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Monday, May 4, 2009

NEWS »

Activists protest stimulus funds for Manhattanville

By Maggie Astor
May 3 10:03 pm ET

Protesters gathered on College Walk to rally against the possible allocation of federal stimulus funding to Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion project on Saturday.

Shoplifters hit local stores, other crime rates fall

By Sam Levin
May 3 10:05 pm ET

With a decrease in murders, robberies, and assaults, Morningside Heights can boast safer streets and fewer criminals—that is, except for one crime.

As their rents rise, small businesses need a boost

By Minji Reem
May 3 10:07 pm ET

As the recession continues to take a toll on small businesses, the New York City Council is considering a measure to help them. Along with 18 co-sponsors, Council member Robert Jackson, who represents Morningside Heights, recently proposed the Small Business Survival Act to grant commercial tenants additional rights during the lease renewal process.

City water budget drops, costs may rise

By Aaron Kiersh
May 3 10:08 pm ET

Like many other indicators of decreased consumption during the recession, water use has dropped in New York City over the past year.

Despite tough market, condos thrive

By Katherine Meduski
May 3 10:10 pm ET

Amid a slew of struggling housing developments in New York City, the Kalahari, a luxury condo development on West 116th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues, is going green in more ways than one.

Commencement 2010 date changes due to religious holiday

By Kim Kirschenbaum
May 3 10:12 pm ET

Commencement 2010, a ceremony the University describes as one of “pomp and circumstance,” would have been less celebratory for those who would have been unable to attend due to a religious holiday conflict. But a controversial and unexpected administrative decision was made last Thursday to change the date in order to avoid this problem.

Bollinger to name provost soon

By Alexa Davis
May 3 10:14 pm ET

University President Lee Bollinger said in an interview on Friday that he would announce the name of Columbia’s next provost—or chief academic officer—over the next week. The new candidate will take over after current provost and history professor Alan Brinkley steps down to take a year of leave before returning as a faculty member of the history department.

SEAS budget withstands endowment decrease

By Claire Stern
May 3 10:16 pm ET

As schools across Columbia cope with a decrease in endowment funds, a recent University statement said that the School of Engineering and Applied Science will be affected relatively minimally.

New Riverside pastor in question

By Pooja Reddy
May 3 10:18 pm ET

Rev. Dr. Brad R. Braxton was installed as the new Senior Minister at Riverside Church on Sunday, despite a motion filed by a group of congregants with the Manhattan State Supreme Court that contested the Reverend’s pay (exceeding $600,000 by some estimates) and the opaque selection method through which he was chosen. Questions about Rev. Braxton’s commitment to diversity and progressivism have also been raised.

OPINION »

In praise of Columbia

By Eric Hirsch
May 3 09:07 pm ET

I will offer some words of thanks and praise to the institution that is Columbia University, and clarify some of the arguments I have sustained in this column in light of these words of praise.

Prohibiting smoking: the best policy?

By Billy Freeland and Learned Foote
May 3 10:24 pm ET

If the administration wishes to seek student opinion, we encourage them to reach out to the student councils and to the Student Affairs Caucus of the University Senate.

Coming to terms with Columbia

By Brendan Price
May 3 10:29 pm ET

I don’t know that I’ve found anything to worship here, but I’ve found enough to admire, and I’ve certainly found my place.

To the Oxford comma

By Darya Deker
May 3 10:34 pm ET

And because Copy gets no love, I’d like even more so to note my appreciation for it, especially since it was through the section that I met some of my best friends.

Showing poor judgment, Spec editor graduates

By Tom Faure
May 3 10:43 pm ET

I’ll miss this sleepless love affair with an art that boasts the world as its muse.

What I learned while not doing all my reading

By Amanda Sebba
May 3 11:04 pm ET

The lessons I learned at Spectator are, of course, different from the ones I learned in the classroom, but they’re just as important to me.

Deans' list

By Editorial Board
May 4 01:04 am ET

Next semester, deans Moody-Adams and Peña-Mora will face the challenge of balancing Columbia’s bureaucratic structure and fiscal constraints with the University’s reputation for academic excellence and a high quality of student life.

Take back the night back back back

By Lauren Herold and Robin Broder
May 5 11:28 am ET

We saw another Kingsmen flyer, taped on 114th Street and in John Jay Hall, that read, “consent is not sexy … but it might help you stay out of jail.” We were unsettled by the content because of the implications that can be drawn from it.

Fundamental misunderstandings

By Ismail Muhammad
May 9 12:22 pm ET

All we do is talk past one another, trying to lay the blame on the other side without bothering to understand one another’s positions.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT »

Minor characters shine through V115’s Gates

By Maddy Kloss
May 3 08:23 pm ET

In the 115th Annual Varsity Show, titled The Gates of Wrath, the minor characters didn’t just steal the show—they were the show. This year, the creative team decided to rename the traditional “cast” and “chorus” as “principals” and “ensemble.” It was a smart move—the title of “chorus” doesn’t do justice to the talent of the students who landed supporting roles.

NY summer music festivals that won’t break the bank

By Rebecca Pattiz
May 3 08:24 pm ET

New York City is, in some ways, a pretty unpleasant place to be over the summer. The streets get so hot you can feel the heat through your shoes, the humidity makes your hair look as if you’ve been electrocuted, and an influx of European tourists crowd the streets and create endless lines in front of the Metrocard machines. But whenever summer in the city has you hating on New York, an abundance of free outdoor concerts can make you fall back in love again.

Brain food to fuel CU

By Laura Taylor
May 3 08:24 pm ET

Ever wondered why your attention span is waning even after all that coffee you drank? For most of us, reading week is crucial to our semester’s success: Either we’re playing comeback kid to boost our grades, or striving to maintain the grades we’ve worked so hard for since January. For sources of energy that won’t put your body through the ringer, here are some important nutrition tips to give you strength and energy for studying and help you ace your finals and papers.

MFA student revisits high school in first novel

By Olivia Shih
May 3 08:25 pm ET

“I definitely didn’t set out to write a novel,” said Liza Monroy, a current nonfiction MFA student in Columbia’s creative writing program. Monroy looks young enough to be an undergraduate, yet Mexican High, which she wrote five years ago, was published by Spiegel & Grau last summer, and it will be released in paperback on June 9.

Josh Bell at the Philharmonic blends old and new, gravity and liveliness

By Joseph Napoli
May 3 11:11 pm ET

Renowned violinist Josh Bell's performance at the New York Philharmonic showcased beautiful music, impressive suspense, and an almost 300-year-old violin.

Contemporary authors share Novel Ideas about the creative writing process

By Ian Scheffler
May 4 03:08 pm ET

Aspiring novelists, take note: your summer writing plans just got a boost. Barbara Shoup and Margaret-Love Denman, creative writing teachers at the Universities of Indiana and Mississippi respectively, present a fresh take on the “writing for writers” genre with the second edition of their book, Novel Ideas, released this spring.

SPORTS »

A few minor suggestions on the way out

By Jonathan August
May 3 11:31 pm ET

I wasn’t supposed to end up in this place. Coming to Columbia nearly four years ago, I knew I wanted to get involved in some sort of extracurricular activity, but I presumed it was going to be something comprising a mixture of law and politics. Yet during my first week on campus, I blindly followed one of my floormates to a small office on 112th and Broadway upon hearing there would be sports fans there. What I found was a place that would bring me my highest highs and lowest lows at Columbia, with a set of ridiculous stories in between.

Heavyweights take home Maxwell Stevenson Cup, women fall to Northeastern

By Michele Cleary
May 3 11:36 pm ET

The heavyweight rowing team returned to form this weekend, defeating Navy to take the Maxwell Stevenson Cup. The women’s team, however, was unable to capture the Woodbury Cup from Northeastern, placing fourth in the Beanpot. The No. 10 heavyweights (11-2) stormed back from a difficult loss to Boston University and Syracuse last weekend to take the Maxwell Stevenson Cup for the second year in a row. The Lions triumphed over the No. 15 Midshipmen and the tough conditions in the varsity eight racing, finishing in 5:55.1, over seven seconds ahead of Navy, who came in at 6:02.8.

Lions to battle Hurricanes in NCAA tournament

By Kunal Gupta
May 3 11:39 pm ET

The men’s tennis team will travel down to Gainseville on May 8 to take on No. 22 University of Miami in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships. The No. 53 Lions got the automatic berth after winning the Ivy League for the second time in three years, while the Hurricanes got into the tournament via an at-large bid, finishing second in the powerhouse ACC. The winner of the match will take on the winner of Marist and No. 10 Florida on May 9.

Haig Schneiderman wins Ivy League Rookie of the Year

By Kunal Gupta
May 3 11:41 pm ET

The No. 53 Ivy League champion men’s tennis team picked up another award last week when the annual all-Ivy teams were released. Freshmen Haig Schneiderman was a uninamous selection for Ivy League Rookie of the Year, and senior Bogdan Borta was named to the all-Ivy first team for singles. Junior Jon Wong and junior transfer Mihai Nichifor were named to the second team all-Ivy in singles, and Borta and Nichifor were named first team all-Ivy in doubles. In addition, Wong and Schneiderman were named second team all-Ivy in doubles, and Schneiderman earned honorable mention for his singles play.

Spec Sports: Exuding sexuality since 2005

By Jonathan Tayler
May 3 11:53 pm ET

I’ve written this column in my head about 400 times, and it changes every time. I suppose that, when I send in the final version and then read it the next day, I’ll still want to change it. Some things will work, some things won’t, and I’ll mentally rewrite this column another 400 times, because no one column will ever do four years at Spectator justice.

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