So there’s a pool in the basement of Barnard Hall (it’s okay, Bwog had no idea either), and its time is running out. Spec reported last spring that the pool is slated to be shut down at the end of this academic year, and, despite some pretty fervent adversaries, the plan seems to be running […]

Bwog’s Barnard Bureau Chief Renée Kraiem visited the Diana Center Event Oval last night. There, Barnard students and administrators gathered over falafel and hummus to cultivate better collaboration between students and administrators. The evening began with an administrative panel on the issue that included Annie Aversa, Dean for Campus and Residential Life, Avis Hinkson, Dean of […]

Nearly 100 students, workers, and organizers crammed into the Ella Weed Room in Milbank on Monday night to learn about the recent struggles of the members of Local 2110 UAW at Barnard. Roberta Barnett and Maud Rozee bore witness to this educational endeavor. Since May, Barnard’s office workers have been fighting to keep essential benefits, […]

Barnard’s Dean of the College Avis Hinkson sent an email to all Barnard students yesterday updating them on the College’s plans to to avoid a housing crisis similar to the one Barnard finds itself in right now, and in anticipation of an inevitable re-shuffling of room assignments this spring. AHinks writes: Now that the semester is well […]

Linda Bell begins her tenure as Barnard’s new provost today, following the departure this fall of interim provost Paul Hertz, who took over following the departure of Provost Emerita Elizabeth Boylan in June of 2011. Bell comes to Barnard, in turn, following her own departure from Haverford where she has spent the last five years […]

Columbia’s PanHellenic Association—AXO, DG, SDT, and Theta—have decided which sororities will be joining Columbia over the next two years, according to Spec. And the winners are: Alpha Omicron Pi and Gamma Phi Beta! Specifically, AOPi AOII will be starting a chapter next semester and Gamma Phi Beta (whose cutesy abbreviation/nickname was not known at press […]

The Barnard housing crisis just got worse: we now know that Barnard students who went on leave signed contracts guaranteeing housing—only to return and find those guarantees gone. Bwog has obtained evidence indicating that Barnard violated returning students’ housing contracts earlier this year by changing the terms, and revoking their promised guaranteed housing. Our tipster, who […]

Update, 6:16 pm: Dean Hinkson just sent us this statement: The policy was changed last February (2012) due to more and more returning students requesting housing, and overall, more students opting to stay on campus instead of seeking off-campus housing. Even so, we are making every effort to accommodate as many students as we can […]

Late last week, we learned that Barnard students returning from leave or transferring in will probably have to live off-campus, which could mean the loss of some financial aid and on-campus housing the year after. We reached out to Dean Hinkson to hear the Barnard administration’s side of the story. Upside: Barnard students might not be […]

Barnard has a severe housing shortage. On Wednesday, residents learned that Plimpton rooms which in the spring were singles will this fall be doubles. Today, a student forwarded us an email from Barnard Res Life explaining that Barnard students returning from leave, and possibly transfers as well, may not get on-campus housing at all—may be […]

The Y (which is very much not the YMCA). Plimpton residents, you could have it worse. Barnard really, really, lacks space. A tipster forwarded us this “email [that] students received who are returning from time off, and (possibly) all transfers also.” The email opens ominously: Thank you for applying for on-campus housing and for your […]

In case you’re living under a rock/booth of 1020 and haven’t heard, Obama stopped by South Lawn yesterday to give Barnard’s 2012 Commencement Speech. Decently Dynamic Duo Ella Quittner and Brian Wagner stopped by and made a highlight reel. In their heads.  “Fight for a seat at the head of the table.” That’s one of […]

Whether you slept through Obama’s 90 minutes on South Lawn or you’re already ready to relive them, you can check out photos of the 2012 Barnard Commencement ceremony below. Send your own photos to tips@bwog.com, and we’ll add them!

The time is now! President Barack Obama is slated to hit up Columbia’s very own South Lawn at 12:30 pm today (!) to give the commencement address to Barnard’s graduating class. We’ll keep you in the loop with lots of photos and details about the before/after/during. Send your own to tips@bwog.com! For more live updates/frantic pun attempts, […]

Citing “financial constraints,” AHinks just notified the Barnard community via email that their physical education requirement has been reduced from two semesters to one. Students can still take two semesters for credit, but why would anybody do something they didn’t have to? From: ahinkson@barnard.edu Date: April 13, 2012 12:10:01 PM EDT Subject: Change in PE […]