Graduating GSers share their stories
The School of General Studies held its class day this morning on Low Plaza. You can read our news story on it here. We asked some of the graduating seniors how they feel now that it’s all over. These were some of their reactions:
Lydia Chan, psychology major, came from Singapore and attended Westchester Community College for two years before arriving at Columbia. “I wanted a good education — an excellent education.” She found the School of General Studies by chance. Now that it’s over, she says she feels “happy, tired. Tired!” Next up: grad school, right here at Teacher’s College.
Ben Wirtshafter, political science major, came to Columbia after having spent time as a professional actor in New York. “I realized I wanted to continue my education and this was the best place to do it,” he said. He came to Columbia after a friend told him about the General Studies program.
“I was really intrigued by the concept of people who’ve taken some time off from school, who’ve tried to learn another vocation or learn something outside of the academic realm, and getting to be in classes with people like that, and also being able to be around a bunch of 18- to 20-year-olds who are brilliant and genius in their own way.”
Now that it’s all over, he says he feels “Relieved. I still have to finish a paper that’s due on Wednesday.”
Kayran Abasali, sustainable development major, started her journey to Columbia from Trinidad. After she scored well on her SATs, her friends encouraged her to go to America for school. She went to FIT for two years, and then decided she wanted something different. She applied to Columbia and was accepted.
Abasali said her experience her was good, though it had it’s ups and downs. “One of the ups was realizing that I can do anything, and that I belong here. The GS deans were awesome. One of the downs was realizing that some of the professors are difficult, and very set in their ways.” Overall, she says she’s glad she came here, “minus the $180,000 debt.” Next, she says, she’s “going to take over the world.”
Are you a graduating GSer? What was your experience at Columbia like? Share it with us in the comments!
New mental health website busts myths, offers resources
The Columbia Neuroscience Society has launched a new website called “Healthy Columbia Brains.” Its aim is “to gather information on mental health, demystify mental illness, and increase everyone’s ability to access resources, find help and stay healthy.”
The front page of the site contains mental health facts as well as motivational images and quotes, while other pages advertise on-campus resources for help on issues from academics to relationships to nutrition. There’s also a full page of off-campus resources, for those who prefer not to go through Columbia.
In the event that any of your questions or concerns are not answered, there’s a feedback box where you can ask anything you want to know. Check it out!
That strange feeling is freedom
It’s late. You’re up. Finals are over. You can sleep, you can shower, and the world is a whole lot pinker. Feels good, does it?
News
The 99% rejoices: JPMorgan Chase has announced that it has lost at least $2 billion in a failed hedge fund strategy. Though its stocks have fallen about 9%, JPMorgan is still expected to finish the quarter with a profit.
Obama 2012: Obama’s pro gay marriage stance has secured additional funding from supporters, as well as possibly the suburban vote.
Facebook data use: Facebook plans to give you more info on how it’s using your info.
Stephen Colbert will be at Bank Street Bookstore tomorrow
…and so can you! The TV host will be signing copies of his new book at the store from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. tomorrow, May 12. The book, I Am A Pole (And So Can You!) is a children’s story about a flagpole’s search for identity. Copies of the book can be purchased at the event.
Bank Street Bookstore is located at 112th and Broadway.
Colbert will be donating all profits from sales of the book to USVETS, an organization that helps homeless veterans.
Read this instead of packing—you know you want to
It’s late. You’re up. I won’t congratulate everyone on being done with finals just yet, since there may be a few leftover take-homes, papers, or Friday finals (do those exist?), but I will say to everyone avoiding packing like the plague: I feel you. I don’t have to leave, right? Oh, Obama’s coming? Whoops.
Actual News
Marriage: The day after Obama endorsed gay marriage, North Carolina demonstrated how far the U.S. still may be from realizing full marriage equality, on account of states’ rights. As per the state’s law banning same-sex marriage, a lesbian seeking a marriage license was arrested today after she and her partner refused to leave the government building. This also came two days after North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being strictly between a man and a woman.
HIV prevention: Today, a panel of advisers to the FDA approved the the first drug shown to prevent HIV infection. The pill, Truvada, can be taken by anyone at high risk for contracting HIV, primarily gay and bisexual men, as well as heterosexual couples with one HIV positive partner. The FDA isn’t required to follow the panel’s advice and will make a final decision on June 15, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a huge deal in the battle to fight and prevent HIV and AIDS. More »
Athletic directors: No postseason basketball tournament
Today, the athletic directors of the Ivy League released a statement dismissing the idea of a postseason basketball tournament to decide which team from the Ancient Eight would get a bid to the NCAA tournament.
“After careful consideration of these proposals, the athletics directors decided that our current method of determining the Ivy League Champion and our automatic bid recipient to the NCAA Championship is the best model moving forward,” said Robin Harris, the Ivy League executive director.
The proposal, written by Columbia men’s head basketball coach Kyle Smith, had unanimous support from the men’s coaches in the conference, but will not be discussed further by the athletic directors whose approval was needed to continue the process in executing a tournament.
Administrator of Classics department featured on HONY, seems cool
If you’re like me, you don’t know Geraldine Visco — but after reading this, you’ll want to seek her out and get to know her.
Visco, the head administrator of the Classics department here at Columbia, was featured on Humans of New York earlier today. HONY describes itself as “A photographic census of New York. One street portrait at a time.” Readers can submit photos of interesting people, along with short biographies of the person photographed. You should really click the link so you can see the great photo they ran for her, but here’s my favorite part of her bio:
She goes around the city and hosts all sorts of alternative parties and writes about them. She has the most unique and loudest fashion sense of anyone I know. It’s crazy, you walk up the the 6th floor of Hamilton hall and enter her office and just see all of these bottles of vodka and weird knick-knacks all over the place. You see this huge iMac and this forest of pink hair strands flowing in every which direction behind it. This is her head. More »
Supporters outside gates for Peña-Mora
Some people have gathered outside the 116th gates in support of Dean Feniosky Peña-Mora of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Today’s demonstration comes after a turbulent two years for the dean, in which the chairs of nine SEAS departments gave him a private letter outlining his supposed failures, and then the next semester made things public by expressing their discontent in a letter to Provost Coatsworth which was obtained by the New York Times. While some faculty are still pushing strongly for his resignation, it’s clear that not all in the Columbia community want to show him the door.
They’ve come a long way from the USSR
Andrew Hamilton, GS ’13, and Matthew Chou, CC ’14, along with other Columbia students, are wrapping up filming a documentary, “The Russian Dream,” that looks into the current complexities and shifts in Russia today, and whether or not democracy will ever (or soon) be in the cards for the country Vladimir Putin clings to so tightly from his seemingly-permanent seat at the head of Russian autocracy.
It’s a provocative and important question. Russia boasts 9 time zones, 143 million people, and 3,200 nuclear weapons—even a significant change in this massive country’s mindset would have an undeniable effect on the rest of the world.
With an initial grant from Columbia’s Harriman Institute, students from Columbia and Russia have been tirelessly interviewing member of the Russian Parliament, former U.S. Ambassadors to Russia, Russian opposition leaders, and even our very own Lee Bollinger. Now all they need is more funding to complete editing before the film is released this fall.
To check out a trailer, learn more, and donate, click here.