Shira Poliak

Father Richard Sloan, a volunteer Episcopalian faith advisor at Columbia, is working to bridge the gap between two of Morningside Heights' largest institutions. Sloan, who is also the Diocesan Stewardship Officer at the Diocese of New York, which is located at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, has been working since the fall to establish greater connections between the Cathedral and the Columbia student body just a few blocks north. Since joining the campus chaplaincy in November 2009, Sloan has organized free vertical tours of the Cathedral for Columbia students, many of whom have never entered the building's impressive Gothic façade. Last Saturday, 43 undergraduate and graduate students braved the early morning and 13 flights of stairs to get a close look at the Cathedral's stained glass windows that date back to the 1930s, study its elaborate architecture, and climb to the top of the Cathedral. "I'm aware that if you've never been in a cathedral or are not a church-going person, entering a cathedral can be daunting," Sloan said. "Through the tours, I hope to break down those apparent barriers." Sloan said he wants to encourage students to enjoy the Cathedral's concerts, literature, and worship events, as well as the quiet gardens and chapels, which he said can be sanctuaries from busy college life. He added that recently the Bishop has approved his suggestion that students not be asked to give a suggested donation upon entering the Cathedral, to make it a more inviting, welcoming place for them. Isabel Kim, a master's student in the graduate program for art history and archeology, said she enjoyed getting a hands-on, behind the scenes tour. "St. John the Divine is now more personable. It's not just a beautiful Gothic structure that I pass by during my school commute," Kim said. "I have this emotional attachment to it, this sense of awe, this sense of the craftsmanship that went into it." The Cathedral's vertical tours are a popular tourist attraction that often cost visitors $15 per person, though the Diocese has underwritten the flashlight-guided tour for Columbia students twice this year. "We stopped at five different levels, and each time I thought that it was the final level and was more amazed at the access and what we were seeing," Ryan Salvatore, a post-baccalaureate student studying architecture, said of his tour. "We were standing between the ceiling and the church in this amazing cavernous space." Sloan said there is a strong relationship between the University and the Cathedral "on the upper, administrative level" between the Deans of the Cathedral and the President of the University but that he wants to "broaden the relationship and make students feel welcome." In addition to exposing the general campus to the Cathedral, Sloan has focused on strengthening ties between the Cathedral and an Episcopal religious group on campus. Peter Thompson, CC '12 and president of the campus Episcopal group, said that this year the Episcopal and Lutheran students were able to get free tickets for the holy service at the Cathedral. He also said that Sloan has been very active in creating shorter prayer and social events, such as a Wednesday afternoon lunch and prayer service, to fit students' busy schedules. University chaplain Jewelnel Davis also welcomed the initiative and said that it is an important addition to the already strong historical connections between the University and the Cathedral, and the Episcopalian movement in general. From the appointment of the first official university chaplain, Reverend Cornelius Duffie, in 1857 until the late 1960s, for over a hundred years, the university chaplain was Episcopalian, Davis said. She added that though the cathedral is a globally recognized landmark, students in its backyard sometimes have little knowledge of it. "We have visitors come from all over the world who know more about the Cathedral than Columbia students, and it's in our neighborhood." shira.poliak@columbiaspectator.com

Internal debates within student religious groups are not always public at Columbia, but as part of last week's Islam Awareness Week, the Muslim Student Association openly reflected upon the relationship between Islam's Sunni and Shiite sects. The MSA hosted religious scholar Imam Ammar Nakshawani, a British lecturer of Islamic studies who presented on the importance of uniting Sunni and Shiite Muslims to a packed crowd on Thursday, Feb. 18. The event touched upon some of the larger issues of Muslim identity that MSA students sometimes contend with. Islam is divided into two main sects, Sunni and Shiite. Sunnis believe that Muslim communities should choose their leaders, while Shiites believe that religious clerics should descend from the prophet Muhammad. There are also slight variations in some of the prayer services and rituals. Around 85 percent of the world's Muslims are Sunni and 15 percent are Shiite. Though the religious differences are minor to some, the Sunni-Shiite divide has been a major source of tension in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Haroon Moghul, Ph.D. candidate in the Middle East and Asian languages and cultures department and former director of public relations at the Islamic Center at NYU, described the modern conflicts in a recent interview. The religious and political tensions, he said, have erupted into a violent "Sunni and Shiite tug-of-war between Saudi Arabia [a Sunni state] and modern Arab states, and Iran [a Shiite state] and its allies." He added, "A lot of the [Sunni-Shiite] conflicts are between states vying for Islamic authority." On campus, students say the issue is often an unspoken one that does not affect groups. For some, though, the divide is still a religious question that must be confronted. Seeing through the eyes of someone else "There needs to be dialogue in order to bridge the gap," Nakshawani said in his lecture on Thursday. The word "dialogue," he added, stems from the Greek word "dia," which means "to see through the lens of another person." "For so many years, when Shiites and Sunnis tried to bridge the gap, the Shiite would look through his lens. The Sunni would look through his." In his address, Nakshawani asked the audience to put aside political and theological differences between Sunnis and Shiites and focus on the group's shared fundamental beliefs, such as the oneness of Allah, Muhammad's role as the prophet of Allah, and the five pillars of Islam. "Take off your lenses and see through the eyes of someone else," Nakshawani said. He criticized the speeches of Sunni and Shiite clerics who use negative phrases, such as "atheist sinners" and "infidels," to incite hatred of the other sects. Moghul, who spoke briefly before Nakshawani at the lecture, praised Nakshawani in an interview after the event for "drawing attention to the absence of discourse in the Muslim world on this topic and the extreme voices who contribute to mistrust and excommunication." The unspoken conversation Despite Nakshawani's gusto about the need to bridge the divide between Sunnis and Shiites, several active MSA members said they perceive the Sunni-Shiite question as a non-issue in the group and among their peers. "The Sunni-Shiite question does not come up because it's not the first thing we think about," said Noor Al-Husayni, BC '11, religious life chair of the MSA board, organizer of Thursday's event, and a Shiite Muslim. "Muslims are drawn to each other because we share a lot in common. Our habits and lifestyles are mostly the same anyway, so the differences don't come up in everyday living." "It's considered divisive for people to ask if you are Sunni or Shiite, so it's not something people ask," Al-Husayni said. Imam Syed Zafaruddin Sayeed, TC '72, is the religious life advisor to MSA and has served the group since 1998. Sayeed said that he has never had to directly confront the Sunni-Shiite issue at Columbia. Muzna Ansari, BC '10, MSA president, and a Sunni Muslim, said that the topic infrequently surfaces in the larger MSA context or its events. "We focus on positive, as opposed to divisive, dialogue." Ansari, who lives with Al-Husayni, said that their different sects do not influence their relationship. "We never had a conversation in our room about that." She added, "We are all Muslims, and that's what binds us together." United on campus Professors and Islamic scholars offer different perspectives as to why there is little contention within Islamic groups on Columbia's campus. Souleymane Bachir Diagne, a professor of Islamic philosophy, said that he supports the inclusivity of the MSA, despite the potential for sectarian divide. But, he added, this inclusivity is in line with the religious history of this division. "There were particular circumstances of clashes between Shiites and Sunnis, but if you look at the history, the two groups lived together peacefully. Political and theological differences didn't mean that you belonged to radically different communities," he said. Despite current problems abroad, he added that it is important "not to believe that this is an eternal, cosmic clash." According to Moghul, the Sunni-Shiite question does not emerge because "the Muslim community here is small and has not become institutionally established." The question is more emergent on campuses with larger Muslim populations, he said, where groups must clearly define their identities and determine, "Who does the chaplain represent? Who is a Muslim, who is not? Should they ... have separate chaplains for different sects, or have a single figure capable of representing the group as a whole?" He added, "When communities get so big, people align themselves based on preferences which create questions based on practice and priority." But Taimur Malik, CC '11 and social chair of the MSA board, said that the divide is not a source of conflict at many universities. Malik, who met different Muslim student organizations at the recent 2010 Ivy Muslim Conference, said that the students that he met are not divided along Sunni and Shiite lines and credits the work of university chaplains who "are able to create greater community and a sense of belonging." Challenging the norm While some students insist that the Sunni-Shiite debate is irrelevant on campus, they maintain that it is still important to be educated about the issues. "Its important to reassess what one's been taught one's whole life," Ansari said. "It's easy to conflate something that you're not used to as wrong, especially if you're used to growing up in a large Sunni or Shiite community." Others emphasized that education, regardless of beliefs, is important on campus. "The politics of Iraq brought this issue to the limelight," Malik said. "Many Muslims don't realize the reasons for the divide, and ... the violence magnifies it." Ultimately, Al-Husayni said, basic education is necessary. "I feel like a lot of people don't know what the differences between Sunni and Shiites are." shira.poliak@columbiaspectator.com

Father Richard Sloan, a volunteer Episcopalian faith advisor at Columbia, is working to bridge the gap between two of Morningside Heights' largest institutions. Sloan, who is also the Diocesan Stewardship Officer at the Diocese of New York, which is located at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, has been working since the fall to establish greater connections between the Cathedral and the Columbia student body just a few blocks north. Since joining the campus chaplaincy in November 2009, Sloan has organized free vertical tours of the Cathedral for Columbia students, many of whom have never entered the building's impressive Gothic façade. Last Saturday, 43 undergraduate and graduate students braved the early morning and 13 flights of stairs to get a close look at the Cathedral's stained glass windows that date back to the 1930s, study its elaborate architecture, and climb to the top of the Cathedral. "I'm aware that if you've never been in a cathedral or are not a church-going person, entering a cathedral can be daunting," Sloan said. "Through the tours, I hope to break down those apparent barriers." Sloan said he wants to encourage students to enjoy the Cathedral's concerts, literature, and worship events, as well as the quiet gardens and chapels, which he said can be sanctuaries from busy college life. He added that recently the Bishop has approved his suggestion that students not be asked to give a suggested donation upon entering the Cathedral, to make it a more inviting, welcoming place for them. Isabel Kim, a master's student in the graduate program for art history and archeology, said she enjoyed getting a hands-on, behind the scenes tour. "St. John the Divine is now more personable. It's not just a beautiful Gothic structure that I pass by during my school commute," Kim said. "I have this emotional attachment to it, this sense of awe, this sense of the craftsmanship that went into it." The Cathedral's vertical tours are a popular tourist attraction that often cost visitors $15 per person, though the Diocese has underwritten the flashlight-guided tour for Columbia students twice this year. "We stopped at five different levels, and each time I thought that it was the final level and was more amazed at the access and what we were seeing," Ryan Salvatore, a post-baccalaureate student studying architecture, said of his tour. "We were standing between the ceiling and the church in this amazing cavernous space." Sloan said there is a strong relationship between the University and the Cathedral "on the upper, administrative level" between the Deans of the Cathedral and the President of the University but that he wants to "broaden the relationship and make students feel welcome." In addition to exposing the general campus to the Cathedral, Sloan has focused on strengthening ties between the Cathedral and an Episcopal religious group on campus. Peter Thompson, CC '12 and president of the campus Episcopal group, said that this year the Episcopal and Lutheran students were able to get free tickets for the holy service at the Cathedral. He also said that Sloan has been very active in creating shorter prayer and social events, such as a Wednesday afternoon lunch and prayer service, to fit students' busy schedules. University chaplain Jewelnel Davis also welcomed the initiative and said that it is an important addition to the already strong historical connections between the University and the Cathedral, and the Episcopalian movement in general. From the appointment of the first official university chaplain, Reverend Cornelius Duffie, in 1857 until the late 1960s, for over a hundred years, the university chaplain was Episcopalian, Davis said. She added that though the cathedral is a globally recognized landmark, students in its backyard sometimes have little knowledge of it. "We have visitors come from all over the world who know more about the Cathedral than Columbia students, and it's in our neighborhood." shira.poliak@columbiaspectator.com

Residents of 3333 Broadway, a 35-story West Harlem building, have found traces of lead in their water pipes and mice crawling in their apartments. Some tenants of the mixed-income towering complex, on Broadway between 135th and 136th streets, say they are concerned that the building will not stay affordable and complain that the management hasn't informed them of the building's current renovations plan. Over 50 tenants gathered in the basement of the complex Thursday night to hear candidates for 3333's tenants association debate these concerns prior to the upcoming Dec. 14 vote for a new board. "There is very little communication here," vice-president candidate and 3333 tenant Gregory Evans said. "There is very little effort to tie the tenant association with the tenants with the management and with outside this building." Touching upon a repeated theme during the discussion of lack of communication, he added, "Wouldn't everyone really want to know what's going on here?" This 1,100-apartment building has evolved over the last several years with changes in management and a break off from Mitchell-Lama, the state housing subsidy program for lower-income tenants. As the make-up of this complex has shifted, the tenants association has often been at the center of debates, sometimes focused on the maintenance, or lack thereof, of the building's facilities. Community organizers from Tenants and Neighbors and West Harlem Environmental Action planned Tuesday's panel with the building's election commission. Andrew Hamilton, another vice president candidate, said that he and his fellow candidates set up a website, 3333tenants.org, with information about maintenance, building security, and rent vouchers, as well as community resources. Still, some residents said that the real test of the tenants association will be its ability to work with management. "We can sit here and say we are going to find ways to communicate, but I haven't heard one candidate talk about their background negotiating with management," said tenant and Columbia facilities worker Calvin McAlister. "Who is capable of sitting across and strategizing with management and negotiating for what will get results?" Urban American Management bought the building from Mitchell-Lama in 2007 and has maintained that it is dedicated to improving the building's relationship with tenants and addressing maintenance concerns. Current president Alicia Barksdale, who is running for another term, said that communication is key as the management renovates the exterior of the building but continues to neglect internal plumbing, heating and structural problems. "We have to get unity in the building," she said. Some tenants said the association has in fact been successful in the past. "Management and maintenance sometimes don't fix problems fast enough," said Hector Blanco, a tenant and member of the election committee. "We need the tenant association to make sure it gets done." shira.poliak @columbiaspectator.com

An assistant professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons has been accused of providing confidential information to a hedge fund manager who is now being investigated for insider trading, the New York Times reported last week. Kidney specialist Andrew Bomback, P&S '03, provided Boston hedge fund manager James Silverman with nonpublic information about a study he conducted last year, according to an insider trading complaint filed against Silverman by the state of Massachusetts. Bomback told the Times that while he consulted for Silverman, he never shared insider information. He declined to be interviewed by Spectator. "Everything there is to comment on has already been commented," he told Spectator. Nonpublic Information Bomback researches novel therapies for specific kidney diseases, and in December 2009—the same month he was hired by Columbia—he started work on a retrospective case study of every patient in the United States who was known to have been given an H.P. Acthar Gel injection to treat a debilitating kidney disease known as nephrotic symptom. Silverman, the manager of the Newton hedge fund Risk Reward Capital Management, first contacted Bomback in June 2010 with the assistance of Guidepoint Global, an expert network firm for which Bomback served as a consultant. According to the complaint filed by Massachusetts' secretary of the commonwealth, Bomback told Silverman the results of the study in a phone conversation that June—five months before making it public at a conference of the American Society of Nephrologists. Bomback's study showed that the drug was very effective in treating nine of 11 patients who had a certain type of nephritic syndrome. Between June and September, Silverman invested over $800,000 in Questcor, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the drug Bomback was studying. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Galvin has charged Silverman with insider trading, for this and a few other alleged offenses. The case is still pending, according to Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Galvin. Bomback has not been charged. If he provided Silverman with the nonpublic information five months before presenting it publicly, as the complaint alleges, then he violated ASN's embargo policy, which prohibits researchers from disclosing findings before their public release. "On his own time" After reviewing the complaint, Columbia Law School professor John Coffee said he doubts a case will be filed against Bomback, because it is "debatable whether the prerequisite duty [of confidentiality] was breached," he said in an email. "But my bottom line conclusion is that his conduct was unethical where he knew the intent of the academic journal's rule," Coffee added. Doug Levy, a spokesman for the medical center, said any actions Bomback took in this case are "not a University matter," because they are tied to his outside activities, not his role as a University physician and researcher. "This has to do with his outside activities, not his role as a faculty member," Levy said. "What he does on his own time only becomes a matter of the University if it becomes a violation of the University policy." This is not the first time that Bomback's outside activities have been examined. In January 2010, one month after he started working at Columbia, Bomback signed a $50,000 per year consulting agreement with Questcor. But that April, the contract was revised to $10,000 per year to comply with University rules limiting faculty members' compensation for outside consulting. The insider trading case raises questions about which outside consulting activities are appropriate for faculty members, a widely discussed topic during the last year, as professors and administrators have debated changes to Columbia's conflict of interest disclosure policies. The Business School passed a policy last year requiring professors to disclose publicly all outside consulting activities, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences is close to approving a similar policy. P&S professor Howard Worman, who has also served as a consultant for expert networks, said he is supportive of medical school faculty consulting with outside entities. "I'm not concerned if they follow all of the rules and don't break the law," he said. "We have people with very specific and particular expertise that could help society; why prohibit that?" But Paul Appelbaum, also a P&S professor, said that it is important to distinguish between different types of consulting activities. Many professors help develop new medications by serving on pharmaceutical companies' scientific advisory boards. This he said, is "arguably a reasonable role for physicians to play: without the products we don't have medicines to use to treat our patients." But other types of consulting are questionable, he said. "When a physician shares his or her knowledge with an investment company, that's a different kettle of fish. That doesn't advance health, that doesn't advance scientific knowledge," said Appelbaum, who serves on one of the medical school's conflict of interest committees. "That would appear to be a much more questionable endeavor on the part of an academic physician." Appelbaum said he was not familiar with the details of the Bomback case and so could not comment on it directly, but added that there is something "very odd" about a physician "selling information to a private company that intends to use it for its own or its clients' gain." "We are in this field to advance medical knowledge," he said. "That suggests that we ought not to selectively share information, but make it generally available." While medical center faculty have to disclose all outside consulting activities, including serving as consultants for expert networks, Levy said that there would be no way to determine how many Columbia Medical Center faculty members serve as consultants to expert networks. Qais Al Awqati, the chair of the nephrology department, declined to comment through a spokesperson last week. Gerald Appel, a prominent Columbia nephrologist with whom Bomback has previously authored articles, could not be reached for comment last week. shira.poliak@columbiaspectator.com

On Wednesday, the Diana Center attracted a slightly younger crowd. Barnard welcomed 150 seventh and eighth grade students from six local middle schools to its new building for an event called "Kids Go Green," the first Diana event created specifically for local students. "Kids Go Green" brought students from Frederick Douglass Academy II, Corpus Christi School, Booker T. Washington, KIPP STAR College Prep, Columbia Secondary School, and Mott Hall II to Barnard for four hours of learning about sustainability in urban spaces. Attendees toured the Arthur Ross Greenhouse on top of Milbank Hall and played environment-related games on the Diana's green roof. According to Professor Hilary Callahan, Barnard professor of biological studies and cocreator of the event, organizers intended to touch on energy conservation, minimizing and managing waste, plants and nutrition and political engagement. Teachers said they had been looking forward to an opportunity for their students to learn about environmental issues in a hands-on way. "Environmentalism is a hot topic in sciences and social studies at the moment," Blair Jenkins, eighth-grade science teacher at Mott Hall II, said. Rebecca Fagin, assistant principal of Mott Hall II, said that the goal of "Kids Go Green" related to her school's attempts "to raise environmental awareness." "We are becoming a greener world, but I'm not sure if the kids really know what that means or looks like," she said. Some students expressed interest in returning. "Its good to know that the greenhouse is open to the public," said Shayla Brown, an eighth-grade student from KIPP STAR. She added that she was happy "to learn that there is some place I can come to visit to see different plants that I normally don't see where I live, like cactus, lily pads, banana trees and Peruvian old man trees." In addition to educating middle school students about the environment, program organizers hoped to introduce them to college. Barnard President Debora Spar highlighted this goal in her welcome address. "I really hope that all of you are planning to go to college," Spar said. "I am hoping that we get some of you here five years from now." Admission officers also spoke to students about what it means to go to college, and talked about the types of classes the students should take in high school to prepare. "It gives us new ideas of colleges we can visit and new experiences that we've never seen before," said Arlene Centeno, an eighth-grade student at KIPP STARR. Event organizers said that middle school students are the target audience for a program about the environment and college preparation. Said Vivian Taylor, vice president of the Barnard President's Office and cocreator of the event: "It is an opportunity for them to think about what they have to focus on for college. The end of high school is too late for that. This is a great way to have a conversation about college prep and being more aware of the environment." news@columbiaspectator.com

A trip to the emergency room is daunting for anyone, but experts say it can be an especially traumatic and sometimes humiliating experience for domestic violence and sexual abuse survivors. Just across from Columbia's campus on 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, students and local volunteers at the Crime Victim Treatment Center (CVTC) are preparing to address this pressing concern. The CVTC, a victim-assistance program affiliated with St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, is designed to provide a network of on-call volunteers to offer immediate, free support and advocacy services for sexual abuse and domestic violence survivors who enter the emergency room, along with other support services for victims after they have been discharged from the hospital. According to program directors, the center, which was established in 1976, is the largest victim assistance program with the most comprehensive and diverse free services in New York City. Center director and founder Susan Xenarios said that the idea for volunteer support for St. Luke's crime victims was born in response to a Columbia tragedy. After a series of rapes in Morningside Heights in the 1970s, Xenarios said that in 1976, one student was raped on campus in broad daylight­—and bystanders did nothing to stop it. Because there were no hospital procedures to support rape victims at the time, the traumatized young woman was admitted to the clinic's psychiatric ward and was not screened for post-traumatic stress disorder, Xenarios said, adding that when the victim was discharged, she did not return to school. In addition to the immediate need to address the neighborhood violence, Xenarios said that she was motivated by the hypocrisy of silent bystanders on a campus supposedly known for having a vocal student body. Xenarios and her colleagues mobilized a group of volunteers to serve as emergency room rape crisis advocates at the hospital. "It came from the bottom up, from tragedy," Xenarios said. "It was built off volunteers' backs." Decades later, the center has expanded its scope, though the core volunteering mission to provide direct volunteer support remains intact, she said. Volunteers are on call for one or two 14-hour shifts a month and are paged if a sexual abuse or domestic violence case is reported at either St. Luke's Morningside hospital or the midtown location. Volunteers help survivors fill out reports, take photos of wounds, inform the victims of the center's resources, and ensure that doctors properly perform the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner exam. Most importantly, Xenarios explained, they offer a pair of open ears for the hospital patients. Michael White, the organization's outgoing volunteer coordinator, said that the center and the immediate support at the hospital also offer free individual and group counseling with social workers at the 114th Street office, helping survivors navigate shelter placement and the criminal justice system. This center is "more of a living room than a clinical psychologist practice," White explained. But it is at the hospital where some of the greatest challenges arise—for victims, families, and the volunteers themselves. "The ER is a scary place," said Christopher Bromson, a current volunteer advocate and incoming coordinator. "It's overwhelming and easy to get lost in the system. Survivors need a voice, especially after experiencing domestic violence or an assault," he said. Bromson added, "When there is no advocate, there is no one to tell them that what happened is not their fault ... Many survivors blame themselves on one level or another for what happened." Ariela Heilman, GS '78 and a local mother and volunteer advocate for 21 years, said she sees her role as "putting on a human face in a very crazy, chaotic time in someone's life." Bronson said that the hardest part is seeing that some victims are attached to the abusers and may ultimately return to them. "My first instinct is to tell them to leave the abuser. Learn that it's more complicated than that, ultimately the survivor knows the abuser the best," he said. Despite these challenges, some volunteers said that the work is often inspirational. "Survivors are a lot stronger than I would have thought. I realize how brave people can be when facing adversity," said Karen Huynh, CC '11 and a center volunteer for the past year, adding, "I have come to understand the resilience of someone's soul." Huynh said that the resources of the center could also be particularly useful for struggling students on the other side of Amsterdam, adding, "If you don't want to talk to someone at your school, you can go to St. Luke's and have an advocate come to you." news@columbiaspectator.com

The long drive to reform New York schools has become an urgent race to the top. The national Race to the Top competition offers $4.3 billion to states that initiate compelling education reforms and is funded by the federal stimulus package. On Monday night, New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner and New York State Board of Regents Cancellor Merryl Tisch—BC '77 and a Teachers College alumna—appeared at TC to discuss the state's plans for education reform. To qualify for funding, states must create a database with educational information for students in pre-kindergarten through college; establish common standards for English, language, and math curricula; close failing schools; and meet teacher accreditation standards. While the competition is fierce, as 43 states are applying, Tisch said New York would be a strong contender. If New York receives stimulus money, Steiner wants to increase funding for high schools with graduation rates under 50 percent as well as those that pass students unprepared for the next grade. Steiner emphasized that the proposals the state is developing extend beyond the immediate context of stimulus funds. "We have not tailored our sails to the Race to the Top," he said. "We have not undermined our mission for federal dollars. Where there is overlap, we welcome it." He noted that teachers must be encouraged "to teach in the most challenging schools, to focus on rich educational experiences and pedagogical skills," and he presented a pilot program—controversial among some attendees—under which teachers could receive a master's in education without attending an institute for higher education. Steiner called on the Board of Education to draft curricula emphasizing metacognition skills such as problem solving and critical thinking in addition to the basic areas of language, grammar, and math. Two panelists at the discussion, TC Associate Dean of Teacher Education A. Lin Goodwin and TC sociology professor Aaron Pallas, analyzed the initiatives Steiner presented and the overall educational policy in New York. "Good teachers are never against accountability—what they are against is using small snapshots of information to determine teachers' evaluations," Goodwin said, criticizing the practice of evaluating teachers based on their students' test scores. Goodwin cited studies showing that elementary and middle school students are devoting more time to test preparation and less time to subjects like social studies and art that foster critical thinking and creativity. He also noted that the initiatives Tisch and Steiner are spearheading could address that problem. "Is learning just about the test?" she asked the audience comprised mostly of educators. "It ought not to be, but we are moving in that direction." Pallas was more critical of Tisch's and Steiner's proposals. "The state assessment system is broken and can't be fixed overnight," Pallas said, asking, "How much is the Board of Education willing to invest in seeing how teachers teach students to act and think?" Echoing Goodwin, he emphasized that the teacher assessment process requires more comprehensive measures than simply analyzing test scores. Pallas was skeptical of the Board of Education's proposal to award master's degrees independent of higher education institutions, calling it "a serious threat to the nature of graduate education." He added, "This turns the Board of Education into a giant education school—doesn't the organization have enough problems?" to which the audience responded with roaring laughter. Steiner responded by stating that the proposal "is just the beginning of a conversation" and noted that the current teacher education system is not working either. "Students come out of graduate schools and are unprepared to teach in urban settings," he said. The audience response was largely positive. "No doubt we can have better teachers," said Tonia Lovejoy, program manager for Reach the World, a nonprofit that works with New York City public schools. She added, "But we need to focus on the quality of administration"—an issue the panel did not address. Like Pallas, Laura Anglin, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, was most concerned about the master's degree initiative. But she said she was "happy with the Board's open lines of communication with the stakeholders, so that we can ensure that the changes will be beneficial for everybody." news@columbiaspectator.com

Barnard hopes to make it BIG on an international scale. The Barnard provost and study abroad offices, in conjunction with a few students, launched a new group on campus this semester called the Barnard International Group (BIG). Its launch is a direct outgrowth of President Spar's new mission to internationalize the college. According to Dean for Study Abroad Advising Gretchen Young, who also serves as the group's faculty advisor, BIG aims to create an informal, informational forum for students interested in studying abroad—both before and after they go overseas—as well as a welcoming atmosphere for international students visiting Barnard. "We wanted to create more dialogue for students returning from study abroad; focus on the academics of study abroad; help students incorporate what they learned abroad in their academic studies here," Young said, adding that BIG would serve as a forum for students to discuss their experiences with others considering a semester abroad. She also stressed a need for more faculty involvement in students' preparation for studying abroad. "In my vision, we would have more input from faculty as to which programs they think students should go to, provide contacts they have with foreign universities, and help students integrate what they learned to the classroom," she said. Young added that she communicates frequently with the president, and Hilary Link, the assistant provost and the dean of international programs. Approximately 35 percent of the student body studies abroad and roughly 164 students will be studying abroad next semester, Young said. There has not been an informal Barnard student group linking these foreign travelers until this year. Danielle diFilipo, BC '10 and founder of BIG, highlighted the group's role not only in academics, but in more casual social settings as well. "We want people coming back from abroad to have a place to discuss their experiences," she said, adding in jest that "friends get sick of hearing about the experiences." So far, BIG has planned a few events, such as a panel discussing different teaching styles in foreign universities and the United States, and another on how to keep healthy and safe in foreign countries. The group is now planning a study break in Lewis Parlor for Dec. 9, when students interested in studying abroad can meet returning students who will share their experiences. Still, the student response to BIG has not been very strong. "It's brand-new, so it's hard to get students interested," Difilipo said. Ilana Borzak, BC '10, studied abroad in Australia last semester and attended the BIG panel on academic cultural shock, which she said was disappointing. "It was over-generalizing," she said, adding that it appeared to be "a waste of time." Jamila Barra, BC '13, an international student from Berlin, Germany who expressed interest in studying abroad, thinks there should be a strong outlet on campus for international students, but says she hasn't found it yet. "I would benefit from a greater international student group community," she said. But the pioneers of BIG and other students on campus remain optimistic. "We are just starting, so we are not discouraged," Young said. She added that BIG is a great forum to "quantify how much learning people bring back from their study abroad experiences and how they are bringing it back to the classroom." Bo Yun Park, BC '12 and SGA Sophomore Class President, comes from Seoul, South Korea and has immersed herself in the multicultural and international scene at Barnard. "BIG is a really good initiative, especially under the theme of internationalizing Barnard," she said, adding that, "When we talk about internationalization, it's very easy for it to be just about getting Barnard's name out there, but it's really about bringing internationalism to the Barnard community." news@columbiaspectator.com

Cluster House, a facility for formerly homeless women diagnosed with severe mental illnesses, has no elevator. Climbing up five narrow flights of stairs has proven difficult for the building's older residents. Cluster House's water heater was just replaced, its old fire escapes are dangerous, and its overall crumbling state strains its capacity to serve those who need it most. In response, its parent organization, Urban Pathways, Inc., announced preparations this month to renovate the complex on Amsterdam Ave. between 104th and 105th Streets, in the hopes of making it a more modern and permanent home. Directors say that the multi-million dollar renovation of its facilities and revamp of its services will address a growing local need. The plan would convert the dormitory-like residential layout into studio apartments fitted with separate bathrooms and kitchens. It will modernize and restore the building, install an elevator, and add another three floors. Cluster House is a program of Urban Pathways, Inc., a New York City organization that provides drop-in centers for homeless individuals still living on the streets. It also places qualified adults and previously homeless residents into scattered site housing or independent living facilities, according to Frederick Shack, executive director of Urban Pathways. Steve Muchnick, Cluster House's program director, said his facility provides "transitional housing." Women leaving homeless shelters see it as the next step toward permanent housing. Muchnick said that women usually live in the house for only two or three years, picking up skills before they move elsewhere. Last week, Cluster House affiliates met at the facility to discuss the involvement of the residents in creating its future. Robert Robinson, an Urban Pathways volunteer and former client, addressed the crowd of ten residents and case managers at the meeting, saying, "If we sit and complain, nothing changes." Thirty women currently live in Cluster House, though it can accommodate up to 48. One woman who moved to Cluster House in April—and who, along with other residents, was granted anonymity because of mental illness—said she had been homeless for months. Another woman said she had been in and out of mental institutions for eight years and chronically homeless for 12 before moving to Cluster House in 1992 at the age of 38. Some residents work in the neighborhood, and others participate in drug-addiction treatment programs or vocational training. Muchnick said the ultimate goal is to "keep people in the community instead of in the hospitals." But providing these services has become difficult, Muchnick said, because the building itself has become less functional over time. He cited its crumbling interior, lack of elevator, and water heater problems as aspects, among others, that must be fixed to insure continued care. The renovation plan is projected to span two years, according to Shack, who presented the proposal to Community Board 7's Health and Human Services Committee on Nov. 17. He added that Cluster House is working to secure appropriate placement for its current residents, who will not return to Cluster House after the renovations are completed. Twenty-five of the residents will move to more self-sufficient housing programs, and five will be transferred to comparable programs. Shack said Cluster House plans to relocate its current residents in February and March and start construction in April. Shack emphasized the enormous need for scattered site housing for formerly homeless people. "There are not enough beds," he said. Upon completion, Cluster House will include 52 studios. Occupants will learn how to cook and shop for groceries. They will also live there on a more permanent basis and will receive less intensive care. Cluster House will also become co-ed. CB7 Health and Human Services Committee co-chair Barbara Van Buren initially expressed reservations about Cluster House's plan to relocate its residents before renovations. But after the meeting, she added, "We are comfortable with their plans."