ABC Changes Club Classifications

With the power to recognize and fund campus groups, the Activities Board at Columbia is the life force-and potential source of dread-of every campus group. The newly elected executive board promises to change ABC for the better.

At Thursday night's annual general meeting, ABC held its election for representatives-at-large and announced significant changes to its constitution. The changes are aimed at making it easier for every credited campus group to obtain funding by limiting confusing bureaucracy.

Voting to ratify the new changes and to elect the ABC representatives-at-large commenced at midnight on Thursday and will end midnight Sunday. Results will be announced Monday.

The new changes will affect previously titled Unfunded or Category one groups that would have to wait at least a year before being eligible to apply for funding under the old system. The new system divides all the 148 clubs into two clear categories, replacing the old system's more confusing four divisions. With the new system, Category A groups-replacing the old system's unfunded, category one, and category two groups-are immediately eligible to appeal for $250 per semester. Category B groups, which will replace Category three groups, will be able to apply for unlimited funds based on budget allocations.

"This way simplifies the structure," said new ABC president Keith Hernandez, CC '07. "Giving all groups the opportunity for funding seemed like the best logical idea."

Before the representative candidates began their speeches, outgoing ABC President Stanley Tan, CC '06, addressed the recent hate crimes, saying that the dean of student affairs is in the process of drafting a Community Principles Initiative, the first in a potential series of steps aimed at preventing future hate crimes on campus.

"I just wanted to briefly mention that action is being taken by the university," he said.

Tan also addressed Columbia's movie copyright policy.

At the meeting, sixteen candidates vied for an available 13 representative-at-large positions. Frustration with space and "mysterious guidelines" were among the concerns raised by the candidates. Questions from the groups focused on the new enforcement of the movie copyright policy and improving communication between representatives and student groups.

Speeches ranged from the serious to the comedic.

"I have quite a hefty Rolodex of contacts," Nick Sharma, SEAS '07, said.

"Columbia has a lot of money and I want to give it to you guys," candidate Carlene Liriano, CC '08, said.

"I like the sound of that," remarked candidate Alex Sirkman, CC '07 and member of the Anime Club and Columbia University Science Fiction society. Both groups have been affected by the new enforcement of the movie copyright policy.

Hernandez said he was excited about other updates within ABC. Four new student groups were officially recognized for approval by Student Development and Activities, including the Polish Club, Sprockets (the German Club), Columbia Por Colombia, and the Columbia Undergraduate Film Society.