Valeria Escobar

Companies that derived more than 35 percent of its revenue from thermal coal production were subject to Columbia’s divestment in 2017. While this was the first proposal to divest from fossil fuels, these companies are only a fraction of those that student groups and faculty have repeatedly claimed are not ethically aligned with the University’s mission.

Zhifan Yang, BC ’20, was absent for the first week of the semester—a time during which most students have yet to decide on their courses—in order to spend the Lunar New Year with her family in China. When she arrived back in New York on Jan. 27, Barnard suggested that students returning from China seek medical screening.

Timothy Malin has been appointed as the Columbia director of Morningside Operations after a 20-year career in the New York Police Department. This confirmation follows his retirement as deputy inspector of the 20th precinct, which serves the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

A new viral Twitter video features a woman, labeled as “Chinese,” wearing what appears to be a mask covering her face. The woman was exiting Chinatown’s Grand Street station when a man physically attacked her as he called her “diseased,” according to witnesses.

New York City officials are waiting to confirm the first case of coronavirus in NYC as the world deals with over 17,200 people who have already contracted the virus, resulting in 362 deaths. This isn’t the first time residents await results: Officials have tested lab samples ten times in the past––all results negative.

Charlie Noxon, a junior in Columbia College, has died following a ski accident that occurred on New Year’s Eve, according to law enforcement officials and media reports. He was 20 years old.

Barnard and Columbia faculty and staff have received racist robocall messages from a white supremacist group, the Office of University Life announced on Thursday. According to the statement, the office will work with the New York Police Department to investigate the incident and block the caller.

The Lawfare Project, a New York-based think tank and litigation fund for Jewish and pro-Israel communities, has filed a federal complaint against Columbia alleging that the University has failed to address the “culture of discrimination” against Jewish students on campus.

Barnard and Columbia administrators requested faculty provide accommodations for students in the wake of the death of Barnard first-year Tessa Majors—encouraging professors to make arrangements for make-up exams and extend the due dates of final exams and projects. Barnard has also waived the $10 handling fee for deferred exams, which can typically only be requested on the day of the test.