It’s back! The first Fall 2020 edition of the Student Council Weekly Roundup, where Bureau Chiefs Maddie Goodman (CSSC), Lori Luo (ESC), Eliza Staples (SGA), and Olivia Mitchell (GSSC) summarize what you need to know about this week’s student council meetings, is finally here. Yeehaw!

CSSC:

  • President Joon Baek CC ’21 and VP of Communications Krishna Menon CC ’22 discussed moving the scheduled meeting time for CCSC to late afternoon Sunday to accommodate general body members who are currently on different continents. An availability survey was re-sent to members and new meeting time for the rest of the semester is expected to be set by this Sunday. 
  • Public accessibility to CCSC meetings was discussed at length, as there are concerns that with a public zoom link, zoom bombers may disrupt the meetings. Pre-COVID, meetings were publicly held in Lerner Hall and were also Facebook live-streamed. Whether CCSC will post a recording or allow anyone to attend the virtual meetings live will be decided this Sunday. 
  • President Baek gave a financial update, stating that the budgets for the fall semester are the surpluses from last spring semester. General body members are to expect a budget 60% less than what they had last semester. President Baek highlighted that this should not be of too much concern given that no meetings or activities are in person, so expenditures for food and deposits on spaces will also be significantly less or nonexistent. 
  • Junior Representative Brandon Shi CC ’22 spoke of a task force recently formed last semester, the Inclusion and Diversity Task Force, which is continuing to take shape as newly elected and appointed general members are encouraged to join. It currently includes Gender and Sexuality Representative Adam Kluge CC ’22, Disabilities Representative Blake Jones CC ’22, International Students Representative Lauren Ritchie CC ’22, FGLI Representative Jaine Archambeau CC ’22, and Junior Representative Shi. Once the two Race and Ethnicity Representatives are appointed this coming Sunday following application reviews and interview process, they will also be part of this task force.

ESC:

  • This week was the first full meeting of the 2020-2021 council! Some positions are still open, however.
  • Former President Ying discussed and praised successful ESC events, such as the 2020 Wikithon event run with Bwog to update the WikiCU, and the CSA Farmshare, which subsidizes fresh produce for SEAS students living in or near Morningside Heights.
  • The council then discussed the issue of time zones which, according to a survey led by Academic Affairs Representative James Wang SEAS’22, is one of the main issues SEAS students are experiencing with virtual learning, alongside excessive screen time and academic honesty. ESC members stressed the importance of academic accessibility, especially during virtual learning and the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • ESC discussed the possibility of moving their meeting times as a way to be more friendly to students in different time-zones. There is no official change to the meeting time yet.
  • Vice President of Student Life Katherine Liu SEAS’21 discussed the possibility of new events for SEAS students in the Fall 2020 semester, such as Esports tournaments, trivia nights, and CCE info sessions. They also talked about working together with the other student councils to turn typical in-person traditions, like the tree-lighting ceremony and Homecoming, virtual.

SGA:

  • This week, SGA learned more about the Ombuds office as a confidential, impartial resource for conflict resolution. SGA hopes to publicize the office, as well as develop new workshops for Barnard faculty and students about conflict resolution.

GSSC:

  • GSSC is in its second week of appointments and, in executive session, voted on the nominees for Senior Class Treasurer, JTS Representative, and the two legislative assistants for the University Senator. Next week, they’ll hear from the nominees for the Student Services & Academic Affairs Representative and the Family & Working Students Representative
  • FACU (Funding at Columbia University) has been canceled for the Fall 2020 semester as a result of the pandemic. The Vice Presidents of Finance for each of the undergraduate councils are currently convening to figure out club/organization funding for this semester. Questions? Email GSSC Vice President of Finance Josh Brown GS’22 at jbb2172@columbia.edu.
  • GSSC has a Discord channel now! Called “Lewisohn”, it’ll be used to foster campus life for GS students. Their first event will be a scavenger hunt!
  • Updates for the CARES Act letter-signing campaign are underway. President Jane Jeong GS’22 says that the letter will now be structured more towards the audience of President Bollinger, the Board of Trustees, and the Provost.
  • GSSC will be hosting a week of Halloween activities that include Halloween trivia, a Donnie Darko movie night, and more!
  • MilVets and GSSC will be co-hosting a mixer for veterans and non-veterans to create a better, integrated community. The event will most likely be on October 29th.

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