Manhattanville-Development

Kofi Boateng, the first executive director of the West Harlem Development Corporation, is leaving the organization, according to a statement released by the WHDC on Nov. 20. WHDC board member and treasurer Zead Ramadan will serve as the interim executive director while the board searches for a permanent one.

In an almost unanimous decision, Community Board 9—a local advisory board for Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, West Harlem, and surrounding communities—adopted a resolution calling upon Columbia and other institutions within the district to preserve rent-regulated units of housing in their buildings during its November general board meeting.

Citing wages below area standards, insufficient health benefits, and the University’s refusal to participate in state apprenticeship programs, the New York City District Council of Carpenters has taken up in protest against Columbia to demand fair labor practices for nonunionized construction workers on a Manhattanville dormitory.

Amid a pandemic-induced economic recession, the financial struggles of nonprofits in Morningside Heights and West Harlem have impeded their efforts to provide much-needed relief to local residents.

Amid concerns about voter suppression, mail-in ballots, and COVID-19, Columbia University has created two early voting sites for the 2020 general election.

As the 2020 general election approaches—in 47 days to be exact—it increasingly infiltrates conversations, turning playful banter into political discourse. It’s making everyone sit on the edge of their seats as they contemplate how the election results will impact our society. As you consider which clubs to join this semester and prepare to vote in the general election for possibly the first time, here are some on- and off-campus political organizations to keep in mind.

While walking through the streets of Manhattan, Harlem resident and Columbia College first-year Zenayah Roaché comments, “It’s like a whole different world. When you go up the blocks, you enter this world much where everything is separated, so now you continue to live in this ‘story.’”