CCSC Bureau Chief Adam Kluge returns to the Lerner Satow Room for his usual ramblings about all things Columbia College Student Council as the Columbia community settles into the stress of midterms and the promise of spring break.

There comes a time in every student reporter’s life when one must take a step back and consider the number of commitments that they have undoubtedly gotten involved with over the course of a semester. Suddenly, the tour that has to be given across campus on the rainiest day of the week does not seem as appealing as before as midterm assignments begin to clutter your Courseworks page. If you so much as glance away from your LionMail account a minimum of ten new emails have somehow emerged. Factor in endless nights in spent studying in Butler, at least three caffeine crashes a week, a bank account that is dangerously close to plunging into the negatives, and the existential dread that is inherent in all of us thanks to ~crippling student loan debt~, and it is difficult to get one’s self to the weekly student government meeting that must be observed and written about.

With all of that said, there is something about my weekly pilgrimages to the Satow Room for a Sunday night meeting of the Columbia College Student Council that just helps to put everything in perspective. After all, I could be them. And then I really wouldn’t be getting my midterm assignments done on time. Seriously, kudos to all of our student government representatives and the work they do for the well-being of this bureaucratic institution we all call home.

Anyways…

The general updates from this week’s meeting included (though this is by no means an exhaustive list):

  • University Senator Ramsay Eyre met with CU Engage on Friday about an initiative concerning voter turnout and a Columbia voice in the democratic process, given 2020’s being a major election year.
  • Academic Affairs representative Zayba Qamar recently met to discuss how the Core Curriculum might be reintroduced as a connection with Under1Roof, in order to further examine how the readings in classes like Literature Humanities can better connect to the broader themes of identity and culture that are inherent to the Core. Additionally, Qamar spoke about testing accommodations currently being finalized during this midterm period.
  • International Students representative Joon Baek met with the Columbia Registrar to discuss the privacy of the Columbia Directory, which publishes the local addresses of all students. Baek said that the Registrar refused to reconsider the publication of this information, even after he suggested that there be increased privacy through the use of a log-in system. Baek intends to talk to Deantini and others about potentially working through this issue.
  • Race and Ethnicity representative Colby King met with Dean Kromm last week to discuss recent incidences of xenophobia towards Chinese students in East Campus, and an investigation is ongoing as to whether or not these events were racially motivated.
  • Student Services representative Aaron Hibshoosh is actively working on discussing and reevaluating the fairness and stipulations of student medical leave policies. More information on this will be coming in future weeks.

In the world of individual class councils, Senior Class President James Ritchie spoke about the booking of the pool for Senior Swim. Additionally, Barnard Pub will be held on March 11 in Barnard Hall. Make note of this change from the usual location in Lerner Hall. The Major Declaration Period for the sophomore class will be held from March 10-13—get excited, sophomores!

As for the big dogs, Executive Board updates included:

  • VP for Policy Henry Feldman (CC ’21) needs a nap (his words, not mine). Additionally, the survey for textbook affordability should have been sent out on major social media platforms, with a series of prizes attached, so make sure to access that survey and enter to win!
  • VP for Finance Sarah Radway (CC ’21) met with JCCC on Sunday, and over $5,000 were able to be allocated to various student organizations on campus. More information on sponsorships to come.
  • VP for Communications Blessing Utomi (CC ’22) gave updates on Student Spotlight, which will be out on all CCSC social media on March 2. This is an amazing way to showcase students making active contributions to the general Columbia College community—share those posts, and support your friends and peers!
  • Additionally, there were some changes regarding CCSC attendance policies, given that there have been a great deal of absences in the last several weeks (I have also missed a meeting this semester, so I can’t say that I do not get it)
    • If CCSC members have an excessive amount of unexcused absences, impeachment is a potential resolution.
      • I might add that, if CCSC functions anything like American politics, the threat of impeachment is likely highly unthreatening.

Beyond general updates, CCSC will be tabling in Lerner this week, and rumor has it that $50 worth of candy will be purchased from Morton Williams… definitely stop by while on campus this week! Additionally, CCSC will likely be partnering with other student council members on campus for future bonding events, so make sure to keep an eye out for that information.

There will be a Morningside Park clean-up effort on March 26, as well as a Service Week kick-off the following day. There will also be a panel with professors of racial and cultural histories the Monday after these events, concerning the relationship between Columbia, Harlem, and race relations in Morningside Heights. With this theme in mind, there will also be a series of programming related to justice that week as well, so definitely try to attend some of this extremely important programming, which is working actively to heal the Columbia community.

There will also be an event held in late March or early April from 6 pm to 8 pm that will allow student groups on campus to speak to CCSC representatives about financial sponsorship, upcoming events, and potential upcoming initiatives. This will likely be done in Q&A style and is crucial for CCSC to understand its role in bridging the gap between student activities and student government. The exact date will be confirmed soon.

As always, there were a few other updates, but midterm studying calls… until next time!

Image via Bwogger