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As the Spec reported on their website yesterday, the Student Governing Board of Earl Hall–that amorphous body that gives your political or cultural group money every year–will soon no longer reside in Earl Hall, under the benevolent eye of Chaplain Davis. If administrators get their way, SGB will move next year to the oversight of the Office of Student Development and Activities (which also houses the Activities Board at Columbia), which means they’ll report to Chris Colombo instead. The administration says the move will afford SGB the financial resources of the College in staffing its advising. Three cheers for synergy. On the other hand, it’s nice having the safety of a satellite office to plan potentially controversial events, like the Finkelstein and Gilchrist speeches. Worth noting: on October 20, the SDA posted a job listing for someone to manage political events.
Next Monday, PrezBo and Executive VP for Student Services Lisa Hogarty will be at SGB’s biannual town hall. The leadership of the SGB has put together a diplomatically worded press release about the change, reprinted after the jump.
– Lydia DePillis
SGB PRESS RELEASE
On Thursday, the Student Governing Board of Earl Hall was informed that is being reorganized pursuant to the administration’s wishes. For the last two years, it seems there has been an ongoing discussion concerning the future of the Student Governing Board. For various reasons, the administration has made it clear that they will being the process of moving the SGB into the Division of Student Affairs (SDA). Whereas before the SGB was housed in Earl Hall and advised by Chaplain Davis and her staff, a new group of administrators will take over advising and oversight responsibilities. It is still unknown what role, if any, Barnard will play. Currently Barnard’s Student Government Association recognizes the SGB and all SGB groups are dually recognized by default.
It is our hope that the transition will be worked out in concert with the SGB executive board and all SGB groups. It is important to reiterate that this change was brought about by the administration and is not the first choice for reform that the executive board of SGB prefers. However, the SGB is preparing to think about the complexities of restructuring and if the board and group members feel the core culture of the SGB can be retained under the new advising structure, we will support the move. It is our mission to protect and defend the unique nature of religious ,political and activist groups on this campus and provide with a home that facilitates Columbia’s full array of undergraduate religious, political and activist life.
The SGB will hold its bi-annual Town Hall on Monday November 13th at 7:00 PM. Many members of the administration will be in attendance and all press are welcome. Besides recognizing new groups, the SGB executive board will also begin a dialogue with our groups about the upcoming changes.
Background:
The SGB of Early Hall was founded in 1969 as a response to the riots of 1968. The concept was to create a center in Earl Hall that would serve to legitimately foster the intense political, religious and activist debate on this campus and for this community. The SGB currently houses 86 student groups.
Please contact Josh Lipsky (jsl2120) at 240-994-4897 for more information.><<>> >
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@stay on point finkelstein is a shmuck. I am not a zionist either, but someone who publicly denies the holocaust for political reasons despite its clear historical veracity is definitely in the same category as Gilchrist.
Stay on point. This is about SGB and not whether or not Finkelstein is also an a$$.
@uh... finkelstein doesn’t deny the holocaust. schmuck.
@how does finkelstein get lumped in w/ gilchrist?
typical zionist bwog
@hurrah! No more two-faced “unbiased” Chaplain pushing her politically correct agenda on every group!!
@fyi sgb doesn’t handle cultural clubs. it handles religious groups, political groups and activist groups.
@Laura Yep. Also, the Spec article (as it indicates) was posted on Nov. 3. Not the day before this post, which was the 6th.
Nice call on the SDA job posting btw!
@Alumna Screw the easy paperwork; you’ve just lost your voices. Have you ever seen ABC do anything conflict-worthy? Uh huh, that’s because they CAN’T. Colombo and his peons will shoot down any remotely “might-cause-a-peep-outside-campus” idea faster than you can say protest.
Wave byebye to the political speakers, Repubs, Dems, heck – even the Ayn Rand group should weep for their lack of freedom.
@uhh You’re exactly right. Know why? Because ABC represents ONLY groups that are NOT ALLOWED to be activists. Fool. Presumably, moving groups that are specifically designed to be partisan to a different bureaucratic office isn’t going to change their fundamental nature.
This is a paperwork change…of course there will still be political speakers on campus.
@ahaha you just got F***ED. you are now going to be subject to the incredibly imbecilic and needlessly complicated bureaucratic bullshit of SDA.
welcome to hell.
@??? yup, that pretty much sums it up. no more easy paperwork and reimbursements of cottage wine for you, activists!