After a Columbia student passed away during a Kayaking Club trip, new travel policies have been implemented for all Club Sports. Many students claim these policies are unrelated to student safety, but instead put a damper on Club Sports operations, which is further exacerbated by recent funding restrictions. Content warning: Graphic descriptions of death 

Columbia has been shaken by the death of Ella Mills, a Columbia junior who passed away while on a Whitewater Kayaking Club trip at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. Since then, the Columbia Club Sports administration has enacted a number of travel policy changes. However, various students involved with Club Sports claim that these changes have done little to address the safety concerns surrounding Mills’ passing. The Club Sports department has also experienced significant funding restrictions unrelated to Mills’ death, further restraining team operations. Bwog was in contact with the Club Sports Governing Board, the Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club, and the New York Collegiate Ice Hockey Club (formerly the Columbia Men’s Ice Hockey Team) regarding these new changes. 

Ella Mills’ Passing

On September 17, General Studies third-year Ella Mills passed away while on a trip with the Columbia Whitewater Kayaking Club (CUWK). Mills came to Columbia from Trinity College Dublin, studying English as a part of the Dual BA Program. During her trip with CUWK, members planned to complete the Little Falls rapids on the Potomac River, right outside of Washington, D.C. Little Falls is composed of Class III-IV rapids—intermediate to advanced difficulty—and is one of the most frequently-paddled whitewater runs in the D.C. area. 

American Whitewater, a non-profit organization advocating for whitewater safety, published an accident report on Mills’ passing. The Columbia group in attendance consisted of around two-dozen Columbia kayakers split into four sub-groups, each consisting of an experienced leader and sweep boater, roles held by advanced kayakers. According to the report, Mike Mather, an individual who reportedly spoke with CUWK leaders after the accident, claimed the group had completed a flatwater training session the previous day. Mather also attested that many participants had taken a swiftwater rescue course the past spring. 

A Potomac River sign warns of strong currents. 

According to the accident report, the Little Falls water levels were 2.7 feet—low enough to expose hazardous rocks—at the time of CUWK’s excursion. The event occurred mid-tide, bringing quicker-flowing rapids. The report also includes comments from Washington, D.C. resident and frequent kayaker Tim Atwell, who said he was with Mills at the time of her passing, posted to the Facebook Group Little Falls Beta under the name Happy Trailes (sic) to discuss the tragedy in further detail. Atwell claimed, “Apparently most [CUWK trip participants] were quite novice (some had never been in a boat prior to yesterday).” Ella Mills, however, reportedly had prior experience, having “apparently run [Little Falls] before,” Atwell claimed. Another account from the accident report stated that the group members’ experience levels have not been confirmed. In an announcement sent out to students signed up for CUWK emails, the trip was announced as a “beginner overnight trip… designed for [participants] to go in with 0 experience and end being comfortable going down class II/III whitewater.” The accident report states, “There was a lot of bad luck involved and no single clear preventative step.”

Ella Mills’ group was composed of around seven members, as mentioned in the accident report. The group began descending down the Class III+ Virginia Side of Little Falls three members of the group flipped over. According to NPR, Mills became pinned under a rock, likely due to her spray skirt, a kayaking cover, being caught. Atwell and another experienced member of the group reached Mills within seconds, but were unable to pull her out due to the force of the water. 

After the tragedy, Maryland kayaking agency Calleva River School posted a statement to Facebook, writing, “Little Falls itself is not more dangerous than other rapids, instead this is a reminder that all whitewater is inherently dangerous… Calleva believes that proper planning, local knowledge, and low student to staff ratios enable groups to better anticipate and reduce risks.” Moreover, Calleva emphasized the importance of swiftwater rescue training for all kayakers. 

Since the tragedy, CUWK has not operated in any capacity, as confirmed by a member of the CUWK Board. 

The Aftermath: New Club Sports Travel Policy Changes 

On September 22—only five days after Ella Mills’ passing—Director of Intramural and Club Sports Brian Jines sent an email to the Club Sports Governing Board (CSGB) regarding new travel policy changes. The full statement is attached at the bottom of this article. 

The Club Sports Governing Board is composed of five students representing the interests of Team Sports, Individual Sports, Martial Arts, and Outdoor Activities. According to the 2022-23 Club Sports Policies & Procedures Handbook, the CSGB responsibilities include facilitating Club Sports funding and publicizing, advocating on behalf of Club Sports participants to the Club Sports administration, and serving as the points of contact for all logistical questions. 

In his email, Jines announced new policy changes for Club Sports travel “effective immediately.” Firstly, Club Sports requiring travel were now only allowed to use public transportation, chartered buses, or vans driven by a paid Columbia staff member. Previously, students were allowed to drive vehicles to and from Club Sports activities and events. Additionally, Club Sports activities or events including overnight travel were now required to include a paid Columbia staff member accompanying the trip. 

A member of the CUWK Board confirmed that the club did not meet with the Club Sports Department nor the Club Sports Governing Board regarding these policies. 

The Club Sports Governing Board Response 

Bwog recently spoke with members of the Club Sports Governing Board (CSGB) Ethan Richardson (Team Sports Representative, SEAS ‘25), Nori Leybengrub (Individual Sports Representative, BC ‘25), Billy Hughes (Martial Arts Representative, CC ‘25), and Grace Fitzgerald-Diaz (Outdoor Activities Representative, CC ‘25). The interview took place over the phone between Bwog and Leybengrub with the additional members being added through conference call to provide supplementary accounts about the sports they represent. The CSGB representatives offered their own reports of communications between themselves and the Columbia Club Sports administration, which is reflected below. 

At the beginning of the conversation, CSGB representatives discussed the complications that have arisen this semester as a result of the new policy changes. Outdoor Activities Representative Grace Fitzgerald-Diaz affirmed that these policies have been applied to all Club Sports, “even though in some ways, it seems like the University really only meant to target certain Outdoor Sports.” 

While Club Sports teams are now required to have staff accompaniments on overnight trips, the definition of the term “staff member” is unclear. Jines and Jeffrey Ryder, Director of Physical Education and Recreation, largely work with the Office of General Counsel, Columbia’s legal team, to determine such definitions. In some cases, coaches can serve the “staff member” role; however, not all teams have coaches. Thus, the Columbia administration is left to interpret the definitions accordingly. “We’re not allowed to make those decisions, even though we’re here to represent our Club Sports,” said Individual Sports Representative Nori Leybengrub. As a result, the CSGB and team board members have experienced an ongoing information gap regarding policy interpretation. 

Team Sports Representative Ethan Richardson also noted the difficulties posed by the prohibition of students driving vehicles for Club Sports-related activities, stating that “certain clubs… have found it difficult to travel to certain tournaments.” According to a statement by the Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club, this new ban “is especially detrimental to our club’s safety,” as members of Ski and Snowboard “have used the club’s access to vans to provide medical coverage in the event of an injury on the mountain.” Further, the statement declared that the Club “do[es] not see how” a student is “less prepared to operate a van” than an approved Columbia advisor, given they have both gone through the same Columbia-mandated van driver training and approval processes. 

In our conversation, CSGB members emphasized that Club Sports are still operating. However, certain clubs have to gain re-approval for their activities, a status which not all clubs have met. Richardson and Leybengrub, however, have affirmed that clubs that fall under the Team Sports or Individual Sports categories have not needed to gain re-approval. 

As the Club Sports department navigates these new policy changes, reasons for their adoption remains “entirely unclear,” according to Leybengrub. “It was told that these policies were being drafted before the death of Ella Mills in the kayaking accident,” Leybengrub continued. “We very specifically posed the question to them [Jines and Ryder], ‘How are these policies directly responding to the circumstances that led to Ella Mills’ death?’ And we did not get a clear response from them.” “In the emails, there was nothing,” stated Fitzgerald-Diaz. “But based on in-person conversations I’ve had with both Jines and Ryder, it was, yes, a result of the Ella Mills fatality.” 

New Club Sports Funding Restrictions 

In addition to the new policy changes, although unrelated to the Ella Mills incident, the Club Sports department has seen new funding restrictions. Funding is determined at the Funding at Columbia University (F@CU) event, where undergraduate student councils come together to determine allocation amounts for various student governing boards, which are pooled together from undergraduate student life fees. According to Leybengrub, University costs have been rising as a “result of interest costs across the board,” and General Studies student life fees haven’t been raised in proportion to the other three undergraduate colleges. As a result, less funding was available for the various governing boards this academic year. According to the Ski and Snowboard Club statement, Club Sports received a total of almost $200,000 less than typical years. 

During F@CU in late August, a major conversation regarding funding centered on the fact that Club Sports is not an undergraduate-exclusive department, as it also services graduate students, faculty, staff, and sometimes even alumni. Leybengrub remarked that student councils were concerned they would be funding a program that doesn’t serve just undergraduates, which prompted greater discussion within the CSGB. “Why is Club Sports at Columbia only funded by undergraduate student fees?” Leybengrub asked. “Why is that our sole opportunity to get money?” Further, she asserted that Columbia Club Sports is an organization “on par with varsity,” bringing in “massive amounts of money” and “build[ing] Columbia’s name” due to its appeal to students. 

For Leybengrub, the underfunding of Club Sports is on account of its funding being sourced solely from undergraduate student life fees. Giving an example, she remarked, “If graduate students are participating, why can’t graduate schools contribute [to Club Sports]”? Further, Leybengrub felt that funding restrictions might be mitigated if certain teams were able to use practice and competition spaces for free instead of being required to pay. 

Recently, the CSGB has been looking for new ways to raise money. Leybengrub stated that the CSGB is starting discussions about alumni and community engagement. Last year was the Club Sports department’s first time being added to Giving Day, which was postponed this year due to “inappropriate timing.” This struck another blow to the Club Sports department, as “a lot of clubs that were relying on donations during that period are no longer able to get those donations,” Leybengrub said. 

CSGB representatives also highlighted difficulties regarding their use of allocated funds. Club Sports guidelines require that purchases are “owned by the Club and will be owned by the Club indefinitely,” as opposed to individual purchases, such as food or merch. Instead, funding can only go towards operational costs, such as transportation, coaching fees, registration, and accommodation for overnight trips. This means the Club Sports department also has to “get more creative with fundraising,” according to Martial Arts Representative Billy Hughes, as they’re unable to do traditional fundraising methods (e.g. bake sales) using University funding. Leybengrub views Club Sports costs as “exorbitant” compared to other student governing boards, stating, “We’re literally running entire sports teams and organizations.” 

“One primary way that we try to advocate for increased fundraising is by increasing membership,” Hughes stated. Funds gained from club dues go “straight to [each team’s] gift account,” which is external to University-allocated funding. 

Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club Struggles to Maintain Operations

As members of the CSGB noted, certain teams are experiencing harder hits than others when it comes to the new policy changes and funding restrictions. In mid-November, Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club issued a statement about how the changes have affected their upcoming season. The full letter is attached at the bottom of this article.

The statement notably read, “The prolonged discussion of these policies has made the operation of Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club nearly impossible.” Unlike various other Outdoor Club Sports, Ski and Snowboard requires the use of privately-owned resorts instead of publicly-owned areas. Although the Board has submitted necessary resort contracts—which must be booked months in advance—to Columbia, they have not received signatures back from the University. 

In the letter, the Board stated that due to the lack of contract resolution, they “project[ed] the cancellation and loss of our deposit of Training Trip which occurs over winter break and is integral to our preparation for the upcoming race season.” They also noted their inability to plan remaining overnight trips or Friday trips for the upcoming season, stating, “This delay effectively renders us unable to fulfill the core obligations we promise as a club.” 

The statement then addressed budget restrictions, which come at the same time as inflation of various required fees. For example, the Ski and Snowboard Club is experiencing a 23% increase in training fees compared to the previous season. Coupled with budget restrictions and inflation, Ski and Snowboard is also required to pay for three faculty members to accompany overnight trips, which consists of “transportation, ski tickets, lodging, background checks, and a minimum wage salary from 9 am to 5 pm for each day of the trip.” 

Before the new policy and funding changes, Ski and Snowboard Club had already grappled with fee inflation. Between the 2022 to 2023 season, membership dues increased by 25%, currently ranging between $599 to $664. Because of the 29% decrease in allocated funding from the previous year, as well as additional expenses for faculty members and fee inflation, the Ski and Snowboard Board fears the Club could be rendered “almost fiscally impossible to operate.” 

The Ski and Snowboard Board ended their statement by asserting that although they are open to working with the administration in safety discussions, “it is clear that these additional travel policies will not make our skiing experience any safer and the absence of a timeline is extremely detrimental to the operation of this club.” The Club currently maintains safety precautions such as mandatory helmets, remaining in small groups, retaining ski patrol access and emergency contact numbers, and wearing uniform markings to identify other Columbia students. “Instead of protecting us, by imposing broad sweeping policies,” the statement reads, “we believe that Columbia is restricting our ability to take part in a sport many of us love and do not have access to in the city.”

The New York Collegiate Ice Hockey Club Addresses Columbia Club Sport Operations

Bwog was in contact with the New York Collegiate Ice Hockey Club (formerly Columbia Men’s Ice Hockey) about their perception of Columbia Club Sports Operations. Although the Ice Hockey Club was suspended from the Club Sports Department in the 2023–2024 season for not ensuring their members were registered and eligible for competition, representatives from the club shared accounts of the club’s experience as a Columbia affiliate. 

In communications with Bwog, Ice Hockey representatives attested that financial restrictions are the “overarching issue” affecting both Club Sports safety and inclusivity. Due to high membership dues stemming from limited funding, low-income students have been excluded from Ice Hockey operations, a practice representatives stated “[contradicts] the equitable values that our university aspires to uphold.” In their conversation with Bwog, representatives cited an instance in the midst of the 2022–2023 season where participants withdrew from the club due to an inability to pay dues. 

General Studies students, representatives claimed, experience “significant financial strains” due to minimal financial aid. GS institutional financial aid does not meet the full demonstrated need for its students, as opposed to such guarantee for Barnard, Columbia College, and Columbia Engineering students. As a result, many GS Ice Hockey participants join late in the season as they wait for their student loans to be finalized, Ice Hockey representatives stated. They also referred to the 2022–2023 season Club Sports Scholarship as a “delayed response” to distributing financial aid for Club Sports involvement. During this season, funding was distributed after participants already paid dues, “thereby excluding the very group it was intended to assist,” representatives stated. 

Ice Hockey representatives also claimed that club transportation is a “critical [safety] concern.” Before the September 2023 policy changes were made, teams had to use “outdated and poorly maintained” vans for travel. Although Ice Hockey claims these vans were “updated” in the 2022–2023 season, representatives identified instances “of the dangers [they] encountered” driving vans in “severely limited visibility.” They also told Bwog of a time when the Ice Hockey team’s van broke down at 1 am on the side of a highway when returning from a practice. 

“Despite being aware of these issues,” Ice Hockey representatives stated, “the Club Sports Department allowed this risky practice to continue until tragic circumstances forced an overall club sports (sic) policy revision by the University.” Nonetheless, they claim the policy changes have “further financially burden[ed] clubs by forcing them to instead self-finance buses to all team events.” 

Finally, Ice Hockey claimed that “understaffing within the Club Sports Department hinders efficient operation,” as the 35 Club Sports are all managed by Jines and Ryder. “While it is entirely unfair to leave him [Jines] to blame for these shortcomings, as this is a task too great for one person to handle effectively,” representatives stated. “The department as a whole must recognize this shortfall if it aims to overcome its operational deficiencies.”

Moving Forward: Club Sports Participants Hope for Future Reform

The Club Sports Governing Board is most immediately advocating for University support of Club Sports as they adjust to the new travel policy changes. Since the policy changes were enacted by the Club Sports administration, CSGB Representative Billy Hughes believes the University should “support the tens of thousands of dollars of increased need.” Affirming this response, Leybengrub remarked, “If you want Club Sports to continue to exist, and to be in alliance with these policies, we need more money to be able to do so, because it’s simply not possible.” 

In addition to requesting the University explore more funding sources, CSGB members feel the policies enacted were not representative of student safety concerns. From Fitzgerald-Diaz’s perspective, the policies are being made by people “with little to no exposure to the sport that they’re supposedly trying to make safer…If you have even a little bit of knowledge about it, you would say that is going to achieve the opposite of what you want it to do.”

CSGB representatives also felt they were being excluded from certain conversations with the University. The new travel policies, for instance, were enacted without consultation from or notice to the CSGB. “That’s the whole point of the Club Sports Governing Board,” Richardson stated. “It’s very concerning. I feel like we would like to be included in those conversations so we can bring the point of view of the Clubs to Columbia, and to really make sure that we are truly advocating for the Clubs and advocating for the safest way for all them to operate.” To Richardson, the current relationship between the CSGB and Columbia administration remains “a one-sided conversation where we’re just being given these policies, given new things to follow, without any sort of explanation or consultation on our part.” To Leybengrub, this relationship has a pattern. When the Columbia Men’s Ice Hockey Club, now the New York Collegiate Ice Hockey Club, was suspended, the CSGB was not consulted. “We’re advocating that we should be,” Leybengrub said. 

The Ski and Snowboard Club statement reflects Bwog’s conversation with the CSGB. In their letter, Ski and Snowboard Board members asked readers to email the Columbia administration to prioritize funding, allow their team to plan their upcoming season, and consider how their policies will make operations unsustainable. Board members also asked readers to “pressure administration for a deadline for when final policy decisions will be made public,” reinforcing the fact that the interpretation of the policies is still an ongoing conversation. 

As of now, none of the new policy changes have been added to the 2023-24 Club Sports Policies & Procedures Handbook. Conversations about navigating the new travel policies and funding restrictions in the context of student safety still continue to dominate the Club Sports environment. Moving forward, members of the Club Sports community will be looking to the University for transparency and support. 

Email from Brian Jines to Club Sports Governing Board representatives on Friday, September 22, 2023 at 2 pm: 

Club Sports Officers,

I want to bring to your attention that in addition to the existing Club Sports Travel policies and procedures, the following policy changes for Club Sports travel are effective immediately:

• Club Sports which are actively practicing or competing and require travel will only be permitted to use the following modes of transportation:
  • public transportation
  • chartered buses 
  • vans driven by an approved Columbia staff member (e.g. a non-student paid coach) who has successfully completed the “Coaching the Van Driver 4” course.

• Students will not be permitted to drive vehicles to and from club sport events and activities, including but not limited to practices and contests.
• Any club sport activity or event that includes overnight travel will be required to have an approved Columbia staff member (e.g. a non-student paid coach) as part of their documented travel party.

If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a meeting, please contact me.

Best,

Brian Jines 

Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club Statement on Policy Changes 

Dear Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club, parents, and community members,

Since our annual information session on November 10th, we have been made aware of concerns about the upcoming season, particularly regarding the future of Training Trip and overnight trips, two of three crucial travel opportunities our club offers. We, the Executive Board of Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club, want to provide more background information; our goal is not to raise concerns further, but to ask for support as we attempt to continue to share the sport we love and replicate the same incredible experiences our club members have had in the past.

As many of you know, Columbia Club Sports began the semester with a tragedy. Ella Mills, a junior here at Columbia University, passed away while on an overnight trip with the Columbia Kayaking Club. This was a devastating accident and our deepest sympathies are with her family and friends. We can not imagine the loss felt by those who knew her, as well as the pain and sorrow of those present. We wholeheartedly send our support to those affected by this heartbreaking loss.

In response to this awful accident, the Columbia Club Sports administration put into effect policy changes that apply to the entirety of club sports moving forward. Most notably, these policies include requiring Columbia staff members on overnight trips and prohibiting students from driving vans and other vehicles for their clubs. Since their implementation in late September, the policy changes have continued to be under consideration by the department, and the lack of guidance or clarity has become a major concern for us.

As leaders and members of a risk-forward outdoor club sport like skiing, we are intimately familiar with the dangers that are associated with our activities. We understand and advocate for the implementation of safety measures to lower risk and keep our members safe.

Unfortunately, the prolonged discussion of these policies has made the operation of Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club nearly impossible as the Columbia administration has decided to initiate a total operational stop on the Columbia Club Sports Department until the new policies are finalized. Unlike rock climbing, hiking, or cycling, which operate in public recreational areas, skiing is a unique outdoor club sport in that we are required to practice at privately owned resorts instead of unreserved backcountry or public facilities. We are fortunate to be able to ski in places with groomed trails, ski patrol, and easy access to medical coverage; however, there is a substantial amount of planning that comes with these trips. Lodging reservations and ticket purchases are organized with various mountains as early as the summer before the upcoming spring season since most mountains book up months in advance. Despite obtaining and submitting multiple contracts with resorts to Columbia by the end of summer, the contracts have not yet been signed and fee payments have not been fulfilled. Due to the inability to settle our contracts, we are projecting the cancellation and loss of our deposit of Training Trip which occurs over winter break and is integral to our preparation for the upcoming race season. Moreover, we are unable to move forward with planning the rest of the overnight trips or any Friday trips for the upcoming season. This delay effectively renders us unable to fulfill the core obligations we promise as a club.

Furthermore, we are faced with an extremely underfunded budget as compared to last year’s allocation. The Club Sports Governing Board informed us that they received almost $200,000 less from Columbia in total funds this year due to “increased costs for student life activities spending across the university (notable worker compensation, security and space reservation fees, and other structural issues)” (CSGB 2023). Despite continued inflation of mountain fees – including a 23% increase in training fees from the 2023 season – we have substantially less funding than last year. Additionally, the new policy that requires faculty members on overnight trips means we have to provide them with transportation, ski tickets, lodging, background checks, and a minimum wage salary from 9 am to 5 pm for each day of the trip. Because we are such a large club we were also advised to account for three faculty members per trip when calculating our budget. Without these additions, we are already struggling to cover mountain fees while maintaining a reasonable cost for our dues; from the 2022 season to the 2023 season alone, we were forced to increase dues by 25%. We fear that the 29% decrease in our allocation from last year in conjunction with the additional expenses would render the club almost fiscally impossible to operate.

Lastly, the Columbia administration imposed a ban on student-operated vans and other vehicles for club sports. This is especially detrimental to our club’s safety, as although we have an Academy bus that takes us to the mountains, we have used the club’s access to vans to provide medical coverage in the event of an injury on the mountain. Additionally, we do not see how students who are over 21, with valid driver’s licenses, and who pass the Columbia-mandated van driver training, are less prepared to operate a van than an approved Columbia advisor who would have the same training and approval process.

Our hope with this statement is not to detract from the heartbreaking loss in the Columbia

community or the need for safety. Rather we wanted to give students, parents, and Columbia as a whole, an opportunity to hear our concerns and gain a more detailed consideration of the position that we are in as a club. We cannot speak for other clubs but assume they have similar concerns. We understand the inherent risk in the sport we participate in and, as adults, we gladly enforce the safety precautions prescribed by the administration, such as mandatory helmets, staying in small groups on the mountain, access to ski patrol, emergency contact numbers, and uniform markings to help identify other Columbia students. Moreover, we are willing to work with the administration to find ways to alleviate any concerns they have going forward regarding safety, but it is clear that these additional travel policies will not make our skiing experience any safer and the absence of a timeline is extremely detrimental to the operation of this club. Instead of protecting us, by imposing broad sweeping policies, we believe that Columbia is restricting our ability to take part in a sport many of us love and do not have access to in the city.

Thank you for taking the time to read this statement. We understand the gravity and complexity of the situation, and we hope we can move forward in a respectful manner with the Columbia administration. Nevertheless, we also feel the need to advocate for the integrity of our club and to highlight the extenuating circumstances that we view as crucial to our club’s operation. We ask you to please email any or all of the addresses listed urging the Columbia administration to:

• consider how their policies will make the operation of Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club unsustainable;

• pressure administration for a deadline for when final policy decisions will be made public;

• lift the hold on the Club Sports Department so we may plan our season;

• and prioritize sufficient funding for club sports, an important part of student life.

Thank you for your continued support,

Columbia Ski and Snowboard Club Executive Board 2023-2024

1. David Poolman: Senior Associate Athletics Director, Operations and Administration

a. Email: dp2542@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-854-5270

2. James Grate: Associate Athletics Director for Budget and Planning

a. Email: jpg10@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-854-7123

3. Erica Aresco: Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief Financial Officer

a. Email: ea2778@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-854-7147

4. Cristen Scully Kromm: Dean of Undergraduate Student Life

a. Email: ckromm@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-854-6806

5. Josef Sorett: Dean of Columbia College

a. Email: js3119@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-851-4141

6. Lisa Rosen-Metsch: Dean of General Studies

a. Email: lm2892@columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212- 854-6321

7. Shih-Fu Chang: Dean of Columbia Engineering

a. Email: sfchang@ee.columbia.edu

b. Phone Number: 212-851-9566

The Columbia Club Sports Administration and the Columbia Whitewater Kayaking Club have not responded to requests for comment. 

Disclosure: Club Sports Governing Board Outdoor Activities Representative Grace Fitzgerald-Diaz also previously served as Managing Editor of Bwog. Fitzgerald-Diaz had no involvement in the writing nor research of this article. 

This article was updated to emphasize statements from the accident report as claims and insert more details from the report.

Dodge Fitness Center via Bwog Archives

Potomac River Sign via WTOP News