Carly Silver

H1N1 virus, beware.

Barnard's Student Government Association has formed a committee to address the swine flu at Barnard, the Community Flu Assistance Committee.

Members of the ad hoc committee—called "community flu assistants"—will have a say in creating and changing emergency health rules at Barnard, as well as lending support to ill students. As Columbia students formed a labyrinthine line around Lerner Hall waiting for services at the Flu Shot Fair, Barnard figured out how to handle outbreaks. Dean Dorothy Denburg mentioned swine flu's presence at Barnard in a Sept. 24 e-mail sent to students titled, "IMPORTANT FLU UPDATE."

"We are beginning to see cases of H1N1 in the Barnard community," she wrote, before urging students to register all flu-like illnesses "right away" at www.barnard.edu/flu. And when logging into eBear—Barnard's SSOL—students are greeted with a small, benign pop-up, reminding them to call the swine flu hotline.

Barnard administrators, including Assistant Dean Jessica Nunez who works in the College Activities Office at Barnard, reportedly wanted more student involvement in discussions about the virus on campus, according to SGA President Katie Palillo, BC '10.

While the committee is entirely student-run, Nunez will serve in an advisory capacity, Palillo said.

Still, the structure of this committee is still up in the air, and no one has been been selected as committee chair. "Applications are still coming in," Palillo said, but it will likely be co-chaired by both a member of the SGA representative council and a non-SGA student.

The committee began accepting applications from students last Friday, and student reaction so far seems generally positive.

"It makes sense to do something about it as long as the sick kids take initiative," Nicole Bagarella, BC '11, said, adding that student participation would depend on the policies enacted.

"I would consider doing it," Ariela Wenger, GS/JTS '13, said of potentially participating in the committee. She also said that the concept, at least on the onset, seemed to be a good one. "I think it could make sense if there are policy-related things that need to be addressed."

And avoidance is critical—at least when it comes to campus disease. Preventative awareness will be key for the committee. Priorities, SGA members said, would include publicizing information about the flu and vaccinations as well as setting up walk-in hours at Health Services.

As for the community flu assistants, they'll have to figure out how to live up to their titles. According to Palillo, the committee will be talking about how to best "ease the discomfort of students who are ill," though no one is offering to bring chicken soup to your door just yet.

Instead, Palillo said the committee would be looking to modify attendance requirements for classes that may penalize for absences, as well as taping lectures for sick students.

"I don't think it's unreasonable to expect changes [at Barnard] . in the presence of a flu that could affect so many students," Palillo said.

Though threatening to spread swine flu to your poli-sci professor may do the trick, too.

Some students have already come up with policy suggestions. "I do think there should be a general health policy, as opposed to a ‘swine flu' policy," Mariya Mescheryakova, BC '12. "We need to make sure students aren't going to class sick. No one should be penalized if they come in with documentation from a doctor. Plenty of Barnard students risk their health by not addressing concerns" in a timely manner.

Managing workloads is another way to keep the immune system healthy and prevent illness, students pointed out. "It isn't the flu that's so bad, it's the weakened immune systems of students being pushed to the edge," Mescheryakova said. "Nothing is worse than lack of sleep and malnutrition for health."

"I think that students recognize that this situation, while not ideal, is one in which we can learn how to promote safe habits," Palillo said.

news@columbiaspectator.com

Nearly three years after Barnard demolished its McIntosh Student Center, the Diana is finally open for business.

Former Barnard tunnel dwellers, rejoice: You are now free to move around your campus. Construction closed off the direct path to Milbank Hall last year, but the route is now open.

In a neighborhood characterized by its African-American identity, another—perhaps unlikely—demographic is making a return after a long time under the radar. For the first time in decades, a Jewish community has begun to reclaim its loose strand in Harlem's history.

A task force made up of students and administrators will meet Thursday to hash out the future of the Barnard meal plan. After a contentious forum earlier in February where student response to a proposed required meal plan was overwhelmingly negative, administrators are planning to work with a smaller group over the next month. In an email sent out to the college, Dean Dorothy Denburg announced that Barnard will assemble a working group of 12 students who will meet with Gregory Brown, Barnard's chief operating officer, and her three times before spring break. The group was created in part because of suggestions made during the forum. The task force will be made up of six students from Barnard's Student Government Association and six from the general student body, including two first-year students, two sophomores, and two juniors. Seniors, with the exception of SGA President Katie Palillo, will not sit in. The task force will have one student self-identified as having allergies and one commuter student. As of Wednesday evening, SGA had only finalized three council members that would participate in the working group—junior representative to the Board of Trustees Verna Patti, BC '11, junior class president Lara Avsar, BC '11, and sophomore class representative Mitzi Steiner, BC '12. "The goal is to have a series of conversations that incorporate the voices of interested students," Denburg said. "Even though we had a lot of student input in the span of a year of conversations, there was some feeling that we needed to hear other student voices." Denburg received 23 responses to her initial college-wide announcement. She responded with two possible time slots, which some students were unable to attend, and the final meeting slots were chosen based on the times that the majority of candidates were able to make. These candidates were then sorted by class. After the committee picked a student with food allergies and a commuter student, the rest of the students were chosen randomly. It has not yet been determined whether Denburg and Brown will be the only administrators on the task force. Giselle León, SGA vice president of communications and BC '10, said that SGA would work with students to improve communication between them and administrators. "Our role on the task force is not to act in any way other than in favor of our students through collaboration with our administration," León said. "The administration included SGA specifically to acknowledge our role as elected student representatives." "My personal goals from this task force are twofold—I'm looking forward to collaborating with students, and to reaching a plan that is agreeable to the student body," Palillo added. Some said they were concerned with the lack of student input in deciding the task force members. "I would say that it could end up being a great group of people who really do take the time to figure out people's opinions," Sarah Sherer-Kohlburn, BC '10, said. "But when the students themselves aren't selecting who is going to be on the committee, you run the risk that only a certain viewpoint is going to go through." "I think that it makes sense that seniors are excluded since it doesn't necessarily affect them, but that it at the same time could throw off the ratio of the number of students who are for versus against the meal plan," Emily Montrose, BC '11, said. "I think that freshmen would be more likely to think having a mandatory meal plan is OK, since they haven't yet experienced how amazing it is to live in a suite with a kitchen and cook for yourself." Still, the voluntary nature of the committee could lead to a task force comprised of students that only represent a particular view. "I think that if the administration really listens to the task force then there could be meaningful reform to the meal plan, but as to whether the students on the task force will be representative, I think they run a risk of self-selection," Diana Rastegayeva, BC '11, said. "Everyone has an opinion, but only the people that are really, really against it are signing up for it." But some said the task force is evidence of the administration's responsiveness to student opinions. "At the very, very least, I value that the administration is responsive to student concerns," Natalia Quintero, BC '13, said. "They could have ignored emails. ... At least they've taken them into account." SGA members said they anticipate discussing options for commuters and students with allergies and dietary restrictions. But Montrose said she was concerned that all disabilities wouldn't be taken into account. "I personally have PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] that can be triggered by being in a crowded space," Montrose said. "I wouldn't want to have to try to rush into the Diana cafeteria to push through other people during my lunch or dinner hour just to try to use up the points that I was forced to buy. That's completely unacceptable." The task force will make a formal recommendation to Denburg and Brown. The administration plans to announce a decision on the meal plan by room selection. Ultimately, Rastegayeva said, how receptive administrators are to student concerns will make or break the task force's efforts. "It all comes down to how much they are going to listen to the students," she said. news@columbiaspectator.com

In your weekly councils round-up, CCSC tries to make judicial affairs sexy, assassins beset the ESC, and SGA takes a break from meal plan talks. Calendars, smoking, and judicial affairs with CCSC CCSC members discussed the judicial process with Dean Henry of Judicial Affairs, and passed a resolution stating that CCSC is opposed to a campus-wide ban on smoking. Judicial Affairs: Henry admitted that Columbia's judicial process was confusing to her at first and wants to make it clearer. CCSC members advocated making the policy more transparent so students know what they will face if they do go through the process. The idea of a pamphlet was brought up as many on the committee agreed that a streamlined document bringing together all the information would be beneficial to students. Vice president of policy Sarah Weiss suggested a judicial affairs educational program during NSOP week similar to the "Consent is Sexy" program so new students can easily learn about the judicial process at Columbia. Academic Calendar: Members plan to meet on Friday with Provost Steele, and it will be voted on by the University Senate on April 1. Smoking Ban: CCSC voted, one abstention short of unanimously, to pass a resolution stating that the council does not support a campus-wide ban on smoking. Authors of the resolution argued that, because 56% of CCSC does not support the ban according to a campus-wide survey, CCSC should listen to their constituents and not support it either. But members of the Tobacco Workforce also stressed that they were open to discussions on other options, such as not smoking within 20 feet of a building. Et tu, ESC? Assassins: This year's game of CU Assassins has only been in play for a week, but over half of the assassins are already dead – a mere 85 are currently surviving out of 200 participants. It seems some assassins are willing to do anything to record a kill. Mid-meeting, the death toll dropped to 84. A stealthy SEAS student (not on the ESC board) slipped into the Satow room, sat silent in the back for about a minute, and then proceeded to shoot ex-lab partner and ESC member Zak Accuardi, SEAS '11, with a tiny handheld water gun. After his fellow board members assured him "that meetings are not safe zones," he surrendered his badge and the meeting proceeded. Rats and Missing Door Handles?: Some baffling building issues discussed were rats in the LLC buildings and spontaneously removed door handles in Lerner. According to the Production Planning Committee, LLC currently carries out a weekly pest control walk through in order to get rid of the rats. The missing door handles on doors near Café 212 and Café East also remain a mystery – you can get out from the inside, but you can't get in from the outside, members say. Bacchanal: The Bacchanal all-day carnival this April will benefit Haiti, according to the ESC. SGA talks libraries After a hectic few weeks tackling the meal plan, the Student Government Association was business as usual Monday night. Future speakers: In the coming weeks, SGA will see Provost Elizabeth Boylan visit. Students plan to ask about a possible ethnic studies program, the reduction of professors' course loads, and the tenure process. Barnard Library and Academic Information Service Committee (BLAIS): Jenny Chen, SEAS '10, representative to ESC, reported that new library dean Lisa Norberg is looking for a group of students to create a focus group on possible first-floor renovations and space issues. Chen plans to reach out to Academic Computing Experts, commuters, and student employees in the library for their input.

The Impact Party lived up to its name as the first-year Columbia College Student Council candidates took the victory in this week's election—and Barnard's unprecedented runoff elections finally came to a close. The CCSC Elections Board announced the win of the presidential and vice presidential Impact ticket candidates Thursday afternoon, after an election that the board said went fairly smoothly. According to Elections Board Chair James Bogner, CC '10, there were "no system errors reported, nor any claims of voter harassment." Presidential and vice presidential candidates Alexander Jasiulek and Karishma Habbu of the Impact Party took the victory, earning a grand total of 228 votes in the final round of voting. They were followed by second-place candidates Tara Reed and Ryan Cho, who were running for president and vice president, respectively, on the Lion's Initiative ticket. The newly elected officials will now be working with representatives from a variety of parties—Dylan Lonergan from the Let's Party, Ryan Mandelbaum from the Karma Party, and Kyle Schmidt from the Lion's Initiative. The six-ticket race brought out 356 votes, a turnout of 32 percent. Across Broadway, Jung Hee Hyun, BC '13, has been announced as president of the Barnard class of 2013 after a runoff of three candidates. As previously announced, the vice president is Rachel Ferrari, BC '13, the secretary is Emily Feinstein, BC '13, and the treasurer is Anya Whelan-Smith, BC '13. Hyun's win comes after a three-way tie in the first-year presidential race. e | Do not delete entire caption; write in pieces to preserve formatting. Do not delete line dividing intro from body text, either. Intro font Myriad Pro

Columbia College Student Council While Columbia College Student Council did not pass more than a handful of measures this year, outgoing president George Krebs, CC '09, said that he was proud of the "wide breadth" of issues the council had the opportunity to address, and that he chalked up a largely smooth year to the council's ability to dodge controversy. "I'm proud of the fact that we had the opportunity to fire on so many cylinders and tried to reach into a number of different areas of campus, which I think we will see the kind of fruits of ... in the coming years," Krebs said. While they may not have been embroiled in controversy themselves, CCSC found themselves seemingly as moderators of sorts this fall during the renewed debate over the possible return of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. After then-Sen. Barack Obama, CC '83, and Sen. John McCain's ServiceNation visit to Columbia, where they both addressed on-campus reserve officer training, the debate sprang up across campus again in the forms of meetings, town halls, and speakers. And while CCSC didn't take sides, Krebs said he thought CCSC played an important role in furthering campus conversation. As the council continues to adjust its elections and voting model, members have said that this year's elections, the first time the Columbia College student body voted in runoffs instead of by straight majority, did not completely succeed in what they had set out to do—that is, to draw in more candidates, and bring more voters to the polls. Kinks in the new voting system may become clearer when executive board tickets aren't running unopposed—the CCSC constitution says that presidents and vice presidents run in campaigns together, but a runoff system would elect candidates separately, a contradiction Krebs says hasn't yet been worked out. And long efforts to get the Portal project, a system that would act as a centralized location for undergraduate-related information, off the ground have shaped up in the final semester. After meeting and collaborating extensively with Columbia University Information Technology, Columbia College Information Technology, and Columbia Student Affairs, CCSC representatives said that a prototype of the information aggregation service will be rolling out within the next couple of months. Krebs will be succeeded by class of 2010 vice president Sue Yang. Student Government Association Barnard's Student Government Association moved with the times this year, working with the new administration and the construction of the new Diana Student Center, the building formerly known as the Nexus. Its members consistently met with Dorothy Denburg, dean of the Barnard College, to discuss updates to the school's internal structure. The entire dean of studies office met with students at a town hall on March 9 to talk about the academic support that it offers. Zeest Haider, BC '10, brought up the issues of transferring international credits to Barnard and advisers going on leave, to which administrators like Gretchen Young, dean for study abroad advising, proved responsive. The Barnard College EcoReps frequently attended meetings and updated SGA on initiatives they planned. A concern over recycling centers, like those found in the basement of Altschul Hall, was raised constantly over the semester, with both SGA members and EcoReps resolving to put more such initiatives in the residence halls. Interaction with administration proved key. Lisa Gamsu, Barnard's vice president for administration and capital planning, noted that Sulzberger Tower will be empty this summer so that new floors can be put in, and the Diana will include study lounges like those now found in the first floor of Wollman Library inside Lehman Hall. Other on-campus locations will be changed: WBAR, the Barnard campus radio station, will possibly be moving and the second floor of Brooks Hall might become graduate-student housing. SGA also hoped to expand student understanding with the development of a series of videos about economic diversity on campus. Sarah Besnoff, SGA president and BC '09, will leave her administration in the hands of Katie Palillo, current vice president of communications and BC '10. Engineering Student Council The Engineering Student Council oversaw a review of its constitution, opening up its closed-door internal elections for the public to sit in. While the elections themselves will happen behind closed doors—candidates are chosen for election by council members—ESC president Peter Valeiras, SEAS '09, said the new measures will hopefully allow for more transparency between the council and its constituents, and give students the opportunity to participate in the discussion. But overall, Valeiras said that making SEAS an overall warmer place was one of the council's top priorities, as council members tried to brighten up Mudd and other engineering student haunts with a wider expanse of initiatives and activities. Currently SEAS students are rarely allowed to pass/D/fail courses. Many SEAS students are clamoring for the option to uncover pass/D/fail grades as Columbia College students are currently allowed to do. While ESC plans to release a survey for SEAS students to weigh in, no conclusion had been drawn by the end of the year. ESC also weighed in on the search for a new SEAS dean, a process that ended in the selection of University of Illinois professor Feniosky Peña-Mora to the post. Valeiras added that he hoped ESC involvement would help build better relationships between students and administrators. Whitney Green, SEAS '10, was recently elected ESC president. General Studies Student Council As the General Studies Student Council continues to press forward on long-term issues it has been grappling with for years—namely financial aid, housing, and parity—members said that council this year has laid the groundwork to effectively tackle these problems in the coming semesters. Vice President of Communications Katherine Edwards, who was recently elected as next year's president, said that this semester had seen major headway in the campaign for Latin diplomas for GS students after beginning to successfully appeal to alumni and solicit student support through petitions. Currently, GS students are issued diplomas in English, while CC students receive Latin diplomas. GSSC has also made strides in publicizing the living conditions of GS students in University housing by documenting the rooms through photographs on their Web site, and gaining more than 80 additional beds for GS students this spring. GSSC members have also pointed out the different facets of financial aid and debt burden for students—students with too many credits are also unable to get aid, they say, and the measurements of debt burden do not count those who drop out of school due to debt, and so may be underestimating the amount of debt General Studies students face. Edwards wrote in an e-mail that GSSC adjusted its financial arrangement with the four councils, which would save them an estimated $30,000 next year. The ratio that GSSC pays into events on which all four councils collaborate has been lowered to better reflect the size of the school's student body. news@columbiaspectator.com

Campus Media Watch, which members say formed around a commitment to fair coverage of the Middle East, has its eye on Columbia in its first semester as a Student Governing Board-sponsored group. The group has worked with several organizations that focus on advocacy for Israel, like the campus pro-Israel political affairs committee, LionPAC, and media watchdog groups such as HonestReporting. CMW "constantly monitors the media in all of its forms, including lectures, speakers, events, and publications, and attempts to correct any inaccuracies that are encountered through rigorous fact-checking and careful analysis," according to its website. While many of the group's core members are involved with Israeli advocacy, Daniel Hertz, SEAS '10 and president and founder of CMW, said a summer fellowship he did with the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, a pro-Israel media watchdog group, taught him to use facts and statistics to dispel what he said were false assumptions about controversial subject matters. He added that has reached out to campus groups from across the political and cultural spectrum, and that the group is committed to accuracy. One of the group's other founders and vice president Zahava Mandelbaum, GS/JTS '12, is a Hasbara fellow, an Israeli organization that trains college students to be "effective pro-Israel activists" on American college campuses. Early on the group received help from LionPAC, Columbia's student pro-Israel political affairs committee. "We brought them in and they were a part of seeing how we function—how we run meetings," said Eric Schorr, GS/JTS '12, director of public relations for LionPAC. He added that CMW is not an arm of LionPAC, but they will co-sponsor events together, as they did last semester. Hertz said his group's work depends on its membership; they intend to examine inaccuracies regarding the Middle East in media, classes, and campus events, as reported by students. "We're really trying to focus on Columbia now," he said. "It looks like there's enough work to do here." This semester Hertz decided to take 'Palestinian and Israeli Politics and Societies' with associate professor Joseph Massad, who has come under fire for remarks that some say challenge Israel's right to exist. But some question whether CMW can remain unbiased while maintaining affiliations with Israel advocacy groups. Yusuf Ahmad, SEAS '12 and chair of the public relations committee for the Muslim Student Association, said MSA had been approached about co-sponsoring events with CMW but not explicitly about ensuring accurate media coverage. "Although Campus Media Watch may have a genuine desire 'to ensure that students will be able to base their beliefs on legitimate, unbiased information,' [as stated on their website] conflicting commitments and goals on the parts of CMW's core founders creates a significant challenge: can CMW provide unbiased coverage while simultaneously acting as fellows trained by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve Israel's image?" he said in an email message. CMW has placed Massad's course under "Class Watch" and Hertz blogs about what he says are inaccuracies in the lectures. After the first class session he blogged that most of the authors on the syllabus were among "Israel's greatest detractors" and had written pieces that were "virulently anti-Semitic," but so far he has said he'd like to reserve judgment on the class and professor. Taylor Sanders, CC '13, attended a recent information session and found the group's mission to be appealing. "I think they have the potential to really bring the speakers on campus into discussions with some of the facts," he said. SGB recommended the group for recognition in December, although 34 groups voted against approving it, to 27 in favor. At SGB Town Halls, each SGB group gets one vote, except Hillel, which gets five. A two-thirds vote would have been needed to overturn SGB's recommendation. But Beezly Kiernan, CC '11 and SGB secretary said the board believes CMW will play an important role in mediating tensions between both sides this year. "There's a lot of bickering on this campus between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups. A lot of the time the bickering isn't well structured and therefore doesn't really lead to constructive discussion," he said. "Hopefully the establishment of Campus Media Watch will elevate the Israel-Palestine debate on campus to a civil, academic level by ensuring that pseudo-truths and falsehoods propagated by the media are analyzed fully by all parties on campus." carly.silver@columbiaspectator.com An earlier version of this article described LionPAC as a lobby group. LionPAC calls itself "Columbia University's pro-Israel public affairs committee" rather than a lobby group, though it does go on a lobbying mission to Congress every year. Spectator regrets the error.

Some students interested in living in the Beit Ephraim food cooperative found out their fate last week—and competition was fierce. Because there are only 28 rooms, all singles, in Columbia's Jewish food co-op, getting in can be a struggle. But members of Beit Ephraim—or Bayit, Hebrew for house—said it's more than an ideal room set-up that attracted them to the residence on 112th Street. "I was looking for community at Columbia," said social coordinator Esther Wolff, a GS senior who added that she was also looking for cooperative living. She found undergraduate and graduate students with varying degrees of Jewish affiliation. Wolff met her best friend, a Peace Corps alumna and SIPA student, through the Bayit. "If I didn't live in the Bayit, I don't think we ever would have met," she said. Prospective Bayit residents must fill out an application, as well as be interviewed by three current residents, according to the co-op's website. Members said applicants are chosen based on how well they appear to fit into the co-op. "We try to accept people that would be good for the community, who would be pluralistic and understanding," said recruiter Tami Epelbaum, GS/JTS '11 and former Spectator deputy design editor. Internal manager Avishai Gebler, CC '10, said that to his knowledge, no non-Jewish students have ever applied, though the co-op has had individuals in the process of conversion. Once a month, a member is required to prepare dinner with a partner for the rest of the residents, as well as contribute to weekly chores. Some, like Brandi Ripp, CC '12, said the house has a religious reputation, "which may intimidate others and make them not want to live there." "We have people from all spectrums, religious and secular, liberal and conservative, local and foreign," Gebler said. And Epelbaum said the co-op, founded in 1972 by Jewish campus activists, is not necessarily easy living. "It definitely is not the easy way out because you need to want to be part of a community. ... Not everyone can live in a place where everyone is as responsible as the other," Epelbaum said. Currently, the Bayit executive board is working on establishing an alumni network. The kick-off event came when Bayit co-founder Steven M. Cohen, CC '70, spoke at the house on Nov. 19. Hearing about the house's origins gave Gebler "a renewed desire to make this house more relevant to the campus culture." The staff works toward that by keeping alumni interested and bringing more students to visit. "It used to be that nobody had ever heard of the Bayit, and we're trying to change that," he said. carly.silver@columbiaspectator.com Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Herman Wouk, CC '34, spoke at the house on Nov. 19. Steven M. Cohen, CC '70, spoke. The article also said that seniority is taken into account when reviewing applicants for the Bayit house, but members say it is not a factor. Spectator regrets the error.