This week in ESC, the meeting was held in the Broadway Room. They welcomed a new member, changed the constitution and had general updates. ESC Bureau Chief Lori Luo reports.

Meeting Location
Today’s meeting was held in the Broadway Room in Lerner instead of their usual Satow Room. The room change was last minute, but Student Body President Alina Ying specifically came up to Bwog to apologize for the change and to inform Bwog that next week’s meeting would likely also be in the Broadway Room. This was a gesture that I definitely appreciated. For those who may want to come to next week’s meeting, the Broadway Room is on the second floor of Lerner in the back left next to the piano lounge.

New Student Health and Wellness Representative
Today, ESC welcomed Juliet Sampson, the new Student Health and Wellness Representative. Congratulations!

Constitutional Changes
The first discussion topic was an amendment to the Constitution about elections and appointment procedures. It was introduced by the Vice President of Policy Estevan Mesa. The amendment was something that was started last year by now Sustainability Representative Ade Balogun. It has been carried over to this year, and some changes and additions have been made to it. The constitution was very vague about what procedures ESC should when there is a vacant position. The goal, thus, of the amendment was to provide more information and offer guidance as to what ESC should do in various circumstances.

The amendment clarifies that when there is a vacancy in ESC at large, the Vice President of the committee that the position belongs to would organize an interview process. The VP, one class council member and one representative would interview prospective candidates. Together, they would then propose a candidate, and ESC’s E-Board would decide whether to approve of the candidate. If a Vice President position was vacant, the position would first be offered to people on the committee the VP oversees. If no one on the committee wants the position, it is then offered to anyone in ESC, and then to anyone in SEAS.

The amendment was then voted on and passed unanimously.

General Updates
President Ying met with Dean Cristen Scully Kromm, Dean of Undergraduate Student Life. They discussed Indigenous Peoples Day, which Undergraduate Student Life supports and sent out posts on social media last Monday about. Another topic that was discussed was NSOP, specifically regarding move-in and Under1Roof. Ying and Dean Kromm both agreed that one night of move-in, compared to two nights, is better for the community. As for Under1Roof, Dean Kromm believes that the way it is currently conducted is good. She also believes that discomfort should be expected as difficult issues are discussed.

VP Policy Estevan Mesa has continued working on mental health, continuing topics that were brought up in last week’s meeting. He has been in contact with students from other schools to learn about tactics and resources that their schools employ. He’s heard some interesting ideas, such as George Washington University’s anonymous report form for students to report their friends after which the school will send them a casual email that includes mental health resources. Mesa plans to propose some of these ideas to Scott Wright, Vice President of Campus Services, this week. He also again emphasized the JED Committees and encouraged ESC members to get involved.

Sustainability Representative Ade Balogun updated ESC on his and Ying’s meeting with the Housing Advisory Board (HAB). There will be a new housing selection system that is entirely online. The details are still being revised, but there will be updates about how disability housing works and about going into disability housing with friends. They also discussed compositing. There is a committee forming to expand compositing to all residential halls. Balogun will be sitting on this committee.

One interesting idea that was brought up during the meeting with the Housing Advisory Board was placing Amazon Echos or similar devices in floor lounges or people’s rooms. The idea is to have students ask Columbia specific questions to the devices in conjunction with the devices being used for their other functions. Columbia will then be able to gather data on the questions that people ask in order to create better and more efficiently targeted resources. People were divided regarding whether or not this should be done, but Balogun anticipates that it will be an interesting discussion. The discussion will happen November 22nd.

Vice President of Student Life Bret Silverstein updated ESC on the success of Homecoming, specifically the giveaway event. They passed out rally towels and ice cream cups, both of which were very popular. The Six Flags Trip to Fright Fest was also very popular, with 51 tickets selling out in 15 minutes yesterday afternoon. The tickets were $10 to students and included transportation. The trip will leave Friday at 3 PM and will likely get back around midnight.

Miscellaneous Updates

• The MetroCard application is opening tomorrow! Information can be found in the ESC newsletter, and the application will be open for two weeks. ESC projects that there will be about 60 cards given out with 6 swipes per card.
• SEAS Flash was filmed this week and should be released sometime this week.
• Basketball Mania is coming up! It is an event meant to highlight Columbia Basketball and will feature student performances (including by CUMB) and two competitions. The two competitions, a 3-point and a half court competition, will have prizes including $10,000 in cash or free tuition up to $50,000. They will also be giving out free, Columbia branded tumblers.

Lerner via Bwog