7 CommentsDuring their last meeting before spring break, CCSC members deliberate constitutional amendments and brainstorm structures for an upcoming expansion survey.
As per usual, this week’s CCSC meeting began with E-board and individual updates. From the jump, President Rads Mehta (CC ‘22) noted that a large portion of the meeting would be devoted to the expansion survey, which the Student Life Task Force had discussed. Regarding the timeline of the expansion survey making it to the screens of the student body, President Mehta shared that the survey will tentatively go out on Sunday, March 20th. The following Sunday, the results will be organized, and the meeting that was originally scheduled for March 29th to decide on the matter will presumably be pushed. On a lighter note, Class of 2023 President Charlie Wallace made those who did not already know aware that the Class of 2023 “Shake Shack Event” is scheduled for this Thursday, March 10th, in the EC lounge.
The first major item on the agenda had to do with a Senate Constitutional Amendment. University Senator Brandon Shi (CC ‘22) explained that there exists a body called the Interschool Governing Board (IGB), which employs members from across Columbia’s different schools. CCSC is supposed to send three delegates to the IGB, and the proposed amendment would make it easier to acknowledge CCSC’s full representation in the governing body. Shi went on to say that the CCSC delegate breakdown should go as follows: one member from the Finance committee, one University Senator, and one volunteer from the general body. Shi emphasized the importance of CCSC’s representation on the IGB, as it is a body that can potentially provide funding. Ultimately, the amendment would ensure that in the future, CCSC has no difficulty sending delegates to the IGB. This proposal was received well by G-body members, and although constitutional amendments only need a ⅔ majority to pass, it passed unanimously.
Next on the agenda was another constitutional amendment proposal presented by Class of 2023 President Charlie Wallace and VP Policy Krishna Menon (CC ’22). As Wallace described, the amendment would adjust expectations regarding the appointment process, specifically making clear who must be present for the process and cutting the number of candidates to be interviewed, among other changes. This proposal is a result of the disproportionate responsibilities placed on certain members to coordinate the appointment process, as Menon explained.
As President Mehta said at the beginning of the meeting, the last 45 minutes were dedicated to reviewing the expansion survey. Members were split up into groups to discuss different sections of the survey model, and at the end of the meeting, members offered feedback about the questions as well as the format of the survey.
South Campus via Bwarchives
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7 Comments
@Anonymous Is Columbia insane to even consider expansion? They need to improve the intimacy, opportunities, endowment, and student experience here first before anything else. There is no where on campus to socialize, relax, study, eat , play as it is. This is not a state school. This an an ultra elite private school.
@Alumnus Do not expand the College.
@Alum Please do not expand the undergraduate population of Columbia. It is already way too big with students tripping on each other for space. Columbia already has the least space, most crowded campus, and lowest endowment per student in the Ivy League by far. Columbia has increased its class size already more than any other Ivy League school in the last fifty years. Even Penn and Cornell have not increased as much. Harvard is actually 50-75 students smaller than it was fifty years ago, Princeton the same. This would just water down resources, opportunities, and the undergraduate experience.
@Anonymous Hear, hear! There is no rational argument for expansion. None. The undergrad experience is already diluted by comparison with what it was a generation or two ago, when Columbia College was proud to be smallest Ivy, or second-smallest after Brown. Proud because it actually lived up to the promise of small classes, often with senior faculty.
In those days, Columbia promoted itself as a small liberal arts college in a great research university, the best of both worlds. What next–a liberal arts factory in an even bigger university?
Where are the trustees in all of this? So many of the CU trustees are CC grads. They must understand how awful further expansion would be. Mustn’t they?
@Another alum Yes. Columbia was the smallest of the undergraduate Ivy League colleges in the 1980’s with about 750 students per year. All small classes and seminars taught by full professors and senior faculty. GS and Barnard students were not allowed in core classes. They had their own. Everyone lived on the campus or directly across the street at most. The farthest dorm was McBain. Alumni should all write in and tell the administration this is a terrible idea.
@Anonymous Good point about the trustees. You’d think they would resist the factoryization of the College. Let’s hope they have the good sense to do just that.
@Anonymous Do NOT expand the College or SEAS!