CU-Dems

Imagine a gothic thriller written with microscopic attention to detail. In the world of that story, fear is measured in millimeters of pupil dilation, and you can hear the forest hum. This is the world of “Radio Island.”

Computers buzz, Wi-Fi networks struggle to connect, and microphones jump between muted and live. With scripts in blue light, the members of the Columbia Screenwriters Guild, known more colloquially as CU OnScreen, strive to find a virtual writing community in uncertain times.

Following the move to virtual learning and the cancellation of activities on campus in March, student theater groups were forced to cancel or postpone their productions to the following semester. But as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rises to nearly 170,000 in New York and the University weighs whether to restart in-person classes in the fall, performing arts groups on campus are struggling to plan for the future.

Film screenings and festivals have historically required large gatherings of people in one room, all looking at the same silver screen. But due to social distancing measures taken in response to the coronavirus pandemic, that is not an option anymore. Yet the show went on for the second annual CU Film Showcase, which brought people together from all over the world on April 27 to watch students’ short films on their personal silver screens.

Modelling agencies scatter overcrowded and overpriced “model apartments” around the world for the so-called “convenience” of clients working abroad. One such apartment in New Jersey featured 10 bunk beds and one bathroom at $1,800 per month—with the luxury amenities of theft and a constant influx of strangers.

In deciding to move Columbia’s undergraduate spring concert to an off-campus venue, the Bacchanal committee cited the need to reserve funds for hiring the headlining artists. In response, students voiced concerns over the decision’s threat to Bacchanal’s culture as Columbia’s only community-wide undergraduate event.

The presidential election may be months away, but the primary elections are already underway, and Spectrum is here to remind you to register to vote!

“Mine?” “Mine?” “Mine?” “Mine?” The animated squawking seagulls chant in unison, grasping for their hunger to be fulfilled.

The conductor entered the stage, turning to an oboist for a tuning note. Once the tuning subsided, he composed himself and the room went silent. He lifted his arms, the ensemble took a collective breath, and on the downbeat, the tuba began to play.