Madeleine Leddy

We probably have some “Columbia things” in common. I was accepted to Columbia in March of my senior year of high school, like you probably were; this acceptance was quickly followed by a bulk order of swag and overpriced T-shirts from the bookstore, like yours may have been. But my first year probably didn’t look a lot like yours.

It’s officially T-10 days until Valentine’s Day, and it’s also still really, really cold outside, which means cuffing season definitely isn’t over. If you haven’t picked up on it yet, love is on the brain of the Spectrum (and even Opinion!) staff(s) this month.

It’s second semester, so hopefully (if you’re a first-year) you’ve figured out what the Core is.

Have you been watching the news this semester? Don’t worry, neither have we.

If you signed up for 2018 sorority recruitment back in December, you might be wondering what comes next. You’re not alone—in fact, you’re one of about 450 Barnard and Columbia “PNMs,” or “Potential New Members” (see our glossary below), who will be going through recruitment this week.

This week, we are no longer free Columbians. New York has reared its slushy head after being strangled by a cold wave unlike most of us have seen in our climate change-impacted lifetimes; and once again, the line for the Hamilton elevator wraps its way around the lobby, the second floor of John Jay echoes with the coughs of whatever grippes and diseases we picked up on vacation, and a colorful flock of Canada Geese emerges from brick buildings at two-hour intervals, as we prepare ourselves to get back to the grind.

Welcome, one and all, to Spectrum’s live coverage of CUMB’s 69th semi-annual Orgo Night! Earlier today, nearly 700 angry students and alums submitted a proposal to administrators asking that the band be allowed inside Butler, but the University has signaled that they won’t budge on their decision to keep Orgo Night outside.

Did you know that you can get money for… going to school? That’s right, you read that correctly. Like most colleges, in addition to financial aid and scholarships Columbia offers several hundred fellowships to its undergraduates.