drug-abuse
2015-04-05T23:26:02Z
In Tina Fey's new comedy, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the cheery titular protagonist moves to New York City after being freed from an underground cult where she was held captive for 15 years. In one episode, her roommate Titus throws her a birthday party and, to Kimmy's repulsion, his stereo blares, "I'll beat that bitch with a bat, I'll beat that bitch with a bat."
... 
2015-03-02T17:00:05Z
As part of a local nonprofit's initial assessment of substance abuse among Harlem teens, New York Institute of Technology students will photograph drug and alcohol advertising in West Harlem this semester.
... 
2015-03-01T02:22:16Z
Rare Candy, a Columbia-born and student-run underground music blog, will showcase a variety of local artists on Saturday, Feb. 28. The concert will feature a unique assortment of New York bands, including Columbia's Orca Minor, Neoseeker, and Drug Pizza.
... 
2014-11-16T00:20:04Z
At the beginning of this month, the CU Republicans plastered campus with a flyer publicizing a discussion on the Second Amendment, or the right to bear arms. The top of the flyer read "Security Alert—Robbery." Below this heading was a picture showing three men, apparently of color, wearing baggy clothes. The image was pulled from a security alert issued by Columbia's Office of Public Safety after an assault and robbery on October 27th, 2010. Below the image on the Republicans' flyer was text that read: "They have guns, why don't you?" According to the Office of Public Safety alert, no firearm was involved in the crime to which the flyer alludes. This then raises the question: What is it about these three individuals that made them look like apt gun-holders to the CU Republicans?
The fact that all three men appeared to be men of color, perhaps local residents, may have something to do with it. Some have claimed that this is merely a "natural association," particularly given the recent string of robberies in Columbia's vicinity. Yet, as most are aware, our "neighbors" are not the only source of criminality in our area. The Columbia community itself is no stranger to criminal behavior—in addition to Operation Ivy League, which saw the arrest of five Columbia students, two faculty members were indicted on criminal charges last semester. Moreover, according to the last report issued by the Office for Public Safety, Columbia students, too, commit violent crimes: In 2009, for instance, Columbia recorded eight forcible sex offenses in its residence halls. So why not post the picture of a Caucasian frat boy with the tagline, "He has a gun, why don't you?"
First, it is likely that, from the designer's perspective, the man of color from the criminalized space "beyond the gates" embodies danger while a familiar white peer does not. Second, it is altogether possible that this flyer was not an inadvertent manifestation of the designer's prejudices, but rather a conscious play on widely held discriminatory attitudes within the student body. From the club's perspective, this play on prejudice is beneficial in two ways. First, it resonates with those who already subscribe to this concept that men of color wearing baggy clothes are likely to be armed. Second, because this play on prejudice perpetuates the discriminatory conceptions that it appeals to, it outrages students of color on campus, generating publicity for the group. In other words, the flyer is designed to provoke the type of article I'm writing.
Such reasoning is typical of the CU Republicans. Indeed, it appears that this was the rationale behind their 2009 event with Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician who has advocated for the banning of the Qur'an in the Netherlands. Recently, when I complained about this event in Columbia's advising office, an administrator responded that the Republicans did not invite Wilders because they endorsed his platform, but because they wished to stir up discussion and controversy. Rather than take comfort in this, however, I emerged from the exchange all the more perturbed.
It would be one thing if Republicans invited a bigot to this campus because they felt that the speaker reflected their principles. There is, at least, some integrity to that position. Rather than take an honest stance, however, Republican students consciously attempted to offend a sector of Columbia's population. They deliberately manipulated and hijacked (no pun intended) the persecution of Muslims and the emotional response it invokes for the sake of notoriety.
This flyer has evoked a similarly emotional response from communities of color within Columbia, outrage that I suspect would not be assuaged even if the flyer merely represented, not "sincere racism," but a "grab for attention." Carlos Blanco, a member of Proud Colors and Lucha, said of the flyer: "This teaches people to be afraid of me." Indeed, the flyer not only criminalizes men of color like Carlos, but it also effectively excludes him from the CU Republicans' discussion on the Second Amendment. The flyer works by playing on a sense of otherness—it immediately sets up a "they" and "you" dichotomy, and if you immediately identify with the "they," as did Carlos, then you are by default not in the CU Republicans target audience.
Despite my conjecture that the flyer was intended by CU Republicans to offend and produce the kind of article I'm writing, I have no qualms about playing into their hands, because it's a losing strategy. It only speaks to the disregard this group has for the comfort of students of color, particularly those who might come from neighborhoods that are criminalized the way Harlem is. It jives perfectly with the political agenda of a party that has, for instance, spearheaded the development of the prison-industrial complex and relied on the criminalization of men of color in that endeavor. If the flyer itself does not reflect the beliefs of whoever designed it, then, it certainly provides a mirror image of the party that it represents.
Yasmeen Ar-Rayani is a junior in Columbia College majoring in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. She has organized with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Turath, The Arab Students Organization at Columbia. Color in Colonial College ordinarily runs alternate Mondays.
... The fact that all three men appeared to be men of color, perhaps local residents, may have something to do with it. Some have claimed that this is merely a "natural association," particularly given the recent string of robberies in Columbia's vicinity. Yet, as most are aware, our "neighbors" are not the only source of criminality in our area. The Columbia community itself is no stranger to criminal behavior—in addition to Operation Ivy League, which saw the arrest of five Columbia students, two faculty members were indicted on criminal charges last semester. Moreover, according to the last report issued by the Office for Public Safety, Columbia students, too, commit violent crimes: In 2009, for instance, Columbia recorded eight forcible sex offenses in its residence halls. So why not post the picture of a Caucasian frat boy with the tagline, "He has a gun, why don't you?"
First, it is likely that, from the designer's perspective, the man of color from the criminalized space "beyond the gates" embodies danger while a familiar white peer does not. Second, it is altogether possible that this flyer was not an inadvertent manifestation of the designer's prejudices, but rather a conscious play on widely held discriminatory attitudes within the student body. From the club's perspective, this play on prejudice is beneficial in two ways. First, it resonates with those who already subscribe to this concept that men of color wearing baggy clothes are likely to be armed. Second, because this play on prejudice perpetuates the discriminatory conceptions that it appeals to, it outrages students of color on campus, generating publicity for the group. In other words, the flyer is designed to provoke the type of article I'm writing.
Such reasoning is typical of the CU Republicans. Indeed, it appears that this was the rationale behind their 2009 event with Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch politician who has advocated for the banning of the Qur'an in the Netherlands. Recently, when I complained about this event in Columbia's advising office, an administrator responded that the Republicans did not invite Wilders because they endorsed his platform, but because they wished to stir up discussion and controversy. Rather than take comfort in this, however, I emerged from the exchange all the more perturbed.
It would be one thing if Republicans invited a bigot to this campus because they felt that the speaker reflected their principles. There is, at least, some integrity to that position. Rather than take an honest stance, however, Republican students consciously attempted to offend a sector of Columbia's population. They deliberately manipulated and hijacked (no pun intended) the persecution of Muslims and the emotional response it invokes for the sake of notoriety.
This flyer has evoked a similarly emotional response from communities of color within Columbia, outrage that I suspect would not be assuaged even if the flyer merely represented, not "sincere racism," but a "grab for attention." Carlos Blanco, a member of Proud Colors and Lucha, said of the flyer: "This teaches people to be afraid of me." Indeed, the flyer not only criminalizes men of color like Carlos, but it also effectively excludes him from the CU Republicans' discussion on the Second Amendment. The flyer works by playing on a sense of otherness—it immediately sets up a "they" and "you" dichotomy, and if you immediately identify with the "they," as did Carlos, then you are by default not in the CU Republicans target audience.
Despite my conjecture that the flyer was intended by CU Republicans to offend and produce the kind of article I'm writing, I have no qualms about playing into their hands, because it's a losing strategy. It only speaks to the disregard this group has for the comfort of students of color, particularly those who might come from neighborhoods that are criminalized the way Harlem is. It jives perfectly with the political agenda of a party that has, for instance, spearheaded the development of the prison-industrial complex and relied on the criminalization of men of color in that endeavor. If the flyer itself does not reflect the beliefs of whoever designed it, then, it certainly provides a mirror image of the party that it represents.
Yasmeen Ar-Rayani is a junior in Columbia College majoring in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. She has organized with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, and Turath, The Arab Students Organization at Columbia. Color in Colonial College ordinarily runs alternate Mondays.
2014-10-02T10:14:38Z
The Barnard Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and the Columbia University Annual Security and Fire Safety Report were both released on Wednesday, and for the first time, include reported instances of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
... 
2014-09-15T18:46:34Z
Carl Hart has been called a "truth teller," and the title could not be more fitting. As associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia, Hart studies the effects of psychoactive drug use on human subjects, aiming to debunk the myths about these substances that often create more chaos than the drugs themselves. Hart was the first tenured African-American professor in the sciences at Columbia, and won the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in 2014 for his book High Price: A Neuroscientist's Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society. Hannah Wederquist-Keller sat down with Hart to discuss his next book, his class at Columbia, and the danger of drug hysteria.
... 
2014-09-15T09:46:01Z
For the past five Labor Day weekends, Randalls Island has been home to a three-day music festival for fans of the growing genre of EDM, or electronic dance music. This year's lineup boasted household names such as Kaskade, David Guetta, and Zeds Dead. But last year's Electric Zoo made headlines for all the wrong reasons. During the first two days of the 2013 festival, two attendees died and a few others were hospitalized due to drug abuse. As a result, the final day of Electric Zoo was canceled.
... 
2014-08-30T23:00:51Z
Columbia has an illustrious history of musical groups, with famous acts ranging from Vampire Weekend to, well, Vampire Weekend. But if you think Columbia's musical legacy begins and ends at "A-Punk," these bands might change your mind.
... 
2014-08-25T09:06:53Z
Former Alpha Epsilon Pi president Matthew Renick blasted the administration for not giving AEPi and Pi Kappa Alpha their old brownstones back in a strongly worded email to Greek leaders and administrators Monday evening.
Renick, GS/JTS '13, made the charges in an email announcing his resignation as chair of the Greek Judicial Board. His resignation was largely symbolic, as the InterGreek Council selected Anthony Clay, CC '14, as the board's new chair in a long-scheduled vote Monday night.
AEPi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Psi Upsilon were kicked out of their 114th Street brownstones in March 2011 after several of their members were arrested in a high-profile drug bust. After a months-long application and review process, administrators decided last week to give the brownstones to Q House, Alpha Chi Omega, and Lambda Phi Epsilon.
A committee of four administrators and six students—four of whom are members of Greek organizations—reviewed the 13 brownstone applicants and chose six finalists: Alpha Chi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Q House, Manhattan House by the Native American Council, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Epsilon Pi. The committee then recommended three winners to Student Affairs administrators, who made the final decision.
Current leadership of AEPi and Pi Kappa Alpha have not responded to requests for comment about the brownstone winners. But Renick, the immediate past president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, said in his email that "the entire process by which it was decided was fundamentally and morally wrong," arguing that AEPi and Pi Kappa Alpha had earned their former brownstones back.
In an email to Greek leaders and administrators, Renick criticized the composition of the committee and the criteria it used to judge the finalists. He also took issue with the entire concept of the review process.
"The idea that a committee of six students and four administrators could accurately and fairly decide which of 13 organizations was most deserving of a brownstone is ridiculous in its own right," he said in the email.
Committee selection
In his widely distributed resignation email, Renick criticized the process by which administrators selected committee members, a process he largely mischaracterized. Applications for the committee were open to all students and almost two dozen applied, but Renick described the process differently, writing that "the University decided to pick six random students in a secret, closed-door process, with no justification for their selection."
In an interview late Monday night, though, he walked back that claim, saying that administrators should have chosen committee members from among student government leaders.
"This committee was supposed to be representative of the greater Columbia student body, and there is a huge amount of people already in democratically elected positions on this campus," Renick said. "So even though everyone had the opportunity to apply for this, the fact that it was a couple of administrators making the decision about who was going to be on this committee instead of the students themselves was not the best way to go about it."
Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger was not available for comment Monday night, but Dean of Community Development and Multicultural Affairs Terry Martinez told Spectator earlier this semester that administrators did their best to choose committee members fairly.
"We put out a call to all undergraduate students in CC and SEAS, most of the 22 students who applied were Greek affiliated," Martinez said. "We tried to think of how we could present a fair and balanced committee."
Asked if he shared Renick's concerns, Native American Council treasurer Julian Noisecat, CC '15, said that "many expressed concerns about bias" because two-thirds of the students on the committee were members of Greek organizations.
"As an underrepresented group on campus, we shared these concerns and hope that the process was fair, though we cannot know until more information on how the decision was reached is released," he said.
In his email, Renick also charged that one member of the committee "voiced to other students that he would not accept any recommendation that did not include Q House."
"Not surprisingly, they were awarded a brownstone," he said.
Committee member and Columbia College Student Council Vice President for Policy Will Hughes, CC '13, said in a message that he stands "entirely behind the process." Several other committee members did not respond to requests for comment Monday night.
Selection criteria
Renick also argued that the committee did not abide by the criteria it originally laid out for recommending winners.
"They cited things such as the ability to always fill the house, and the ability of an organization to make a positive contribution to the community. For Greek organizations, the committee informed us that the ALPHA Standards of Excellence would be the primary evaluations used in making this decision," he said in the email. "Clearly, however, this was a lie."
Renick said that the Greek community was informed that the ALPHA Standards of Excellence, a set of criteria used to evaluate Greek organizations, would be the primary tool used by the committee to evaluate Greek applicants. AEPi and PIKE both earned five of five stars in their ALPHA Standards evaluations last semester.
Meanwhile, Renick noted, Alpha Chi Omega—which won a brownstone—only received four stars. Renick said in his email that "as the Chairman of the board that grades the ALPHA standards, I must question their overall relevance and purpose, given the utter lack of attention paid to them in this process."
"I have nothing against the three organizations that were awarded brownstones," he said in the Monday night interview. "I think if you look objectively at what that stated, these organizations did not appear to be at the top of the list. I felt that AEPi and Pike had vastly exceeded what the committee said they were looking for, and other organizations might not have been as up to that."
He also criticized the selection of Q House, saying in his email that while Pi Kappa Alpha and AEPi have "booming membership," Q House only comprises eight people. But membership in Q House—a special interest community for LGBTQ students—has been limited to its eight-person Ruggles Hall suite, and it's likely to expand with a brownstone. Renick added in the interview that, "I'm not saying they can't do it, but there's no proof that they can."
Q House member Adam Wilson, CC '14, said in an email that he has "full faith that the students and administrators of the committee acted with integrity when allocating the brownstones."
Noisecat said that the Native American Council "would have liked more transparency in the decision-making process and an official explanation of how decisions were made."
Representatives for Alpha Chi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Epsilon Pi could not be reached or declined to comment Monday night.
Resignation
Renick said that he repeatedly asked to discuss his concerns with administrators during the committee process but was denied meetings with Martinez and Assistant Dean for Residential Programs and Community Development Cristen Kromm. He added that while he was able to speak to Victoria Lopez-Herrera, associate director for fraternity and sorority life, she told him that nothing was going to be changed.
Ultimately, he said in the email, he decided to resign so that he can "once again live in good conscience." The Greek Judicial Board is responsible for grading the ALPHA Standards and hearing policy violation cases, and Renick said that he no longer wanted to be part of an administration "that lies to the people it is designed to help."
In the later interview, though, he toned down his rhetoric, emphasizing that he didn't have a "sour grapes" attitude.
"I'm not asking for anything drastic—a decision has been made. But I really don't think these type of committees are the best ways to make hugely important decisions on this campus," he said. "I think it's a very divisive way to go about it, and I hope that they can come up with something better."
news@columbiaspectator.com
Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Julian Noisecat as the president, rather than the treasurer, of the Native American Council. Spectator regrets the error.
... Renick, GS/JTS '13, made the charges in an email announcing his resignation as chair of the Greek Judicial Board. His resignation was largely symbolic, as the InterGreek Council selected Anthony Clay, CC '14, as the board's new chair in a long-scheduled vote Monday night.
AEPi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Psi Upsilon were kicked out of their 114th Street brownstones in March 2011 after several of their members were arrested in a high-profile drug bust. After a months-long application and review process, administrators decided last week to give the brownstones to Q House, Alpha Chi Omega, and Lambda Phi Epsilon.
A committee of four administrators and six students—four of whom are members of Greek organizations—reviewed the 13 brownstone applicants and chose six finalists: Alpha Chi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Q House, Manhattan House by the Native American Council, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Epsilon Pi. The committee then recommended three winners to Student Affairs administrators, who made the final decision.
Current leadership of AEPi and Pi Kappa Alpha have not responded to requests for comment about the brownstone winners. But Renick, the immediate past president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, said in his email that "the entire process by which it was decided was fundamentally and morally wrong," arguing that AEPi and Pi Kappa Alpha had earned their former brownstones back.
In an email to Greek leaders and administrators, Renick criticized the composition of the committee and the criteria it used to judge the finalists. He also took issue with the entire concept of the review process.
"The idea that a committee of six students and four administrators could accurately and fairly decide which of 13 organizations was most deserving of a brownstone is ridiculous in its own right," he said in the email.
Committee selection
In his widely distributed resignation email, Renick criticized the process by which administrators selected committee members, a process he largely mischaracterized. Applications for the committee were open to all students and almost two dozen applied, but Renick described the process differently, writing that "the University decided to pick six random students in a secret, closed-door process, with no justification for their selection."
In an interview late Monday night, though, he walked back that claim, saying that administrators should have chosen committee members from among student government leaders.
"This committee was supposed to be representative of the greater Columbia student body, and there is a huge amount of people already in democratically elected positions on this campus," Renick said. "So even though everyone had the opportunity to apply for this, the fact that it was a couple of administrators making the decision about who was going to be on this committee instead of the students themselves was not the best way to go about it."
Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger was not available for comment Monday night, but Dean of Community Development and Multicultural Affairs Terry Martinez told Spectator earlier this semester that administrators did their best to choose committee members fairly.
"We put out a call to all undergraduate students in CC and SEAS, most of the 22 students who applied were Greek affiliated," Martinez said. "We tried to think of how we could present a fair and balanced committee."
Asked if he shared Renick's concerns, Native American Council treasurer Julian Noisecat, CC '15, said that "many expressed concerns about bias" because two-thirds of the students on the committee were members of Greek organizations.
"As an underrepresented group on campus, we shared these concerns and hope that the process was fair, though we cannot know until more information on how the decision was reached is released," he said.
In his email, Renick also charged that one member of the committee "voiced to other students that he would not accept any recommendation that did not include Q House."
"Not surprisingly, they were awarded a brownstone," he said.
Committee member and Columbia College Student Council Vice President for Policy Will Hughes, CC '13, said in a message that he stands "entirely behind the process." Several other committee members did not respond to requests for comment Monday night.
Selection criteria
Renick also argued that the committee did not abide by the criteria it originally laid out for recommending winners.
"They cited things such as the ability to always fill the house, and the ability of an organization to make a positive contribution to the community. For Greek organizations, the committee informed us that the ALPHA Standards of Excellence would be the primary evaluations used in making this decision," he said in the email. "Clearly, however, this was a lie."
Renick said that the Greek community was informed that the ALPHA Standards of Excellence, a set of criteria used to evaluate Greek organizations, would be the primary tool used by the committee to evaluate Greek applicants. AEPi and PIKE both earned five of five stars in their ALPHA Standards evaluations last semester.
Meanwhile, Renick noted, Alpha Chi Omega—which won a brownstone—only received four stars. Renick said in his email that "as the Chairman of the board that grades the ALPHA standards, I must question their overall relevance and purpose, given the utter lack of attention paid to them in this process."
"I have nothing against the three organizations that were awarded brownstones," he said in the Monday night interview. "I think if you look objectively at what that stated, these organizations did not appear to be at the top of the list. I felt that AEPi and Pike had vastly exceeded what the committee said they were looking for, and other organizations might not have been as up to that."
He also criticized the selection of Q House, saying in his email that while Pi Kappa Alpha and AEPi have "booming membership," Q House only comprises eight people. But membership in Q House—a special interest community for LGBTQ students—has been limited to its eight-person Ruggles Hall suite, and it's likely to expand with a brownstone. Renick added in the interview that, "I'm not saying they can't do it, but there's no proof that they can."
Q House member Adam Wilson, CC '14, said in an email that he has "full faith that the students and administrators of the committee acted with integrity when allocating the brownstones."
Noisecat said that the Native American Council "would have liked more transparency in the decision-making process and an official explanation of how decisions were made."
Representatives for Alpha Chi Omega, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Alpha Epsilon Pi could not be reached or declined to comment Monday night.
Resignation
Renick said that he repeatedly asked to discuss his concerns with administrators during the committee process but was denied meetings with Martinez and Assistant Dean for Residential Programs and Community Development Cristen Kromm. He added that while he was able to speak to Victoria Lopez-Herrera, associate director for fraternity and sorority life, she told him that nothing was going to be changed.
Ultimately, he said in the email, he decided to resign so that he can "once again live in good conscience." The Greek Judicial Board is responsible for grading the ALPHA Standards and hearing policy violation cases, and Renick said that he no longer wanted to be part of an administration "that lies to the people it is designed to help."
In the later interview, though, he toned down his rhetoric, emphasizing that he didn't have a "sour grapes" attitude.
"I'm not asking for anything drastic—a decision has been made. But I really don't think these type of committees are the best ways to make hugely important decisions on this campus," he said. "I think it's a very divisive way to go about it, and I hope that they can come up with something better."
news@columbiaspectator.com
Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to Julian Noisecat as the president, rather than the treasurer, of the Native American Council. Spectator regrets the error.
