40 Comments
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.
Krebs began the discussion of alcohol policy with a rather rousing speech: “a lot of students are concerned about this, and see us as an organ to take it on, and we should do a good job.” After saying that the university is looking at the issue as a blight on “a purely academic institution,” Krebs admitted that at times “student council has laid down for the administration, but it’s time again for us to take the torch.”
CC 09 Prez Mark Johnson again stressed the clashing visions of the council and the administration, and class reps Brandon Shulman and Colin Felsman declared that they are working with the administration on a compromise. They expressed confidence “that there is a way to hold the event in an appropriate fashion without completely canceling it,” and promised the event would happen.
Krebs thanked them, and said that he wanted to pursue a more overarching policy that will affect all parts of campus social life. Noting that peer institutions like Harvard allow registered parties to go on as long as they don’t violate local laws, while Columbia places extra restrictions on those seeking to register, Krebs also suggested a mini-townhall on the “War on Fun,” to demonstrate to the administration the importance of the issue. Several council members took the chance to bring up more specific complaints: one noted that the university currently pours out all the leftover alcohol, “which just seems like a waste,” while another noted that posters cannot explictly advertise alcohol. Yes, believe it or not, your president is a 1st Amendment scholar.
The meeting closed with an appeal from Krebs to publicize the elections filing deadline (this Friday, the 20th). For aspiring, yet procrastinating politicos, there’s one more info session as well, on Wednesday night in the SGO, so get crackin’!
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40 Comments
@In my defense Thank you “Must correct this” and “and yes”
There are black people on the UWS, but its not a scary neighborhood…so why is Harlem “scarier,” is it because its a predominantly black neighborhood? Survey says yes
@Must correct this... “harlem (which statistically has a higher crime rate)”
Actually, I had to look this up for a class… the Upper West Side has way more property crime (robbery, burglary, etc.) than Harlem, Hamilton Heights, etc…. Property crime makes up a huge percentage of crime overall so I really doubt that its crime rate is as high as you think it is. Sorry, bra…
@wow people need to chill the fuck out (my floormate has a picture of Obama with the caption “everybody chill the fuck out… i got this”).
stop crying racism when you have no idea where his opinions come from.
plus, even if that one assumption about “gated communities” were not racially founded and the one about Harlem were… honestly do you really think racially based prejudice is worse than any other prejudice? why is racism such a hot issue. your jumping to conclusions about aj is no better than if he had indeed jumped to conclusions about harlem (which statistically has a higher crime rate). i, a lowly first year, have no idea who aj is and dont really care. this is all messed up.
oh and by the way, your “brethren” in harlem?? pretending that you inherently identify with all the black people in harlem is a kind of racism all its own. and banding together like that, segregating races, just keeps racism alive
CHILL THE FUCK OUT
and i agree… more talk of dildos
@In my defense Identifying with my black counterparts is better than assuming all black people in Harlem are “scary”
“honestly do you really think racially based prejudice is worse than any other prejudice”
well its not worse than discriminating against gays, but yes this is a dumb assertion other than that
@And yes I have to agree that misperceptions about the crime rate in Harlem have very much to do with the skin color of most of its inhabitants. I remember everyone in my class being wrong when asked to guess the crime rate there versus UWS. So, unlike #32 for example, I do believe that race is intricately tied up in the “other” reasons besides race that he or she thinks drives the fear. To say that this variable can be separated from the others seems, I am sorry to say, naive.
@o...k...a...y... standing up to injustice? haha
yes this intellectual thread of
anonymous posts merits a ‘stance’…
I actually know AJ and talk to him on a daily basis. Thought this was amusing.
o and about AJ’s comment… he was just worried about his safety because of the rescent mugging incidents etc…
who is illogical enough to conclude from “scary” that AJ is a racist? o wait… we’ll never know
@In my defense all AJ has to do is apologize for making such comments and our community here will be happy
@hahaha >Columbia Community
>happy
If he apologizes, the second the last word leaves his lips the Columbia Community will become utterly outraged about something completely different.
@well are you going to stand up and publicly ask for AJ to apologize, rather than tearing someone apart on the internet??
no, because you’re typing on the internet. you’re not a community.
loser.
@I want less talk of racism and more talk of dildos. Am I right?
@o......k....a......y umm… dunt people have better things to do…
haha
@yes but why are you commenting? clearly you don’t have anything better to do or else you wouldn’t be reading these comments…and when racisms involved you have to take time to take a stance…i applaud all of you who are standing up against injustice
@... “part of coming to college is learning how to live in the real world and sometimes that involves not having a shuttle to take you everywhere”
That superimposes your value system on that of AJ’s. It assumes that the way you view your college experience is superior to his. There is no reason to believe that that is the definition of everyone’s college experience.
“AJ this isn’t the little gated community you grew up in”
your derision of gated communities is not fundamentally morally superior to anyone’s derision of Harlem… this quote also shows that you have a chip on your shoulder
bottom line, lay off AJ
I think he’s annoying but this is too much
@In my defense My “moral derision” of gated communities is fundamentally morally superior because my statement had no racially charged motives behind it. But I can assure you that he doens’t believe Harlem is “scary” because he sees a bunch of white people or even Fillipinos around for that matter. In calling Harlem “scary,” one makes the inherently flawed assumption that Black people, which are stereotyped as criminals in our society are out there to hurt him when the area around Fairway is in fact one of the safer areas in Harlem
@In my defense Granted you are correct to say that it is wrong for me to “superimpose your value system on that of AJ’s” please tell me assumptions about his upbringing are worse than his about my brethren in Harlem
@... His comment about Harlem being “scary” may or may not be racially motivated. It is true that many people may say things about Harlem with racial motives but it is also true that many people may feel unsafe for reasons other than biggotry. Simple crime statistics and incidents like the murder or rape make people feel unsafe. That fear need not be racially motivated. You do not know enough to make that statement based off the limited facts presented by bwog.
And about whther his assumptions about Harlem or yours about gated communities are worst: I say that neither is worst. They are both bad. All you do by making your comment about gated communities is to reduce your own credibility. You also engage in a form of reverse-hate that will ultimately consume your soul.
@Bwog should do a comparison of groceries from Westside to Fairway and most likely the savings won’t be that large, then AJ can decide whether or not the savings are worth complaining about a stupid shuttle bus. Heck i’ll even do AJs grocery list for him and show him…
@In my defense And anyone who has taken economics knows that the opportunity cost of waiting for a shuttle that doesn’t take you near enough to fairway, which is in a “scary” neighborhood, is most likely greater than what you would save on your grocery bill. Take that AJ
@vagina monologues doesn’t give dildos to the audience… unfortunately.
@i honestly have no idea how AJ could possibly be so hated – he’s just not that well known or contravercial of a guy, I don’t know him well but he seems nice and fairly unremarkable … seriously, there are only a sparce few people worth hating in this world and AJ definitely isn’t one
also, I think he was speaking more for female students walking around Harlem at night than for himself, but if he is afraid for his own well-being so what, it’s not an unfounded concern. A stats Ph.D. student died during an attempted robbery at 123rd just last semester, not to mention the horrific 19hr rape & torture of a j-schooler about a yr and a half ago.
Cry racism all you want, the fear is not at all baseless: female students are not safe in Harlem at night, and male students are only slightly safer
http://wcbstv.com/local/columbia.student.killed.2.692617.html
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=6222897
@why would i who can’t even spell controversial right? Its the way the kid carries himself, he acts like he’s entitled to a shuttle that will drop him off right at Fairway, why not take a cab or hire a car if he acts like the world should be handed to him on a sliver platter
@well... who can’t even spell “silver” right? i don’t think it’s fair to say someone thinks everything should be handed to him because he wants a slight change in a shuttle ride that is already provided to take him somewhere. plus, the whole point of fairway is that it’s cheaper, so if he didn’t care about money he could just go to morton williams (ugh) or westside. nothing against westside-goers, i’m one myself. i’m just saying.
@... I’m no fan of AJ but you don’t make much sense.
“he acts like he’s entitled to a shuttle that will drop him off right at Fairway”
He feels entitled to it since Columbia provides that service. Columbia just provides that service poorly and AJ is trying to suggest an improvement.
@In my defense i just switched letters around get over yourself just a slip of the keys on a keyboard, not as bad as the following: “controvercial.” My point is that AJ wants to change the shuttle route so it drops him off closer to Fairway because he feels Harlem is “scary.” My point was more over that part of coming to college is learning how to live in the real world and sometimes that involves not having a shuttle to take you everywhere. AJ this isn’t the little gated community you grew up in where you had a golf cart to take you from your condo to the rec center because you were too lazy to walk
@wait you like AJ? are you one of the little asian girls that follow him around?
@... *really want to end the war on fun
@... So basically, CCSC plans to create an organized townhall where people can publicly complain?
Is it just me or does it seem like this will achieve nothing.
I doubt that administrators are under the impression that students like having a strict alcohol policy. Putting on this town hall won’t generate any new insight for the administration to make the change their policies. It’s just a waste of time and politicalg grandstanding so George can feel like he accomplished something.
If we really want the war on fun, I call for a hunger strike. That’s the only way to get shit done at this university.
@wahwah is right on i think aj is one of the most hypocritical people here…but you guys have to understand that he comes from a sheltered society where he has never had to interact with the real world like the rest of us…and you guys also don’t understand that my boys in harlem would eat that kid alive if they saw him walking up there so really hes justified to think this hahahahaha
@Hah Wait… Isn’t this the kid who availed himself of a “Hispanic” scholarship or internship opportunity because he’s Filipino?
@Well Filipinos were under Spanish rule for a long time and were very strongly influenced by the Spanish – obviously some more than others, but then again it is an archipelago and you can’t expect homogeneity. Many of us, especially from Metro Manila, have Spanish last names, Spanish blood, and a certain affinity towards Spanish culture. I don’t know if I personally would apply for a Hispanic scholarship but I can definitely see why someone else would.
@good job bwog of making a nice guy like aj seem like an asshole. jeesh.
@wahwah it makes me seriously upset when people (like this aj character) are so afraid of harlem/black people. especially when they are urban studies majors.
@face it... …we go to a school where people want to create “safe spaces” and racism is (rightfully) admonished, but it’s ok for people to constantly complain about how “harlem is scary.” it’s effed up.
@happy to be a part of the town hall.
@hahaha piss on the faces of the b-schoolers
@!!! “CC 09 Prez Mark Johnson again stressed the clashing visions of the council and vision, and class reps Brandon Shulman and Colin Felsman declared that they are working with the administration on a compromise.”
Protect your eyes! The councils are clashing with vision! War on Vision!111!!
@Also, The line at Duane Reade already takes forever. Why would we want to put the poor people through Flex, too?
@well... duane read sucks esp when you need a prescription filled, get rite-aid on flex b/c then you don’t have to wait half a day to get shit done.
@Anonymous I found a solution to the horribleness of Duane Reade –Hartley Pharmacy on Amsterdam & 120th. Immediate service, no lines, the Pharmacist greets me by name and reminds me when I will be needing a refill. Like small town service in New York City!
@i absolutely agree – hartley pharmacy is AMAZING, and absolutely unbelievable after 2 years of complete torture with DR.