@Columbia ’21 | Former EIC @ColumbiaSpec
Articles by Karen Xia
With Dodge closed, here are the best workout alternatives in Morningside Heights
Just 11 days after ushering in the new year, Columbia students have returned to campus for the spring semester. Whether you don’t want to give up on your hastily-scribbled New Year’s resolutions or you’re an athlete twiddling your thumbs as you anticipate your return to the field, there are many reasons you may want to start working out now. Those returning to campus will experience a largely-subdued Morningside Heights, with far fewer workout options than in pre-pandemic times.
What to expect from a virtual Activities Day
When is Activities Day and how will it be organized? Once again, College Walk and Low Steps will remain empty for Activities Day. Instead of the typical sea of stands and confused first-years holding up maps trying to find their way around, the event will be hosted on LionLink with links to virtual “rooms” to meet each club and its representatives. This semester, to accommodate students living in different time zones, the fair will be held on Jan. 15 from 10 a.m to 12 p.m EST and Jan.
Announcing Spectator’s 145th managing board
We are thrilled to introduce Spectator’s 145th managing board. They have demonstrated their tenacity and unwavering commitment to staff, and we are excited to see them cultivate a stronger community, innovate, and explore new avenues across our content and products. We can’t wait to see where this board takes Spectator, and know it will be an amazing year.
Columbia’s Knight Institute challenges federal social media screening regulations for visa applicants
Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute filed a lawsuit challenging new regulations that require U.S. visa applicants to register their social media handles with the State Department Thursday afternoon. The Knight Institute, established in May 2016 by Columbia and a $60 million endowment from the Knight Foundation, aims to define and defend First Amendment-related issues in the digital media era of the 21st century.
Columbia College student has died
Josh Berenzweig, a member of the Columbia College class of 2020, has died, administrators announced in an email Wednesday morning. Berenzweig, who grew up in Maryland, was on leave of absence from the University during his time of death and residing in Brooklyn. At Columbia, Berenzweig was active in Columbia Hillel and Delta Kappa Alpha Professional Cinema society.
George Yancopoulos, CC ’80, announces $10 million commitment to “beginner’s mind” at annual Hamilton dinner
At a record-breaking Alexander Hamilton Dinner held in Low Library on Thursday, award recipient George Yancopoulos, CC ’80, GSAS ’86, PS ’87, promised in his acceptance speech to commit $10 million to found a “beginner’s mind initiative institute” at Columbia. Prior to his announcement, the dinner had already garnered unprecedented $2.35 million to support the College in the areas of financial aid, scientific research, and the Core Curriculum for its centennial anniversary.
Edward Snowden discusses shortcomings in legal protections against mass surveillance in event at the Forum
Former CIA employee and intelligence contractor Edward Snowden spoke on the relationship between mass surveillance, a global Internet, and eroding democratic rights in lieu of systematic protections at an event hosted by Columbia’s Knight First Amendment Institute on Tuesday evening. Through public programming and education, litigation, and research, the Knight Institute aims to defend freedom of speech and press in the digital age.
Former assistant provost at The New School appointed associate dean of Core Curriculum
Larry Jackson, a former assistant provost at The New School, has been appointed associate dean of academic affairs, Core Curriculum, and undergraduate programs. Starting this year, the position—formerly known as the associate dean of academic affairs and director of the Core Curriculum—will increasingly focus on questions of how the Core is integrated into general academic life.
UN investigator, Khashoggi fiancee condemn international response to journalist’s murder at J-School event
U.N. human rights investigator Agnès Callamard denounced the slow progession toward justice for Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on a panel at the Journalism School on Friday, criticizing a lack of response from both the United Nations and other international forces just days before the first anniversary of the dissident’s murder in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consolate.
NLRB moves to block graduate student unionization, posing major national setback
After years of fighting for union recognition, Columbia graduate students found themselves at the forefront of a landmark case when in 2016, a 3-1 decision by the National Labor Relations Board overturned a decades-long precedent in favor of allowing graduate students at Columbia—and private universities across the nation—to unionize.
With classroom space shortage, Morningside Heights campus forced to expand boundaries
With a growing student body and a stagnant classroom inventory, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has been increasingly compelled to look elsewhere for classroom spaces—including event spaces in Lerner, the Kraft Center, and buildings more than a mile from Morningside Campus.
Columbia ranks in top three U.S. News colleges for second year in a row
Guglielmo Vedovotto / Columbia Daily Spectator Before last year, Columbia had never broken into the top three rankings for U.S. News & World Report. By Karen Xia | September 9, 2019, 9:59 PM Columbia has been ranked the third top national university of 2020, tying with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University for the spot, according to the U.S. News and World Report. Princeton University and Harvard University were ranked first and second, respectively.
Senior administrators celebrate Business School’s Manhattanville campus in beam-signing ceremony
In the shadow of two rising buildings poised to be at the center of the Business School’s new campus, senior administrators celebrated the growth of Manhattanville and the potential it promises for interdisciplinary research. Together, they represent the culmination of a conversation that, according to administrators, has been over two decades in the making. The opening of the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation and the Henry R.
Barnard Public Safety policies lack consistency, clarity, and guidelines on use of physical force, according to extensive external investigation
Barnard Public Safety lacks updated and consistent guidelines for the execution of their duties, enforcement of new policies and existing rules, and interactions with non-college affiliated public, according to the findings of an external investigation into the office.
Barnard begins search for new executive director of Public Safety in wake of extensive external investigation
Barnard College has begun a national search for a new Executive Director of Public Safety as a “first step” in changing how Public Safety operates following an external investigation into the office and its practices, President Beilock announced in an email to students and faculty on Thursday.
Jumaane Williams leads chorus demanding Bill de Blasio fire Officer Daniel Pantaleo over killing of Eric Garner
Protestors led by Eric Garner's daughter, Emerald Snipes, demonstrate outside of NYPD headquarters in Manhattan, New York on July 23, 2019. They are calling for the firing of Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put Garner in a fatal chokehold while arresting him.
‘Memorable’ high heat knocking New Yorkers out of the park, but not for long
People try and stay cool in the fountain in Washington Square Park during the heat wave in Manhattan. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Day 2 of Mother Nature’s steamroller pushed temperatures toward 100 degrees but, if predictions pan out, it marked the end of the hellish heat. It was small comfort to anyone outdoors in the steamy brew Sunday. The mercury hit 98 degrees at 3 p.m. at LaGuardia, the National Weather Service reported. In Central Park it was 94 degrees.
Former DOC captain hopes to overturn conviction in inmate brutality case
Carmine Labruzzo, retired Deputy Chief of the Department, left, and Gerald Vaugn's sister, Sonia Vaughn, third from the left, participate in a rally outside the Bronx Supreme Courthouse for convicted DOC officer Capt. Gerald Vaughn Wednesday, July 17,2019 in the Bronx, New York. (Barry Williams/for New York Daily News) A former Department of Correction captain hopes to overturn his conviction in the case of a Rikers Island inmate who was brutally beaten in jail.
Off-duty NYC correction officer stabbed trying to break up bar fight
Jaheem Smith, 41, had just left Angry Wade’s on Smith St. near Butler St. in Boerum Hill about 3 a.m. Saturday when he saw a barback arguing with a man and a woman. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News) An off-duty city correction officer was stabbed trying to break up a fight at a Brooklyn bar, officials said Tuesday. Jaheem Smith, 41, had just left Angry Wade’s on Smith St. near Butler St. in Boerum Hill about 3 a.m. Saturday when he saw a barback arguing with a man and a woman.
ICE begins mass deportation raids: report
ICE raids targeting scores of undocumented immigrants nationwide promised by President Trump have begun, a senior administration official tells CNN. The round up is supposed to target 2,000 immigrants who have been ordered deported in New York, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans and San Francisco.
The moment he was shot: FBI agent recounts alarm during Brooklyn trial of alleged Crips member
Dramatic bodycam video captures moments after FBI agent was shot in Dec. 2018. FBI Special Agent Christopher Harper said he thought only of his wife and kids after a suspected Crips member’s bullet ripped through his shoulder last year. The agent, taking the stand at his alleged shooter’s trial in Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday, recounted the moment-by-moment horror he experienced on a Canarsie street on Dec.
Two NHL players charged with assault for beating up NYC roomie over 1 OAK bill
Two pro hockey players spent time in the penalty box Sunday when they were charged with beating up their roommate in their West Village apartment building over a bill from nightspot 1 OAK, sources said. Frank “Sonny” Milano, a forward with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Anthony-John “A.J.” Greer, a forward with the Colorado Avalanche, were arrested in the apartment on misdemeanor assault charges for attacking their 28-year-old roommate, police sources said.
Vintage Cadillac finally towed from Brooklyn neighborhood was a local eyesore for years, according to neighbors
The decades-old Cadillac, parked in the same spot for years as its tires went flat and paint peeled from its roof, was towed away by the NYPD last Tuesday after a Windsor Park resident complained. (Karen Xia / New York Daily News) Brooklyn’s long-idled mystery Cadillac finally took its last ride.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
© Esha Ray NEW YORK - Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
NEW YORK - Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
NEW YORK — Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
NEW YORK — Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
NEW YORK — Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Detective Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
NEW YORK — Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Tuesday to salute retired New York Police Department Detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund. Flags dotted the parking lot of Towers Funeral Home in Oceanside, where friends, family, colleagues and admirers, including New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, sang praises for Alvarez.
Mourners line the street to pay tribute to Det. Luis Alvarez, heroic advocate for 9/11 first responders
The American flag is flown over a funeral home in Long Island today for Det. Luis Alvarez's wake. Alvarez became the face of the city's ailing 9/11 first responders before his death last week. (Esha Ray/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) Mourners lined up outside a Long Island funeral home Wednesday to salute retired NYPD detective Luis Alvarez, who died after a heroic battle with 9/11-related cancer and a valiant effort to get first responders a permanent victims compensation fund.
New York Democrats demand mass purge of Trump border agency after ‘vile’ Facebook forum exposed
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and other New York Democrats speak at a press conference in Foley Square in lower Manhattan Tuesday. (Danielle Hyams/New York Daily News/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) House Democrats from New York on Tuesday demanded mass firings of border security officers and criminal prosecutions against their bosses in the wake of a racist social media forum being exposed this week. Speaking at a press conference in lower Manhattan, Reps.
Bullied Bronx teen accused of killing classmate will argue self defense, lawyer says: ‘He had to fight or flight.’
Abel Cedeno leaves his pre trial hearings for the death of Matthew Mccree. At Bronx Criminal Court in Bronx, New York on Thursday June 27, 2019. (Wes Parnell/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) A gay Bronx youth had to fight or flee, his defense lawyer said Thursday at a hearing that set the stage for the start of Abel Cedeno’s manslaughter trial in the stabbing death of a high school classmate.
ISIS sympathizer who broke promise to help government sentenced to 4 years in jail
File photo (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) An ISIS sympathizer who went back on her pledge to help the government fight terrorism, was sentenced Wednesday to four years in jail for assisting the organization find new recruits. Sinmyah Amera Ceasar’s sentence in Brooklyn Federal Court includes 28 months for time served, which means she could be out of jail in less than 20 months if she is able to get a couple of months off for good behavior.
ISIS sympathizer had traumatic childhood: lawyer
Sinmyah Amera Ceasar is awaiting sentencing in Brooklyn Federal Court on charges that she reneged on a plea deal to become a cooperating witness. (Kuzma/Getty Images/iStockphoto) An ISIS supporter who went back on her word to help the government was attracted to the terrorism group after a traumatic childhood and lack of a support system, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Cooperating witness was cooperating with ISIS: prosecutors
FILE - Ceasar was arrested in 2016, and pleaded guilty a year later to obstruction of government proceeding for providing material support to ISIS, prosecutors said in court. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) A New Jersey woman who agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors after confessing to being an ISIS recruiter went behind their backs to continue helping the terrorist organization, authorities said Monday.
Dog walker murdered after 18th anniversary celebration remembered as a kind, generous, big teddy bear
New York Daily News | Jun 21, 2019 | 3:44 PM A woman says goodbye to Winston McKay as his casket is moved from the Unity Funeral Chapel in Harlem Friday, June 20, 2019 in Manhattan, New York. McKay was killed by a stray bullet early June 20th at the corner of Amsterdam Ave. and W.
Mother of NYC high school student burned by chemistry class fireball says he looked ‘like a monster’
Alonzo Yanes suffered burn injuries during a chemistry class in 2014. (James Keivom/New York Daily News) The mother of a high school student badly burned by a chemistry class demonstration wept in court Tuesday as she struggled to describe gruesome injuries that made him look like “an alien,” “Frankenstein,” and “a monster.” Yvonne Yanes, 51, sobbed recalling the January 2014 fireball caused by a careless teacher that engulfed her son Alonzo.
Transgender tenant awarded $25,000 for humiliating rejection of apartment anywhere near ‘people and children’
Giana Desir was awarded $25,000 in a ruling from administration law judge John Spooner (Karen Xia) A transgender woman humiliated and denied an apartment rental in Brooklyn anywhere near “people and children” was awarded $25,000 in her years-long battle against a landlord and realty company.
Ex-con who strangled girlfriend with scarf, and broke pregnant ex's jaw gets 20 years in prison
© iStockphoto/Getty Images Courtroom gavel A drug-addicted ex-con who strangled his girlfriend to death with a scarf in the East Village and broke his pregnant ex-girlfriend’s jaw will serve 20 years behind bars as part of a plea deal. Henry Pacheco, 38, was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in Manhattan Supreme Court for the Jan. 4, 2017, murder of 27-year-old Brooke Garcia, and the brutal assault of a 38-year-old woman days earlier.
Parolee accused of shoving Mexican immigrant onto subway tracks claims self defense, says he was targeted for MAGA hat
Willie Ames is seen at a pre-trial hearing in State Supreme Court on June 12, 2019 in New York. (Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News) A parolee accused of shoving a Mexican immigrant onto the Union Square subway tracks told a court on Wednesday that he had to defend himself after being targeted for wearing a MAGA hat, but never pushed anyone onto the track bed.
Ex-con who strangled girlfriend with scarf, and broke pregnant ex’s jaw gets 20 years in prison
Henry Pacheco is seen in State Supreme Court on June 12, 2019 in New York. (Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News) A drug-addicted ex-con who strangled his girlfriend to death with a scarf in the East Village and broke his pregnant ex-girlfriend’s jaw will serve 20 years behind bars as part of a plea deal. Henry Pacheco, 38, was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in Manhattan Supreme Court for the Jan.
Video shows shooter suspected of killing Harlem man as he was walking his dog
The NYPD is seeking information identifying a homicide suspect who shot a gun and killed a man in Harlem. Disturbing video of a shooting that killed a Harlem man who was walking his dog after an anniversary party shows a callous gunman lifting a rifle and squeezing off a single shot before running away. Winston McKay, 40, was cut down by a shot that was clearly meant for someone else as he took an early morning walk with his dog at Amsterdam Ave. and W. 146th St., just four blocks from his home.
Harlem couple’s anniversary party ends in anguish when one of the men takes dog for walk and is killed by stray bullet
By Karen Xia and Barry Paddock New York Daily News | Jun 11, 2019 | 11:00 PM Winston McKay was killed by a stray bullet while walking his dog, Milton. (Obtained by New York Daily News) A Harlem couple celebrating their anniversary went from happiness to heartbreak in a matter of seconds — the time it took for a stray bullet to kill one of the men as he walked their dog.
Officials urge passage of 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund extension: ‘Time for America to respond to the call’
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney joined other members of Congress and the United Firefighters Association to push a bipartisan effort to guarantee an extension of the Victim Compensation Fund until 2090. (Karen Xia/New York Daily News) Their heroism on 9/11 should not be forgotten. More than a half-dozen Capitol Hill lawmakers, including New York’s Democratic Reps.
Worker behind kidnapping plot that resulted in death of Brooklyn landlord sentenced to 24 years
Erskine Felix appears in Brooklyn Superior Court Wednesday, December 21, 2016 in connection with the murder of Menachem Stark. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News) The mastermind behind the kidnapping of a Brooklyn landlord was sentenced Thursday to 24 years in prison for the botched scheme that quickly went south after the victim died. Erskine Felix, 40, was convicted in April of murder, kidnapping and tampering with physical evidence in the death of Menachem Stark five years ago.
General Studies junior has died
Courtesy of / LinkedIn Prior to his time at GS, McLeod, who went by Bert, served in the U.S. Navy for almost five years. By Karen Xia | May 16, 2019, 1:38 PM Eubert McLeod, a junior at the School of General Studies and a navy veteran, has died, GS Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch announced in an email to students on Thursday. Prior to his time at GS, McLeod, who went by Bert, served in the U.S. Navy for almost five years, and completed his service as a Second Class Petty Officer on the USS Mobile Bay.
Hillary Clinton says 2016 Russian interference was “no different than Watergate” in interview with Bollinger
Hillary Clinton condemned Russian interference in global democracy during a wide-ranging interview with University President Lee Bollinger on Monday in which she urged young people to “stay awake” during the “dark and anti-progress, anti-rights” movement of the Trump administration. Clinton and Bollinger spoke in front of over 400 students at the Forum, the third open building on Columbia’s Manhattanville campus—a 14-year and 6 billion dollar effort to secure new space for the University.
Ninety-seven Columbia College seniors inducted into Phi Beta Kappa
Ninety-seven Columbia College seniors have been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, in addition to the 24 students initiated last semester, the college announced Monday. Founded in 1776, the honor society inducts 10 percent of an undergraduate college’s graduating class based on academic performance and faculty recommendations. 8 percent are nominated in the spring, while 2 percent are nominated in the fall.
Black Columbia student physically restrained on countertop by Barnard Public Safety requesting to see CUID
Content warning: This piece includes graphic description and a video of a physical encounter between Public Safety officers and a student. Editor’s note: Alexander McNab is a staff writer for the Eye, Spectator’s long-form magazine. He has no personal connection to the writers of this piece. Barnard Public Safety officers pinned Alexander McNab, CC ’19, against a counter after he declined to show his Columbia ID inside the Milstein Center for Teaching and Learning on Thursday night.
Up against the invincible: A professor was convicted of sexual misconduct. Why is he still on campus?
2019-04-11T14:04:41.398Z Written by Karen Xia and Khadija Hussain Photos by Natalie Guerra and Rya Inman Women speak up. A tenured professor is accused of sexual misconduct. Who does the University protect? As professors field increasing public criticism for allegations of sexual misconduct, many demand fundamental shifts within the culture of academia.
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