The General Studies Student Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for its inclusion in and the reorganization of the Office of Multicultural Affairs Tuesday evening.
The resolution called for an expansion of the OMA so that it can efficiently accommodate the integration of GS students. Currently, GS is the only undergraduate college of Columbia University without access to the OMA.
“OMA is absolutely crucial on this campus,” former council president Susannah Karlsson, GS, said. “I ask all of you tonight to think about bringing down this barrier. This is one thing we can do right now.”
According to a 2006 Columbia University head count, GS students make up 17, 20, and 28 percent of the total population of Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native students at Columbia University, respectively.
“There are so many individuals at the School of General Studies who would benefit from an opportunity like this,” Karlsson said.
In their resolution, the GSSC expressed frustration at the school’s exclusion from the OMA, referring to it as a microcosm of greater GS exclusion from services on campus.
GSSC President Niko Cunningham seemed optimistic about the resolution’s acceptance by the administration, referring back to a statement made by OMA director Ajay Nair at a Monday meeting.
“This is not going to be a problem,” Cunningham said, paraphrasing Nair.
The reporters of this article can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.
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