This week’s ESC General Body Meeting featured Columbia Engineering Alumni Association VP Tom McManus and discussion about creating a SEAS film minor.

After a brief introduction from Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Emma Williams, McManus spoke to the council about the role of the Alumni Association. Its main goal is to organize alumni for the benefit of the school and the current students of the school, he explained. This is achieved through mentorship for students on academics and careers as well as partnerships with student organizations to create programming that is often career focused such as panels of alumni who work in various fields. McManus encouraged ESC members to reach out if they ever have ideas for how to partner with the Alumni Association.

Next, Egem Yorulmaz (‘22), ESC’s International Students Representative addressed the council. She is a junior in SEAS majoring in applied mathematics. Yorulmaz hopes to create a SEAS film minor. She explained that as a SEAS student with interest in pursuing a career related to film, it can be very difficult to get into film seminars. SEAS students are often lowest priority, only admitted after students from the other three undergraduate colleges. A film minor would help students like Yorulmaz access film classes and allow for a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary study.

Yorulmaz noted that she spoke with Rob King, Columbia Film’s Director of Undergraduate Studies regarding this potential minor. King supported this minor, so long as it stayed predominantly on the theoretical side of film, since film equipment resources are limited.

The council voted in favor of supporting Yorulmaz in working to create this minor.

ESC was also just informed that the  council backed initiative to create a biology minor for SEAS students was not approved. The faculty’s reasons for this included concerns about students overextending themselves academically. Also, all current SEAS minors are in the humanities and social sciences. There is no precedent for a natural sciences SEAS minor in a discipline such as biology. Additionally, the faculty noted that students still may take biology courses as part of the wide variety of courses they may take that are not for their majors.

Student Body President Estevan Mesa (‘22) was also informed that SSOL will not be reprogrammed on time for students to choose to P/D/F a course as per the recently passed policy. In order to P/D/F a course, students must fill out and submit the Registration Adjustment Form to their advising dean in the Center for Student Advising. An instructor signature will not be necessary on this form, since the P/D/F policy has already been approved by the school.

Where Else But Lerner via Bwog Archives