Qiuyun Tan

Great cities are multi-faceted, and Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociology professor at Columbia, sets out to record their darker sides. After publishing his award-winning book Gang Leader for a Day, which exposes gang life in Chicago, Venkatesh turned his attention to New York for his new book, Floating City: A Rogue Sociologist Lost and Found in New York's Underground Economy. QIUYUN TAN talked with Professor Venkatesh about his past work and his investigation of the hidden parts of New York.

Professors and researchers from Columbia University Medical Center discussed HIV/AIDS, genome screening technology, and other timely medical topics Friday afternoon at TEDMED Day CUMC.

Eighty students received King's Crown Leadership Awards this year at the ceremony Thursday, although many said that they still wish the ceremony were more reflective of the greater Columbia community.

Professional football player Hamza Abdullah joined Columbia's Muslim community for a Fast-A-Thon on Tuesday evening to raise awareness for Muslims in Myanmar.

The event, at the Diana Center Event Oval, was hosted by the Muslim Students Association. Attendees pledged to fast in order to collect money for charity, and used a big name to bring attention to a lesser-known humanitarian crisis.

Abdullah, who has played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and Arizona Cardinals, discussed how his religion affected his career as a football player. He said he is grateful that Islam gives him "a certain structure of what I need to do and what I should be doing" in life.

In an interview after his talk, Abdullah also said he was concerned Muslims were being too reactive, not proactive, to Islamophobia. He said acts "as simple as a smile to another person" make a difference in others' opinions of the religion.

"Islam is a religion of peace," Abdullah said. "We have to show that in the way we walk every single day."

Abdullah stressed the importance of understanding between religions.

"When we go to feed someone, we don't ask that person if they're religious or not," he said. "The world community, the Muslim community, everyone is like a body. If one part of the body hurts, the entire body hurts. So when we look and see someone that doesn't have what we have, we're hurting because they're hurting."

That perspective was echoed in speeches by activists on the plight of the Rohingya Muslim people of Myanmar, whom the United Nations consider an oppressed minority.

Waleed Gabr, from the charity organization Islamic Relief, described the long history of oppression Muslims have gone through in the country, which is majority Buddhist. In past centuries, they were prohibited from practicing halal and were forced to listen to Buddhist sermons, he said. The conflict between the religions has been complicated by riots and killings over the years.

"They were treated worse than animals," Gabr said, after showing a black-and-white film of harsh labor and life conditions of Muslims there. "They were burned to death ... The children didn't have a future."

Ammar AlShukry, a spoken-word artist, performed two poems and stressed the importance of living in the "blessing of security" and the absence of fear.

"The reason why you're able to go and leave your house, the reason you're able to go and work ... is because you do not have to be under the stress and anxiety of fear," AlShukry said. Many Muslims in Myanmar have to live under that fear, he said.

"Allah says we will test you with a little bit of fear. But the reason that he mentions a portion of fear is because no one can bear total fear," he said, "Because fear is paralyzing—fear destroys."

Abdul Rafay Hanif, CC '14 and Muslim Students Association president, said that the situation of Muslims in Myanmar is largely underreported by Western media.

"There is a lot of attention that wasn't being diverted to them," Hanif said. "For them, the Myanmar issue is not something as hot and sexy as something happening in the Middle East."

The MSA is trying to raise awareness about the plight of Myanmar Muslims, Hanif said.

"Issues that we bring up are issues that not only the rest of the Muslim community, but other people on campus and other people in New York City are also made aware of," he said.

qiuyun.tan@columbiaspectator.com | @ColumbiaSpec

The Academic Integrity Task Force has proposed an honor code for the undergraduate schools at Columbia to improve academic integrity.

Bruno Rigonatti Mendes, CC '14, initiated this proposal as the Columbia College Student Council's academic affairs representative last year. Mendes said that the honor code would improve academic honesty on campus because it would be a pledge that students take themselves.

"The honor code would be one of several strategies we would have to pursue in order to have a better-established culture of academic integrity on campus," he said. "It was one that required a sizable effort coming from students themselves."

Students in support of the honor code said that it would count on students to be responsible for their own academic integrity and create a community culture that cherishes academic honesty.

"We want to make it a cultural thing and not about a discipline," CCSC Academic Affairs Representative Steven Castellano, CC '13, said. "If you make it the professors' responsibility, students will just find more ways to cheat."

Task force members first hope to create an honor pledge that students take at convocations, and eventually, they plan to print one on the back of blue books for students to sign at every exam they take.

Castellano, who is spearheading the initiative, said, "There have been so many studies that suggest that if you sign off on that, if you write out the words even as simple as ‘I did not cheat,' you are much less likely to cheat because the idea is reinforced."

Jeri Henry, associate dean of judicial affairs and community standards, said that she was very supportive of the project.

"If properly implemented, it would establish the values of the community, thereby shaping the development of students' awareness of expectations and academic culture at Columbia," she said.

Barnard has upheld an honor code since 1912. According to students on the task force, Columbia and Harvard are the only two Ivy League schools without an honor code. The cheating scandal at Harvard last year drew national attention to issues of academic integrity and has since intensified discussions of plagiarism and cheating.

Kathryn Yatrakis, Columbia College's dean of academic affairs, said that professors often view cheating as a betrayal.

"They themselves are scholars in their fields," she added. "They understand well how it is to rely on the work of others—as sociologists talk about standing on the shoulders of giants—but what you always do is give proper credit to that. They also know that they would not get to where they were if they do not do their own work."

Christia Mercer, former chair of Literature Humanities, said that she was very concerned about students cheating on Lit Hum exams and plagiarism in papers.

"To have to worry about that just adds the burden to our responsibilities," she said. "When students are dishonest, it changes the dynamic of class, especially a small class like Lit Hum."

She added that while some older professors may believe that their students would never think to cheat, a study showed that one out of 10 students is going to plagiarize on a paper at some point in his or her time at Columbia.

Although largely advocated by faculty members, the effectiveness of an honor code has been questioned by students.

"I don't think it would make a difference. If people are going to cheat, they're going to cheat," Sarah Forthal, CC '15, said. "It already says on the syllabus that cheating isn't acceptable."

Besides the code itself, the task force also plans to organize discussion sessions for incoming students to discuss the cheating issues openly. In addition, it aims to reinforce the code by incorporating it into core classes, course syllabi, and departmental meetings.

"These two things, honor pledge and extended sessions for the new students next year, we hope to implement on a full scale by the fall," Bob Sun, CC '14 and a member of the Committee on Instruction, said. "This semester, in the coming months, we plan to run a pilot program with freshmen this year."

"In the end, it's really that the students' individual sense of who they are decides their own integrity about whether they're going to cheat," Yatrakis said.

Sun, a Spectator opinion columnist, said that while he was uncertain of the effectiveness of the honor code, he hoped it would make a difference.

"After doing all that, will it make a noticeable difference in the culture?" he said. "One year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, we don't know, but we really hope so."

qiuyun.tan@columbiaspectator.com | @ColumbiaSpec

Song Sang-Hyun said his interest in international issues started at the age of nine, when the Korean War erupted in his hometown. Three years ago, Song became president of the International Criminal Court, a consortium of countries that persecutes genocides, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. And Tuesday, he reflected on his long-standing passion to combat atrocity crimes on an international scale at a World Leaders Forum event. "To this day, I can precisely remember the horrible stink of the decomposing corpses in those hot summer days," Song said. "I might have been too young to mobilize, but I was old enough to realize the immense suffering and destruction that war inflicts." The Rome Statute established the court in 2002 after 160 countries agreed to set up a permanent international judicial system as part of the treaty, which Song called a "powerful statement of intent by the international community that impunity of atrocity crimes would no longer be tolerated." Though the ICC is independent from the United Nations, its operation relies on collaboration between the two organizations, but Song said that the partnership needed to be improved. "The Security Council has not provided the ICC the help it needs to discharge the mandates into its council resolutions," Song said. "We need a far more consistent and vigorous approach by the Security Council." Song also addressed how the court is working to have the United States join the organization, an idea Sujith Kumar, GSAS '13, found interesting. "As a human rights student, personally I am very encouraged by his comments on how he can see the U.S. working more closely together with the ICC," Kumar said. "I understand U.S. is not ready for the treaty, but at least steps are being taken by the Obama administration." Song also shared his advice on how to be an effective leader with the audience, which he said included respecting diversity and cultural differences. Even in his free time, Song said that his job is always on his mind. "My only hobby is to play golf, on the very rare occasions when I have the time for it," Song said. Some attendees said that Song's presentation illustrated his unwavering dedication to his passion, which was impressive. Ed Brockhoff, SIPA '14, said, "It shows you what sort of dedication and sacrifice you have to make to be seen as independent." Still, Brockhoff wished that Song would have discussed further the behind-the-scenes aspects of the court. Ester Nyaggah, GS '12, also said that she wasn't satisfied with all aspects of Song's presentation, particularly when he addressed opposition toward the court's policies. "It really irritated me because I'm from Kenya," she said. "If they're going to prosecute these criminals, then the people involved in those states should have a voice in it—if you're doing this in the spirit of democracy and the greater good of the people, then why aren't their voices included?" But Song held firm in his optimism about changing the international landscape. "Ultimately, the fight against impunity can only succeed when the national justice system of each state is strong enough to stand against atrocity crimes," he said. qiuyun.tan@columbiaspectator.com An earlier version of this article incorrectly quoted Kumar. Spectator regrets the error.

Felicia Hunter, GS '12, remembers being able to relate to the student volunteers at Community Impact's GED high school equivalency program when she studied there for two semesters in 2007. "Some of the teachers were students, so they would tell a lot of their experiences at college. That helped a lot," she said. The academic environment, unusual for GED programs, is what inspired Hunter to pursue her studies, she said. "Being on a campus every day is really different than being in an office building in a room somewhere," she said. "It was encouraging seeing all other students going through for their classes." Community Impact's GED program, which is run out of Earl Hall, has been ranked as one of the most effective by the New York State Education Department for the last three years. In the Education Department's annual report, Community Impact's GED program significantly exceeded the state benchmark in every statistic measured. It received the state's highest designation based on student performance, employment rates, and goal-setting skills. "It's affiliated with the University, which gives it great brand recognition, so people are eager to come here," GED program coordinator Rendolph Walker said. The program has been around for nearly 30 years, serving about 560 low-income adults each year with classes in the five GED subjects: writing, reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. According to Walker, many of the students are newly unemployed people affected by the economic downturn. "We've had a number of participants who were people who had jobs, who were really functioning in their jobs, but as a result of being laid off, they are unable to find work because they don't have a GED," Walker said. Community Impact also offers tutoring, writing labs, college-level classes, and one-on-one college counseling. Walker said that when GED tests become computerized in 2014, Community Impact's program will add more computer classes for students. Volunteer teachers include Columbia students, faculty, staff, and other community members. "We don't hire professional teachers, but that's why they care about what they're doing. They're not required, but they want to do so," said Jacqueline Thompson, BC '13, a student coordinator. The students themselves come from a variety of backgrounds as well. "There are mothers, grandfathers, ambitious young men and women in my classes," Brendan Keane, a volunteer teacher, said. "I did a survey of the class last week to discover that a number of people in the class can speak more than three languages fluently." "Maybe I will study here [at Columbia] hopefully," GED student Karina Orozco said. "And then I move to other studies because I want to study a couple of different things. It will take me a few years, but it's fine. Little by little, I'll get there eventually." news@columbiaspectator.com

After serving as a teaching assistant for Calculus I and III, Akshay Shah, SEAS '14, said he found something in his experience missing. "I had very minimum interaction with the professor," Shah, a University senator, said. "I met the professor at the beginning of the semester—and I never met him again during the semester." Now, Shah is spearheading a proposal to improve undergraduate TA training and standardize working procedures for professors. Shah presented the proposal to the University Senate's Education Committee last week and has also received approval from the deans of both Columbia College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He said he hopes to conduct further survey and data collection this semester and implement the proposal in the fall of 2013. "Since we are talking about change across so many departments and across so many schools, obviously the timeline for something like this is more than a semester and more than a year," he said. "It's definitely something for the long term." Bora Kim, SEAS '13, who is working with Shah on the initiative, said that "being a teaching assistant is a job, not just an extracurricular activity, and the quality of a TA's work can affect a student's performance in a class for both right and wrong reasons." "In chemistry, our quizzes are written by each TA, so if you're unlucky and have a bad TA and have super hard quizzes and that affect your grades, opposed to someone who just got lucky and got a good TA ... it's good to make everything more standard," Cindy Saenz, CC '16, said. The students looking to standardize TA policies are still hammering out the specific changes they'd like to make. "The biggest challenge is the implementation of department-wide or even cross-departmental TA training sessions that are tailored to TA responsibilities," said Lisa Zhou, CC '14, who is also working on the policy. The natural sciences and social sciences departments that hire undergraduate TAs assign very different responsibilities to them, so the frequency of TA-professor communication or the steps of the training process can vary greatly. "I don't see undergraduate TAs playing a huge role [in the math department] anyway, so I don't think it is a critical matter that it has to be improved today," said Rohit Prasanna, SEAS '14 and a TA for Ordinary Differential Equations. "It's not a burning problem that has to be addressed today. But it could use some improvements, I agree." Astronomy professor James Applegate, a member of the University Senate's Committee on Education, said that while most TAs are graduate students, their rights and responsibilities should be the same, regardless of the department in which they teach. "A lot of different units and different schools and departments use teaching assistants and they use them in a lot of different ways," he said. In contrast with the mathematics department, the economics and biology departments are two of the leaders in department-level training sessions and standardization of TA policy. Still, Susan Elmes, the director of the undergraduate economics program, said she would welcome University-wide training reforms. "Undergraduate TAs are now hired in a number of departments and it might be helpful if they could interact with one another and share some of their experiences with each other," Elmes said. "It would also be helpful to people like myself to learn what TAs are doing in other departments." Shah agreed. "You have TAs who only grade papers, you have TAs who lead office hours, you have TAs who lead recitation sessions, and you have TAs who are leading labs—and they require different kinds of training," he said. "How do we take all of these difficulties that are there, and design a program that's best for the students and that actually improve the academics at Columbia?" news@columbiaspectator.com