Inclusion

Three students, three professors, and several staff members were named inaugural recipients of the Barnard Inclusion Grant, which funds community initiatives that foster an environment of inclusion on campus, in an email sent to students from interim chair of the college’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Yvette Christianse on Wednesday.

From the moment I stepped onto campus as a first-year student, I started to notice a deep tension between Columbia’s outward commitment to diversity and the reality of inclusion for marginalized students on campus.

To the editor:

In an effort to address concerns about the effectiveness of Barnard’s inclusivity initiatives, the college’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has announced that it will implement more outreach programs with direct input from students and faculty, including annual events for campus-wide discussions, grants for selected speakers, and a potential student-run task force.

Barnard President Sian Beilock fielded questions about the college’s ongoing and upcoming diversity and inclusivity initiatives at Monday night’s Student Government Association meeting, marking her second SGA appearance since becoming president in fall 2017.

In an email to the Barnard community on Tuesday, President Sian Beilock announced the creation of new inclusion grants to foster the creation of a more inclusive and equitable campus community, as well as an initiative to support Barnard students taking unpaid internships.

When I go home, my mom will tease me about my “new Columbia clothes.” My new jeans will be met with suggestions that I “buy some pants that actually fit” before I am nearly force-fed plates of food while my grandma mumbles under her breath about how “no como bien en la escuela.”

Columbia College Student Council added four new council positions to its elected body and dissolved two others during a general body meeting on Sunday night.

With just four months left at Barnard before she officially resigns, President Debora Spar has said she will prioritize completing two major initiatives she spearheaded during her tenure: fossil fuel divestment and diversity and inclusion on campus.

Students voiced concerns about the low student participation in the 2014 campus climate survey at a Student Government Association town hall Thursday night.