Normally, hordes of students crowd College Walk on the morning of University President Lee Bollinger’s annual Fun Run. In 2019, 1,350 participants chatted with friends, bemoaned the early start time of the race, and ran, jogged, walked, or shuffled the three-mile path around Morningside Heights before admiring the geeky commemorative T-shirts distributed upon completion.

It’s 6 in the morning. Columbia students are fast asleep, exhausted by their Thursday night outings in the city and midterm papers due the night before. Few would even think about getting up at such an ungodly hour, especially on the day that marks the beginning of the weekend. In fact, most of the city is still asleep. You cannot yet hear the typical hustle and bustle of Manhattan.