No more CUnity this year. Orientating first-years, who arrived at Columbia a few years too late to have Edward Said tell them that they have in fact been Occidentating all along, instead had BlaZe–a kind of scavenger hunt / color war hybrid–sending them screaming across campuses on both sides of Broadway. Naturally, Bwog was there, […]

If you’re involved with NSOP in any way, you’ve seen Personnel Coordinator Alicia Berenyi, C ’09, marshaling her force of 250 orientation leaders and crew chiefs to orient five times as many first-years. Bwog caught up with Alicia doing her laundry in McBain to chat about hating Lerner, despairing over Excel, and awkwardness. Bwog: So, […]

Two freshman boys, feet submerged in an inch of standing water on South Lawn: “Sandals were a bad choice.” “Dude! That is SO the name of the next facebook group we’re making!”

In which Bwog contributor Addison Anderson cracks open the glossy pre-yearbook destined for dust collection on shelves everywhere. For this article to succeed, people to actually open up the 2010 Facebook handed out to every freshman.  So, upperclassmen: steal a copy, and start browsing for hot-from-the-neck-up first-years.  I found twenty-six, although my number might be […]

You’ve got to hand it to the Orientation Leaders, who finished a long day of hauling first-years’ junk in the rain with an even longer-feeling and relentlessly peppy assembly tonight. Shouting NSOP…RED HOT ad nauseam after telling a group of freshmen everything there is to know about everything takes more fortitude than Bwog can muster. […]

In which Bwog allows you to feel like you were there without actually having to sit through it. Chris Colombo, Dean of Student Affairs: lived up to his Sopranos-worthy name by welcoming all ’10-ers to the family. Cindy Horowitz, head of NSOP: do we even have a pre-law major?  Sweet, but why is there a […]

    Move in day at John Jay…      

You made it! You’re finally away from your parents, living in New York, and going to a really good school. Unfortunately, you probably didn’t get into Columbia based on your social skills. Your 100+ Facebook friends notwithstanding, Bwog thinks you could use a few pointers on socializing for your freshman year. Here, then, is some […]

First years know this, but you upperclassmen might as well come along for the ride: Bed Bath and Beyond is offering a 10% discount for all Columbia students today (Monday) with I.D. from 9 AM to 10 PM. They’re even shepherding you to the store with a free shuttle!  Looks like it’s time to get […]

In which Bwog staff member Katie Reedy cogitates about alternative ice breakers to the traditional “two truths and a lie,” and “the name game” for Orientation Leaders and RAs, who will be faced with a group of (most likely wet), frightened, and homesick first-years tomorrow afternoon. – Get postmodern: Bring a chisel, a block of […]

International and West Coast first-years have arrived! They are soggy, worn-out, and a bit irritable, but not nearly as irritable as they could be. The rain has slowed to an intermittent drizzle, Housing and Dining has soundtracked the event with weather appropriate songs like “Singing in the Rain,” the lines for the elevators at John […]

Columbia’s enthusiasm quotient rose measurably yesterday as 224 orientation leaders arrived on campus to commence preparations for welcoming their charges on Sunday and Monday. As part of their training, the OLs did a run through of BlaZe, a mixer on speed that will replace NSOP’s traditional and widely-reviled “diversity event” CUnity. (Yes, we BlaZed in […]

CO HOPpers, BOPpers, and ROPpers left this morning on their respective journeys, casting nervous glances skyward at the gathering rain clouds (sorry guys), not to return until the night before the rest of 2010 moves in. Other than torrential rains, may neither bears, bugs, nor homicidal escaped convicts ruin your excellent adventures!

What happens when 223 of the most enthusiastic people on campus get together in one place? Bwog found out at this afternoon’s Orientation Leader orientation, half as long as last year’s and still jam-packed with cheesy icebreakers, awkward raps, and interpretive dance. To Bwog’s surprise and bemusement, nearly everyone lustily joined in a recital of […]