Columbia University School of General Studies's Notes
Stephen and Isabella Tobias, GS students
Most teenagers heading off to college look forward to getting away from their parents. Not for Isabella Tobias. The start of school will actually bring her closer to her father.
http://westsidespirit.com/
http://westsidespirit.com/
GS student and supermodel Sara Ziff and filmmaker Ole Schell take a behind-the-scenes look at the modeling industry—from pressures to maintain an adolescent physique to sexual objectification—in a new feature-length documentary, Picture Me. In addition to Ziff, the documentary features GS students and model colleagues Lisa Cant and Cameron Russell speaking about their experiences in the industry.
According to Ziff, who co-directed, edited and produced the film, her goal was to give women a voice in an industry where they are silenced.
"Models, by nature of their job, are reduced to silent images, and I wanted to give myself and other young women a voice beyond just peddling the latest brand or fragrance. I hope the film will help bring some measure of protection to models in what is now an unregulated industry. How the industry treats its models influences the ideal presented in the magazines, and these images have a powerful, far-reaching effect on women in general," Ziff said.
Ziff, who has been featured in Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, and Gap campaigns, continues to model and attends classes at Columbia full-time.
Picture Me was recently selected Best Fashion Film and won the audience award for Best Picture at the Milan International Film Festival.
View the trailer at
http://video.newsweek.com/
According to Ziff, who co-directed, edited and produced the film, her goal was to give women a voice in an industry where they are silenced.
"Models, by nature of their job, are reduced to silent images, and I wanted to give myself and other young women a voice beyond just peddling the latest brand or fragrance. I hope the film will help bring some measure of protection to models in what is now an unregulated industry. How the industry treats its models influences the ideal presented in the magazines, and these images have a powerful, far-reaching effect on women in general," Ziff said.
Ziff, who has been featured in Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, and Gap campaigns, continues to model and attends classes at Columbia full-time.
Picture Me was recently selected Best Fashion Film and won the audience award for Best Picture at the Milan International Film Festival.
View the trailer at
http://video.newsweek.com/
The Yellow Ribbon Program application is now available. Apply today at http://www.columbia.edu/cu
Specific details about GS's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, including estimates on how tuition and fees benefits will be applied, are available on the GS Yellow Ribbon Program website.
Specific details about GS's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, including estimates on how tuition and fees benefits will be applied, are available on the GS Yellow Ribbon Program website.
Beginning August 1, GS will be one of 16 schools at Columbia University slated to participate in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, part of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. The Yellow Ribbon Program is an initiative in which participating educational institutions will provide eligible student veterans with a tuition waiver or grant that will be matched by the Department of Veteran Affairs. The benefits presented by the Program will make participating private institutions such as Columbia University more accessible to student-veterans and have the potential to be as significant as the original GI Bill, which helped precipitate GS's founding in 1947.
When the Post 9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program are combined, it is expected that the entire cost of education for eligible student-veterans will be covered. The scope of benefits provided by the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program makes a Columbia education accessible to eligible veterans regardless of socioeconomic status. The scope of benefits provided by the Post 9/11 GI Bill and the Yellow Ribbon Program makes a Columbia education accessible to eligible veterans regardless of socioeconomic status.
Individual schools determine the number of students who can benefit from this program as well as the amount of tuition covered by the program. GS will be granting an award of up to $5,100 per year to 150 eligible veterans on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to Curtis Rodgers, dean of enrollment management, in the fall of 2008 the School of General Studies welcomed 19 veterans of the U.S. armed forces who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has more than 60 veterans enrolled in its undergraduate degree program. Rodgers, noting the School of General Studies’ long tradition of educating veteran students, expects that with the participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, the University and the School of General Studies should see a significant increase in the number of veterans on campus, which currently boasts more than 100 veterans across all of its schools.
"For a school like Columbia University School of General Studies, which already has a robust and established community of student veterans, the impact this bill will have is enormous. Military veterans bring a wealth of life experience to Columbia’s classrooms, and we are thrilled that the Yellow Ribbon Program will enable more veterans to take advantage of the educational opportunities we have to offer. Because the School of General Studies was designed to meet the needs of veterans, we are particularly poised to serve them," Rodgers said.
University Director of Financial Aid Laurie Schaffler explained that schools across the University are expecting an increase in the number of students-veterans who will be utilizing the new benefits package.
"Many schools and departments are working diligently to compile the services and expertise necessary to receive the expected increase in veteran enrollment. In fact, members of the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University student group have been instrumental in providing information to us so we can provide the best accommodations possible," Schaffler explained.
How to Apply
GS students can begin applying Wednesday, July 15 at 9 a.m. at http://www.columbia.edu/cu
GS-Specific Information
Specific details about GS's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program, including estimates for veterans with varying degrees of eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, are available on the GS Yellow Ribbon Program website.
More Information on GS Student Efforts To Lobby for the Post 9/11 GI Bill
http://news.columbia.edu/r
The webcast of the 2009 GS Class Day Ceremony is now available on the Commencement website. Congratulations graduates!
GS students and staff celebrated the Class of 2009 at the Lavender Graduation Ceremony. View photos at http://flickr.com/gp/jsgra
Three students were recognized with Crown Awards at various levels:
Natasa Peric - Copper
Aries Dela Cruz - Gold
Ira Stup - Gold
Additionally two GS students were recognized with special awards:
Ira Stup - Bridge-Builder Leadership Legend Award
Samuel Rennebohm - The Community Builder Award (awarded to the student in the senior class that has demonstrated exemplary leadership and outstanding commitment to community building over her or his four year tenure at Columbia University.)
Natasa Peric - Copper
Aries Dela Cruz - Gold
Ira Stup - Gold
Additionally two GS students were recognized with special awards:
Ira Stup - Bridge-Builder Leadership Legend Award
Samuel Rennebohm - The Community Builder Award (awarded to the student in the senior class that has demonstrated exemplary leadership and outstanding commitment to community building over her or his four year tenure at Columbia University.)
GS student Aries dela Cruz has been selected to receive a King’s Crown Award from the King’s Crown Leadership Committee for his “exemplary commitment to building campus community through outstanding leadership.”
Aries has been active in the LGBTQ community throughout his time at GS and currently serves as Vice President of the Columbia Queer Alliance and is also a member of the editorial board of the Columbia Daily Spectator. He also recently received the GS Spirit Award.
“I am so honored to have been selected by the awards committee,” Aries said. “Being a Columbia student allows me to take advantage of some incredible opportunities and resources—I’ve tried to make the best of my privilege of being a student here by finding my place on this campus, and then nurturing, cherishing and transforming it. This attitude isn’t necessarily limited to me, however. Throughout the phenomenal history of this University, GS students have always been committed and dedicated to student life. All students at Columbia, and GS students in particular, have the opportunity to spark debate, unleash changes that are profound, create safer spaces, and build communities—these are the kinds of acts that uplift and sustain a university.
"The King's Crown award embodies that spirit of dedication, service and leadership, and demonstrates that the contributions we make as GS students to Columbia are enduring, inspiring and appreciated.
“I’m incredibly proud to say that I’ve contributed my part to ensuring that the `light in the darkness' that is the GS student body remains vibrant, luminous and yes, fabulous.”
Aries will receive the Gold Crown award, given to seniors for who have made a significant impact or contribution in a student organization, at the King’s Crown Leadership Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 30.
Aries has been active in the LGBTQ community throughout his time at GS and currently serves as Vice President of the Columbia Queer Alliance and is also a member of the editorial board of the Columbia Daily Spectator. He also recently received the GS Spirit Award.
“I am so honored to have been selected by the awards committee,” Aries said. “Being a Columbia student allows me to take advantage of some incredible opportunities and resources—I’ve tried to make the best of my privilege of being a student here by finding my place on this campus, and then nurturing, cherishing and transforming it. This attitude isn’t necessarily limited to me, however. Throughout the phenomenal history of this University, GS students have always been committed and dedicated to student life. All students at Columbia, and GS students in particular, have the opportunity to spark debate, unleash changes that are profound, create safer spaces, and build communities—these are the kinds of acts that uplift and sustain a university.
"The King's Crown award embodies that spirit of dedication, service and leadership, and demonstrates that the contributions we make as GS students to Columbia are enduring, inspiring and appreciated.
“I’m incredibly proud to say that I’ve contributed my part to ensuring that the `light in the darkness' that is the GS student body remains vibrant, luminous and yes, fabulous.”
Aries will receive the Gold Crown award, given to seniors for who have made a significant impact or contribution in a student organization, at the King’s Crown Leadership Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 30.
GS student Fabian Pfortmüller has created Faces of Columbia GS, a novel way for current students to explore and engage with the GS student body. Users upload a photo and a few details about themselves (or use Facebook Connect to import information); the photos then become part of a mosaic that serves as a testament to the unique collection of people and personalities present at GS.
Faces of Columbia GS is part of the web application myheartbeatsfor, which Fabian also developed. “We created myheartbeatsfor just to visualize large groups of people and then realized that it had nice side effects,” Fabian said. “It helps people connect—for example in communities where you might have seen certain people a few times but never dared to talk to them—and creates a ‘human face’ for the organization. Who can imagine really what GS is without seeing the people behind it?”
Before moving to New York to attend GS, Fabian was an entrepreneur in Switzerland, and he continues to develop new projects. “I started a new company last year called Incubaker, which serves as an umbrella for exploring new ideas and supporting other companies with creating new perspectives and implementing new technologies, especially social media, into their daily business. I love to create new things.”
Explore Faces of Columbia GS: http://www.facesofcolumbia
Faces of Columbia GS is part of the web application myheartbeatsfor, which Fabian also developed. “We created myheartbeatsfor just to visualize large groups of people and then realized that it had nice side effects,” Fabian said. “It helps people connect—for example in communities where you might have seen certain people a few times but never dared to talk to them—and creates a ‘human face’ for the organization. Who can imagine really what GS is without seeing the people behind it?”
Before moving to New York to attend GS, Fabian was an entrepreneur in Switzerland, and he continues to develop new projects. “I started a new company last year called Incubaker, which serves as an umbrella for exploring new ideas and supporting other companies with creating new perspectives and implementing new technologies, especially social media, into their daily business. I love to create new things.”
Explore Faces of Columbia GS: http://www.facesofcolumbia
Peter J. Awn, dean of the School of General Studies, director of the Middle East Institute, and professor of Islam in the Columbia University Dept. of Religion, was featured in the New York Post's "Perspectives" section, discussing President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. View the video on the Post website.
