The November elections are upon us. How are clubs on campus preparing, and are students going to vote? ... The Oil Spill that plagues the Gulf of Mexico has not faded from our minds. How Columbia is lending a helping hand. ... Engineers look for jobs and summer internships as hundreds of employers fill Lerner Hall. ... And coverage of Queer Awareness Month continues.

Columbians prepare for the November Elections

Columbia remains a hub for politically active young minds as the midterm elections approach, but an undercurrent of apathy persists on campus. CTV News asked students if they are going to vote in the November elections.

“I am not going to vote in the elections. I know it's really bad but I'm really lazy.”

“I mean, I definitely don't know enough about the candidates.”

“I might do an absentee ballot, perhaps.” “Oh you only have seven days to do that, there are fourteen days until election.” “Really?”

Some of the most respected figures in political media gathered inside Columbia's Journalism School on Tuesday to address issues concerning the nation's political landscape.

Ben Smith, a journalist for Politico, noted that “these are the midterms and a lot of people who supported Obama, particularly young voters, aren't expected to show up again. Really I think they don't care or aren't invested in the local politics of wherever they happen to be living, and they see congressional elections in this sort of hazy category of local politics and these elections that happen in off-years. But they really aren't paying attention.”

The Columbia Democrats would argue that the student populace is very much involved.

“This year we’ve had almost fifty students come to almost every single body meeting,” claims a lead activist for the CU Democrats, Sean Quirk.

Another lead activist, Helen Killian, believes that “because our numbers are very similar to what they were in 2008 people care about the issues, and they understand that in order to get policy passed about the issues they care about, they have to elect politicians.”

The Columbia Democrats are doing their part to spread the word. They will canvass in Pennsylvania this year for incumbent 8th district congressman Patrick Murphy and senatorial candidate Joe Sestak.

As Sean Quirk states, “the Dems as a group strongly supports the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and Patrick Murphy has been at the forefront of the campaign to repeal don't ask don't tell.” Another lead activist for the CU Dems, Michael Rady expands on this point: “He's a young person, he is an Iraq war, the first Iraq war veteran in Congress, he introduced the amendment to appeal 'don't ask don't tell', he also voted for the Healthcare and education reconciliation act.”

The CU Dems, along with the Columbia Political Union and College Republicans, have formed the voter registration coalition to get students signed up to vote.

“So far we've registered over 850 new voters - 850 students at Columbia,” boasts Sean.

Many Columbians will spend the days leading up to the election at the Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rallies in Washington D.C., an affront to the radical fear-mongering displayed by Glenn Beck and others.

“It's just to reestablish a mainstream that's not in the news right now.”

“Through their shows, that is the only way we've gotten young people to think about politics.”

Still, the CU Dems would like activists to take a more serious approach.

Sean Quirk realizes that “the rally is good in that it can help energize the base, but as an event that is organized on Election Day it kind of conflicts with what people should be doing, democratic activists at least should be doing, they should be knocking on doors and they should be phone banking. They should be helping the Democratic candidates running for the house and senate. We're going to have incredibly close elections.”

The POTUS Project

President Barrack Obama has given commencement speeches at the University of Michigan, Hampton University, and West Point during his presidency. Columbia's Class of 2011 wishes to add one more school to that list. A grassroots campaign by the Senior Class Council - codename the POTUS Project - is trying to convince President Obama to speak at Columbia’s Commencement on May 18, 2011.

Through student letters, community service events, social media campaigns and a projected student rally in Washington D.C., the class council hopes the sitting president will accept this invitation.

For more information, go to potusproject.wordpress.com. We'll keep a close eye on this story as it develops.

Lucha tackles immigration policy

Walls usually symbolize division and politics is full of walls, but on Monday, a wall appeared on the steps of Low Library that united the community. Columbia club "Lucha" set up the wall to represent the border conflict between Mexico and the United States, and throughout the day people approached and wrote directly on the wall to express their feelings for current immigration policy. The day was capped with a vigil for those who have lost their lives or been deeply affected by immigration and crossing the border. The Columbia community keeps these tragedies in our hearts.

Research on Gulf Oil Spill Continues

The Gulf of Mexico saw one of its most severe oil leaks this past year. Oil poured from breaks in pipelines on the sea floor over the course of three months. While estimates came out from BP and the Federal Government, the media and independent sources doubted the reported numbers.

“In the very early days of the spill, say, about the first week or so, the official estimates for the flow rates were a thousand barrels a day. A thousand barrels is a lot of oil, but perhaps the urgency or the importance of this particular spill was not fully appreciated,” argues Dr. Tim Crone, a Lamont Assistant Research Professor.

Columbia’s response to this issue, including Dr. Crone’s work this summer, not only shed light on a critical national issue, but also demonstrated the influence and value of the collective academic community at Columbia.

“I think it was really clear to the Columbia community as a whole that we needed to do whatever we needed to do in order to help understand this particular accident,” states Dr. Crone.

While the hole is patched up and the oil has stopped leaking into the ocean, work on the issue has just begun. Studies and cleanup will continue in order to aid everyone, and everything, in the Gulf's ecological community on its way to recovery.

“I hope that the ecosystem and the economic system of the Gulf can recover as fast as possible. In some regards, it looks like it’s doing quite a good job, but I think the jury’s still out on exactly what the effects are going to be.”

With the flow of oil stopped, the Gulf is on the path to recovery. Through future studies at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, we will continue to learn more about this and other issues in the natural world.

Professor receives water research grant

The Water Environment Research Foundation presented its 10th Annual Paul L. Busch Award to Columbia University’s Kartik Chandran. The award includes a $100,000 research grant that will aid Chandran and his team as they attempt to develop a new treatment technology that transforms plant-generated methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the green fuel, methanol. Dr. Chandran was selected for his research efforts to create an innovative technology that could make affordable resource recovery a reality for plants of all sizes.

Engineers crowd in Lerner to seek jobs

The Center for Career Education held its annual Engineering Consortium Career Fair on October 15th. Hundreds of students lined the ramps of Lerner on Friday morning waiting for entrance into Roone Arledge Auditorium. Although graduation and summer are months away, students want a head start in their job search in what they know is a competitive market.

“I'm looking for an internship,” one student noted.

Another student specified that they are “looking to find entry level positions in various chemical engineering companies.”

With jobs scarce in this economy, students are nervous about finding a position that fits their needs. However, the Columbia University Career Fair provides a unique opportunity to meet with potential employers face to face, learn more about the companies and network with other engineers.

Gratification for the event is evident. As one student noted, “yeah it'll definitely help. I think internships are very helpful for getting jobs and having a career fair on campus is a good way to connect with employers and get opportunities for interviews and stuff.”

With high profile companies such as Google and NASA as part of the 100-employer fleet at the fair, attendees included students from every Columbia University school and even some affiliate schools such as Yale and Cornell. The fair, hosting hundreds of students during its six hour run, is one of CCE's most popular events, fulfilling its promise to help students in the job market.

One satisfied student exclaimed that “the career fair is perfect. I'm glad we're having this fair as well. It's definitely helping me with the job search process; it’s definitely helpful. Thank you, Columbia.”

Engineering faculty share their inspirations

Ever wonder if engineers read poetry? Or what children’s book might have influenced your computer science professor? An exhibit currently in the Low Rotunda highlights the literature most influential to some Columbia Engineering's faculty. The exhibit is accompanied by comments discussing how these books have shaped their lives and careers. e on view now in Low Rotunda through Monday, October 18.

Potterpalooza

Saturday night, students got their wands and broomsticks ready for a Harry Potter themed concert, Potterpalooza. Sponsored by the Class of 2013 and Bacchanal, the event allowed students to gather for a night of celebrating the Boy Who Lived. Tony Gong opened the stage for the main attraction of the night: Harry and the Potters, one of many famous wizard bands. The night included Harry Potter themed food, activities and even a costume contest where students can get their fix of Harry Potter fandom before the premiere of the next movie coming this winter.

QuAM Event: "Where is the 'T' in Media"

The Columbia Queer Alliance host the “Where is the ‘T’ in Media” panel discussion last Wednesday to raise awareness about important transgender issues.

“Every month is an awareness month for something, and October is Queer Awareness Month,” Columbia Queer Alliance Vice President Claire Duvallet said. “It’s very important to get the message out in a forceful way.”

Ashley Love, an organizer for Media Advocates Giving National Equality to Transsexual and Transgender Community (MAGNET), offered some tips on how you can spread LGBT equality.

“What you can do as a college student to help the transsexual, transgender, and intersex communities is [you can inspire] more LGBT unity in your classroom,” Love said. “If you hear your professor or teacher refer to a trans person as gay, you can remind them that gender identity, birth challenges, and sexual orientation are not the same thing. You can also educate yourself; you can read Transgender Warriors, you can read The Whipping Girl. You can just be a friend to everyone.”

Information about future Queer Awareness Month events can be found on the Columbia Queer Alliance website.

Sports Roundup

In sports this week, Columbia women's soccer moved into first place in the Ivy League after beating Princeton. Junior Nora Dooley scored her first and secon