Throughout the week, hundreds of Columbia students pass through the fourth floor of Riverside Church, where the Spectator offices are located. The green-striped walls lining the halls left of the elevator bank reveal rooms full of string lights, stained carpets, and students gathered over laptops while (probably) drinking leftover White Claws.

In its quest to uplift the voices of women in leadership roles, the 10th annual Athena Film Festival shined a spotlight on women who often go unseen within society and the subsequent issues that they face, spanning from wage inequality to the accessibility of confidential healthcare resources.

The summer before their sophomore years, Briana Wood, CC ’22, and Blossom Maduafokwa, BC ’22, began separately conceptualizing a similar idea. What if they curated a showcase that centered on black students and their artwork as part of Columbia’s Queer Awareness Month? When they both returned to campus and realized their shared interest, joining forces was an easy choice.

Labyrinth Books was opened in 1997 by Chris Doeblin and his business partners with support from Columbia professors and administrators who longed for a local bookstore that focused on academic texts and could serve the greater Morningside Heights community. That store, which would later become Book Culture, opened its doors adjacent to a USPS on 112th Street, a spot where it is currently struggling to remain.

Popular national chain Dunkin’—formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts—is opening its doors in Morningside Heights early next week.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery finds itself at the intersection of an elite academic institution and a West Harlem community that has been reshaped by that institution’s expansion into Manhattanville.

Upon arriving at Columbia, one might expect gallery hopping in Chelsea or wandering the halls of world-famous museums to be regular weekend activities. But as the semester progresses, larger work loads and constant studying at Butler or Milstein makes the possibility of such artistic outings seem farther and farther away.

Dos Toros Taqueria, a popular fast-casual restaurant with multiple locations in New York City and Chicago, will join the Morningside Heights community this fall, Columbia announced in a press release earlier this week.

The empty lots left in Morningside Heights when a beloved local business shuts its doors are shocking at first. As the months go by, while students and residents await the announcement of which national chain may fill the storefront gap, the emptiness becomes familiar.