New-Students

Spectrum’s back with its newest batch of monthly playlists. Discover new songs and artists or rediscover old favorites you might have forgotten!

Just as first-years and sophomores were preparing to move to campus last summer, Columbia abruptly announced the cancellation of all semester-long housing contracts. Students and their families were forced to cancel plane tickets and hotel reservations and reconsider their plans for the semester ahead.

In front of an array of posters emblazoned with red and black slogans, the Columbia-Barnard Young Democratic Socialists of America mounted a rally in support of its tuition strike. The rally began with a press conference in front of University President Lee Bollinger’s 60 West Morningside Drive home and culminated in a march to the steps of Low Library.

As students head into another semester which will have an all-virtual component,  many are again faced with the question of where to spend it. Time zones, convenience, community, and finances all factor into the decision. For some students in the fall, neither staying at home nor living near campus was ideal, so instead, they chose to live in new areas. A few gave insight into how their semesters went.

Over 2,700 students have signed a petition declaring a tuition strike until Columbia meets its demands to reallocate the University’s spending. The tuition strike petition calls for a 10 percent reduction in tuition fees, a 10 percent increase in financial aid, to defund Public Safety, and to stop the University’s expansion into West Harlem.

As the fall 2020 semester comes to an end, we’re all looking forward to enjoying our winter break. However, as much as we are excited for next semester, many of us are still questioning whether it is safe to return to campus and the city. Although it is ultimately your own decision, here are some questions to consider while you prepare for next semester.

Content Warning: This episode of The Ear discusses sexual violence and rape.

As Joe Biden secures the 2020 election, the shift in power to the Democratic Party signals forthcoming change to higher education policy. Among other initiatives, Biden’s current higher education platform promises to reinstate broader Title IX protections and support lower-income students’ attendance of public four-year programs and community colleges.

Michael Rebell was growing frustrated. It was October, over 10 months after the trial had ended, and Judge William Smith still had not released a decision on the case. In the 50 years that Rebell had worked in education reform, he had never known a judge to take this long. His career had taught him that change often required patience, but that did not stop him from hoping that Smith’s decision would arrive sooner. The case he had presented, after all, was urgent: He believed democracy was on the line.