Archive for October, 2011
Broadway Presbyterian Church gets spooky
Costumed children and sorority girls are currently going door-to-door down Broadway and (unsuccessfully) asking store clerks for candy, but the church on the northwest corner of 114th St. and Broadway is generously decked out to the max with awesome decorations. According to news reporter Finn Vigeland, there are spooky lights, lots of candy, and even “a ghost that flies down from the ceiling.” Head on over for your Halloween fix.
Addressing problems with the CCE
- 5% of students come to college wanting to go into finance and consulting, but 30% end up pursuing these fields, reported Preprofessional Affairs Rep. Rohan Jotwani in his presentation on ways to improve students’ relationships with the Center for Career Education. The difference is large enough to cause worry that students are unaware of other career options. Student participation at CCE events is low, a sign of possible communication errors and failure to target students with specific interests. Ideas for improvement included expanding options for students who feel CCE doesn’t or can’t serve their needs, peer discussion groups, re-exposure through advertising, and making LionShare easier to use. V.P. of Funding Kevin Zhai noted that right now there needs to be more “guidance by way of the larger, holistic, what do I do with my life kind of thing.”
- 2400 students came to Homecoming this year, and volleyball games have been drawing big numbers as well, reported Director of Sports Marketing for Columbia Athletics Daniel Spiegel. Basketball Mania this Thursday will be the second largest Athletics event after Homecoming. Doors open at 9 p.m. We need to continue to “break down the barriers between the student bodies and athletics and to show that this can be a positive if we work together,” said Spiegel.
- The SGO space on the fifth floor of Lerner might be renovated and made into a more inviting, lounge-y, hangout space. Ideas include adding couches and vending machines.
Erryday we’re tunneling
It’s Halloween night, it looks like the Arctic Tundra outside, and unless you’re going as a Yeti, your costume’s not cut out for the sub-zero temperatures. So what’s a bored Columbia student to do? You could drink in your room, but that’s illegal and sad. We decided to go tunneling (just plain illegal).
After a few futile and terrifyingly awkward attempts to tunnel on our own, which included locking ourselves in a hallway and getting shown out by an exasperated guard, we met up a crew of more experienced tunnelers—called “B-minus”—whose members have been exploring the tunnels since Days on Campus. We didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of what we were about to do and how seriously these tunnelers took it until we were asked to sign a privacy waiver. Shit just got real.
The B-Minus crew
CU on campus: Roxanne Adamiyatt
It’s officially Snowtober, so break out that blizzard gear. In this week’s CU on Campus, Hannah Klain profiled Roxanne Adamiyatt, BC ’13.
Blouse: Zara; striped pull-over: J Crew; sweater: Vince; faux Fur Vest: Macy’s; jeans: J Brand; boots: Stuart Weitzman; watch: vintage; rings: YSL, J Crew, Forever 21; sunglasses: Karen Walker; necklace: a gift; purse: Miu Miu; gloves: J McLaughlin; headband: Forever 21 More »
Reflecting on QuAM
In today’s paper, Columbia students discuss the implications of Queer Awareness Month and LGBTQ issues.
Rae Binstock argues that we may have outgrown our sexual terminology, Domenic DeSocio explains why Republicans support gay rights, Nina Spierer believes that QuAM should have focused on building community, and an anonymous author reflects on the rewards and difficulties of identifying as LGTBQ.
Abnormal halloween costume ideas
Illustration by Cindy Pan.
Okay, we know you probably already got your Halloween on this weekend. That costume you oh-so-carefully planned (a little bit witty, a little bit trashy) is by now ruined by beer and/or snow. You’re hungover. Stressed. Broke. Sick of seeing people dressed up as kittens and firemen. And you still have to go to that Halloween party tonight.
Never fear. In anticipation of this moment, we came up with four delightfully abnormal costumes in this week’s issue of The Eye, reprinted here for your use.
Sexy Feminist
Think Susan B. Anthony & Simone de Beauvoir…if they were in Mean Girls. These two feminists are already rolling in their graves at the sight of knee-highs and push-ups, so why not bring the empowerment-through-sexuality to a head? Simone loved black turtlenecks—but how about going backless, American Apparel style? More »
Wait, did you think $100 million was a lot of money?
Read This: Teacher’s College students are challenging the pay inequality between them and GSAS students, who rake in twice as much to teach Core classes and even more to TA. [News]
Know This: Winning Bloomberg’s $100 million competition prize may not be enough for Columbia to build its new applied sciences campus. [News]
Here’s More: Our constitutional rights are being violated in Oakland. [Opinion]
Dining:
and chicken cavatappi for dinner at Hewitt.
Weather: High of 55, partly cloudy. No freak snowstorms in sight.
Weekend Scores: More »
REVIEW: Chokolat Café’s pastries are worth the walk
Uptown students and locals who like their breakfast quick and caloric have a new fueling station at 125th and Broadway. Chokolat Café, a expanded version of Chokolat Patisserie, is a typical coffee shop/bakery with fantastic croissants. Traditionalists should definitely go for the plain croissants. Flaky on the outside, buttery and tender on the inside, they have all the requisite qualities of an exemplary pastry.
Other tempting selections include chocolate croissants, large cinnamon-sugar scones resembling cream puffs, thick slices of banana bread, and cranberry muffins. Chokolat has coffee drinks to satisfy the minimalist and the extreme sweet-tooth alike. Their offerings run the gamut from iced Americano to White Mocha Latte. For a satisfying morning jolt that lies somewhere in between, ask for the plain latte. Even with skim milk, it is a highly satisfying mix of “creamy” and “nutty”. Neighborhood haunts like Joe Coffee and Hungarian Pastry Shop have just acquired some serious competition. Click the photo below for a slide show of Chokolat’s offerings.
EC lobby closed
Tipsters report that the lobby entrance to EC is closed for reasons as yet unknown. Residents are being shuffled through the elevator entrance on B3, also known as “the entrance that would be way more convenient in the first place”—meaning that, for the first time ever, there’s a line to get into EC on a Sunday.
Check back soon for updates. Send pictures and tips to spectrum@columbiaspectator.com.
Update: The author confused B3 with B2 in pronouncing it more convenient. B3, the entrance residents are currently being made to use, is in no way more convenient.
Update 2: The closure is due to a sewer backup that has flooded at least the second floor. We’ve had unconfirmed reports of flooding as high up as the eighth floor. (See below.)
Update 3: New reports from EC staff indicate that the cause was in fact a burst pipe in the heating system, and that the only rooms affected were on the fourth floor and below in the townhouses. Affected residents have been found new rooms.