What’s going on behind closed doors? Why does she look so incredulous??

Are you tired of hearing CCSC talk about Bacchanal? Us too, though it still stings to have Joe “Monday” Milholland turned away from the discussion on Bacch finances. Still, resolutely, he brings to you all the latest updates on group adjudication (sexy!), Staff Appreciation Week,  the Lenape plaque, and the impossibility (to everyone’s disappointment) of Deantini Martinis. 

Closed Bacchanal Discussion

On Sunday night, the Columbia College Student Council (CCSC), along with representatives from other councils and one representative from Bacchanal, held a discussion about Bacchanal that was closed to the press and outsiders.

After the meeting, Alumni Affairs Representative Daniel Liss told me that they were discussing contract negotiations. “One of the conditions of the contract negotiations is that we can’t publish the amount of money being spent in each contract,” he said.

VP of Finance Sameer Mishra then said to me, “We were basically given two options in terms of artist contracts. There was a debate between two values, one of which was above the F@CU alloted amount.”

Group Adjudication Proposal

CCSC also briefly discussed a proposal for a group adjudication board at Columbia. After several meetings, seven parties involved in student groups (CCSC, the Engineering Student Council, the General Studies Student Council, the Activities Board at Columbia, the Student Governing Board, and Fraternity and Sorority Life) came up with a proposal for a hearing panel composed of students from each of these 7 groups.

According to CCSC President Benjamin Makansi, governing boards don’t have to use it, but if there is a student group they don’t feel like adjudicating—usually, he said, because of a serious issue like hazing or alcohol/drugs—they could give the case to the hearing panel.

University Senator Marc Heinrich wondered if a student group themselves could choose to be judged by the hearing panel, and Makansi said they would be subject to the governing board over them.

Class of 2018 President Ezra Gontownik worried that a CCSC member who was part of a club being adjudicated could choose to sit on the hearing panel. Class of 2016 President Saaket Pradhan said the proposal needed to strike a balance between not being so broad it could be taken advantage of and not “pigeonholing” them into an unwanted situation.

The council tabled this discussion for next week.

Updates (Google Doc Here):

• This week is staff appreciation week. Throughout the day on Wednesday, student council members will give out stickers that say “Columbia Students Appreciate You” at residence halls at various times, and in Lerner at least from 12-2pm. On Thursday, there will be a staff appreciation luncheon in the afternoon, and students can sign up to volunteer here.
• Makansi met with Deantini and Dean Krom recently, who suggested they sponsor an event for students, and they asked CCSC to come up with ideas. VP of Campus Life Kelly Echavarria brainstormed ideas for record-breaking events (like making the world’s largest cinnamon roll) or free food events (like Donuts with Deantini or the “highly unlikely” Deantini Martinis). Among the ideas suggested before the conversation was table to a later date was a carnival-like game of dunking a Deantini into a pool of water (“dunktini”).
• “OMA is in contact with NAC and university offices” on the Lenape plaque, according to Makansi’s space in the Google Doc. In addition, Scott Wright “[w]ants to know our [CCSC’s] thoughts on keeping dining halls open over breaks for everyone vs targeting just the people who need it.”
• The Policy Committee is working on “emergency housing form” with ESC.
• Inclusion and Equity Representative Ewoma Ogbaudu is “[c]urrently working with a team of graphic designers to create a food-insecurity infosheet that includes information for on-campus and off-campus resources.”
• The Sandwich Ambassador was the only empty space in this week’s updated Google Doc.

They’re Probably Talking About You via Shutterstock