Presidential-library

Every year, the United States has a national holiday called Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a holiday spent with family, so many Columbia students use the long weekend to travel back home to do so. This year, Columbia’s Thanksgiving break is from Nov. 25 to 29, and as some students celebrate, international students may be left wondering what the holiday entails.

When mainstream media outlets first declared President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over his incumbent opponent Donald Trump early last week, community members and University affiliates flooded the streets of Morningside Heights to celebrate his victory.  In the days following, students at Columbia have begun to reflect on Biden’s triumph with tempered enthusiasm, pointing to Biden’s carceral and foreign policy records as evidence of his disconnect with current activist movements and more progressive youth audiences.

Outside Columbia’s gates, hundreds of students and community residents cheered, honked, sang, and danced to celebrate the victory of the projected president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. For many, it was the first presidential election they voted in.

With the upcoming presidential election and voter registration deadlines drawing near Spectrum wants to remind you to register and vote!

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.’”

The day after Columbia canceled class last Sunday, Low Steps were packed with people in summery outfits creating Instagram stories and enjoying spring picnics in the sunshine. Some of those students might have enjoyed the previous night’s “cancelation of class” parties, while others planned more activities for the break. Some may have complained about the catastrophic stock market decline and the suspension of their internships while setting up coffee chats.

Not sure where you should set up camp this midterm season? Have no fear; Spectrum has created the ultimate test to decide which on-campus study spot will help steer the way.

Columbia College, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Barnard are rated among the top 20 colleges that are most accessible for students from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Despite this, students have repeatedly cited the high costs of their textbooks—a basic requirement for most courses— as a barrier in their daily academic lives.

Water and the treasured manuscripts archived in Butler’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library don’t usually mix, and for good reason. On Tuesday evening, however, the library combined the two in an exhibition titled “Awash in Books: Books for the Year of Water,” featuring a variety of pieces to celebrate and explore how we use Earth’s most precious resource.

Though Butler and Milstein may be some of the most familiar of Columbia and Barnard’s libraries and study spots, they also tend to be among the most packed during finals season. Instead of going through the familiar struggle of trying to find a seat, get off the beaten path by trying out these hidden (and not-so-hidden) gems, courtesy of Spectrum.