “White People Stand With Gaza” or “Ewoks Stand With Gaza.”

And since Columbia is known for its rational discussion of all things Palestinian and Israeli, we’re confident this’ll go just as swimmingly. Absolutely confident.

UPDATE: Bwog has been informed that the Monday protest coincides with a “Rally of Solidarity and Peace for Israel,” taking place at the same time on Monday at the sundial. Organizers tell Bwog that that the rally was scheduled before the “Columbia Community Stands With Gaza” events were announced.  Should be fun.

• Just before the start of the conflict, Yinon Cohen co-authored an editorial advocating for a new push on the two-state solution.
• Joseph Massad, in Gulf News (an English-language daily published in Dubai) “The lesson that Zionism has refused to learn, and still refuses to learn, is that the Palestinian yearning for freedom from the Zionist yoke cannot be extinguished no matter how barbaric Israel’s crimes become.”
• Massad also compared Gaza in 2009 to the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
• Old McCain-Palin target Rashid Khalidi has been busy as well: telling everyone in today’s Times “What You Don’t Know About Gaza,” and declaring the failure of the Israeli assault in Newsday and on NPR
• And finally, GS Dean and Middle East Institute director Peter Awn talked to the Wall Street Journal about “What Could Happen to Gaza After War?“

Bwog of course takes no position on the conflict, but, given that students held a vigil for Gaza when there wasn’t a full scale invasion going on, we suspect it might become a flashpoint when school resumes. Call it a hunch. (Photo by the Associated Press)

• Opening statements – 7 minutes for both sides
• Predetermined questions (3 questions about the impact on student life, the role of Columbia’s NROTC history, and the role of DADT in the debate) for a total of 30 minutes
  
• Audience questions for 30 minutes
• Closing statements – 5 minutes for both sides

Both the pro and con sides have chosen speakers to represent them, although names have not yet been released, thanks to ongoing negotiations over the number of panelists.

Black became head of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center in 1999, and remained there over the next three years. He is particularly well-known/controversial for his advocacy, both before and after the September 11th attacks, of tough treatment of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. He has often been accused of being one of the main supporters of the more controversial “War on Terror” initiatives, includng the secret rendition and waterboarding programs. 

Since leaving the government in 2004, Black has been the vice-chairman of Blackwater USA. He also was Mitt Romney’s counter-terrorism advisor during the former governor’s presidential campaign.

Now, according to Bwog tipster Stephanie Quan, some Columbia women are interested in hearing his views. More specifically, the group Women in Science at Columbia have invited him to speak at the school, where he will “give a short talk briefing us on the case against Columbia and then answer any questions from the audience.”

The talk is scheduled for tomorrow, August 28th, from 1-2 PM, and the room is TBA Havemeyer 209. Whether it includes free food is unknown at this time.