Submission

Education about self-protective strategies is important, but an environment that fosters communication and dialogue about the reasons why so many people commit acts of sexual violence on our campus and in our society is needed.

Writing criticism for the Spectator is a bit of a masturbatory enterprise (I know this because I write criticism for the Spectator). But though it may be masturbatory, it’s not irrelevant.

Upon my arrival at Columbia, I could have easily made the decision to isolate myself from the Catholic community on campus. Instead, I became involved because I wanted to share a significant part of my life as a devout Catholic with other students who felt just as strongly about their faith as I did.

Freedoms, human rights, democracy are the foundations of this nation. The American people must remain vigilant throughout these assaults on the flag in the Iraq War.

Women gained the right to vote in America in 1920. Why, as Barnard students who have elected to pursue an education in an all-women’s institution where male opposition is absent, are we still following instead of leading?

Queer youth are overrepresented among the homeless population. Young LGBT people face unique challenges and dangers, at risk and vulnerable to violence and exploitation.

With each passing week, the atmosphere of the General Studies Student Council has grown more paranoid and acrimonious, while accomplishing nothing. No single person is to blame for the failures of this council, but no one who has served this year, including myself, is blameless.

The situation is complex: banning the symbol would be discriminatory against one group, and using it profoundly insensitive to another. This difficult discussion is emblematic of a push for religious tolerance.

The promise of Barnard’s Senior Selection is what sustains students through two years of the stressful housing lottery. Yet the reality does not live up to the dream.

Each Friday, I wake up to host my radio show on WBAR. We play songs that we like, talk about whatever we deem relevant, and we do it all for an audience of about nine people.