To give students a taste of those delightful pre-plumbing days, the forces of Columbia have decided to withhold running hot water from residents of John Jay this morning.  Daily Editor Eliza Shapiro reports that it's been gone for at least two hours. 

People are wandering around with bath towels looking forlornly for an oasis and support groups have been formed for those whose laundry happened to be in the washers when the incident started.

Bwog hopes the smell of the unwashed doesn't get too bad, and will keep you updated as the freshmen get more frantic.

Bwog's "In Defense Of..." returns with a look at a first-year's worst nightmare: the Freshman Fifteen.  

Let's get one thing straight: gaining 15 pounds doesn't mean you're suddenly fat. For all Bwog knows, you came to Columbia weighing 90 pounds: forgetting to eat and do your homework second semester senior year. You may have even skipped a few meals this summer in order to work on your svelte hipster big city physique. You can try to avoid it, but you will gain weight. There's a lot of good food in New York City that you can eat. There's also a lot of bad and heavy food you have to eat a certain amount of in John Jay because you're a freshman. You really don't have a choice but to relish your situation. Because not only can you have FroYo at John Jay before and after every meal, and Shake Shack on Columbus every night if you want (college! no parents! woo!) you get to complain about it with the other 1,499 people in your grade. It's called camaraderie.

Bwog enlisted yet another freshman corresponder, Aseel Najib, to summarize this year's incarnation of the NSOP-sponsored scavenger hunt, CU: Remix.

Before the Remix could start, Columbia continued its schedule of live PSAs. Entitled "Community Forum", this one aimed at bringing together students of various ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations, and highlighted the importance of social activism and diversity on campus. Skepticism ran high as incredulous students shuffled out of the auditorium, raising their eyebrows and plugging in their iPods.

Unlike previous versions that stayed on campus, CU: Remix's scavenger hunt took place all over Morningside Heights. At the start, freshmen reluctantly crowded Low Steps and College Walk, searching for their teammates, as orientation leaders took to yelling out the names of their groups in Bazaar-like fashion.

This morning, the rest of 2012 has arrived on campus to be greeted by happy NSOP leaders and their first Columbia challenge: move-in lines. Reports from campus indicate that the lines are manageable, though. Free food mavens, be aware: the family lunch is starting right about now, allowing you to test the efficacy of NSOP security (we'd love to hear your test results).

Finally, with the first day of Orientation also comes our first "Overheard" of the year, courtesy of a B&W staffer:

At the elevator, with a bin of stuff, a male Orientation Leader is seen talking to a first year's proud mother while the student is off picking up her keys and NSOP paraphernalia.

Mother: So what are you studying?
OL: I'm in the Engineering School, but I haven't picked a major yet. Probably Computer Science. What does your daughter want to study?
Mother: [Sighs] I don't know. She was chosen as a John Jay Scholar. She's good at almost everything.

More exciting Action Shots after the jump.

UPDATE (12:45 PM): It's halftime at housing—the process of coming to terms with Wien or the McBain shaft will resume after a lunch break at 1:30 PM. The white board, creature of habit that it is, hasn't been updated since our last photo. However, according to housing, about four or five groups have come in since that time. Their selections? "Mostly Nussbaum and McBain."

UPDATE (12:25 PM): This room and the people in it could not be calmer--the entire process and people involved appear to have been lobotomized. Obvious sign: Jack Johnson has been playing for the last half hour and no one has complained. Freshmen lie about and half of them are asleep in the beanbags/synthetic wombs.

McBain doubles are in high demand, as are Broadway doubles. Bwog realizes that this goes against the grain, but the walk-through doubles in Wien that face 116th are very nice--lots of natural light and good views.

This headline: "Go Ape For The New Version of the Old Mighty Beast"

ESC's claim that since America elected George Bush, democracy is bad.

A good urban exploration column ruined by the claim that there are "tar pits" in Queens. And by its eighth paragraph.

Oprah branching out into reality TV.

A first-year's need to let you know, in 900 words, that she takes 18 credits! And is in a club! Stuff is hard, guys.

Though most of us are bogged down with midterms and papers, Bwog writer Hannah Goldfield provides some alternative reading.

Ducking your head and barreling through the cloud of cigarette smoke outside Butler might be worth it tonight. Act fast and you can snag a copy of poli-lit-culture journal n+1's latest pamphlet, distributed, guerrilla-style, throughout the library a few hours ago.

Titled "What We Should Have Known," the unassuming, slim, blue volume is targeted at college freshmen, meant to help them traverse the intellectual spiderweb in which they're bound to get caught over the next four years. It consists specifically of transcripts of two panel discussions (which took place this past summer at the n+1 headquarters) about books, mostly: the books you're assigned to read and the books the panel members, a mix of n+1 editors and contributors, think you should read, on your own, sooner rather than later. If you get lost in the sea of titles, don't fret--the ones that truly changed their lives are conveniently compiled into lists on the last few pages.

After tonight, "What We Should Have Known" will set you back $10--unless you're a freshman, in which case you might find a copy slipped under your door tomorrow, or, if not, your student ID will get you one for free. Because saving untainted souls from the Western Canon--or at least guiding them through it--is priceless.

Presidents and VPs and Reps, oh my! Last night in Carman Lounge, speeches were spoken, questions posed and time limits were observed...is this democracy at work at Columbia?

When iColumbia Class Representative Sean Udell suggested an epic carnival on campus this coming spring (with both caramel and buttered popcorn!), he inadvertently described the entire Freshman CC debate. Indeed, it was a five ring circus, with the candidates acting as clowns and acrobats, a googly-eyed crowd and CCSC Elections Board member Andrew Ness as ringleader. Let the games begin!

If anything can be said of the debate in general, all of the parties agreed on essentially every policy initiative, from improved computer labs and laundry rooms to expanded hours for JJ's and better communication with the student body. However, several parties distinguished themselves by choosing not to discuss their platform in their opening address. RealColumia, instead of going into details about their "Four Pillars of Reality," spent their entire three-minute segment complementing each other on their hardworking attitude (in Vesal Yazdi's case, "a zest for life").

Columbia's 711 Open 24/7, on the other hand, built their entire campaign around suggestion boxes. "I'm not going to do this or do that," said Ankit "Taj" Gupta, who, instead of discussing his plans for a luau in Uris Pool (that was Class Action) or quoting Spectator articles on satellite gyms (iColumbia), told students how unqualified he was (he also loses his Carman room key multiple times a day) and hopes that his brutal honesty is enough to carry him to victory. Presumably assured of victory, none of 711's candidates for representative bothered to show up to witness the spectacle.

It's now time for Freshies to vote for CCSC 2011 and, armed with only 500 flyers and no money to spend, Facebook was bound to become a primary organizing tool. Justin Vlasits surveyed the endless domain of the Internet to measure the standings of each ticket with less than a week until elections. Check back for coverage of the 2011 debate in John Jay Lounge on Sunday at 9 PM--we'll be there with popcorn.

---

RealColumbia Party

Members: 167

Ticket:

President: Vesal Yazdi

Vice President: Tania Harsono

Rep: Adina Levin

Rep: Alyssa LaMontagne

Rep: Davey Gibian

Outside website: N/A

Pros: Extensive (and most likely overly ambitious) platform including practical reforms such as expanding the hours of John Jay dining hall, JJ's Place and Ferris Booth while also the exceedingly general "ease bureaucratic pressure on students." With three international students on the ticket (2 Canadian, 1 Aussie) and a footballin' theme, they should have a stranglehold on Columbia's Non Resident Alien voting block.

Cons: Only 6% of Columbia College is international. Their platform is organized under the "Four Pillars of Reality," which sound more like a postmodern adaptation of the Five Pillars of Islam than a political party's central ideas.

---

iColumbia Party

Members: 152

Ticket:

President: Anna Ginzberg
Vice President: Amanda Olivo
Rep: Sean Udell
Rep: David Zhu
Rep: Michael Mirochink

Website

Pros: Mad Photoshop skillz (see picture) with the added bonus of partially invisible head. Indeed, this tech-savvy party's website has photographic evidence of their knowledge of the Low steps and Alma Mater! David Zhu can also beatbox while playing flute.

Cons: Apple lawsuit pending.

Poorly-edited magazine Seventeen is coming to a MySpace near you! In the form of "15 freshman girls" (omg, misnomer!- Ed) who will be blogging all the "juicy details" from their first year at school!

The girls will be writing about everything from like, classes or whatever, to like, how to break up with your high school boyfriend that you're so going to dump in like, 2 weeks. The interactive reality website is designed to "make the freshman year less daunting by letting girls in on daily college life and allowing them to interact directly with each of the 'Freshman 15.' As a result, Seventeen's readers and MySpace's users will be way ahead of the game," says Atoosa Rubenstein-replacement Ann Shoket.

The group of girls is super diverse, ranging from Liz (UC Berkeley) who "is a liberal, bisexual feminist... and someday [she] wants to be on Broadway!"

And then there's Dev'n, whose name totally has an apostrophe in it! "I just flirted in high school. So I can't wait to date college guys!" the Texas Tech University first-year explains. I know, right?!

Jessica is "hyper, confident, and ditzy!" And swears her life "could be a reality TV series!"

Hey girlfriend? It seems dreams, sometimes, they do come true!

Tidbits from tonight's CCSC meeting:

- First, the first Lerner Pub is this Thursday from 10-12 (as the rest of us try, and fail, to get into East Campus).

- Excitingly, Flex off Campus, per junior class President George Krebs, is "well underway," with a timeline put together by the administration in place. Said timeline would result in Flex dollars accepted at off-campus eateries before 2008 graduation.

- Not to mention, President Krebs' first e-mail, which is so wonderfully bizarre (the class of 2009 is WHAT?) that we reprinted it after the jump.

- Tentatively, there's a sophomore semiformal in the works for the spring. Sophomores can hope (though their livers might disagree) that it's a replay of last year's Winter Wonderland.

- Finally, five parties have expressed an interest in running in - wait for it - the Freshman Elections! Oh, pray that they're every as ludicrous as the ten-party 2010 freshman elections were. More coverage on all these stories as they develop.

-DPD

In the first Freshmen Profile, Tania Harsono was giving a chance at redemption. This time around, Bwog staffer Lucy Tang pokes and prods at Dan Cho's insecurities.

RA RA SHISBOOM BAH

Here's Dan Cho

Friend or Foe?

Hometown: The twilight city that's gonna set my soul on fire. (For non-Elvis or Dead Kennedy fans, that's Las Vegas, NV)

Prospective Major: I'm not a big fan of the whole "making money" thing, so probably English or Film Studies. You never know though.

Where are you looking to begin the first of the best four years of your life?
On an isolated tropical beach, surrounded by beautiful women, and enjoying the soft symphony of gently rolling waves. I'll be spending my freshman year of college at Carman though.

Remember Tania "Boobilicious Bartender and Greek Life Spy, Official Party Animal #1" Harsono? Well she's baaack... Bwogger Lucy Tang delves again into the seedy side of 2011.

During Bwog's first glimpse into the class of 2011, many people accused me of singling out, mocking, hazing, and humiliating Tania (which is completely fair, but it was all in jest). Not surprisingly, the number of willing victims for the Freshmen Profile dwindled down after that spectacle.

Fortunately Tania's got a sense of humor, not to mention courage, and she was willing to talk to me again to jumpstart Bwog's Freshmen Profile series.

This time we get a fuller picture of Tania, more subdued. After all, no one is drunk 24/7...

Hometown: Vancouver BC
Prospective major: Double in Economics and Political Science
Dorm: JJ floor 11

How long do you think it'll take you to lose your...

• Dignity? I already have (thanks Lucy!!)
• Moral compass? I never will - I've mapped the moral waters
• Sanity? 1 day - first day of NSOP, I'll finally meet all the Facebook friends and be sorely embarrassed when I can't identify most of them, so I'll put in extra effort to remember names, and my head will implode and become the size of the universe before the Big Bang.
  (Read more...)

According to multiple sources, next year's freshmen will get a break--the Panhellenic council has voted to phase out first-year fall rush, since the new girls don't have time to get used to school and see what greek life is about before signing into sisterhood. In 2007, only sophomores will be allowed to rush in the fall, and the year after all recruitment will occur in spring, giving potential pledges a full semester to talk themselves out of joining.

Meanwhile, on the other end of our college careers, today marks the beginning of "E-commerce} for senior week [Correction: Senior week proper starts May 10], complete with a website that seems to actually include a grey silhouette of a naked woman and a bolder silhouette in the foreground of a guy smoking. Almost as bizarrely, the 14-person senior week committee includes six Barnard girls, five SEAS kids, and three CC students.

Anyhow, hooray for 2007. Six Flags awaits you!

The Core has frequently inspired as much acrimony as intellectual curiosity, and no one class has borne so much controversy as the disproportionately-loathed Frontiers of Science. From amid the tepid grumblings of the meekly subjected, however, comes the roar of the freshman class, taking a stand - where else? - on Facebook. Sports, science, and general "file under S" categories correspondent Christopher Morris-Lent reports from the front lines of first-years' quarrel over David Helfand's brainchild.

Few topics outside the quality of food at John Jay can arouse the sort of passionate vitriol or resigned apathy amongst freshmen that Frontiers of Science does. With half of Columbia College's Class of 2010 already subjected to the insidious doctrine of climate change, astrophysics, and other infinitely complicated concepts such as bar graphs and standard deviations, the CC '10 Student Council has devised another way to pretend that it does something constructive, creating under the guise of a Facebook "event" a sort of forum where the disillusioned can air their frustrations and the contented can defend the third nipple of the Core, either on the wall of the event itself, or by sending mail to Academic Affairs.

Barely four hours into the proceedings, a lively rhetorical boxing match has already began to explode on the wall, with those who thought Frontiers bit the proverbial big one comprising one side, and those who thought it was merely mediocre forming the other. The administrators, composed of the aforementioned CC '10 apparatchiks and a groupie or two, are collectively playing the roles of both the impartial referee and Don King.

A blow-by-blow, after the jump!