accountability

America is a violent, petty nation. The people of this country call for humane justice from the highest hills, but “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is the way this nation handles its own failures. I’ve said much in the past about the hypocrisies of the current movement to abolish prisons. Until we clearly define exactly what true justice looks like for every group of people, we will continue to see people protest against systemic oppression in the form of incarceration for some people and justify state violence incarceration as a system of punishment. America’s go-to response, prison, is a violent monster without taste buds but with an inexhaustible appetite. The immediate emotional response when a person breaks the law is to seek out punitive responses to deter their behavior rather than invest resources and time into addressing the root causes of the issues that led to the crime. Moving toward and creating a more harm-reductive criminal legal system means that we must define accountability outside of the context of punishment. We live in a nation where the line between accountability and punishment is not clear, and because there is no distinction, the two concepts become one in their application.

For many, January was supposed to be a month of cautious optimism. In the wake of one of the most traumatic years in our lifetimes, it should have marked the beginning of a new and hopeful political age but what the chaos on Capitol Hill showed us all is that this year must mark the age of accountability.

Barnard President Sian Beilock announced the cancellation of the college’s nationwide search for a new executive director of Public Safety in an updated safety plan released on Dec. 3. Instead, Barnard will restructure the role of Public Safety to focus on community safety under an umbrella organizational unit titled Community Accountability, Response, and Emergency Services, according to Beilock’s email.

We hate to break it to you, but we officially have less than ten class days left, which of course means that summer is just around the corner (yay!) but also that finals are fast approaching (boo!). We can totally understand if you’re feeling stressed and a little paralyzed just thinking about the workload. But if your study plan is to binge-watch Netflix and then pull a few consecutive all nighters in Butler, we’ll be blunt: That’s a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Instead, consider spacing things out a little this round by creating a study schedule. While we can’t guarantee success, we can promise you that with a study schedule, you’ll (hopefully) maintain better mental health during this trying season because you can at least rest assured that you’ve tried your best.

Columbia and its affiliates have made policy modifications to reduce smoking on campus, but how effective are they really?

The discussion periods at Sunday’s Columbia College Student Council general body meeting allowed for significant insight on controversial issues on our campus. Many of those present, both CCSC members and students, shared their differing opinions and together came to a nearly unanimous decision to submit a report against CUCR to Student Conduct and Community Standards. Our decision came as a show of support to the Black Students’ Organization’s demand to the Student Governing Board to defund the Columbia University College Republicans for their misuse of funds and inciting of unproductive animosity on this campus. CCSC supported this demand because we support the continued push toward holding CUCR accountable.

Columbia College Student Council should be an example of transparency to the Columbia administration. Yet, the student council, along with the Columbia Elections Board, does not adequately advertise its own elections, showing that its leadership is too far removed from the student body.

Columbia College Student Council dedicated much of Sunday night's general body meeting to discussing what changes they would suggest to the Center for Student Advising following the abrupt departure of Dean of Advising Monique Rinere in September.

Growing up, my mother was absolutely insane about getting places on time. She once made me cry because she wouldn't stop yelling at the confusing street signs that got us lost and forced us to arrive five minutes early. I'm not kidding. The woman is possessed by some kind of dark god. And yet, I've developed an absolutely terrible problem with chronic lateness. And I hate being late! I do! But one thing leads to another and I'm always out the door about ten minutes later than I want to be – and this is why I think my friends are planning to have me killed. Being late sucks, don't do it, it's a terrible curse to lay down on your loved ones, yada yada. But if you also have this problem, then here are some handy dandy excuses that have the benefit of being (possibly and sometimes) true. 1. "I was finishing the last of some work I have and I completely lost track of time!" You sound industrious, and obviously you would have rather been with them, but alas. They'll appreciate that you had a greater sense of duty than more mundane humans.more 2. "The elevator just STOPPED WORKING for a minute or two!" Nobody likes to even think about being stuck in an elevator, let alone contemplate someone else in that situation. They'll skip it and move on past resenting you.