Managing Editor Zack Abrams covers the inaugural meeting of Fall 2019’s Columbia College Student Council. If you can do this job better than him (you can) apply to become the new CCSC Bureau Chief!

CCSC spent the first half of their meeting introducing themselves, so let me introduce you to Bwog’s coverage of CCSC: every week on Mondays, we post an in-depth summary of what happened at the CCSC (Columbia College Student Council) meeting. We also do this throughout the week for SGA (Barnard), ESC (SEAS), and GSSC (GS). The writers that cover student councils are Bwog’s Bureau Chiefs, and we’re looking for new ones! I am not a Bureau Chief, which means I’m not particularly experienced at covering student government, and thus this article is clearly sub-par. However, our Bureau Chiefs in the past have produced amazing articles showcasing what the student councils are up to, which is a criminally overlooked campus happening. If you’re interested, please apply, we’d love to have you.

I covered this meeting via Facebook livestream, which you should watch if you want to learn everyone’s names. As CCSC’s website isn’t updated yet and I don’t want to spend half my night Googling all these names, I’ll let you watch the video for the introductions. A quick summary though: CCSC has an Executive Board which consists of the President, (Patricia Granda-Malaver, CC ‘20) who oversees everything the light touches, and Vice Presidents who oversee specific policy areas (finance, communications, student policy, and campus life) with their own staffers. Then each class has representatives to make sure the voices of their students are being heard. They’re all beholden to the public, who are informed by Bwog, which means we’re the ones who really hold the power, or something.

After the introductions, Gender and Sexuality Representative Kwolanne Felix (CC ‘22) gave updates on her work representing LGBTQ+ students on campus. Felix mentioned that QuAM, or Queer Awareness Month, a group that plans LGBTQ+ events for the month of October, is planning a “ball” themed event to pay homage to the queer and trans communities of New York, and hopes to work with student council to plan the event. Felix also discussed setting up an advisory board to interface with clubs and ensure that Columbia is working on behalf of all of its students.

International Students Representative Joon Baek (CC ’21) then discussed the rollout of CPT for Summer 2019, which he called successful, though according to his Facebook Columbia “will not offer CPT course for Fall 2019 – Spring 2020.” CPT, or curricular practical training, is a way for international students to obtain authorization to work in the U.S., and Baek has been the main CCSC member working to ensure more access to CPT for Columbia students.

CCSC also booked the Southeast Lawn in front of Butler for a transfer students event where older transfer students will help newer students integrate into the Columbia community on September 19th, so look out for more information about that.

CCSC will be looking into the finances of the clubs it funds, according to VP Finance Sarah Radway (CC ’21), who also noted that after a seven-hour meeting, the executive board has decided on club funding for the upcoming year. Radway hopes that the extra auditing will help clubs spend their money on ways that benefit students the most.

Other things happened too, of course, but look I’ve got things to do! I run this publication, I’m taking twenty credits, and I forgot my laundry in the dryer for several hours this afternoon. If you really want to know about the fascinating details of cosponsorship bylaws, you can watch the livestream. I’m sure someone out there really gets off on technicalities, you know? You get me? Anyway, please apply to be a Bwog Bureau Chief and do this job way better than I can. The future of our democracy depends on it, or so they say.