Just imagine what ESC would have been like before the digital age *shudders*

Spring is in the air and, just as all the new prospies are visiting campus, going to bars, and somehow finding their way back through the dark night, ESC is slowly but surely working its way through the darkness of its new members’ bureaucratic ignorance. ESC Correspondent Finn Klauber reports on the many important updates given by ESC last night.

Yesterday was the first time any substantive work was discussed by the newly elected Engineering Student Council—if you discount SoulCycle discussions as substantive work, that is. A large portion of the meeting time was dedicated to President Neha Jain, SEAS ’17, discussing committees, committee meetings, budgets, ESC communication, Slack, etc. As a result, there were many updates to projects and proposed initiatives which carried over from the last configuration of ESC, but little new content.

Updates

• ESC’s new website, which is in its focus group stage, is looking “dope.” The website is aiming to be released next fall, though it will definitely be here in Spring. The focus groups are looking for more SEAS students in general to attend, as there are four final designs with distinct difference. Dates and times are still flexible—if you want to participate, reach out to ESC.
• The Library Student Advisory Committee met last week, and determined that software access was a main student concern. The Library Administration is looking to expand its modeling software and IDEs, placing much of these new resources in NoCo’s Science and Engineering Library. On top of software, students are concerned with having a greater number of group study spaces, especially as much of the study spaces at the Business and Economics Library in Uris Hall is off-limits to undergrads. The ESC representative noted that the the “grad students kind of hated the undergrads” at the meeting.
• SEAS The Day is happening on May 2nd, from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. ESC has registered the event for Hamilton and the North Math Lawn, but the event will mostly take place on Math Lawn. The event is beach themed, and there will be lots of cools prizes and giveaways—though these are only limited to SEAS students, much to the sadness of your correspondent.

Update: On Tuesday at 6:00 PM, ESC released a statement on their Facebook page regarding the CDCJ sit-in. Their statement is restated below.

ESC Statement on Columbia Divest for Climate Justice’s Low Library Sit-In

We, the general body of the Engineering Student Council, unanimously stand in acknowledgement of the ongoing sit-in of Columbia Divest for Climate Justice members in Low Library. Columbia has a rich history of campus-wide dialogue on critical issues, and the right to protest peacefully is an essential part of our campus culture. We understand that the administration is currently considering severe punishments for our peers, and we would like to strongly encourage against the consideration of expulsion and other harsh punishments for these students, who are our colleagues, our constituents, and our friends. We advocate for a fair and just administration of the Rules of University Conduct, we call on both student activists and administrators to return to productive dialogue, and we offer our support as the Engineering Student Council to facilitate and expedite a resolution to this impasse.

Authored by members of the Policy Committee: Danielle Deiseroth, Ojas Sathe, Vanessa Chadehumbe, and Sidney Perkins, VP Policy.

Voted upon by ESC’s general body with the unanimous support of 22 of 25 members present.

BUREAUCRACY via Pizarros / CC BY-SA 3.0