Barnard has joined as an affiliate of labor rights organization Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), which will help Barnard create a code of conduct ensuring that collegiate apparel is not produced in sweatshop conditions. Nearly 200 colleges are currently part of WRC, including Columbia University since the 90’s. Since September, Student-Worker Solidarity (SWS) has been fighting for Barnard […]

Virginia reminds us of old Bwog in one of these links… can you find it?  Name, School, Major, Hometown: Virginia Fu, CC, Computer Science and History (both concentrations), North Andover, MA. Claim to fame: Literary/Senior editor for the Blue and White mag, Potluck House resident, honorary member of CDCJ (I think), third-tier member of SWS. The UAW […]

What’s the deal with Barnard’s contingent faculty? What is contingent faculty? What was the strike threat all about? Bwog staffer Sarah Dahl got a chance to hear from one of the union organizers last night, and is here to write about it. The following reflects her own opinions. “The College has consistently maneuvered legal delays and stalled negotiations […]

Dean Hinkson and Chief Operating Officer Robert Goldberg announced today that, in line with Columbia’s efforts, Barnard College will raise the minimum wage for students working for Barnard. The change, to be indexed over three years, will raise the minimum wage for student workers to $15 per hour by September 2018. Starting next September, the […]

The Columbia Provost just announced that the University will raise the minimum hourly wage for student workers to $15, and this change will be implemented over the course of the next three years. This announcement comes after calls from student groups (such as Student-Worker Solidarity) to raise the pay rate for campus jobs. Read the […]

Student-Worker Solidarity has released a statement on the responses they have received from Scott Wright, the Vice President for Campus Services, concerning their petition addressing certain Columbia Dining policies that apparently restrict workers from speaking Spanish and eating around students. Despite these assertions from various Columbia Dining workers, Wright claims that these incidents were “isolated.” […]

We know you’ve waited all week to know how CCSC’s Constitutional Review went down, and you loyal constituents now have the answers at your fingertips. Joe Milholland gets a  big-ol’ Hancock for this CCSC recap. On Sunday night, the Columbia College Student Council voted on constitutional changes. They made the following decisions: They unanimously approved an impeachment process […]

A petition began circulating today against Columbia Dining, on account of its “arbitrary and racist policies,” co-written by Student Worker Solidarity (SWS) and Columbia Dining Workers. SWS and the dining workers state that they are not allowed to speak Spanish in front of students, nor eat in the Butler lounge during their breaks. These rules […]

According to a Huffington Post article from November 6, a week after No Red Tape and several other student organizations protested in support of Emma Sulkowicz’s Carry that Weight project, No Red Tape was fined $1,500 for the cleanup of that protest. The cleanup involved Columbia Facilities or Public Safety employees disposing of the mattresses that […]

The lowdown of last night’s CCSC meeting brought to you by Bwog’s student-government-savvy Joe Milholland.  At Sunday night’s Columbia College Student Council meeting, VP of Policy Sejal Singh and VP of Communications Abby Porter gave updates on the sexual assault policy. They went over what has happened so far – the change in the policy […]

Various student activist groups have created a “Disorientation Guide” for Columbia University to inform new students about activist and left-wing issues surrounding the university. The guide, which can be viewed here, was made by “student activists committed to supporting a culture of dissent and politicization on Columbia’s campus” with contributions from members of groups such […]

Do you think it’s uncomfortably warm in the serving area of John Jay, and can’t wait to escape to your (slightly) cooler table? Well, that “uncomfortably warm” is about 1,000 degrees hotter in the actual kitchens, where Dining workers make your food in Saharan conditions. SWS has been pushing for reforms in the kitchens on behalf […]

Thanks to the 1100-signature petition delivered by Student–Worker Solidarity to Columbia Dining, John Jay Dining Hall workers no longer have to endure a ridiculously hot kitchen. Pizza-baking, which apparently puts out a lot of heat, has been moved downstairs until Dining can put in better ventilation. Press release: This evening, workers at John Jay excitedly […]

Student-Worker Solidarity is on another campaign—last year it was Faculty House, and now it’s working conditions in John Jay dining hall. According to SWS’s release, they delivered a petition (circulated as a Google) to dining director Vicki Dunn. It called for “proper ventilation and AC” in the dining hall. Dunn “claimed that these changes would […]

As the school year starts, you will be inundated with student groups asking you to leave your fields to flower and join them.  Before you go signing up for every listserv under the sun, we wanted to provide you with a brief rundown on the cafeteria of Columbia–those student groups that make the most buzz […]