The CCSC weekly meeting on Sunday was filled with good laughs, new faces, and solid progress.  Discussion centered around advising, housing issues, and co-sponsorship funding.  A brief recap of the entire meeting is below, but don’t forget that CCSC meetings are open to all students- every Sunday at 8pm in the Satow room on the 5^th floor of Lerner.

CCSC was honored to host Monique Rinere, the Dean of Advising and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, at our meeting on Sunday.  Dean Rinere spoke for a few minutes about her three points of focus this year: CSA staff professional development, assessment of advising programs, and the usage of new technology.  Her primary message to the council was that the Advising office is dedicated to ensuring that students find the appropriate guidance, both academic and personal, here at Columbia.

During the discussion, many council members brought up the relationship between Advising and Columbia Psychological Services.  Dean Rinere mentioned the protocol for advisers to contact CPS about a particular student, and made a commitment to airing on the side of caution when it comes to the mental health of students on campus.

Moving on to the executive board updates, President Aki Terasaki layed out new developments in the Housing office.  The new EC turnstile system should be installed sometime next summer, and renovations on the floor in John Jay Dining Hall should take place over winter break this year.  Aki solicited the council’s opinion on an idea from the Housing Advisory committee to implement a new kiosk system for mail services Lerner.  While details have not fully been worked out, the system would allow students to check in downstairs in the lobby and have their package ready for them by the time they make it upstairs to mail services.

VP Policy Ryan Cho updated the council on EC Swipe Access for GS/JTS students and the new screens that will be installed in residence halls throughout campus.  Ryan then made a presentation on the issue of housing selection for juniors.  He presented two options for new policies, Junior Re-Group and Junior Pair-Up, both of which would allow juniors to reassess their situation after missing out on a suite they wanted.  The council at large generally favored Ryan’s Re-Group option, as it would allow for juniors to come together and occupy the remaining suites.

Towards the end of the meeting, the council voted on the new chairs for the big 4-council Glass House Rocks event in the Spring.  And CCSC also voted to co-sponsor two events organized by Dhoom, a South-Asian dance team on campus,  and the Columbia Japan Society.  Both groups received the full amount requested, with Dhoom receiving $500 and CJS $600.

That about does it for Sunday night’s meeting.  Hope you found this recap informative!  As usual, contact ccsc@columbia.edu if you have any questions or suggestions.  We want to hear from you!