Posts Tagged ‘gs’
The Thanksgiving admin emails begin
This morning, Dean Awn sent out this email, which not only wishes a Happy Thanksgiving, but more importantly disparages Brooklyn.
Dear Students,
Now that the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel has reopened, huge flocks of our native bird have begun to waddle their way across the wasteland of Brooklyn and through the tunnel, in search of Manhattan’s lustrous shores. Our avian friends have only one purpose, to sacrifice themselves on the altar of Fortuna, Goddess of Good Luck. As they rush through the tunnel, clawing and crushing one another, some desperately struggle to fly, but, hélas, their mental acumen is so diminished that one wing never coordinates with the other. Gobble, gobble. Squish, squish. Splat. Finis. More »
Vets and non-vet students bond over monster trucks
More than 60 Columbia students got together this weekend for the Tough Mudder Tri-state 2012 competition, a 12-mile obstacle course which included a monster-truck crash, a fire walk, and a swim through icy cold underground tunnels.
The group, Veteran and Civilian Students United, was made up of pairs of one veteran student and one non-veteran. While a lot of fun, the competition also furthered their goal of raising awareness about the challenges veterans face nationwide while transitioning from the military to the classroom.
Checking in with Peter Awn
- Queer studies queries: Awn said that a queer studies concentration—something recently proposed by students—would need commitment from permanent faculty “over the long haul” to be successful. “The issue is ensuring faculty interest, their willingness to take control of this,” Awn said, adding, “That doesn’t mean that students don’t get to weigh in.”
- International applicants: Because of a dual B.A. program with Sciences Po in Paris, Awn foresees an increase in the number of international students at GS. He believes, however, that the overall trend in the number of international applications over the next few years will depend on the economy. More »
Crowdsourcing his tuition
In an age where everything from a Nikola Tesla museum to a public statue of Robocop can be crowdsourced, one student has applied this idea to funding his tuition.
Kambi Gathesha is a General Studies student who, after following an eclectic path that includes studying at Julliard and pursuing a career in dance and acting, realized that scholarship was his true passion.
A year and half away from completing his degree, however, Gathesha ran out of funds — and GS financial aid was unable to help. However, rather than give up, he has taken his struggle to crowdsourcing site gofundme.com. His fundraising page asks that “family, colleagues, professors, and acquaintances” to help him raise the $40,000 he needs for tuition. More »
Breaking: GS students, welcome to the Core
According to an email sent out by Dean Peter Awn, General Studies is adopting several changes to its core curriculum in order to “bring about closer alignment between the GS Core and the Columbia College Core.”
Just what are these changes? Students accepted to GS for and after the Summer 2012 term will have to complete Lit Hum, CC, and the Global Core requirement. Check out the News desk’s story here, and read the full email below:
Dear Students,
I am excited to let you know about an exciting change to the GS Core Curriculum that will bring about closer alignment between the GS Core and the Columbia College Core.
The GS Core CurriculumContemporary Civilization Requirement
Columbia’s Contemporary Civilization course was forged between 1917 and 1919 as a course on questions of war and peace. Today, it works to inform students about how human beings forge communities – be they political, social, moral, or religious. GS is adopting the “Contemporary Civilization” requirement (COCI F1101 and COCI F1102) while still allowing for approved substitutions. Approved substitutions for the “Contemporary Civilization” requirement will be two social science courses. More »
On the tail end of things
The letter to President Bollinger published yesterday contains a moment so remarkable and extraordinary, that I’m going to repeat it for you just to make sure you don’t miss it. It was written:
Representatives and members from all of the undergraduate schools stand in solidarity with graduating seniors of the School of General Studies. Though there are four separate undergraduate schools, we stand as one undergraduate student body—celebrating the experiences and perspectives that every group and individuals add to this community. We wish to move past the animosity that has been presented toward various groups and remind students that we are here to support each other and wish that every member of our community feel included and welcomed.
Since this is an opinion post, here is my opinion of this paragraph: YES!!!!!! More »
GS Class Day moved
There’s been a last-minute change of plans for graduating seniors in GS: Because of the extensive setup required for President Obama’s commencement address at Barnard, your Class Day event is now on Sunday, May 13 at 9 a.m. Here’s an email from General Studies’ Dean Peter Awn:
Dear Graduates,
Since the announcement of President Obama’s decision to speak at Barnard College, it was apparent that the security requirements surrounding the President’s visit could potentially disrupt the Class Day of GS, if not SEAS as well. We were informed last Friday that, if we were to continue with our original plan to have Class Day at 9am on Monday, May 14th, your families would have to arrive at least three hours before the event (5:30 am) to undergo a lengthy security check to attend a ceremony that is not associated with the President’s visit. In fact, neither you nor your families would be able to remain on campus to hear President Obama speak. We would also be confined to the Butler lawn with no ability to roam around the campus. Frankly, I find that unacceptable. More »
It’s at least somewhat about the money
Good morning everyone. Thanksgiving has come and gone, which means there’s officially nothing between you and a series of three-hour, Columbia logo emblazoned, baby-blue Cthulus. Or papers, if you majored in something unemployable.
Read this: General Studies is looking for a new name, and for $100 million, it could be you. Fu who? [News]
Know this: Morningside Heights ranks #1 in income inequality among New York City neighborhoods. [News]
Larry Summers, taking a break from calling the Winklevii assholes, calls for increased economic stimulus in a speech at SIPA [News]
And oh, you are not your grades, chill out. [Opinion] More »
Making up is hard to do
Sometimes it takes weeks or even months before you’re willing to pick up the phone and talk to the person who ticked you off. In more serious cases you might go for years without speaking to each other. On the other hand, if the cause of the disruption in the relationship is that one party actually killed the other, you can see how it might take more than two centuries before you’re finally ready to bury the hatchet.
This sign was hung outside Hamilton (obviously) by Pete Bohnhof, a GS student majoring in film studies. Apparently he got bored while waiting for the Raiders game to start, and this was the result.
Pete Bohnhof / 4Deuces Photography
A salute
Teresa Shen / Spec
Click the photo above for a slideshow from Saturday’s Veterans Day Parade, and here for Anushka Lobo’s story in today’s paper.
Most of us arrive on campus with resumés full of “leadership positions” in extracurriculars and what we believe to be a kickass essay about spending the summer abroad building houses in Africa or studying Arabic in Jordan. However, GS dean of admissions Curtis Rogers believes veterans bring qualities to Columbia that ordinary 18-year-old students typically don’t. More »