6 CommentsAs part of the ongoing efforts to alleviate the impact of moving the GS Class Day a day earlier, the other three undergraduate student councils have pledged some money ($2,012: what a random amount!) toward funding a reception for GS seniors on May 14th, the originally planned date of the ceremony. Solidarity! According to sources, the administration has not offered any additional money in support of the event, which GSSC is currently attempting to fund independently.
You may recall that quite a bit has taken place since the change was announced rather suddenly.
- Indignation spreads across Facebook and Bwog comments like wildfire. Peter Awn sends an eloquent apology and promises to set up a travel fund jointly with PrezBo and Barnard to ensure that all families can make the ceremony.
- GSSC releases the results of a survey that demonstrate that 62% of seniors expect to have at least one guest missing as a result of the switch.
- The undergraduate councils call for an apology from the university, as well as funding for a smaller event on Class Day’s original date. This elicits a typical noncommittal statement from the administration.
- Grassroots solutions (uhh) take root. A special couch-surfing app hopes to alleviate the travel crunch for affected families.
Note this well: the deadline to apply for money from Dean Awn’s fund is tomorrow, April 30th, at noon. If you’d like to take advantage, send an e-mail to gsclassday@columbia.edu with the following information, taken from an e-mail sent by Awn on April 24th.
- Full name and CUID (that thing with the “C” and lots of numbers)
- A written letter of appeal that describes why this change will either prevent your family from attending GS Class Day or create an excessive financial hardship.
- Number of people affected and relation to graduate.
- Documentation of original expenses and new expenses projected or incurred (airline or train change-fees) will eventually have to be provided. If documentation is already available, please forward a copy with your request.
E-mail from the councils after the jump.
The full text:
In Support of the Students of the School of General Studies
The Columbia College Student Council, Engineering Student Council, and Student Government Association of Barnard College would like voice our collective support for the students of the School of General Studies. We are disappointed that President Obama’s visit will prevent some graduates, and their friends and families, from attending General Studies Class Day.
As a sign of our support, we offer $2,012 towards the alternate reception on May 14 for those graduates and their families who were not able to change their travel plans, pending further decisions about its funding from the administration. We hope that President Bollinger, as well as Dean Awn, Dean Rodgers, and Dean Limardo, will continue to look for ways to help those affected.
Signed,
Columbia College Student Council
Engineering Student Council
Student Government Association
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6 Comments
@Anonymous And you know that the media is just gonna say that Obama spoke at Columbia, not Barnard.
@Anonymous I wouldn’t be so sure about that… if they do, it would kind of defeat the point.
@Anonymous What? And deprive Obama’s PR team of not having Butler and Lowe as their background for photos?
@Alum Is there any way for students etc to donate? Not feeling particularly into donating to Columbia if this is how they treat their students these days(not that it was much better before), but I’d totally throw in a few bucks to help make this better for GS. Imagine if all the students saying how terrible they feel threw in $5-10….
@CC12 I second this! I would much rather donate a few bucks to help out GS seniors than donate to the senior fund.
@The Gray Fox Obama should pull out of Barnard (pun intended), and if he won’t, then Columbia should say that BC can’t use South Fields.