Are you curious about how the newly elected Congress is going to change our city?

Happening Off-Campus: After decades in the luxury art business, artisan Sofie Toporkoff is transforming broken glass into something beautiful. After leaving her position as the creative director of Hermès, she found herself needing more physicality in her work. At the age of 47, she became a student again. The following year she would pass her exam, demonstrating that she had mastered the core aspects of making stained glass. After opening Atelier Toporkoff in the Ninth Arrondissement, she relied on her previously existing network to find work, but she eventually gained her own notoriety through word of mouth and Instagram. Toporkoff’s clients include hotels, architects, business owners, and homeowners, and even one of the oldest chocolate shops in Paris, À la Mère de Famille. (New York Times) 

Happening Near Campus: Since President Donald Trump took office in 2025, his administration has often withheld funding from New York’s MTA system. Though, according to MTA Chair Janno Lieber, he’s hopeful that the newly elected Democratic Congress will be directing more federal funding for public transportation projects. During a special appearance on WNYC’s On The Way, Lieber said, “I think we have more confidence that the existing projects will be funded, and we would like to now start pursuing money for big projects.” Lieber will be looking to the newly elected Congress to reauthorize money to fund accessibility signal upgrade projects. He will be speaking about the future of mass transit in New York in a special event at WNYC’s The Green Space on Nov. 17th. (Gothamist)

Happening On-Campus: This Monday, Neeraj Kaushal, Professor of Social Work at the Columbia School of Social Work, and Bernadette Ludwig, Sociologist and Assistant Dean of the Macricostas School of Arts and Science will be discussing the myths and realities surrounding African immigration today. For more information, click here. 

Song of the day: Permission to Dance by BTS