Councils Address Aid, Endure Impeachments

The four undergraduate student councils have defined the year largely through their responses to events that affected the campus as a whole, while also dealing with internal council strife.

The most anticipated announcement of the year—that the University would eliminate loans for al financial-aid recipients and tuition for those with family incomes below $60,000—was considered a major victory for Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

“What’s important is the money will go to students who need it,” Michelle Diamond, CC ’08 and Columbia College Student Council president, said when the announcement was made in March. Diamond had been in close talks with administrators after CCSC passed a resolution in February pushing for financial-aid reform.

The issue of financial aid also became a rallying point for the General Studies Student Council, especially following the announcement of a University financial-aid package that many saw as less than ideal for debt-addled GS students. GS leaders worked to shape the aid landscape in what many declared to be the student body’s most pressing issue, and newly elected leaders have promised that the fight will be carried on well into next year.

Two other major CCSC resolutions made strides this semester as well. The school has committed to moving offices now on the fourth floor of Lerner to Lerner 6, which was previously vacant, so that the Division of Student Affairs can consolidate advising offices on Lerner 4. In addition, the much anticipated Flex Off Campus program debuted at local vendors.

Despite these achievements, CCSC was criticized for its response to gossip Web site JuicyCampus.com. Diamond alluded to the site in school-wide e-mails and the council held an open forum to discuss banning JuicyCampus from the school’s server, an effort that was later dropped for logistical reasons. This series of events may have actually increased traffic to the site.

In November, the council also drew criticism for its delayed response to the student hunger strike, though it later released a statement supporting most of the strikers’ demands.

Partly motivated by the demands of last semester’s hunger strike and several on-campus bias incidents, the Student Government Association passed a resolution in February advocating the establishment of an ethnic studies major at Barnard. The initiative has met with resistance from some faculty members and has had trouble getting off the ground so far.

The construction of the Nexus, which left Barnard physically divided and without a student center, presented a unique challenge for SGA, which worked to foster a sense of community by transforming Altschul and Barnard halls into communal spaces and by starting traditions such as the Barnard bonfire.

In an effort to clarify and improve relations with Columbia, SGA also created a pamphlet outlining the history of the unique relationship between Barnard and Columbia, which was sent to all admitted students this year. CCSC and the Engineering Student Council were not initially receptive to the pamphlet, as some feared it would deepen the interschool divide.

ESC coped with issues within its own council, most notably the resurgence of the annual debate between proponents of internal and external elections. Unlike the three other undergraduate councils, ESC elects its executive board internally, meaning current council members vote on the next year’s council, rather than putting the vote to the general student body. Although this year’s dispute received heightened attention with point-counterpoint editorials in Spectator and a resolution for reform, ESC voted against changing the electoral system.

April began with impeachment hearings against Rajat Roy, SEAS ’10 and SGA liaison, and Amit Bedi, SEAS ’09 and ESC university senator. ESC impeached Bedi just as he resigned via text message, while Roy retained his position. Impeachment charges were brought against the students due to alleged lack of attendance at meetings.

By mid-April, the ESC-sponsored CU Assassins game slowed to an anti-climatic halt after this year’s crop of assassins took a more passive approach that dragged the game on longer than usual. An executive mandate ended the game and split the $400 prize among eight people.

GSSC also dealt with internal strife. After what some members felt had been a year of ineffective leadership, a last-minute response to the impending financial aid package, a lack of diplomacy toward the administration, and alleged mishandling of funds by fellow members—VP of Policy Nancy Saunders alleged that GSSC President Niko Cunningham had spent nearly $20,000 in GSSC funds, although these allegations have been disputed—the council impeached Cunningham and effectively removed him from office.

An initial impeachment hearing failed to garner the votes for Cunningham’s removal, and many spoke out against what they characterized as a collective, and not an individual, failing of the GSSC as a whole. But in a week following controversy surrounding the GSSC elections, members removed Cunningham from office in a contentious vote. The impeachment, criticized in part because it was administered without councilwide knowledge after a number of GSSC elected officials had already left the meeting, was later upheld by the dean of students office as procedurally sound. Saunders took over as interim president, despite the fact that only a handful of GSSC meetings remained.

Ivy Chen and Stephanie Turner contributed to this article.

lien.hoang@columbiaspectator.com