Events Newsletter 2025-26

This Week at Columbia: Events & Opportunities 10/28 - 11/20

October 28, 2025
events & opportunities

Dear Students,

We hope you can take a well-deserved study break and check out the events below to unwind and enjoy some stress-free fun.

Build Connections with the Community Citizenship Initiative
The events below are designed to help students fulfill their Community Citizenship Initiative (CCI) participation requirements. CCI is required for all newly enrolled students and optional for others.

  • Leading with Others: Navigating Relationships and Building Community (In-Person). Enhance your leadership and interpersonal skills, such as empathy and active listening, through interactive exercises and guided discussions that promote intentional community building. Thursday, October 30, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Managing Conflict: Leading with Courage and Care (In-Person). Learn practical tools and strategies to approach challenging conversations thoughtfully, manage disagreements constructively, and lead with respect and cultural awareness. Learn more. 
  • Leading and Engaging in Society – Creating Positive Change (In-Person). Reflect on your impact as a global citizen and an agent of positive social change in this workshop geared to help you strengthen your skills in empathy, collaboration, and community engagement. Thursday, November 20, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. Register here. 
     

University Life Events & Opportunities
All events listed below are in Eastern Time (ET), free, and open to all students across all schools and campuses.

  • Drop-In Hours: Earl Hall (Hybrid). Stop by Earl Hall or request a Zoom link for spiritual care and support. Sessions are open to all students, whether you’re religious, spiritual, questioning, or none of the above. Today, October 28, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Learn more. 
  • Sacred Music Concerts (Hybrid). Religious Life is hosting sacred music concerts throughout the Fall semester. Find a moment for quiet reflection and beautiful music. Today, October 28, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Register here.  
  • Dance Fitness Series: Diwali Workshop (In-Person). Celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Light, through movement in this beginner-friendly dance class hosted by Ajna Dance Company. Get your body moving, meet new people, and discover how dance brings these Diwali traditions to life. Wednesday, October 29, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Register here. 
  • Yoga Class (In-Person). Take a break to relax and refresh with yoga in Earl Hall. Please bring your own mat and arrive 10 minutes early to set up; doors close at 6:35 p.m. Thursday, October 30, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Journaling with Intention: Write, Reflect, Repeat (In-Person). Head to Earl Hall for a cozy night of journaling, crafting, intention-setting, and reflection. Take the True Colors assessment, pick out your own journal, and let your imagination run free. Wednesday, November 5, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Dance Fitness Series: Lyrical (In-Person). Experience the artistry of lyrical dance in a special, beginner-friendly workshop led by staff from the renowned Alvin Ailey School of Dance. Learn new choreography and make friends while dancing together! Friday, November 7, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Citizen-Leaders: A Conversation with the Obama Foundation Scholars (In-Person).  In collaboration with Columbia World Projects, University Life is proud to host the 2025 Obama Foundation Scholars at Columbia University for a discussion on how they use leadership, innovation, and collaboration to drive meaningful change. Don’t miss this insightful panel discussion – a Q&A will follow, with lunch provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Monday, November 10, 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Learn more. 
  • Community Connections: Celebrating the First Gen Graduate Experience (In-Person). Join the Graduate Initiative for a Wicked-themed Community Connections event centering the experiences and achievements of Columbia’s first-generation graduate students. Connect with fellow first-gen peers, swap stories, and celebrate the unique path that brought you here. Thursday, November 13, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Take the Stage: Applications Now Open for Low Lounge Performers. Low Lounge returns for its eighth year on Tuesday, December 9, from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. We're inviting student performers to help make this Columbia favorite the cozy, creative escape we all need during finals season. Apply by Wednesday, October 29. Learn more.
     

More Events and Opportunities Happening Around Campus
The events below are only some of the free, University-wide events open to all students. For a full list of events, visit the University Events Calendar.

  • Pop-Up Festival: Celebrating 20 Years of Yarn/Wire (In-Person). Tune into Yarn/Wire, a piano and percussion quartet, for their 20th anniversary this season with a special three-concert festival, kicking off Miller Theatre’s Pop-Up Concerts series.
  • N​o Smoking: A Poetry Reading Series (In-Person). Join the Undergraduate Creative Writing Program to celebrate visiting award-winning poet Mary Ann Samyn's new collection, The Return from Calvary. Mary Ann will read with Professor Timothy Donnelly, recipient of a Columbia Distinguished Faculty Award and author most recently of Chariot. Tuesday, October 28, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Learn more. 
  • Mixing with Reaper (In-Person). Want to try your hand at mixing music? Don't miss this workshop to get started with Reaper, an inexpensive digital audio workstation. You’ll learn the basics like balance, EQ, compression, panning, and more, and leave ready to mix on your own. No experience needed, just bring your laptop. Wednesday, October 29, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Register here.
  • Wired For Conflict: The Transatlantic Divide Over Digital Policy (In-Person). Don’t miss this panel featuring Lina Khan, Associate Professor of Law, and Cory Doctorow, Science Fiction Author, Activist, and Journalist. Moderated by Adam Tooze, Professor of History at Columbia, this discussion will focus on the growing transatlantic divide on matters of digital policy — which some dub a “digital cold war.” Wednesday, October 29, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Register here. 
  • Harvest of Harmony (In-Person). Join the Asian & Pacific Islander Employee Resource Group and the Columbia University Asian Faculty Association for an afternoon of tea, snacks, and learning about Diwali and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Create a diya, and decorate paper bags for Heart of Dinner to support elders in Chinatown. Thursday, October 30, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Register here. 
  • First They Came for the Students: AAUP v. Rubio (In-Person). Join Ramya Krishnan and George Wang for a discussion of AAUP v. Rubio, a landmark case regarding policies that affect students and faculty. Thursday, October 30, 12:10 - 1:10 p.m. Register here. 
  • How does the Geometry of Brain Activity Shape Behavior? (In-Person). Attend a seminar with Valeria Fascianelli, Alexander Bodini Fellow in Developmental and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Stefano Fusi, Professor of Neuroscience and Principal Investigator, about cognitive function affects behavior. Thursday, October 30, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Register here. 
  • "'Tsniut,' between Gender, Law, and Ideology" (In-Person). Join Dr. Emmanuel Block as he explores the ways in which Orthodox communities navigate modern issues like gender roles, sexuality, and social norms while maintaining continuity with tradition. Wednesday, November 5, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Register here. 
  • The Future of Press Freedom in an Era of Democratic Backsliding (In-Person). Enjoy lunch and listen to a panel of legal experts and journalists, including RonNell Andersen Jones, Nora Benavidez, Azmat Khan, Margaret Sullivan, Sonja R. West, as they consider how to protect the crucial role of the press in our democracy. Wednesday, November 5, 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. Register here. 
  • Wholesome Book Time (In-Person). Curious about rare books and need a break to enjoy the artistry of print? Stop by Butler Library for an informal gathering to enjoy rare books from the collection at Columbia's Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Wednesday, November 5, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Register here. 
     

Campus Resources to Support You

  • Find support with Columbia Health Coping Tools. Columbia Health provides a collection of resources to help you manage stress, build resilience, and support your well-being. Whether you’re looking for tips on coping with daily challenges or more structured support, these resources offer tools to help you navigate life with greater ease. Browse the links to find the support that works best for you. Learn more. 
  • Sign up for a Well-being Strategy Session at CUIMC. Students at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) are eligible to schedule an appointment for a solution-based approach to address personal, academic, or professional concerns, helping you to prioritize your care and build skills along the way. Learn more. 
     

Wishing you all the best, 
University Life