Things happen at GSSC. We sent the eminent Joseph Milholland to venture forth and discover truth.
This week’s General Studies Student Council meeting involved exciting discussions on budgets and by-laws.
The council passed to requests for funding for GS senior events. The first was the approval of $245 for a senior pub on March 6. The second was a request for a no-interest loan of $1200 to the senior class council. While the senior class council would, as senior class council President Rivera put it, “dip into the red,” they would repay all money by the end of the year. The reason they needed the cash was to give money for senior week. Last year for the first time ever GS participated in senior week and gave only $450 to it, while all other undergraduate councils gave at least $8000.
Vice President of Policy Gard Martinez also ran the council through changes to by-laws, all of which were passed by the council. First, legislative assistants would be officially “associates,” meaning they are a part of the council but cannot vote. The council will change their elections process from being run by their elections commission to being run by Columbia’s Elections board. Columbia’s elections board will have two GS members who oversee the elections. There will be a post-elections commission report and annual elections rules as well as a budget of “a few hundred dollars for the year” for the GS elections board members to organize events to increase vote turn out and spread the word about the elections process.
Also, GS students who have completed two semesters and have acquired 12 credits can run for the position of president so that people who are only in GS for two years have a chance to become president. Finally, in elections where two candidates were running and they both failed to reach the threshold of votes to win, there would be a special election, but in elections where more than two candidates were running and they all did not reach a threshold of votes to win, there would be a run-off election.
I asked Representative Malcolm Marcoulides about discrepancies between his stated-position as Academic Affairst Representative and his LinkedIn account, which lists him as a member of the executive board. Both Representative Marcoulides and President Germond said they would look into it. In an email, the President Germond said, “[T]he Executive Board will meet with Malcolm and address the issue of his misrepresentation on LinkedIn. GSSC puts a high value on integrity and I am confident this issue will be resolved immediately.”
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20 Comments
@Jason Pettigrew I’m late to this party, but I only found out tonight that I was mentioned in this thread. I have a shirtless pic on Grindr which includes my face. I’m comfortable with that (which is why my face is included in the pic). Any person that knows me will speak to my character and realness/fakeness. I invite Mr. McCrusterson to say hello to me, get to know me a bit, then judge me. Also, McCrusterson must be on Grindr himself to have seen me, worse, he actually clicked on my shirtless profile, we should all collectively judge him for that because we’re uncomfortable with his sexuality. I won’t be made to feel ashamed of my sexuality.
@The one Why all the hate? You guys that are complaining run out of other stuff to complain about? Like the price of hemp or how you have issues cause your parents told you no once when you were a kid? Grow up. If you’re unhappy about something raise the question at a meeting or run for an office. Or just continue to cry about it anonymously on the Internet like a bunch if ninnies.
@Gardo3 I vote that the GS lounge be turned into a public safety lounge – they need more places to rest when they are working. If GSSC doesn’t take up this issue, then they are just as complacent as the French before
WWII.
@Gardo2 I agree Gardo. This comment box is full of loose hippy bitches. By the way, why does GS only have one flag?!? That’s BS! CC has three
@Gardo Down with GSSC! Michael Oakley is the worst VP of Finance ever! Wait….am I late to this party or does the same bitch fest happen every year? It’s easy to complain when you don’t have to sacrifice your free time to getting shit done in the name of the entire student body of GS. Even worse, people can post under any name they want.
@Jared the bartender LOUD NOISES!!!! I LOVE LAMP! I LOVE LAMP!
@Gardo “Grow a pair” says “Crusty McCrusterson” on a Bog comment box. Sorry you’re so upset. I’m not hard to find, tell me how you really feel.
@Gardo “Grow a pair” says “Crusty McCrusterson” on a Bwog comment box. Sorry you’re so upset. I’m not hard to find, tell me how you really feel.
@Katharine Celentano, GS I will preface by saying that I am not commenting one way or the other on the accuracy of any of the accusations made against any of my peers above.
I am instead commenting on the practice of making anonymous accusations – whether true or false – in writing on the internet about our peers (or about anyone.) Above, anonymous commenters have referenced by name at least four members of our community, speaking about them in ways that at the very least border on character attacks.
Especially in the age of Google search, it is a testament to one’s character to attach one’s name to critical comments. Similarly, barring extreme circumstances that are not relevant in most cases, it is small to disparage others in writing without signing one’s name.
Identifying oneself when critiquing is an important mediation mechanism towards the end of civility, as it is much easier to criticize while anonymous.
I appreciate and am on some level heartened by the indication given by this thread that there is a lot of caring and interest within our community for our community and its operations. However, we owe it to one another, and to our school and its institutions, to communicate with a baseline of courage. We must tend to civility, especially during elections season. True, school elections are important – we are the stewards of our school – and we should take that responsibility seriously. That said, school elections are certainly not of great enough consequence to justify taking the integrity hit and community injury associated with anonymous drama.
I am aware that anonymous comments decrying individuals are common on Bwog (and the Internet), and that I could easily post a similarly relevant comment on plenty of other threads. However, this caught my eye today, so I’m commenting on this post.
Respectfully, non-anonymously, indexed by Google, and of my own accord,
Katharine Celentano, GS
kec2156@columbia.edu
@GS '14 Who do you think you are? So, are you running for something? You’re taking yourself wayyyyy too seriously. This is irrelevant drama….. Jeezus
@GS Whaaa Katharine is running for Senate. Like Lawson. Like Ching. Like Hudson.
@Crusty McCrusterson Ok let’s talk..Well as for Malcolm..I don’t trust him ain’t all..he stole that idea from Jess..and she never complained or made s rink about it…the GSSC save for one person are fake..fake smiles,and fake caring..if they would stop allegedly raping women..being on hook up apps shirtless..just for starters..yes use your brain dude..screen capture anyone ..Ms.Hannah has this unique talent of speaking to you but looking straight through you..potentially a huge political career in her future..Lawson ..really dude why is every day a disaster for you…don’t even think of running..dude like honey boo going to Harvard it ain’t happening…Gardo..stays in line with Hannah..and our flag pole …it’s nice to have one..but I’m thinking more could have been done with that money..it’s GS we need money for everything…but I digress ..back to Jess ..ohh that rhymes I’m a poet..you f@@@@@ over one of the nicest people in GS..if not the nicest person..GS is supposed to be different from the other schools..we unlike them are adult…Gardo grow a pair and GSSC council grow up!..now munch on that ..talk amongst yourselves!!!
@Team Jess I am not surprised by the situation. I remember Malcolm going around GS vetting ideas to present to council. He found a good idea after speaking with Jess Silfa, which has become known as the Night Owl, and ran with it. I wish he had given Jess credit, because, given her popularity, he could have marketed this idea so much better. More importantly, it would show how ordinary students contribute to GSSC without holding a title.
In short, Jess rules.
@Gardo Martinez But….my name isn’t Gard…
@GS '14 It is a travesty that a member of our community had their idea stolen.
Let me say that I truly love GS and deeply admire the work that GSSC has done in the past. However, I am extremely disappointed in the perpetual apathy shown by its leadership this year. I believe misfortunes like this could have been avoided if the executive leadership of GSSC had half of the concern or interest that they displayed when campaigning for my vote last year.
Since matriculating at Columbia in 2008, I cannot recall a council as absent or distant as this one. GSSC supposedly holds office hours, but I’ve only known of one or two people to show up and actively engage students. Like many of my GS peers, I am frustrated, especially with Hannah and Gardo who just checked out once elected.
If the allegations are true that he has been misrepresenting himself to other student councils and GS students, I believe he should reign or be removed from office. Whether it is true or not, Malcolm seems to have the full support of GSSC’s leadership. As such, I have no doubt that this will be swept under the rug.
I sincerely hope that my peers elect a better council for the upcoming year.
@Angry Peer Jack Abramoff, I mean Malcolm, what nerve! Be honorable and give credit where it is due. You promised to be transparent with my idea, GS Refreshed aka Night Owl, yet used it as a platform for Student Body President.
I don’t get frustrated often, but you lied. You can’t ask for student support when you use students for your own ends. If you chose to run, I will confront you openly. Otherwise, I hope you have the dignity to fade into the very shadows from which you snuck out of.
@CC'14 First – I am happy GSSC joined with both CCSC and ESC in using CEB.
Second – As a member of CCSC who has interacted with Malcolm several times, I will say he has made questionable statements several times. I don’t want to say Malcolm intentionally misled anyone, but I commonly feel like I am interacting with ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’
@GS'15 Malcolm stole the Night Owl from students in the GS Lounge. I lost respect for Malcolm after he engaged a fellow GSer for policy ideas before his GSSC interview, but branded Night Owl as his own.
Malcolm not only misrepresented himself on LinkedIn, but has done so countless times when pitching Night Owl and his survey. A hubris check is in order, Mr. Marcoulides.
@GS '17 Malcolm is an awful human being.
Let’s take a look at his linkedin: It’s completely ironic that he won some sort of essay contests about ethics when he’ll put something dishonestly about his student government position on his linkedin just to ladder climb. He’s GS, he doesn’t need to do that, right? We’re supposed to be grownups who have had other substantial things going on in our lives. Let’s not even mention the fact that he stole that whole night owl (where GS commuters could spend the night on campus… cool idea, right?) and passed it off as his own. Just remember to not vote for him during election season.
@Anonymous So that works out to what, $3/senior on Senior Week?
GS: worst college in the world?