petition

Dear Class of 2020,

Life as we have known it, as our peers have known it, as our parents and grandparents have known it, has changed. When we first arrived on campus this spring, five of our friends were asked to go into self-isolation for two weeks. At the time, we thought it could be an unfair practice as they had to miss class, were unable to study in the library, and had little access to supplies outside of their dorm rooms. Now we see just how wrong we were.

After over 700 students signed a petition protesting recent changes in Barnard’s meal plan pricing structure, Barnard has added new, more affordable meal plans. While these new options are cheaper than those made available after Barnard’s original restructure earlier this week, they are still pricier than the most affordable options offered last year.

On the third day of the graduate student strike, graduate students initiated a petition to continue the strike indefinitely and picketers were forced to adapt to a last-minute change in location after threats of legal action from the University.

Columbia College Student Council members debated whether to move forward on developing a plan to improve the University's response to sexual assault if No Red Tape declines to work with them, given that the two organizations have not seen eye to eye on which strategies would be most effective.

To the editor,

A petition has been circulating around the student body regarding the mistreatment of Columbia Dining workers. The petition, which now has over 4,500 signatures, states that Butler Cafe workers have been told to eat their lunch in a closet and that they are forbidden to speak in Spanish in front of students. The University responded to these claims stating that "the issue in Columbia Dining appears to stem from an isolated incident in which an employee made a comment about an exchange with a student in another language." Student-Worker Solidarity has released a statement explaining their reason for beginning the petition and disputing the university's claims: