Progressive Coalition Rejuvenated

The University's largest political organization, which seeks to encompass every progressive political and activist group at Columbia, is back after three years of near-dormancy.

The Columbia Student Solidarity Network, which once conducted discussions, rallies, and other political events between left-leaning student organizations, was resurrected in November, as members of different progressive groups came together to protest former Attorney General John Ashcroft's arrival to Morningside Heights.

About two months later, at the start of the spring semester, Jess Clancy, CC '06, sent an e-mail to the old CSSN listserv, inviting the old coalition to a potluck. And they came.

"It got a great turnout, and we had a great time. We ate food, hung out, and ended up discussing everything that was great about CSSN," said Bryan Mercer, CC '07, who now runs the CSSN listserv and Web site.

Groups including the College Democrats, the Students for Environmental and Economic Justice, and the Productive Outreach for Women shared conversation and thoughts at the event. By the end of the day, members had set a date for the next potluck, which are scheduled every three weeks.

Mercer said members are currently looking to rebuild the network's membership and hope to revamp the coalition's now-archaic Web site. In the future, the network plans to host progressive speakers and panels, as well as an activist job fair.

Despite its relative inactivity, the group continues to be recognized and funded by the Student Governing Board, so its revival is mostly a matter of selecting leaders and brainstorming ideas.

"We were inspired by the things we saw on old CSSN posts from back in my freshman year," Clancy said. "They were talking about events and discussions and activism-it seemed like it was really active back then."

During the last three years, members published the yearly Disorientation Guide to inform incoming first-years about campus activism options, but then retreated back into their individual groups.

Mercer remarked that the network plans to revive old traditions while building stronger bonds between campus organizations. "So often, groups will be working on the same issue without even knowing it. CSSN should be a space where people can meet face-to-face and just informally let everyone know what they are planning, so that if a couple of groups want to join together for a project, all they have to do is say they're interested," Mercer said.

According to Clancy, the new CSSN is more than a coalition of groups. "It's also about individuals. If a person is not even a member of a club, but wants to know what kind of events are going on, then they could come to a potluck and get involved," he said.

CSSN members say they'll also strive to overcome specific group identities. "The point is to address the fragmentation of groups on campus," Mercer said. "We have people from the BSO [Black Students Organization] working together with people from predominantly white groups like SEEJ, because even though we might focus on different racial and cultural issues, our goals are often interconnected."