Archive for the
‘Opinion’ Category
The “things” we do
If you’re a student at Columbia, it’s very likely you did “things” in high school. You started a club, raised money for a cause, ran for Student Council President, played a sport/instrument/lead role in a student production, or, more likely than not, all of the above. It seemed a lot easier to stretch oneself thin in high school where the stakes were relatively lower and the responsibilities of leadership much less demanding.
At least in my experience, arriving at college forced me to pare down what I could involve myself in and to what extent. But the compulsive college application padding mentality that pushes overachieving high school students to prove themselves well-rounded holds less relevance in the college environment. Just because you played Varsity soccer doesn’t mean you should try out for the team and being editor in chief of your high school newspaper doesn’t mean you should join Spec. More »
Why we still need women’s colleges
In the wee hours of morning, I read Lanbo Zhang’s column on why Barnard and Columbia should merge. It was honest. It was upfront. And it was incredibly controversial. A Facebook event in response to it has already been created.
Though I understand why people have reacted to it strongly in the comments, there hasn’t been much respectful dialogue, and at this point, all sides are getting lost in rhetoric and emotions. What I want to do here is to try to provide an opportunity for respectful dialogue.
What strikes me the most is that the column ignores the value of women’s colleges. And Lanbo is definitely not the only person—I’ve had multiple conversations with fellow students or seen multiple comment threads in which readers think that women’s colleges no longer have reason to exist, that once Columbia started accepting women, that somehow invalidated Barnard’s existence.
So if Barnard students do go a lot of Columbia classes, do go to the same restaurants, and do essentially still interact with men, what is the point of maintaining Barnard as the women’s college we know it as?
Because the glass ceiling still exists. Because sexism still exists. Because gender inequality exists.
Our scholars, then and now
I am often told that I think too much for my own good. Acquaintances, friends, family, the occasional salesperson at this or that establishment—all have raised the issue with me on multiple occasions. And their concern is warranted.
It’s not a positive thing. If I could wish it away, believe me—I would. It’s an all-consuming, brain-rattling, time-sucking affliction that no amount of meditation or vitamin C gummy bears can cure. And boy have I got it.
More »
Recognizing the overlooked
King’s Crown Awards — Luke Henderson / Senior Staff Photographer
Much to my dismay joy confusion, the 2012-2013 academic year is beginning to wind down. This means several things. It means nicer weather, it means shorter shorts, it means bacchanalia and joy. It also means job-hunting, it means welcoming the new kids on the block, it means bloodshed and violence first over housing and then over class registration. It also means, notably, awards season. Whether it’s King’s Crown Awards, academic awards, alumni awards—you name it, someone’s being awarded it. However, there are several incredible feats performed on this campus everyday that go unrewarded. That’s why, this week, I’ve decided to dedicate my blogpost to recognizing the unrecognized. More »
You in a few: Filing taxes
Illustration by Lian Plass
It’s Tax Day! Okay, that probably didn’t merit an exclamation point. If you’re like me then this is the first time that you actually have to file your taxes, which I’m doing today. It’s a sign of real adulthood approaching and might also be a sign that I should reconsider my fiscally liberal views (just kidding, mostly).
Regardless, if you’re not filling out a 1040 form now, you will be in a matter of just a few years. Here are a few other rites of financial independence that you can expect over the next decade of your life:
Getting Graphic
Hey guys! Y U NO AT BACCHANAL? No peer pressure, I literally slept through it last year.
Some sad news this week: Sensual Sundays has ended, but it went out with a bang.
How to Bacchanball
Oof, alright, that was a rough title, but we’re running short on ways to play with the word Bacchanal (much like Orchesis), so now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s a surefire, no-fail guide to doing Bachannal. Set to GIFs, of course. More »
It’s always sunny at Columbia
New CCSC executive board to student body:
Enjoy the new world order (and the sunny weather)!
Illustration by Kelly Qinyi Fan
The living’s (almost) easy
And it’s finally here, folks. The wondrous season of life and renewal is upon us once again. The birds are chirping and the blossoms blooming as a blanket of carefree spirit is laid atop our precious little enclave of Morningside Heights. The vast expanse of happiness that is Low Steps is overflowing with giddy students embarking on a journey from pale to perfect. For the first time in a long time, sweater weather is behind us. Suffice it to say that nothing puts a spring in your step quite like…well…spring.
But there’s an elephant in this newly temperate room. An elephant named Housing:
More »
Eight ways in which job-hunting resembles being pooped on
Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I got pooped on.
It happened outside of the Starbucks on 103rd Street (confirming the widespread Columbia dictum that everything south of 110th Street is strange and dangerous). I had been productive all morning, so I’d decided that I deserved a reward. “Go ahead, Rega,” I remember thinking. “Treat yourself!”
The spring in the air put a spring in my step, and I bounded happily into Starbucks. I bought myself a cup of iced coffee and, genuinely in love with the universe at large, smile on my face, Macklemore on my Spotify, I walked out of Starbucks and into the sun, into a world that I believed to be my oyster.
Splat.