The Daily Plan-it / Dean of Students Blog, Columbia J-school

The American Language Program (ALP) offers part-time courses to broaden and improve your mastery of spoken and written English, at intermediate and advanced levels of proficiency.

Our 3-point and 6-point programs help students to develop grammatical accuracy, pronunciation skills, fluency, listening and reading comprehension, and writing ability. We also offer special fluency and pronunciation classes that meet two hours per week (enrollment is limited).

Before registering for part-time courses, new students must apply online by December 24, 2009.

View the Spring 2010 schedule online.

Advising
For guidance on course offerings and registration, please attend one of the below advising sessions. No appointment necessary.

• January 13, 2010, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 208 Lewisohn Hall, Columbia campus
• January 14, 2010, 12:00-6:00 p.m., 208 Lewisohn Hall, Columbia campus

For more information about our part-time and intensive English courses, please click here.

NEW STUDENTS

New students taking only ALP English classes and new students enrolled in Columbia degree programs who want to add an ALP class must:

1. Apply online
The application fee will be waived for students currently registered at Columbia University.

2. Take the English Placement Test online by January 8, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
This test is for placement purposes only and does not signify certification or completion of any English learning level. This is not necessary if you have already taken ALP ECT – English Certification Test.

Tuition exemption may cover the cost of these courses for Columbia University employees, but students are responsible for any fees. Please contact your departmental administrator or the benefits office to inquire about tuition exemption.

CONTINUING STUDENTS

Continuing ALP students should register by contacting in the ALP office at alp@columbia.edu by December 24, 2009. In your email, please include your full name, your UNI, and the course.

For other inquiries, please contact:

American Language Program
Columbia University
School of Continuing Education
203 Lewisohn Hall
212-854-3584
alp@columbia.edu

Greetings colleagues:

Alice! is currently recruiting students to be a part of our team with a stress and coping intercept interview process.  Please share the information below with students that may be interested.

In health,
Michael

Qualitative Research Opportunity - Alice! Health Promotion Program

What:  Be a part of a team of qualitative researchers investigating how students cope with stress at Columbia. 

When:  Fall 2009

Details:  You will be trained to conduct brief intercept interviews on the Morningside campus.  Intercept interviews will take place weekdays.

Time commitment:  1 hour of training & a minimum of 5 hours of interviewing students.

Compensation:  $50.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Card

This is a great opportunity to build your research skills.

Email Susan Hochman sh2537@columbia.edu  for more information and/or to apply.

Move with Alice!

Why wait until January?  You can resolve now to be active through finals, the holidays, and into 2010.  Being active can give you the momentum you need to power through the rest of the semester and coast into winter break. If you need a boost to get started, consider joining CU Move.  As a reward for your effort, you can earn shirts, water bottles, music gift cards, and more. Beyond these great incentives and countless health benefits, physical activity can help you improve concentration, increase energy levels, and relieve stress.    

CU Move is an exercise motivation and tracking program that offers the University community an opportunity to learn about, design, and record personal fitness activities using an online, interactive tool. Participants set individual exercise goals and record progress on their personalized exercise journal. CU Move is free and open to all Columbia students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Progress is measured according to the number of minutes a user spends exercising. The goal is to spend at least 100 minutes per week doing physical activity.

Helpful Resources
CU Move
Alice! Health Promotion Program
Health Services at Columbia
Dodge Fitness Center

Related Q&As from Go Ask Alice!

Exercise motivation… for stress reduction
No time for working out
Fitting exercise into a busy schedule
Exercise for people with physical disabilities
Health benefits of yoga

Wishing you a strong finish to a successful semester.
Alice! Health Promotion Program
108 Wien Hall
alice@columbia.edu

__________________________________
Michael P. McNeil, MS, CHES, FACHA
Interim Director, Alice! Health Promotion
Health Services at Columbia

212-854-5453
mm3117@columbia.edu

Downstate NY Coordinator, The BACCHUS Network
Ask me about affiliating! 

Alternate IATF Liaison, ACHA

Audio from Spring Class Preview, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009:
http://qtstreaming.jrn.columbia.edu/lectures/2009/springpreview1113.mov

Ballots go live at 8 p.m on Friday, November 13 are now live!!!! See link below.

Welcome to the Spring Ballots for M.S., and Knight Bagehot Students

Please carefully follow the instructions below.

1. First, please read the Spring Curriculum thoroughly. Some information has been added and some changed since the document became available.
2. You may read students’ evaluations of many of the classes and professors at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/journalism/evaluations/. You will have to log in using your UNI and password.
3. Please select from the list below the ballot option that best describes your status.
4. To complete the ballot you will need your Columbia e-mail address and PID (If you have lost your PID, please refer to http://deanstudents.blogsome.com/2005/11/14/faq-how-do-i-find-my-pid/)
5. The ballots are NOT handled on a first-come, first-served basis. As long as you make the deadline (Tuesday, November 17, 8 a.m.) you have equal standing with all other students.
6. If your ballot is received after the deadline, you will be placed in classes on a space available basis.
7. If you made a mistake or changed your mind, please resubmit your ballot. Your most recently-submitted ballot as of the deadline (Tuesday, November 17, 8 a.m.) will be the one processed.
8. If you experience any problems using the ballot, please send e-mail to dos@jrn.columbia.edu
9. Please note we cannot promise students they will gain a seat in any specific class.
10. Students continuing with the Master’s Project will be automatically registered for it.
11. Students may only take one class that meets on Monday/Tuesday and one that meets on Thursday/Friday. This means that if your seminar is on a Monday, your workshop has to be on a Thursday/Friday. Or if your workshop is on a Thursday or Friday, your seminar has to be on a Monday or Tuesday.

Please answer all questions carefully.
Spring 2010 M.S. Ballot

Dear Students (M.A. & M.S.)

The Columbia Business School plans to post their list of Spring 2010 Business School courses available for cross-registration on December 10.

The B-School web-based cross-registration system will allow you to see what’s available and to enter your cross-registration requests online, beginning December 11 at 10:00 am. The deadline for students to submit their requests is midnight, January 8. The B-School will then look at all the requests from all the schools, and let the J-School DOS office know how many seats we can have for our students in each course by January 14. We will then notify you if you will be able to have a spot in your class of interest.

It is very important that M.S. students ballot for Journalism School electives of genuine interest to guard against the possibility that you aren’t able to get into a Business School course. Please note that priority is given to M.A. Business discipline students for cross-registration spots.

Business School courses begin on Wednesday, January 20.

SPRING SEMESTER PREP (updated several times a week)

Spring 2010 Curriculum is now live at http://bit.ly/columbiajspring2010

Here’s the schedule for Spring Semester Prep - events and dates to help you prepare for the Spring Semester. All the information will be available electronically, but you are encouraged to attend any events/briefing sessions you can. Please note we are offering events on a variety of dates and times. All this is subject to change, so please check back often.

Deans Sreenivasan and Huff will be available throughout October and November to discuss your options and help you plan for the Spring, as are your RWI professors, who serve as your advisers the rest of your time here.

PLEASE NOTE: Most of this is aimed at M.S. students, but others are welcome to attend. The M.A. and Ph.D. curricula are more standardized and similar to the Fall ones, thus requiring little prep.

• We expect to have the Spring 2010 M.S. curriculum available on Friday, November 6. Until then, you may refer to this link to get a sense of what we will likely be offering: Spring 2009 M.S. Curriculum
• If you want to check out evaluations of past spring classes, go to https://www1.columbia.edu/sec/cu/journalism/evaluations/index.html

All dates can be imported into your Google calendar via bit.ly/columbiajschool

• Tues, October 20, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Spring prep meeting with the Deans: focus on Spring Semester questions and dealing with Fall RWI mid-semester and final evaluations.
• Monday, October 26, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Spring prep meeting with the Deans: focus on Spring Semester questions and dealing with Fall RWI mid-semester and final evaluations.
• Tuesday, October 27, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: Spring prep meeting with the Deans: focus on Spring Semester questions and dealing with Fall RWI mid-semester and final evaluations.
• Wednesday, October 28, 8:15 a.m., Stabile Student Center:BOOK WRITING SEMINAR - Preview & Application Instruction session with Prof. Sam Freedman. .
• Wednesday, October 28, 5:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: CITY NEWSROOM - Preview session with Prof. Michael Shapiro
• Thursday, October 29, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center: COVERING RELIGION SEMINAR- Preview & Application Instruction session with Prof. Ari Goldman and Dean Melanie Huff.
• Monday, November 2, 5 p.m.: Applications due for Covering Religion; Personal & Professional Style
• Tueaday, November 3, 5:00 p.m.: INTERNATIONAL NEWSROOM SEMINAR- Preview session with Prof. Ann Cooper
• Tueaday, November 3, 5:30 p.m.: RADIO WORKSHOP - Preview session with Prof. John Dinges
• Thursday, November 5, 6-7 p.m., Stabile Student Center: CONSUMER JOURNALISM information session.
• Friday, November 6: Spring 2010 M.S. curriculum announced
• Friday, November 6, 5 p.m.: Applications due for Investigative Project (non Stabile)
• Monday, November 9, 8:45-10 a.m., Stabile Student Center: Breakfast with the Deans - Please join Dean Lemann and other deans for an informal opportunity to share your thoughts about the school, the Fall and Spring curricula (MA, MS, PhD) and anything else on your mind. Get some coffee or breakfast at Brad’s and join us.
• Monday, November 9, 12:15- 1 p.m., Stabile Student Center: MAGAZINE WRITING B information session with Prof. Stephen Fried
• Friday, November 13: Students notified of application results for Book Writing; Covering Religion; Personal & Professional Style; Investigative Project
• Friday, November 13, 4:00-7:30 p.m., Lecture Hall: Spring Preview Session - an evening when professors who teach Spring seminars, workshops and new electives are invited to present three-minute previews of their classes. Typically, most professors present and all M.S. students gather for this session. M.A. students interested in taking one of their two electives at the Journalism School are also welcome to attend to hear about the new electives. (M.A. students seek to add these courses via Add/Drop in January). Please note that only a handful of classes have individual briefing sessions (as listed above), so it is critical that you attend this large gathering.
• Friday, November 13, 8 p.m..: Spring Ballots go live; close Monday, November 16, noon You can submit ballots any time during that period - NOT first come, first served.
• Tuesday, November 17, 8 a.m..: Spring Ballots close.
• [ And don’t forget Lucille’s Ball, the annual J-School Holiday Party & Faculty Roast - in mid-December, date TBA - you absolutely have to be there!]
• Late December: Students will be registered for their Spring courses.
• December 20-Jan. 19: Winter Break; work on Master’s Projects for M.S. students (first draft due Tuesday, Jan. 19)
• January 8-January 29: Add/Drop period
• Wednesday, Jan. 20, 9:30-noon: ALL-CLASS EVENT: “Surviving & Thriving in the Spring Semester: Making the Best Use of Your Remaining Months at Columbia” - Mandatory for FULL-TIME M.S. students; others welcome. Presented by DOS Office and Career Services.
• Tuesday, January 19: M.A., and other University classes begin
• Thursday & Friday, Jan. 21 & 22: M.S. Workshops/Seminars begin

Also see:

FAQ: How do I switch concentrations?
FAQ: How do I take an outside elective?

TIP: In the Spring semester at J-School, I wish I had… (alumni tips)

Deans Sreenivasan and Huff are available throughout November to discuss your options and help you plan for the Spring, as are your RWI professors, who serve as your advisers the rest of your time here.


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Please join photographers Rebecca Norris Webb (J-school ’89) and Alex Webb (Magnum Photos) Thursday, November 5th, to celebrate the book launch /exhibition opening of Violet Isle: A Duet of Photographs from Cuba at Ricco Maresca Gallery, 529 W. 20th, 3rd floor, NYC (between 10th and 11th Avenues), from 6-8pm. There will also be a more casual gallery talk/book signing on Saturday, Nov. 7th, from 4-6pm at the gallery, which will include a Q&A with Alex and Rebecca.

For more details about the event:
http://events.magnumphotos.com/exhibition/violet-isle-portrait-cuba
For a selection of photographs from the book: http://www.webbnorriswebb.com/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=0&p=0&a=1&at=2
For a discussion about Violet Isle on the Webb’s blog, “Two Looks”:
http://webbnorriswebb.wordpress.com/
For more about the book, Violet Isle:
http://radiusbooks.org/

Personal & Professional Style
Judith Crist

This class is a six-point seminar open to Master of Science students.

The nature and demands of this course make it necessary to limit the class size.

It is offered to students who have mastered the basic mechanics and techniques of journalistic prose and are interested in developing and refining a personal literary style within a journalistic framework, appropriate to editorials, columns and reviews.

The emphasis is on form, structure and semantics for effective and original approaches to specialized writing in areas too long cliché-ridden. There are basic assignments and free-choice exercises, with concentration on self- and intra-group criticism. Not for the faint of heart.

Prospective students must complete the application (link below).

The forms asks for one sample of your best writing and a short a statement (no more than 350 words) of your interest in the course. The deadline to apply is Monday, November 2, 5 p.m.

http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/PPStyle

Investigative Project (non-Stabile)
Walt Bogdanich

This six-point seminar open to Master of Science students is taught by professor Walt Bogdanich (bio - http://snurl.com/bogdanich ), Pulitzer-Prize winning assistant editor for The New York Times Investigations Desk.

The mission, methods and history of investigative reporting, as seen in part through a semester-long project examining a single subject. The goal will be to break news exploring the underside of an overarching state or municipal issue and to expose in engaging detail “the effort required,” as Lincoln Steffens put it, “to make the world go wrong.” The class will include a mix of investigative lecturers–from reporters to law enforcement agents to private investigators–as well as government officials and other experts on the project theme.

The subjects of investigative stories will also discuss how reporters are handled at the receiving end. The purpose of the class will be to acquire investigative skills by using them in a team approach designed to have an impact on one of the city’s great, under-explored, issues.

To apply for admission to this class, please complete the application available at http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/investigative/

Deadline to apply is Friday, November 6, 5 p.m.

M.S. MASTER’S PROJECTS: Small grants for reporting expenses

The Dean’s Office is pleased to offer a limited number of small grants for M.S. Master’s Projects. * Please note that M.A. students have received a separate memo about funding for theses.

These grants of up to $200 per project (individually for print, print/broadcast hybird or radio projects; in teams for digital media and documentary) are for a limited number of projects.

Grants are made for verifiable reporting expenses such as research trips in the Tri-state area, and, an occasional trip to, say, Washington, D.C.(remember, your primary reportage is supposed to be near the NYC area). Grants are not to be used for money to go home during Winter Break. These are not cash advances, but reimbursements for money spent with approval from the Dean’s Office and grants coordinator, Evelyn Corchado.

Students will be required to submit receipts for their expenses. Reimbursements will be made via student financial accounts.

If an approved grantee ends up not using as much was originally approved, he/she will be reimbursed for actual expenditures and the remaining money will go back in the pool.

Here is the timeline for the process:

• October 21: M.S. Master’s Project grants application opens
• December 14: M.S. Master’s Project grants application closes
• January 18: Students are notified via e-mail if they were approved
• January 18: Approved students may begin submitting their receipts via the
  online link
• May 3: Last day to submit receipts for reimbursement

PLEASE NOTE: Right now are unable to consider any projects other than those due in Spring 2010 semester (we will open up the process again for summer and fall projects).

http://fs8.formsite.com/cjdos/2010MPFund/

Degrees are awarded in October, February and May. Every candidate, regardless of graduation date, is invited to participate in the May Commencement ceremony.

In order to be considered for a degree or certificate, you must file an application with the Journalism School.

IMPORTANT: This form CANNOT be submitted electronically. Please type in the required information, print, sign and bring it to the box outside of Dean Huff’s office [207C] marked “Diploma Applications.”

Alternately, you can mail it to:

Dean Huff
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
2950 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

Application Deadlines
Graduating in - Apply by
October - August 1
February - November 1
May - December 1

Please Note The Following:

Dear students,

We have joined with several other schools in the University to purchase a limited number of licenses for accessing lynda.com, an on-line technology training site. The site contains over 500 videos providing training on a wide variety of technology topics. Examples of topics include Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Final Cut Pro, operating systems, web programming, etc. The training videos are available to all members of the J School.

To access the site, go to http://www.lynda.com/portal/columbia
and log in with your Columbia UNI & password.

Hope you enjoy the videos. Let us know what you think.

Larry Fried
lfried@columbia.edu

The Earth Institute at Columbia University has assembled its 2009-2010 Student Advisory Council with two students from the Journalism School who will assist in developing student and academic activities for the campus around the issues of earth systems science and sustainable development.

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Please see information sheet and application link below.

INFORMATION SHEET AND APPLICATION FOR
COVERING RELIGION
SPRING 2010
PROFESSOR ARI L. GOLDMAN

GRADUATE SCHOOL SCHOL OF JOURNALISM
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Information meeting with Prof. Goldman and Dean Huff on Thursday, 10/29, 5:30 p.m., Stabile Student Center.

Whether you cover politics, health care or a foreign capital, it is essential to have a working knowledge of religion. “Covering Religion” prepares students to understand religion in society and write it about it with sensitivity, clarity and sophistication. While many who have taken this course have become religion writers, most go on to other beats and find the knowledge of religion to be invaluable. In the Spring 2010 semester the class will focus on the diversity of religious faiths found in Israel. Thanks to a generous grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation, the course will include a 10-day study-tour of Israel during spring break at no cost to students.

The first seven weeks of the course will be spent reporting on religion in the New York area. Each student is assigned a faith or a sect of a faith in which to specialize. These will include the traditional Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities as well as the Druze, the Baha’i and other religious groups. In addition to writing assignments, each student will make an oral presentation in class about his or her assigned faith.

In past years, the class visited Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Jordan, India and Ireland. In each of these places, the group met with religious leaders and visited synagogues, mosques, churches, temples and shrines.

During the Israel trip, the class will maintain a Website that includes daily updates from our travels. Each day one student is responsible for reporting on that day’s activities and posting the story on the Web. In addition, two students serve as Webmasters and another coordinates photography projects. Upon return from the study-tour students put additional stories and digital media and broadcast projects on the Web. (The Websites from previous years can be found at www.coveringreligion.org.)

Here are a few additional points —

• Class size: the class is limited to 16 students.
• Dates for the trip: The trip roughly takes place over spring break, making use of the weekends before and after for travel time.
• Requirements: Full-time students accepted to the class must submit the final draft of their Master’s Project to the Office of the Dean no later than March 10th, which is nearly two weeks before the regular deadline. In addition, all students must be up-to-date on deadlines for all other classes. No student on academic probation or academic warning will be allowed to go on the trip.
• Full-time and part-time students are eligible, whether concentrating in print, digital media or broadcast.
• Composition of the class: We are looking for a group of students that will reflect the diversity of the school in terms of gender, language skills, travel experience and country of origin.
• Health insurance: Students are responsible to be sure that they are covered while traveling abroad.
• Cost to students: The foundation pays for airfare, hotels, transfers and at least one meal a day. Students should bring enough money for two meals a day plus money for any personal items or souvenirs they wish to purchase. Students are responsible for getting their own passports in order and for paying for any visa fees.
• Students will have to arrange their own travel to and from the airport in New York.

Application process: Please fill out the on-line application. Attach a 500-word essay on why you would like to be considered for the class. Please let us know if you’ve done any religion writing in RW1 or in other settings. Applications are due on Monday, Nov. 2. Students admitted to the class will be notified by Nov. 9 and will have 24 hours to accept or decline a place in the class.

Greetings from Alice!
With the fall semester firmly underway Alice! welcomes you (or welcomes you back) to campus!  The Alice! Health Promotion Program, part of Health Services at Columbia, seeks to make the campus healthier by connecting students with information and resources, cultivating healthy attitudes and behaviors and fostering a culture that values and supports a healthy community.

Did you know that Alice! sponsors many program and services designed to support your wellbeing as a member of the Columbia community?  Check out the following links for more information about some of the many offerings:

CU Move is an online exercise motivation program that offers the University community an opportunity to learn about, design, and track personal fitness activities.

Go Ask Alice! is a leading health question and answer Internet service with an archive of over 3,000 in-depth responses to questions sent by past readers. If it’s on your mind, it’s probably on Go Ask Alice!

Interactive Workshops that provide current health information, teach skills necessary to adopt healthy behaviors, and connect students with appropriate on- and off-campus resources are available on various health-related topics.

Sleep Initiative provides tips, resources and more to help students explore strategies to improve the quantity and quality of sleep. You can download a sleep diary and learn more about how Columbia can help you get your ZZZZs.

Stressbusters are teams of students who deliver brief neck and back rubs to the campus community for total relaxation. You can get them for free at select public events, and you can bring them to your organization, residence hall, school, or office.

H1N1 Influenza
You’ve likely heard about the preparations underway to help Columbia manage the flu season.  Below are some resources that provide more information. 

Health Services at Columbia provides free seasonal flu shots, prevention information, and medical care.  Check out the list of flu fairs or log in to make an appointment to get your flu shot soon.

Coping with the Flu can be challenging.  Check out the resources on this page to help yourself, a roommate, friend or family member that may have the flu.

Columbia Flu Information page has been developed to be a central resource point for information, links to off campus support, prevention, and more.  Check out the many resources, FAQs, and even international travel preparation information.

Related Q&As from Go Ask Alice!

CU Move — Columbia’s online exercise motivation program

Stress at the start of school

How Go Ask Alice! works

Snoozing and losing

H1N1 influenza (swine flu)

Do I have a cold or the flu?

Free flu shots at Columbia?

Handwashing do’s and don’ts

Best wishes for a great fall semester!

Alice! Health Promotion Program
108 Wien Hall
alice@columbia.edu

Dear Members of the Columbia community:

As we begin the new academic year, I am pleased to introduce Public Safety’s “Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2009.” The report includes important information about crime prevention programs, fire safety procedures and other resources critical to the safety and security of our campus community. In accordance with the Campus Security Act, the report also contains campus crime statistics for the last three calendar years, as well as residence hall fire data for last year.

The Public Safety Annual Security and Fire Safety Report for 2009 can be viewed online at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety/SecurityReport.pdf. Printed copies are available at the Public Safety offices on both the Morningside and Medical Center campuses.

Best wishes for a safe and successful year.

Sincerely,

Jim McShane

James F. McShane
Vice President for Public Safety
Columbia University
Low Library, Rm. 101
Mail Code 4301
535 W. 116th Street
New York, New York 10027
212-854-6792

Dear Public Safety Friends,

Here is a great short video on “Do’s & Don’ts on the Streets” that was filmed by the NYPD & NBC news. Please share with your students, faculty, staff, family & friends. The more people know the better:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Do_s_and_Don_ts_on_the_Streets_New_York.html

Thank you for your contined help.

Ricardo Morales
Columbia University
Department of Public Safety
Manager Crime Prevention Programs
Crime Prevention Specialist
212-854-8513
www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety

UPIU National Student Journalism Writing Contest!

Have your written voice heard by millions of viewers and build your portfolio.

What matters to you most at this critical time in your life? Submit a 400- to 800-word article on one of the following topics:

A key racial, gender or sexual issue either on your own campus or at another college across town or across the country

A controversial national political topic about which you have strongly held beliefs and possible solutions

An influential role model in a passionate field of interest—anything from sports to music, business to politics and beyond

The Prize
The grand-prize winner takes home:
$500 cash
An all-expense-paid trip to UPI’s national headquarters in Washington, DC to work with key UPI personnel and to have lunch at the National Press Club
An opportunity for international exposure and local press through a byline seen by millions of readers at upi.com

Judging Criteria
We actively seek op-ed submissions that include current facts relevant to your chosen topic; ask yourself:
Does it convey vital facts within an imaginatively told story?
Is it engaging, with clarity of purpose clearly conveyed?
Does it insightfully contribute to our understanding of your chosen issue or person?
Within these parameters, show us your brilliant written word!

Instructions
All submissions are due by Sunday evening, November 15th, with grand-prize and runner-up winners announced on December 11th.
Submissions are accepted through uwemp’s online system at http://www.uwemp.com/contest

Please submit any questions to contest@uwemp.com

The seasonal flu fairs at the Columbia Morningside campus are scheduled from October 6 through the middle of November. Journalism students, faculty and staff may attend any of the general flu fairs listed on the Health Services website. However, the first available and closest flu fair is Tuesday, October 6 or Thursday, October 15, both are at Lerner Hall. Please keep in mind that we’re currently finalizing event dates, times and locations. Therefore, we recommend checking our website regularly at www.health.columbia.edu.

For more information about the University’s plans and preparation for the H1N1 situation, please visit the Columbia Preparedness website.

Monday, September 21
The International Media, Advocacy and Communications Specialization
Brown Bag: Talk with Reporter Katharine Zaleski, who will talk about her recent travels around the U.S. for her reporting on the health care debate, the future of digital journalism and how to get a job in online media.
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
International Affairs Building, Room 253

Here is the description:

Zaleski will talk about her recent travels around the US for her reporting on the health care debate, the future of digital journalism and how to get a job in online media.

This will be from 12:30-2pm in room 253 on the 2th floor of the International Affairs Building.
Katharine Zaleski is the Senior Editor at the Huffington Post who oversees special projects. Previously she was the Senior News Editor of the site, overseeing the front page from the month Huffington Post launched in May
2005 until May 2009. Previously, Katharine worked for CNN after graduating from Dartmouth College. She has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, CBC, Air America, BBC Radio as well as other media outlets.

To get to room 253, ignore the main bank of elevators and find the lone elevator next to the toilet and opposite the office of career services. Take that elevator down to 2, go through the forbidding door on your left and go right down the hall.

Below, a memo aimed at Master’s Project print advisers (broadcast and new media advisers; and those advising the MA Master’s Thesis received separate instructions).
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Dear Students,

Religious holidays are not official school holidays.

However, students may miss class for religious observances provided they notify professors in advance and make arrangments with them about making up missed work.
Observant professors may choose to reschedule their classes.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

THE VERITAS FORUM-EXPLORING TRUE LIFE

Conversation between Nicholas Kristof and Kaign Christy

Monday, September 21, 2009
Roone Arledge Auditorium– 8:00 pm, doors open at 7:30 pm

Fighting Modern-Day Slavery:

Two Activists Share Stories from the Trenches
In nearly every nation of the world women are enslaved within the multibillion-dollar sex trafficking industry. Thanks to writers and activists, their plight is being told and growing numbers are being set free. Come and hear a prize-winning journalist and attorney tell of their respective journeys into—and work within—the tumultuous world of front-line activism. Presentations by Nicholas Kristof and Kaign Christy, followed by a moderated discussion with J-school professor, Mirta Ojito, and audience Q&A.

Nicholas Kristof
The two-time Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The New York Times has reported on six continents and traveled to over 140 countries. Mr. Kristof’s heart is revealed in his columns in which he often draws attention to health, poverty and gender issues in the developing world—including his prominent reporting of the Darfur genocide. He and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, have just released “Half the Sky: From Oppression to Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” a book that documents the bravery of women around the globe who have survived sexual exploitation.

Kaign Christy
The Director of Operations for Southeast Asia at International Justice Mission, Mr. Christy is an attorney with years of experience advocating on behalf of modern day slaves—in particular, women ensnared in the international sex-trafficking industry. While stationed in Cambodia, he helped local authorities to arrest over 100 traffickers and rescue nearly 300 of their victims—actions that won him the Commander Medal of Sahametrei—the highest award given by the Government of Cambodia to foreign nationals for service to the nation of Cambodia.

Mirta Ojito

Ms. Ojito, now assistant professor at the Journalism School, earned her reputation as a newspaper reporter, first at The Miami Herald & El Nuevo Herald, and later at The New York Times, where she covered immigration, among other beats, for the Metro Desk. She has received numerous awards, including the American Society of Newspaper Editor’s award for best foreign reporting in 1999, and a shared Pulitzer in 2001 for a series about race in America. Her first book, Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus, was released in 2005.

For more information visit www.veritas.org/columbia

A public service announcement from the Virginia Dept. of Health:

GSAS workshops for September 14-18

Topics Covered: Strategic planning, student health insurance issues, successful fellowship applications, leading great discussions

Dear GSAS PhD students,

We hope we’ve planned at least one “survival skills” workshop next week that meets your needs. Please join us:

Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. in 301 Philosophy Hall
Strategic Planning for Completion of Your PhD
Tips and advice for successful completion of your PhD.

Wednesday, 3:00 p.m. in 302 Philosophy Hall
Wednesday Forum: Student Health Services: Q&A with CHS and GSAS Staff
New and continuing PhD students are invited to join us for good advice from Columbia Health Services and GSAS staff. Bring your questions!

Thursday, noon, in 301 Philosophy Hall
Teaching Center workshop: Leading Scintillating, Substantive Discussions
Come for lunch and great ideas for leading discussions that really engage students with their learning and each other.

Thursday, 4:00 in 301 Philosophy Hall
Writing Successful Fellowship Applications
Come get tips and advice on writing successful fellowship applications. Everyone welcome.

Friday, 9 to noon or 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. in 301 Philosophy Hall
Writing Room
Are you writing your dissertation? 301 is reserved for PhD student-writers. No conversations, no cell phones, no internet. Just write with other serious writers. You must be pre-registered as there is room for only 20 students per session. Arrive at the start (9 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.) and stay for the duration. We’re trying to write with limited distractions. (Multiple sessions each semester so you can find a day and time that works for your uninterrupted writing.)

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/calendar/ma_phd_events.html

Friday, 1:00pm in GSAS Teaching Center- 302 Philosophy Hall
Fellowship Consultation Walk-In Hours
Stop by 302 Philosophy for walk-in consultation. Bring your questions or completed essays and we’ll run them and give you feedback.

Want to see upcoming workshops? Want to pre-register for a session with limited slots:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/calendar/ma_phd_events.html

I (along with our GSAS PhD Office team Steve, Bidi, Salvo and Elizabeth) hope to see you this week at one of our sessions.

Jan Allen
Associate Dean for PhD Programs, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Columbia University
109 Low Memorial Library / Mail Code 4306

UWP Writing Center

The Writing Center is open to undergraduate and graduate students for one-on-one writing tutorial sessions.

The Writing Center can help you build your writing. Consultants who are graduate students from various departments, and have taught in the Undergraduate Writing Program (UWP) work one-on-one to help you become a better writer, thinker, and reader. The approach is to attend to both the short-term goal of improved papers and the long-term goal of improved writing, critical thinking, and reading skills.

The Writing Center is located at 310 Philosophy Hall (the first floor when you come in the main entrance) in the far-back right corner. Sessions are also held in Butler Library behind the reference desk on the third floor.

To learn more, visit: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/uwp/wc/main/main-page/index.html

The Language Maintenance Tutorials are designed primarily to meet the needs of Columbia’s graduate and professional school students. We offer conversation groups and individual tutorials with instruction focused on everyday spoken language at very competitive fees. Courses are designed to provide students with prior language proficiency the opportunity to maintain and advance their language skills. The tutorials generally meet once per week for 10 weeks during the semester.

Registration for the tutorials is going on now until September 25th. If you are interested in enrolling, you should register in the office of the Language Resource Center. The tutorials and conversation groups will begin around the week of September 28th.

We offer tutorials* in many languages, including, but not limited to:

Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, English, Farsi, French, Georgian, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Turkish, Uzbek, Wolof, Zulu

*A minimum of two years of language education at college level is required for all the languages.
For other languages, more information about the program or advisement with respect to placement, please contact Bruno Guaraná, bcg2111@columbia.edu.

Fees

Individual Tutorials
An individual tutorial can be tailored to your specific language needs. It consists of ten sessions of 90 minutes each.
Columbia students: $650
Non-Columbia students: $900
Conversation Groups
A conversation group has from two to five students, coming from different fields of study. It meets ten times in sessions of 120 minutes each.
Columbia students: $500
Non-Columbia students: $650

• A non-refundable fee of $30 due at the time of registration will be counted towards the cost of the individual tutorial or conversation group.
• Payment can be made in cash, checks made out to Columbia University, or VISA and Mastercard (we are sorry we cannot accept American Express).

For More Information:
Bruno Guaraná
bcg2111@columbia.edu
(212) 854-9226

Language Maintenance Tutorials
www.lrc.columbia.edu/lmt

The Institute for Research on Women and Gender (IRWaG) invites graduate students to join us for an informational kick-off:

*~*~*IRWaG’s Grad Student Welcome & Cocktail Hour*~*~*

*Thursday, Sept. 17th, 2009*

*5:00 - 6:30 pm*

*The IRWaG seminar room, 754 Schermerhorn Extension*

COME for free food & drink; STAY to discover the resources IRWaG has to offer graduate students …

— to learn about fellowship and grant opportunities, workshops to enhance your research, and the Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies …

— to see old friends and colleagues and meet new ones …

— and to share YOUR input for the 2009-10 programming at the Institute!

ALL graduate students interested in questions of gender and/or sexuality - of all stages, departments, and disciplines - are welcome. Come and join IRWaG’s diverse and interdisciplinary intellectual community!

—

The Institute for Research on Women and Gender Columbia University
763 Schermerhorn Extension MC5508
1200 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
212.854.1556
212.854.7466 (fax)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/irwag

Dear Public Safety Friends,

Great News! Thanks to our consistent partnership with Kryptonite bike locks, our prices for our Kryptonite bike locks have just decreased. What does that mean for you….You receive our discount as well. Here are our new prices for Fall 2009:

Kryptonite U-Lock Krpto lock series 2 -$20 comes with a free bike lock holder.

The NY U-lock- $45 comes with a free holder & $3000 anti-theft insurance for the first year. Free key replacement. Must register with Kryptonite.

The NY Forgetaboutit 3.25 ft Chain- $70 comes with a $3300 anti-theft insurance. Free key replacement. Must register with Kryptonite.

Also Available:

Discount Kensington Ultra Laptop Locks- $30

Free Bike Registration with the NYPD & CU by appointment.

Bike locks & Laptop locks can be purchased at the following locations:

Morningside Campus Public Safety Operations, 9am -5pm,
Mon-Friday oom 111 Low Library

Medical Center Campus Public Safety Operations, 24 hrs
Room 109 Black Bldg, 650 West 168 Street

For more information please call 212-854-8513, CU Crime Prevention.

Thank you for continued help.

Ricardo Morales
Columbia University
Department of Public Safety
Manager Crime Prevention Programs
Crime Prevention Specialist
212-854-8513
www.columbia.edu/cu/publicsafety

Dear Columbia Colleagues and Students,

Greetings from Miller Theatre! As Columbia University’s performing arts producer, we are excited to tell you about the amazing performances in our 2009-10 season and about the discounts we offer to the Columbia community: CU student tickets are only $7 and CU faculty/staff receive 40% off single ticket prices. Click here to join our e-mail list—we will keep you up-to-date on new events and special offers.

Miller’s season launches this week with the Wordless Music Meets Miller Festival. This new series blends indie-rock with classical artists and opens tomorrow with 802 Tour. Recent collaborations with Wordless Music, including The Books and Wolfgang Voigt, were complete sell-outs, as were our genre-mixing concerts last spring featuring Christopher O’Riley playing the music of Nick Drake, Radiohead, and others. We’ve reserved a block of Festival tickets for CUID holders. Quantities are limited; make sure to get your tickets now.

Later this month, we collaborate with Works & Process at the Guggenheim to present The Blue Rider In Performance, exploring the dynamic interaction of music, light, and visual imagery using materials from Vasily Kandinsky’s seminal Blue Rider Almanac of 1912.

Throughout the season we’ll continue our four renowned music series: Composer Portraits, Jazz, Bach and the Baroque, and Early Music; the popular (free!) Lunchtime Concerts in Philosophy Hall, sponsored by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and supported by Columbia University School of the Arts; Campus Performers Partnership concerts that feature Columbia’s many talented student musicians and ensembles; and much more.

The entrance to Miller Theatre and the Box Office is on Broadway, just north of the main campus entrance on College Walk/116th Street. Visit www.millertheatre.com for more information and to join our mailing list.

I hope you will join us often this semester. Learn for yourself why Time Out New York magazine describes us as “one of the liveliest musical institutions in New York.”

Sincerely,

Melissa Smey

Director

Miller Theatre

116th Street & Broadway

Phone: 212-854-7799

www.millertheatre.com

Box Office Hours: M-F, 12-6PM