Black Heritage Month kicks off

Each month at Columbia, we celebrate a different piece of our diverse student body through Heritage and Awareness Months. This month, we celebrate Black Heritage Month. CTV News sat down with Mark Browning, the Culture Show Coordinator for the BHM Culture Showcase, to learn more about Black Heritage.

"Black Heritage Month is really more about how people of African descent, like across the globe; what their contributions are. Like, what contributions have they made to society," explained Browning.

This year’s Black Heritage Month will culminate in a Fashion and Culture show, which celebrates the past in order to understand and appreciate the present of black heritage.

"It’s not just going to be like a showcase of performances," Browning continued. "We are actually going to have a story that goes along with the theme of this month, which is Molding our Identities."

CTV News will continue to give you updates throughout the month as we continue to celebrate our diversity here at Columbia.

Barnard to form meal plan working group

A working group of 12 students will examine meal plan options at Barnard, according to an e-mail sent to the students body on Thursday. The group will meet with Dean Denburg and Vice President Brown three times in the next month. Administrators hope to have a finalized plan in time for room selection.

Six students on the panel will be elected representatives, and the others will be at-large members. The group will be made up of equal numbers of first-years, sophomores and juniors.

This announcement comes after many students protested the new mandatory meal plan. Nearly 650 students joined a Facebook group protesting the scheme, and last week, students grilled Barnard's president on the proposed changes.

Students frolic in the snow

On Wednesday, Columbians hoping for the day off got what they wanted...almost. Schools up and down the east coast canceled class in advance of what some newscasters dubbed "snowmageddon". Forecasts called for 10 to 18 inches of snow in New York, with the storm becoming more intense later in the day.

New York City's public schools were closed on Wednesday, as were Teachers' College and JTS. James McShane, head of Public Safety e-mailed the entire Columbia community early in the afternoon to announce that all classes and activities after 3pm were canceled.

Students took the half day and celebrated by building snowmen, sculptures and even igloos on the lawns. Snowball fights and football games distracted students from their work. Members of the skiing club were even observed trying to ski down Low Steps.

The last time Columbia canceled classes due to snow was in 2003.

Package Center delivers, reconsiders efficacy

The start of the semester resulted in an influx of package deliveries, frustrating students with long lines at the Lerner Package Center. Miguel Pagan, Executive Director of Print, Mail, and Transportation Services discusses the delays and addresses students' concerns.

"The average daily package receipt comes out to about 440 packages per day. But for January, it turned out to be 613. So there was about a 38% increase in daily package activity that in essence created the lines," Pagan analyzed.

Unlike in past semesters, package service is no longer available on Saturdays.

"We did look at the service on Saturday was probably the least utilized day so Saturday was canceled from the schedule and there was a reduction in hours during the week as well. Obviously the effect of that is that you are pushing what productivity occurs on Saturday into the remaining five days, Monday through Friday," Pagan said.

Students complained that they receive a delivery notice from the package carrier before being notified by Mail Services.

"One of the solutions that we've already put in place, before I was asked for the interview, was taking the abilities of the staff and just improving them. Also we had, in essence, not a shortage of PC's - they got us by before - but by adding two we'll be able to get the intake in quicker in terms of registering the packages and getting the emails to the students. In a normal day, we should be generating the email within 24 hours advising of the pick up time, but obviously we're here today because that is not happening," Pagan commented.

For students wishing to avoid the lines at the center, Pagan offers this advice.

"We we saw is that during the morning times, around nine to eleven, are the least utilized times so if possible, that would be ideal for student to pick up their packages at that point," Pagan suggested.

Though package notifications take longer than before, Pagan wants students to continue using mail services.

"I want the system to work the way it should. And you know, I order online myself so I know the benefits of being at your desk comfortably or at home and ordering something and getting it. So I would hate to be a proponent of taking away that comfort and that service," Pagan said.

Due to budget constraints, Pagan seeks to improve service by adding technology in favor of expanding staff or locations, such as the Carman Package Center. However, Mail Service officials are still evaluating additional changes, so students will have to cope with package center lines a little bit longer.

Package center officials urge students to wait for formal notification from the package center before waiting in the pick up line or filing a lost package claim. But if you have lost a package or have any questions for mail services, students can email Lerner Hall Mail Services. CTV News will bring you more updates about the Package Center as they become available.

President Clinton released from CUMC hospital

Former president Bill Clinton was released from New York Presbyterian hospital at the Columbia Medical Center on Friday morning. Clinton underwent a procedure to insert two stents to open a blocked artery. He was awake during the entire procedure. The 63-year-old former president said he felt a tingling in his chest about four days before being admitted. Clinton underwent a quadruple bypass at the same hospital in 2004.

Clinton has been heavily involved with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, and aides say he has kept up a busy schedule. Clinton's cardiologist says the former president may return to work on Monday.

Alabama University shooting leaves 3 dead

A shooting at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, left 3 people dead and 3 injured on Friday.

The incident occurred shortly before 4pm. Residence halls were locked down 10 minutes later, and a campus alert was issued around 4:45.

Police took Amy Anderson into custody as she left the building where the shooting occurred. The Harvard-educated professor had worked at the university since 2003 and was up for tenure.

Police charged Anderson with capital murder; if convicted, she could face the death penalty.

According to University President David Williams, the university will be open this week, although there will be no classes.

Seniors on the job hunt

For most members of the class of 2010, this May marks graduation and end to classes. For others, May is just another reminder to find a job or risk joining the unemployment line. But are students using resources such as the Center for Career Education (CCE) to find employment?

"I haven't even made use of it."

"I really haven't tapped into that. I've done the little resume and some counseling with them but for the most part I've been looking for a job through some other networks."

"I used them to find an internship last summer."

"A lot of the interviews I've had are through CCE."

If students aren't using Columbia-based resources to find employment, how are they finding jobs?

"I have a couple of seminar classes now where we have a lot of guest speakers so I talk to them a lot after class about possible jobs."

"All of my jobs have been through people I've known and the relationships I've developed at Columbia. But I've steered away from the system itself, the CCE system of acquiring a job."

"CCE has alot of finance jobs - like a lot of JPMorgan, Chase, and Goldman Sachs, they recruit there. But for engineers, it's not as pervasive."

While some seniors continue the job search, others look forward to graduate school or one last summer before entering the workforce.

Greenaway confirmed to Third Circuit

The US Senate confirmed Joseph Greenaway to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals this week. Greenaway is an adjunct professor in the English and Comparative Literature department, and teaches a seminar on the Supreme Court. He has received the Medal of Excellence as well as the John Jay award from Columbia.

Greenaway was born in London and grew up in Harlem and the Bronx. After graduating from Columbia College, he attended Harvard Law. Most recently, he served for over 12 years as a U.S. District Court Judge in New Jersey.

President Obama nominated Greenaway to the Third Circuit in June of last year. The seat was previously held by Supreme Court justice Sam Alito. The senate confirmed Greenaway unanimously.

Sports Roundup

The track and field teams can't stop breaking records. The teams broke seven records this weekend in two events.

Sophomore Uzunma Udeh broke her own record in the triple jump, landing 12.27m on her first jump of the day.

Sophomore Kyra Caldwell broke two school records in her events: the 60m hurdles, and the the 200m dash.

First-year Dora Vegvari has already broken the indoor long jump record three times this season. On Saturday, Vegvari she made it four, as she hit 5.96m, taking second in the event, and marking a new personal record.

Up next for the Lions is the biggest meet of the winter season, the 2010 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, which will take place at Dartmouth in two weeks.

In their last home meet, the men's swim team beat Dartmouth's Big Green 156 to 144, while the womens' team scored 176 to Dartmouth's 119. Both teams honored their departing athletes as part of their Senior Day festivities.

Lions seek Valentine fun

Today is Valentine's Day, and for us at CTV News, that means another day of putting together a show. But what do Columbia students think about the annual day of love?

"A day to celebrate love with the people you love."

"I have a conspiracy theory about Valentine's Day."

"Honestly, it doesn't mean anything to me at all."

"I never really considered [Valentine's Day] a real holiday that much. But I still think it is a fun opportunity if you have someone in your life to make it a special day."

"I'm actually going out to dinner with a good friend of mine whose boyfriend is out of town so we're going to be each other's Valentine's dates."

"I live in a special-interest community so there are thirteen of us, and we're handing out candy grams and telling each other how much we love each other."

"I think I'm going to have dinner with my grandmother because I haven't seen her in awhile."

"I'm actually going out with my girlfriend tonight to dinner and tomorrow I might be attending the BSO semi-formal."

From all of us at CTV, we wish you a happy Valentine's Day.