What CCSC Has Been Up To

I owe you all an apology. While the Columbia College Student Council has been working on several projects this year, I have not communicated well what they are. While this semester has been incredibly hectic and the recent campus events have involved—and merited—much attention, that is an explanation, not an excuse. We want you to know what we are working on, so you can let us know if we are focusing on the issues that matter to you.

In the past three years, there has been a disconnect between CCSC and the student body. I am not putting blame on my predecessors, as I believe this is the product of having a student body with such diverse interests and concerns. CCSC traditionally tries to balance working on projects we believe are important to the entire campus with addressing the concerns of all of the students in Columbia College. We are here not only to serve as a resource for information, but also to advocate on behalf of your concerns. If you don’t believe we’re representing your interests, let us know.

So what have we been up to? Our council has worked on a variety of issues from bringing Flex to businesses like Book Culture and West Side Market, to centralizing course evaluations and preparing to make them public so you no longer have to rely on CULPA. We also opened extra study rooms in Hamilton and Butler to alleviate some of the finals madness, and, in an effort to become a more socially responsible university, we have convinced the administration to purchase cage-free eggs (because happy chickens = happy eggs = happy students). We have also implemented a series of community service programs, including Swipe for Our Community, which allows students to donate to the YMCA Jackie Robinson Youth Center in Harlem and Midnight Run, which collected clothing for the poor.

We are also working with the Center for Career Education to expand its reach to industries beyond consulting and finance. Columbia has an incredible pool of alumni with whom to connect our students. Members of CCSC have encouraged college alumni who work in everything from nonprofits, law, and publications to open internships and job opportunities to Columbia undergraduates. We are still working to make all past course syllabi available, so you have as much information as possible when selecting classes. We are also in talks to get a coffee machine in Butler for those hours when Blue Java is closed, but you’re still writing papers.

While I won’t continue the laundry list of council initiatives, I do want to update you on the ongoing battle for Lerner 6. For almost a decade, the sixth floor of Lerner has been empty. With the limited available space on campus, everyone would like to claim the sixth floor; however, we have been lobbying the administration to ensure that space goes to undergraduates. Lerner was designed (and paid for by alumni) with the understanding that it would be an undergraduate student center. The graduate schools have Uris, the Law Library, and the School of International and Public Affairs. Specifically, we are advocating for this space to be utilized to allow for the creation of a centralized Center for Student Advising; Creating a “one-stop shop” for student advising would foster a more cohesive advising system through which advisors can advise students on a variety of related issues. Furthermore, moving advisors into Lerner 6 means there will be free space in residence halls, in buildings such as Carman and Schapiro, which can be used for student group meetings, study space, and music practice space. This will provide students with space in their own dorms and help alleviate the space crunch.

This council also believes that programming is an important component of what we do because, as phenomenal an opportunity as it is to attend college in New York City, we only get to go to college once. Our individual classes have been hosting events throughout the semester, such as Lerner Pubs, Chipotle study breaks, alumni brunches, and internship boot camps. You’ll continue to recognize our events by our favorite new give away: free JetBlue tickets. Creating events that bring the entire school together has been one of our major goals for the year and was the idea behind creating Homecoming Week and the Homecoming Carnival. These events are designed to foster a greater sense of community and school spirit. In light of everything that has happened on campus, these events are more important than ever. This semester has been marked by hateful and confusing incidents, but not defined by them. Moving forward, we must also bear in mind that the past semester is not indicative of who we are as a community.

The author is a Columbia College senior majoring in political science and the president of CCSC.