This is where the magic happens...

In case you forgot already, here is what student government is supposed to do. We asked the newly-elected president of each of the three councils to introduce themselves, and list the five most important things that they actually achieved last year. You too can be Barack Obama!

Greetings from Jessica Blank, President of SGA

Welcome to Barnard! I hope you had a great summer and are excited for an amazing year!  Although campus may seem overwhelming at first, you’ll quickly learn about Barnard traditions like Midnight Breakfast, Greek Games and Spirit Day, what all those acronyms stand for and to read Bwog and Spec to stay updated on campus happenings.

You will also soon discover all the incredible opportunities Barnard offers, both on campus and around NYC, one of which is SGA, Barnard’s Student Government Association. There are so many ways to get involved, from first year class council (elections will take place in the first two weeks of school) to the many SGA committees (check out the SGA website for openings!)

If you have any questions about Barnard, SGA or just want to have coffee and chat, feel free to email me at jab2262@barnard.edu

So enjoy NSOP, take full advantage of the seemingly awkward events because the people sitting next to you may be your closest friends for the next four years, and I can’t wait to see all of you on campus!

SGA Accomplishments 2010-11

  • Greek Life Recognition- After holding a campus wide survey, SGA voted to recognize and fund Greek life on campus.
  • Campus Wide Smoking Ban- working with the administration and with the support of students on campus, SGA instituted a campus wide smoking ban.
  • Consitutional Review- Every three years, an SGA committee is formed to review the current SGA constitution and make any necessary changes. This year’s committee established several new SGA committees including the SGA Programming Committee and Student Art Committee and instituted several policy changes.
  • Thanksgiving with Alumni- In an effort to connect current Barnard students with Alumnae, SGA established the “Thanksgiving with Alumni” program which paired Barnard students with alumnae living in the New York area to spend Thanksgiving with.
  • Return of the Greek Games- SGA, in collaboration with McAC and with the full support of the college offices, organized the return of the Greek Games, one of Barnard’s most beloved traditions. Check out pictures from the event.

Greetings from Nate Levick, President of ESC

Class of 2015, welcome to your new home! Welcome to New York City, welcome to Morningside Heights, and most importantly, welcome to Columbia! We all may be from different backgrounds, but as Columbians, we all share a home here on our lovely campus. The Engineering Student Council welcomes you and wishes you the best of luck in embarking on this exciting new journey in your life. You will experience so many thrilling opportunities and meet so many great people here at Columbia, especially during your first few weeks! Know that there will always be a huge network of support for you along this journey, including the Engineering Student Council. We will be here to represent our students, listen to your voices, and work to provide you with the best experience possible. So, welcome to your new home. Welcome to your new best friends. Welcome to new opportunities around every turn. And again, most importantly, welcome to Columbia!

ESC accomplishments 2010-11

  • Open housing
  • Unlimited first year meal plan swipes
  • Responsible Community Action policy
  • Increased mailroom hours and availability
  • Increased John Jay and Ferris days and hours

Greetings from Aki Terasaki, President of CCSC

Welcome, Class of 2015, to Columbia College! Whether you’re a West Coast transplant or a native New Yorker; pre-med, economics, or nowhere near decided; congratulations, you’ve made it.

The Columbia College Student Council especially wants to make sure that your experience here is as fantastic as possible. We are always involved with initiatives on campus to better student life, and if you would be interested in working on any of our policies, there’s always a place on CCSC for you. Email us at ccsc@columbia.edu to see how you can join a committee, run for elections, or just attend a meeting.
Columbia can be a daunting and overwhelming institution at times. But these next four years are going to be some of the most incredible and transformative experiences of your lives, and you should take every advantage of them, starting now. Enjoy NSOP, and welcome!
Also, I think the five initiatives below capture some of the more significant policies we worked on last year.
CCSC accomplishments 2010-11
  • Having Lerner Mail Services open earlier in the year and for longer hours to facilitate package and book deliveries
  • Creating a Space Allocation Committee to streamline the process of allocating new spaces to student groups
  • Working with EcoReps on environmentally-friendly initiatives, like publication racks and a composting machine
  • Surveying the school and writing a report on the new changes to dining in John Jay, JJ’s, and Ferris Booth
  • Throwing the largest annual undergraduate-wide event of the year, Glass House Rocks

Is this what student gov space looks like at HYP? We wonder… via Wikimedia