This Week at Columbia: Events & Opportunities (2/6)

Dear Students, 

We hope you’ll join us for Awakening Our Democracy: What’s At Stake In These Polarized Times, happening next Thursday, February 15 from 6 - 8 p.m.

The need for civic dialogue has never been greater. Our panel of experts, co-hosted by University Life and the Journalism School, will explore how the often binary conversations around current events inform our understanding of democracy, the elements that prevent us from coming together for civil discourse, and where we go from here. This event is part of the Dialogue Across Difference Initiative. Dinner will be provided. 

Register here.  

Additional Dialogue Across Difference Events & Opportunities

• Become a Campus Conversations Facilitator. University Life will be offering stipends to Columbia graduate and professional students who participate in our facilitator training program and lead Campus Conversation events for students across our campuses this semester. Apply by Friday, February 16. 
• Dialogue Across Difference Mini-Grant Program. Apply for the Dialogue Across Difference Mini-Grant Program. Grantees will receive funding for a project that fosters a resilient and inclusive community of learners, who can engage with diverse perspectives and navigate challenging conversations with a shared commitment to mutual understanding and respect. Apply by Friday, February 16. 
• Campus Conversations: Critical Listening Skills (In-Person). Listening, when done with intention, can have a transformative effect on relationships, as well as the climate and culture of organizations. Join us for a workshop to build your listening skills. Dinner will be provided. Wednesday, February 28, 5 - 6:30 p.m. Register here.
• Campus Conversations: Navigating Difficult Conversations (In-Person) In this workshop, we ask what makes conversations difficult? And, how can we make them productive? Participants will walk through a step-by-step process to engage in tough conversations with less stress and more success. Lunch will be provided. Monday, March 4, 12 - 1:30 p.m. Register here.

University Life Events & Opportunities

• Vote for the Next Welcome Home Columbia T-shirt! We’ve received many great designs from our community. Now it’s up to you to select the winner! Vote here by Friday, February 9.
• Financial Resource Tutorial for International Students at CUIMC (In-Person). Join staff from Student Financial Services, University Life, and the International Students and Scholars Office to review the free budgeting and finance resources available to you as a Columbia student. Bring a laptop or tablet with you. Drop by the 50 Haven Lobby from 12 - 1 p.m. on Thursday, February 8 to participate. Register here. 
• Breathe In, Breathe Out: An Interactive Workshop (In-Person). This workshop, led by Dr. Keoshia Worthy, Ph.D., will provide an opportunity to try several meditations and discuss your thoughts about them with peers. Dr. Worthy will also share strategies for beginning your own mindfulness practice. This event is part of The Graduate Initiative for Inclusion and Engagement. Friday, February 9, 12 - 1 p.m. Register here.
• Graduate Hangout: Black History Month Game Lounge  (In-Person) Come enjoy a night of trivia, board games, cards, and fun! In honor of Black History Month, we will be featuring Black owned and Black founded games. Snacks will be provided. Thursday, February 22, 5 - 7 p.m. Register here.
• Black and Latinx Roundtable with Columbia Faculty (In-Person). As part of the Graduate Initiative for Inclusion and Engagement, University Life, in partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, invites you to a roundtable event where Columbia faculty will share their experiences navigating higher education as members of the Black and Latinx community. Dinner will be provided. Tuesday, February 27, 5 - 6:30 p.m. Learn more and register.
• Yoga Class (In-Person). Take a break and relax with yoga in Earl Hall, hosted by Religious Life. Please bring your own mat and arrive 5-10 minutes early to sign in and set up. Thursdays, 7 - 8 p.m. Learn more.

Graduating This Year? A Few Quick Notes: 

• Your school ceremony is when each of Columbia’s 19 schools celebrate their graduating students in a more intimate and class-focused ceremony. This is when you get to walk across the stage, hear your name called, and get that stage photo. Find the date and time of your School Ceremony.
• University Commencement is a University-wide celebration, when President Minouche Shafik symbolically confers degrees to the entire graduating class. This year, Commencement day is Wednesday, May 15. There will be two ceremonies, morning and evening.  Find the time of your school’s University Commencement ceremony.
• Questions? Please, visit the Commencement website or contact: [email protected].

Happening Around Campus

• The Future of Ukraine (In-Person). This panel hosted by the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia SIPA will discuss what’s needed to ensure long-term peace, stability, and economic recovery for the Ukrainian people. Wednesday, February 7, 12 - 2:30 p.m. Register here.
• February Narrative Medicine Rounds with Dr. Sandeep Jauhar (Virtual). Join the Narrative Medicine Program for a conversation between Dr. Jauhar, author of My Father’s Brain, and Dr. James Noble, author of Navigating Life with Dementia. Wednesday, February 7, 6 - 7 p.m. Register here. 
• Justice Forum: Art as a Practice of Freedom (In-Person). Explore how art and arts programming can positively impact individuals who have been incarcerated and influence systemic change to the justice system. This event is part of the Justice in Education Initiative. Wednesday, February 7, 6:15 - 9:15 p.m. Register here.
• On Being a Sketch. A Talk by Hannah Freed-Thall (In-Person). This talk offers a reflection on two experimental trans/queer collaborations: Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore’s early illustrated volume, Vues et Visions (1919), and Tomas Cali’s short film, L’Esquisse (2023). Monday, February 12, 4 - 5:30 p.m. Register here. 
• What if the Economy Worked for Democracy? (In-Person). Columbia’s Center for Political Economy invites you to a panel exploring pathways to a more just and inclusive economy and what it would look like to have an economy that strengthens and sustains democracy. President Minouche Shafik will speak at this event. Tuesday, February 13, 6 - 7:30 p.m. Register here.

Take care,

Joseph Defraine Greenwell, Ed.D.

Senior Vice President for Student Affairs
University Life
Gender Pronouns: He/Him/His

Ixchel Rosal

Senior Associate Vice President for Student Life
University Life
Gender Pronouns: She/Her/Hers