ESC: Planting the seeds for a better future.

This week’s exciting turn of events at ESC is brought to you by finals—making your life miserable since now. This explanation of the last ESC (for this semester) is brought to you by Keenan Albee, headmaster of all that is engineering.

Though it may have been ESC’s last meeting of the semester, the council certainly went out with a bang, rather than a sizzle. Things started off with visiting representatives from ABC, CCSC, and SGA presenting their proposal for a new University Event Management (UEM) Advisory Committee. Addressing issues numbering among communication faults and student misunderstandings, the new committee will be composed of representatives from a growing list of undergrad councils and societies. The committee’s short-term goals will include holding monthly meetings with UEM management and maintaining open channels for Columbia student groups, with grander aspirations of bringing more classroom space under UEM and providing real-time booking access. Hold onto your horses though—the proposal has yet to come to a vote.

The real show-stealer wasn’t UEM. ESC’s recently opened slot for Director of Technology was filled by none other than Sam Aarons, creator of Print@CU and guy who generally prevents Bwog from self-destructing. Aarons, a senior, was picked from a pool of three candidates after each presented their plans to ESC. The DoT position will give Aarons an official spot on the council from which he will oversee ESC’s web presence and other technological initiatives that will be rolling out next semester. Among the potential projects now under Aarons’ purview, a global printer queue—an official successor of sorts to Print@CU–was the most exciting.  Stay tuned, Bwog expects big things to come.

The meeting was rounded out with a visit from Columbia Milvets and GSSC, who shared news of Operation Columbia Cares. Taking place on February 12th, Operation Columbia Cares aims to send out care packages to deployed soldiers (including Columbia alums) with the help of the entire undergrad population. The program is in the process of seeking funding from all undergrad councils through JCCC. Toys for Tots, which runs until December 20th, was also brought up. Donation boxes for the program which donates toys to less fortunate kids are currently set up in the GS Lounge and at the entrance to the Lerner Party Space. There will also be donation tables at Treelighting and in Lerner during reading week (ugly holiday sweaters not accepted).

And as for the rest:

• Flyering for Treelighting has begun. Don’t forget, it’s this Thursday at 6:00 PM.
• The Class of 2014 is holding a Lerner Pub on Thursday.
• The SEAS Class of 2015 is having a winter study break (FOOD) on December 7^th from 4:30-6:00 PM in John Jay Lounge.
• CCE is holding a first-year info session on Friday from 2:30-3:30 PM in the CCE Conference Room.

Aperture Lab via ShutterStock