Columbia boasts more than 500 clubs—a daunting number for undergraduates looking to explore their interests. From athletics to the performing arts to community service, it can be difficult for students to connect with each other and join communities on campus. This is only made harder without an updated and accessible system to filter through clubs and browse their websites and social media accounts.

Graduate students have been frustrated at various elements of the administration’s COVID-19 response, including its removal of teaching appointments for graduate students and its failure to provide rent relief and a sufficient stipend for the summer months. Head to the union’s website for a complete list of its bargaining goals, and read our recent article on its mission to advocate for child care benefits here.

It has been harder than ever for Columbia students to make new connections. Even if a student is back on campus, COVID-19 restrictions have made it difficult to socialize—a limitation that has left many first-year students struggling to build their college community.

Every college student is familiar with the struggles of having to set up a new home base every year. Most of us find ourselves at Target, on Amazon, or on Facebook Marketplace, scouring the shops every time we switch dorms for a suitable mini-fridge and decorative lamp to make our room comfortable and livable. But at some point, thanks to ridiculous storage prices and limited suitcase space, we find ourselves having to prematurely part ways with items that work just fine. This problem of temporary ownership is one that plagues all college campuses; on Columbia’s campus alone, more than 80,000 pounds of reusable items are abandoned every year. Across the country, over 200 million tons of these items fill landfills annually.

Columbia College and School of General Studies students will be able to pass/D/fail one fall semester class without restriction until the end of the term and withdraw from courses till Dec. 14, according to a statement released by Columbia College Dean of Academic Affairs Lisa Hollibaugh on Nov. 18. The announcement followed a similar statement made by the School of Engineering and Applied Science earlier this week.

With Columbia students scattered across the globe and the pandemic in full swing, Halloween is going to look a little different this year. We took a trip into the Spec archives and down memory lane to see the spooky stories about the Columbia community that have been covered over the years to remind ourselves that the spirit of Halloween still lives on—even on Zoom.

Most of us can agree that being in college can be a stressful experience as we face a tsunami of midterms and problem sets, not to mention the additional worries of living in a global pandemic. Midterm season is now here, and without the comfort of a 4 a.m. JJ’s breaks after an all-nighter, the mid-semester slump is hitting harder than usual.

The first few weeks of a new school term are always stressful, especially if you partake in the tedious process of sifting through the countless clubs and teams on campus just to find the select few that interest you. Whether you have just started your club hunting journey or are already taking a break from the hubbub of it all, here is a list of clubs and organizations that might interest you. This list includes those that are still recruiting in the third week of classes as well as ones that are open to new members all year round.

On Aug. 14, Columbia revised its sexual misconduct policies in response to a number of changes to Title IX federal regulations that drastically rolled back protections for students. Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sexual discrimination—including sexual harassment and sexual violence—in federally-funded educational institutions.

We ambitious Columbia and Barnard undergraduates know from experience that planning ahead is always a good thing. With New York being the center of finance, commerce, and multimedia production, it is the perfect place to kickstart your career and build connections. While it’s beneficial to start thinking about job prospects and your career path early in your college journey, be careful not to rush the process and overwhelm yourself with a commitment like an internship during your first year. It might be helpful to ask yourself the following questions when considering internships as an incoming first-year student.