82 CommentsEarly this morning, Barnard students received an email from Dean Hinkson announcing that they’ll have a chance to see Obama speak. Those interested can enter a lottery by filling out an online survey, and will be notified if they’re selected by May 7th.
Dear Barnard Student,
With all the excitement about having President Obama speak at Barnard’s 2012 Commencement, I’d like to offer you the opportunity to put your name in a lottery for a ticket to attend the Ceremony on May 14th. Please complete the survey https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dEk2TFBuSTNDNzlSRk1Hck04UWpoM2c6MQ to participate. The Lottery will close on Wednesday May 2nd at 5pm. Winners will be notified via email by Monday May 7th.
These tickets will not be transferable to any one else, may not be sold and on-campus housing will not be extended for this reason. Students who give or sell these tickets to another person will be sanctioned to the extent of expulsion.
Hope you win,
Dean Hinkson
Loading …
82 Comments
@Anonymous GO AWAY!! I love my neighborhood, hate you college students! Go home!! I will be away May 14-16th because of this. Drink, puke, go away and never come back!!
@Anonymous Why are people confused about the relationship between schools? Some things are shared. Some things are not. Barnard wants autonomy to act in the best interest of its students and to create a small liberal-arts feel for its undergraduates. We have goals that are unique and separate from Columbia College, so we don’t want to merge schools. At the same time, it would be stupid of us not to reciprocate resources, because if the overall goal is to increase educational resources, then we both win by maintaining an open relationship. So if we are to share resources (classes, campus space, dorms, clubs, activities, gyms, libraries, ticket offices, dining halls, labs, etc.) then we have to be placed under the same umbrella: Columbia University. Yet we maintain autonomy in administration, admissions, tuition, advising, and creating a curriculum, therefore making us Barnard College of Columbia University. If you don’t see the relationship as reciprocal, I implore you to use some of Barnard’s resources so you don’t feel left out!
@Anonymous I remember when I didn;t know basic geography. Their ceremony’s being held on the South Lawn which just happens to be on the Columbia campus.
@Anonymous How about Barnard sells the tickets and uses the money to pay for extra hotel stays for GS families??
@Dean Hinkson That’s how I troll.
@Anonymous Okay, the plural form of “ellipsis” is “ellipses.” And “it’s not about hating another school,” where evidently, “all of your admins are ‘tards.” No, it’s not just about hating another school; it’s also about hating people who have developmental disabilities, right?
@DSpar Meh. Probably just 19-year-olds writing at 4:30 in the morning.
@DTR The administrations of Columbia University and Barnard College, in the wake of this situation where a BC-only event is screwing over CU kids on our own campus, need to literally define the relationship (DTR). In particular, an offical statement defining how the terms “independent” and “affiliated” mean in respect to BC’s relationship with CU.
@Harry Lime The administrations of Columbia University and Barnard College have had a written agreement in place for more than 100 years that defines the relationship. In addition the agreement is subject to review and renewal every 15 years.
Both administrations know what terms “independent” and “affiliated” mean in respect to BC’s relationship with CU. The agreement states the rights and duties of both parties in the relationship.
@HOLY SHIT YOU MIGHT NOT BE AWARE OF IT BUT IF YOU HATE ON AN ‘INFERIOR SCHOOL’ EVEN WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY IN A PLACE OF ALLEGED ‘PRESTIGE’– YOU HAVE AN INFERIOR COMPLEX. GO CHECK YOURSELF OUT AND ASK YOURSELF REAL DAMN HARD WHY THE FUCK YOU’D GOTTA HATE ON A SCHOOL SO MUCH IF YOU’RE THAT MUCH BETTER.
Guys, PETTINESS IS SO UNATTRACTIVE. I’m also drunk.
@The Gray Fox Barnard College is not a part of Columbia University. It is an independent women’s liberal arts college that is only *affiliated* with Columbia University. Barnard has to pay Columbia tons of money every year so its girls can use Columbia libraries, facilities, etc (probably why BC has so many financial problems right now). Last time I checked, I didn’t see SEAS paying CU to use Columbia libraries, and that is because SEAS is a part of Columbia; Barnard is not. Barnard girls need to stop acting like they go to Columbia University and be proud of the school that they do attend: Barnard College, the Liberal Arts College for Women in New York City. As for the difference in academic quality, the superiority of Columbia can be demonstrated with a simple thought experiment. Assume we have two women; one is a senior graduating from Columbia College and the other is a senior graduating from Barnard College. Assume that all else is equal. Now, when they both go to apply to the same job (and I mean, for the sake of the comparison, that EVERYTHING is equal except where they went to college), who is more likely to get the job? Duh, the CC girl, because Columbia University is an Ivy League school with a much better reputation than Barnard.
@Anonymous normally i’m a big supporter of Columbia, but have you ever even applied for a job? ‘Prestige’ matters less in the working world than in academia, it’s actually all about your work experience
@Anonymous I’m not taking a side here but
“and I mean, for the sake of the comparison, that EVERYTHING is equal except where they went to college”
@Anonymous ” Columbia University is an Ivy League school with a much better reputation” and some mean-spirited students that harm the reputation of the school.
@Anonymous 1) A lot of people specifically might prefer a student from a women’s college. From experience, it happens.
2) A lot of people would dread hiring a stuck up, entitled “Ive League” toting piece of shit like you and the other trolls on here. Unless people are constantly validating your existence and self-worth with things like US Report rankings, you are completely useless. You are mad at people using “your” campus, like you personally paid for the whole fucking thing? Then join class council or start a petition to change it. I would seriously enjoy it if Barnard was able to free itself from the Columbia system.
I seriously hope you are all still pissed off about this every time you remember your graduation day or think about women’s institutions or Columbia University in general. You deserve the unhappiness that you’ve created out of spite. If you are mad about this, I can’t imagine how you feel about affirmative action, legacy students, students whose parents buy their admission, students whose parents work at CU, or students here on sports scholarships. All of these TERRIBLE unqualified people are taking up your precious space at CU that you’ve all clearly worked soooo hard for.
@The Frail Cox Of course it is a great idea to measure “the difference in academic quality” by comparing job opportunities. Because what Morgan Stanley really cares about is your writing on Deconstructionism and the Iliad, whereas Citibank is more interested in the amount of peer-reviewed articles your Biology professors got published. Not.
@CC '15 that was such a stupid comment.
@Clarity Barnard cannot do their commencement at Barnard because they don’t have enough space. The parks department is really hard to work with, so we cannot easily get Grant’s Tomb (last year it was a miracle the the Parks Department approved it, but it rained anyway sooo…). That sort of leaves Columbia’s campus as a place for Barnard to have commencement. Calm down people–its not the students’ fault Barnard is using Columbia’s campus, so don’t take it out on Barnard students.
Also for those of you who are taking about exclusivity at class day, and are upset that Barnard is not opening their arms wide to welcome all and everyone to see Obama–ALL ALL OF THE CLASS DAYS ARE FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOLS. This isn’t anything new why should it be now?
GS students– sorry your day got ruined. I’m sure it feels terrible. And you were totally fucked over.
@Well It USED to be done at Barnard, as recently as 5 years ago. Apparently now everyone gets 6 guests, then they got 4. Why couldn’t they limit ticketing and have it done there? Limit everyone to 4 guests(or if needed, 3), decrease the size of the event and thus make it small enough to do it at Barnard. Yes, students wouldn’t have all of their family members there, but thats a trade-off for having the Pres speak and wouldn’t screw over GS, who as it stands for the most part don’t get to have all of their family members there and are NOT having Obama speak.
@BC'12 Bitch, I got 8. Keep hating.
@Anonymous Before commenting, maybe you should become educated about why Commencement is not possible at Barnard. With the new building, the space to have Commencement was drastically reduced therefore not making it a safe or viable option. If it was to be held on campus, there would be nowhere near 4 tickets per graduate. Get the facts before making idiotic comments…
@GSAS student Am I supposed to take a side here?
@CC'14 Yes. Columbia’s.
@FUCK JESUS FUCKING CHRIST WHY IS THIS BULLSHIT FUCKASS STUPID IMMATURE FIGHTING STILL GOING ON??
seriously people, this embarrassing hating has been in the headlines of numerous papers, not because columbia’s anger is just, but because its fucking pathethetic.
were all graduating. get over yourselves
@Anonymous Even an innocent update about possibly including a couple more people in graduation triggers a firestorm.
Upside: Columbia is a very passionate place.
Downside: There are some very hateful comments.
Can we rage about something else instead? Global warming rage, anyone?
@No I will not apologize for my tone.
http://www.theschiller.com/2010/09/i-will-not-apologize-for-my-tone-tonight/
@shut up all of you
@CC'13 as a CC girl, all the barnad hate can really freak me out, a lot of it reeks of misogyny and is scary and unnecessary. at the same time, a lot of it just seems like frustration at the lack of a clarification of what this relationship is supposed to be, and i get that. a lot of it can feel really unequal, and unfair.
when i can’t get a space on a machine in dodge because they’re all full of girls in barnard shorts, can i just go use their gym? nope. also, every barnard lecture class i’ve taken, i have to sit on the floor because the rooms are never big enough, and milbank is closer to barnard hall than schemerhorn. that kind of thing.
it seems like most columbia events (especially high profile ones) offer tickets to all the undergraduate schools, even if the number is limited/it’s a lottery/whatever. but after accepting obama’s offer and sincerely fucking with another columbia undergraduate institution, columbia students are pointedly not invited to hear obama speak. and why? because it’s barnard’s commencement, not ours.
what i’m trying to say is, i respect barnard, i love my friends that go there, i appreciate the added dimension to the columbia community. but are we the same school or not? if we are, we have to share our resources equally. if we’re not, my needs should take precedence over theirs on my side of 116th. see what i mean? i’m not trying to be petty, but the administration needs to stop dicking around and be clear about the terms of this relationship.
@BC12 btw… cc/seas students can use bc gym….but why would you want to, even i (a bc student) hate the bc weightroom lol
@Anonymous Barnard: continuously useless
@anon “every barnard lecture class i’ve taken, i have to sit on the floor because the rooms are never big enough”
lulz wut? you sit on the floor for an entire semester and are forced to because you go to CC? i find this one somewhat hard to believe.
@uh How do you know that every single girl at Dodge is a Barnard student? Do you poll them every time you go there?
@She has evidence The maroon “BC” shorts hangin off flabby asses give it away. Duh.
@Rebecca Gray, BC '13 I want to reiterate that CC/SEAS students can use the Barnard weight room. If you are interested, you can find the hours here: http://pe.barnard.edu/weight-room-hours#guide. (Note that certain times are women-only times.) There are certain facilities that are separate at Barnard and Columbia (like Psychological Services, Health Services, and academic advising), but there are many that students from all undergraduate colleges can utilize (Well Woman, intramural sports in LeFrak, dining halls, etc.).
In terms of Barnard student/administration/faculty using Columbia University services (including Dodge Gym, libraries, etc.), Barnard College pays Columbia a hefty sum every year for use of the facilities.
Furthermore, many of the controversial issues that have been brought to light this year reflect the heavy bureaucracy of both Barnard and Columbia administration; please, please, please do not blame the students of any of the colleges for issues that are far beyond us (and, in some cases, far beyond the control of the administration)! Bwog is a forum primarily, I would think, for students to read and comment about current events happening at the University. When the comments turn spiteful, it seems as if the commentators are blaming the students on much larger issues. Even if commentators do not mean for their confusion or anger to be aimed toward students, it is easy to read it as so.
Please take up issues with certain administrators if you feel unhappy about a certain decision made by the University or any of its colleges. I’m sure Dean Hinkson would love to hear from BC, CC, GS, and SEAS students alike in how issues such as these affect them. I’m sure an administrator can ease your confusion about larger administration decisions. If not, oh well–don’t blame the students!
@The Gray Fox There is the same problem with NSOP. If BC is a part of CU just like CC and SEAS then BC needs to integrate its NSOP with the other schools, instead of keeping them locked up over on the other side of Broadway for the week (except for the disgustingly-tokenizing “full class events” which are a sham).
@What These should definitely be given to the GS students/family members who are not able to change their travel plans that will thus miss their class day entirely. It’s like they are actively trying to piss everyone off at this point.
@Agreed. Less commencement tickets, more travel tickets.
@Anonymous Funny, I don’t recall buying my way onto either campus. WADDUP FINANCIAL AID
@Anonymous Oops, that was supposed to be in response the kind person up there…
@seriously now Give the tickets to the GS students. It’s the least you can do after royally fucking them over. I also like how no one from the Barnard administration has spoken on the GS catastrophe.
@BULL... Dear Columbia and Barnard,
Screw you.
Stop messing with GS.
Stop messing with us.
Love,
CC’12
@Anonymous Let’s just all stop talking about this already.
@Angry One A large group of Columbians is organising an army to storm this Barnyard graduation on OUR campus. We will be wearing hoodies on top of our gowns. Details to go out soon, leave your email below if you wish to receive more details.
@Anonymous prepare to get fisted by secret service
@Sounds like a typical saturday Shit they better take me out to dinner first…
@Anonymous Wait, are these people Columbian or Colombian?
(topical news reference, for the dumb)
@Barnard 12 Why are these tickets not going to graduates? Many people want more than 6 guests. At the end of the day, it is still our graduation.
@Anonymous You buy your way onto our campus, to take our classes, and now fuck over our peers for your graduation, but still think it’s cool to complain because you want a fucking 7th seat.
Christ.
@YEAH RISE UP AND RIOT AGAINST OUR BARNARD MASTERS! THEY DO NOT DESERVE 7 SEATS EVERRR
@Anonymous Hm, Barnard can come to all Columbia events, but Columbians can’t go to Barnard events being held on Columbia’s Campus with a Columbia College Alumnus speaking. Sometimes I think they just want to give people a reason to hate them.
@Truth The problem here is that you still see Barnard’s campus and Columbia’s campus as separate entities. I am a CC student, I am writing this post from the vag, and I consider both sides of the street my campus. If SEAS got Obama to speak and sent out tickets just to SEAS students would CC people be up in arms? Highly unlikely. Generally, I think Obamanard reflects a failing on the administration’s part to clarify the relationship between the four undergraduate colleges within this university community. That lack of any official statements of substance as to how these colleges relate to one another leads to ignorance and then irrational outbursts of anger when the colleges are put into competition with one another (see Obamanard and the whole GS debacle).
All this said, I think Barnard specifically should be taking a more active role in the whole GD debacle. It was, after all, their decision to accept Obama’s desire to come speak at a woman’s college that led to the GS time changing. They should bear the burden of that responsibility and do everything in their power to assist GS. If SEAS’s class day had been messed with in the same way by a CC speaker, I would expect CC to find a way to make the SEAS day work just like we should all expect Barnard to fix the inconvenience they have caused to the entire GS community now.
@Anonymous respek for calling it the vag
@BC14 Personally, I’d rather be invited to CU Assassins every year than to a lottery for a one-time event that if I win I’d have to wait in line for three hours just to get a seat (with a view 10x worse than those of at-home viewers).
With sincerity, I can tell you I’m sorry! This whole situation sucks, and I think it could’ve been handled better. Really. But Barnard is not as you say invited to *all* Columbia events (just as Columbia is not invited to *all* Barnard events), and it really stinks sometimes. Actually, a lot of times. I’ve talked to many other Barnard girls who, just like me, feel/have felt left out.
@Takes CUA Seriously Why, so you can sit safely in your barnard classes while Columbia students have to live in constant fear of being assassinated in class and therefore losing all possibilities of obtaining kleos?
@Nota Bene I’m only giving this comment an up-thumb because of your enthusiasm for CUA and real-life application of concepts from LitHum. I sympathize with BC14, but I see no reason why your comment should suffer because of our different opinions.
Cheers
–CC’14
@A twist I’ve never participated in cu assassins and I never went to lit hum class. Directed by M Night shamallamadingdong
@Anonymous It’s our fucking graduation for God’s sake. I would want my family and friends to only attend, not random CC kids I never met in my life.
@CC '15 i agree with this comment. everybody seriously needs to chill the eff out. why does everyone actually care so much? what are you losing by not seeing obama speak at Barnard’s graduation? I was at Sheryl Sandberg’s (or whatever her name was) speech last year because my sister was BC ’11, and honestly it was a good speech, but it would have been just as good watching it online. People are being way too butthurt about this whole thing.
and people need to lighten up about the whole bc, gs, cc, seas thing. if people started contributing more to the columbia community rather than complain about its shortcomings, things would actually be better. but instead, people feel entitled and want to be spoiled brats about it all. try doing something for your community for a change. if you don’t contribute anything, you really shouldn’t be complaining.
@Aye, mateys thar be a shitstorm a-brewin’
@Anonymous This is complete shit. Barnard is using Columbia’s campus and in doing so fuck over an entire school’s graduation, and then they see fit to invite MORE people over to the party because now there will be more space without the poor huddled GS masses.
@Anonymous What amazes me about the whole GS fiasco, is that GS, one of Columbia’s undergraduate colleges, is being displaced for an affiliate school. Insult to injury.
@Anonymous Or Columbia’s most famous alumnus, whatever.
@CC'14 Agreed.
GS>BC
Columbia’s official undergraduate colleges first. Affiliates second.
No matter who’s coming (especially if it’s for a political agenda, not because he loves Barnard). Graduation is about the graduates and their families — not about the speaker or an election.
@Anonymous please don’t hate….congratulate…no need to place your opinion on which school is better…please get over yourself..thanks!
@Anonymous ellipsis, do you know how to fucking use them?
It’s not about hating another school. It’s about the sheer disrespect the Barnard and higher up Columbia administration has for GS. Not surprised you have that attitude, all of your admins are ‘tards. “DUR LET’S BRING THE VIRGIN MARY NEXT YEAR”
@GS '12 The plural is ellipses. Also, if everyone in GS was as crass as you, then we definitely wouldn’t deserve the respect you demand.
@anon “especially if it’s for a political agenda, not because he loves Barnard”
Wow, you figured that out! Congrats, dude.
@CC'14 Nobody here said it was difficult to figure out — which is why it’s even more unacceptable.
I’m sorry you couldn’t figure that out.
@Dude You realize that he/she was being sarcastic, right? It’s been mentioned so many times that at this point you might as well say, “Obama is a politician.” Yes, he is coming for political reasons, and may I add, reasons that are a lot better than it is to visit CC.
@WTF “Students who give or sell these tickets to another person will be sanctioned to the extent of expulsion.”
Really Dean Hinkson? You’re expelling someone over THIS?
@It's probably a security thing. Because, you know, this is the POTUS. By obtaining a ticket through the lottery and filling out the survey, you’re letting the school know exactly who will be there – which isn’t to say they don’t trust the students, but in the event that something DOES go wrong, it makes the situation easier to manage.
Also bear in mind that it says the extent of punishment may be expulsion, not the absolute response. It will vary by case, I’m sure. Selling a ticket to a fellow student would be much less serious an offense than selling a ticket to someone outside of the school community.
@Effie Trinket May the odds be ever in your favor!
@Anonymous Yet they want us to be entirely moved out by the 12th? And they reminded us a couple weeks ago to buy plane tickets home early?
How generous.
@Anonymous For all the fuss that has surrounded this event, this lottery should really be open to all undergrads, or at least the graduating seniors of CC, SEAS, and (perhaps especially) GS.
@CC'12 No, they shouldn’t. It’s Barnard’s commencement, and Obama is coming to speak at Barnard, not Columbia.
That being said, the event should really be on Barnard’s campus. But that’s a whole different story…
@EDIT: *it shouldn’t
@Anonymous After all of the dialog about how Barnard should be seen as a part of the larger Columbia community, I think this point does not hold water.
Barnard students regularly attend events that are hosted by Columbia, but that doesn’t seem to be reciprocated. Two of the most well known visitors to the Columbia/Barnard campuses this year (Obama and Oprah) were at Barnard events, and Columbia students were distinctly not invited to attend.
@Anonymous Barnard wants to be allowed to be part of Columbia’s community but does not want Columbians to be part of their community. Its just how they want to get their degree from Columbia but then insist on calling themselves an ‘independent institution’
@Anonymous come on, you can’t take one comment as representative of the entire barnard community…
@er That’s a pretty unfair statement. I didn’t get to see Oprah (and in all likelihood won’t for Obama, either). Why? Because Oprah came to Barnard to speak to a small number of girls who could speak about their experiences as students of an all-women’s college, and Obama is coming to speak to this year’s Barnard graduates, not to a general collegiate population. They’re both catering to a pre-selected group of students. These are TWO exceptions. Otherwise, any speaker engagements at Barnard have been completely open to Columbia University. Noam Chomsky, Gloria Steinem, etc. Be reasonable, for god’s sake.
@Anonymous yeah, and it’s our senior cruise and they still got to buy all the tickets
@BC '12 Barnard’s campus is too small.