Columbia Bartending Confronts Raid Aftermath

The Columbia Bartending Agency, which employs over 200 students, will begin accepting jobs again after a period of suspended operation during which the University reassesses agency policies.

In an e-mail obtained by Spectator, CBA managing director John Dema wrote to members of the agency on Sept. 23 that the agency was “undergoing an internal review” of its policies and was “not accepting any new jobs.” The review stems from the arrest in late September of several students working at a party that lacked proper licensing, according to a person close to those involved, who was granted anonymity because revealing the person’s identity could hurt the students involved in the case.

The party, according to the source, took place at a warehouse in downtown Manhattan and was the site of a raid by undercover police taking a tough stance against the venue’s history of allowing underage drinking. Police began to monitor the warehouse after an earlier incident, but the source maintained that Columbia bartenders did not engage in such activities at the party.

As a result of the raid, students were held in New York City holding cells for over 24 hours.

CBA, a member of Columbia Student Enterprises, caters to independent organizers in the New York metropolitan area, first training students in the field and then assigning them to specific events for pay. As the enterprises lie under the jurisdiction of the Center for Career Education, all student recruits—including tutors, translators, and bartenders—are considered employees of the University. Their checks are written through the Columbia payroll system.

While Columbia is currently taking measures in response to the incident that remain confidential, the administration could not provide legal representation at the time of the arrests. The Office of the General Counsel, the central supplier of legal services for the University, is forbidden by law to directly defend students, file manager Carmen Nieves said.

scott.levi@columbiaspectator.com