2008 presidential election
The 2008 Presidential election got all of the nation buzzing, and Columbia was no exception. Following the appearance of both major candidates at ServiceNation on Sept. 11, several students voiced their views on young adults and service. William Organek’s “On Volunteerism” suggested that the Columbia community in particular could derive a powerful message from the election’s focus on service. Although there is already a volunteer service presence on campus, students could stand to learn still more. In contrast, Jordan Hirsch, in “A Generation’s Crisis of Commitment,” countered that spurring students to service was not the most important message that McCain and Obama could deliver to Columbia students in honor of Sept. 11. He called on the candidates to come together, concluding that putting political differences aside would be the most powerful antidote to American apathy.
Spectator Opinion also published a two-part spread series featuring campus political groups and the issues they consider most important to the election. These ranged from the more obvious problems of the economy and wars to less commonly discussed problems like the displacement of Iraqis. Students also commented on the political process itself. Nick Shea stressed the importance of voting, while Allon Brann and Alastair Shearman raised several problems that still exist within the American election process. Simone Foxman offered her personal take on her first time voting, expressing her mixed feelings regarding the election.
Return of ROTC
The debate on the return of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps to campus was reignited after the ServiceNation event. Hannah Johns expressed her dissatisfaction with Obama’s remarks at the event. She pointed out that he had previously spoken out against the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which denies service to open homosexuals, yet still supported ROTC returning to campus. Chuck Griffith emphasized the importance of the policy, asking Columbians to consider the unfairness of the military’s policy when voting in the school survey on Naval ROTC. Those in favor of the return of the organization included Allan Silver. He asked the school to consider the question of ROTC apart from its DADT policy, raising the importance of the military and hoping that a return of ROTC will encourage students to contribute their diversity and education to military service. Although the survey results were close, a slight majority of undergraduate students voted “no” to NROTC, and the debate has died down for now.
The economic crisis
Over the past year, Wall Street witnessed a financial disaster, hurtling the country into recession. Students, professors, and community leaders contributed their range of views on the different effects of the historic crisis. Reminding us that Wall Street managers have just as much social responsibility as politicians, political science professor Massimo Morelli emphasized the need to reform the political landscape of Wall Street by holding top managers accountable for their actions. Adam Sieff pointed out a bright side to the money crisis, writing that bleak prospects on oft-pursued Wall Street may encourage students, through the motivating drive of self-interest, to consider careers in the important fields like education and energy. Meanwhile, the Rev. Earl Kooperkamp urged readers to look a few blocks north towards 125th Street in Harlem, a neighborhood where the experience of recession lingers in the form of sky-high unemployment rates even when Main Street sees boom times. Recognizing the value of learning from the economic crisis, Raul Mendoza and Kyu-In Lee argued for the implementation of more practical lessons on financial fluency on campus so that students may be better equipped to manage everyday finances such as personal credit. The current state of the economy has already affected all parts of student life and will remain a major topic near year as well.
Peace in the Middle East
In January, students returned to school as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continued overseas. The Israeli-Palestinian issue became a major topic at the forefront of campus debates throughout the spring semester. In response to the conflict December and January, Jacob Shapiro argued for Israel’s right to self-defense, while Ismail Muhammad urged American foreign policy makers and Columbians to recognize the faults of both parties involved. Clare Garvie cautioned that placing human rights into a debate about military actions in Gaza was unfair, and Sarah Brafman and Brandon Hammer emphasized the diversity of opinion even among those who concerned themselves on the same side of the conflict. Both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli student groups rallied for support—Mujib Mashal criticized the LionPAC rally for failing to recognize the human suffering in Gaza, while Dov Friedman and Jordan Hirsch disapproved of the Columbia Community in Standing with Gaza’s use of Holocaust symbolism in criticizing Israel’s actions.
Divestment from Israel also became a major topic midway through the semester. Aaron Winslow called for University divestment of Israel and a greater transparency of Columbia’s budget, while visiting scholar Joshua Gleis pointed out the hypocrisy of those demanding divestment. In relating his semester abroad experience in Be’er Sheva, Israel, Jonah Liben described the coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians in Israeli civil society and called for the same respect on Columbia’s campus.
New York City
Columbia Manhattanville expansion continued to be an issue even after the city approved Columbia’s use of eminent domain. Ben Totushek, a member of the Student Coalition on Expansion and Gentrification, spoke out against Columbia’s plans to evict Floridita Tapas Bar & Restaurant for the expansion. He also criticized University President Bollinger’s lack of transparency in informing the Columbia and surrounding community of its specific plans to ask for stimulus funds to support Manhattanville. Students also commented on broader city issues, included Bloomberg’s PlaNYC. Propsero Herrera criticized the University for rejecting a wind power proposal put forth by students that would have committed Columbia to purchasing wind-generated power. Elizabeth Kipp-Giusti praised the University for its efforts to join the citywide push for environmental friendliness and establishing a green special interesting housing community.