This is the crazy high level 2019 is operating on right now

Why is Bacchanal consuming our lives? How should we navigate hearings for groups? Why is the Class of 2019 being so darn productive? Man on the ground Joe Milholland answers these questions and more as he reports back from the weekly CCSC meeting, absorbing as ever. The issues are pretty pertinent!

Bacchanal Survey

At the Columbia College Student Council’s (CCSC) Sunday night general body meeting, the council discussed a survey they plan to send out to all undergraduate students at Columbia about this year’s Bacchanal. Council members reviewed a draft of the survey, which included questions on what students liked about Bacchanal, what they thought about the Lion Tamers, if they would be willing to pay for tickets and how much, what the most convenient method to get tickets is, whether having a big-name performer was important, and if they would want Bacchanal to be held at Baker Field instead of Low Plaza.

Included in these questions on the draft was one that asked students if they thought Columbia should have Bacchanal at all – directly asking those taking the survey “Should Columbia Have A Bacchanal This Year?.” The questions highlighted the high cost of Bacchanal, giving responders the option to say they would not like Bacchanal to be held this year and would prefer the money to go to other student events/groups.

Council members made comments on how questions were phrased and displayed on the survey, and Class of 2018 President Ezra Gontownick asked if having Bacchanal at Baker Field would lower its cost. VP of Finance Sameer Mishra replied that Bacchanal didn’t know yet.

Group Adjudication Proposal

Currently, student group governing boards and the administration are looking at how inter- and intra-group conflicts are resolved at Columbia. According to Makansi, ABC and SGB argue that they have the experience in dealing with issues that come up year-to-year, but the administration wants to have jurisdiction over incidents were university rules may have been broken, such as in hazing or alcohol and drug issues.

CCSC President Benjamin Makansi recently went to a meeting where a proposed set of rules for handling group adjudication was disseminated. The proposal states, among other things, that someone on the hearing board will be elected in the Spring elections by students from CC, SEAS, and GS. The elected member will have a non-voting position.

Makansi found the proposed adjudication proposal highly confusing—a sentiment that was echoed by several other council members. Among the comments the council made about the proposal was for meeting times for those in charge of adjudication, where meetings are held, if CCSC would fall under the hearing panel’s jurisdiction, who is appointed to the hearing panel, how appointees to the hearing panel go through training, and what punishments there are for groups that violate the rules.

Makansi is going to a meeting on Friday about this issue, and he will bring up the council’s comments.

Mental Health Task Force Proposal

The council also approved a proposal from University Senators Ramis Wadood and Sean Ryan on the council’s relationship with the Mental Health Task Force (MHTF). The MHTF, which neither fits in as a student club or a committee of CCSC, will be given a budget of up to $1,000 a year form the VP of Finance. The VP of Policy will insure that at least one Policy Committee member is on the task force, a rep from task force will keep CCSC updated on its activities, and the VP of Finance will review its finances every two years.

Wadood and Ryan came up with proposal because they wanted to make sure MHTF had a partnership with CCSC after they graduated. MHTF started with most of its members from CCSC, but as it branched out to mental health issues that affected Barnard, GS, and graduate students, its membership diversified. Because the MHTF deals with mental health issues from all over the university, it will not have explicit oversight from CCSC. The task force has spent money in the past on advertising, food, and posters, although never as much as $1,000.

Mishra raised two concerns about the proposal. One, if the task force took a different route in terms of “values and tactics” in the future – especially one that featured “an activist stance”—CCSC could be held accountable. Second, Mishra was concerned that if the council gave $1000 to MHTF, other taks forces on campus would ask for the same amount of money as well. Ryan responded by saying the MHTF has a mission statement and that it has achieved more results than other task forces.

The proposal eventually passed with 8 dissenting votes on the council.

Updates

• The new Class of 2017 Rep is Leah Marie Hays.
• Makansi met with Deantini and discussed the plaque honoring the Lenape as well as Senior Week ticket subsidization. Deantini is looking into who would make the decision about the Lenape plaque, and, according to Makansi, “guessed either Prezbo or the Trustees because it’s Facilities’ purview.”
• According to the policy committee, “a handful of departments are working on proposals to increase credits for their courses per recommendation from EPPC [Educational Policy and Planning Committee] and deans.”
• The Class of 2017 is “in discussions with CUPS/Honey Sue/Dean Kromm to replace the images on Lerner 5 with art from student groups.” It’s also making inquiries into Columbia’s sign-in policies.
• The Class of 2018 is giving out staplers. (!!)
• Also on CCSC’s updates Google Doc: in the Class of 2019’s space was written only “INSOMNIAAAA” and the Sandwich Ambassador’s space was filled exclusively with this dinosaur sandwich image.

Productivity Tips via Shutterstock