Gather round Columbia, it's time to re-welcome IvyGate into our browsers and into our hearts. Naturally, it has returned dressed to the nines, with a new WordPress redesign and fresh-faced summer editors. Bwogger Justin Vlasits favors the mouse over chalk-underlines in the new masthead (see above), while a Yalie friend of Bwog noticed that clicking on the chalky names re-directs readers to posts about that school.

Now let's meet the man and woman behind the summer incarnation of IvyGate 2.0. Why look, it's hometown favorite Nina Shield (BC '07), and some rising sophomore from Harvard. After introducing herself, Shield puts together a nice little wrap-up of all Vag-related happenings. She is the first Columbian to helm the good ship IvyGate since the legendary days of Chris Beam and Nick Summers. (Oh, and Andrew Nusca, a former summer editor, was a J-Schooler.) Go Lions.

In which Bwog correspondent and past-life high school orator, Andrew Flynn, sojourns to a recent Harvard high school debate tournament and waxes philosophical about the current state of that ever so nebulous academic activity.

When the wind-chills of February announce their arrival in Morningside Heights, when long papers and dry readings begin to weigh heavily on my soul, there is no respite I look forward to more than getting on a coach bus filled with rowdy 15 through 18 year-olds and making the seven and a half hour trip to Cambridge for the annual Harvard Speech and Debate tournament.

Harvard is one of the kings of high-school forensics competitions. (Unlike at my local state tournament, Harvard does not need to remind its competitors that defecating in the classrooms is against the rules.) Here, thousands of high school speakers and debaters from across the east coast and Midwest (sometimes further) meet to match wits and spend their downtime wandering aimlessly around the Epcotesque tourist trap that is Harvard Square. But, "Harvard" is a bit misleading.

The Crimson has broadened its coverage area--it's now taking a look at Columbia's expansion, but only as far as Alma's project relates to its own. Some of the paper's conclusions, in Bwog's expert opinion, turned out a little whack.

The Crimson calls Harvard's proposed expansion an "even more ambitious plan" than Columbia's (because all comparisons must turn into contests). But is it? OK, Harvard's plans extend over the next 50 years. And yes, they plan to expand over 200 acres. Columbia's plan happens to be 25 years and cover 17 acres. But Allston is no West Harlem. If Harvard really wanted to be more ambitious than Columbia, it would have expanded 200 acres into downtown Boston.

In its second botched conclusion, the piece goes on to say that Columbia's $150 million community benefits agreement will pressure Harvard to offer more to the Allston community. Allston may have its share of problems, but because it doesn't have the race factor or a history of an ugly relationship with the University, Bwog's going to take a bet that Harvard won't budge much. Harvard has other places to throw its cash around.

Musings from Bwog staffer Alec Turnbull, serving up lux and veritas over a summer bartending in Boston:

A pair of fragile old women in matching floral print dresses arrive first, ten minutes early. Half an hour later the room is at its 325 person capacity, and the loud buzz of conversation drowns out Harvard president-to-be Drew Faust's first attempts to speak. My fellow bartender and I ask people to quiet down for her speech, and her third try is drowned in a chorus of SHHHs. She begins again. "I'd like to welcome everyone-" Faust continues through the rustle of everyone rushing to the bar for the last drink they'll get until she's finished.

They whisper now. "White wine. Two." "You don't have any vodka? Whiskey? Just a diet coke." "I'll have the pinot." "Water, please. Flat, with three ice cubes and a lemon. Thanks."

"Do you have champagne?" A grandmotherly woman asks as she leans in to advise me, "You should find a bottle of it. You just can't have a toast without champagne."

The toast isn't for Drew Faust's new role, but for her work with the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, which she is leaving behind. Faust helped found the institute when Radcliffe, Harvard's Barnard, merged with the larger university. Radcliffe's campus has lost its undergraduates and now gives year-long fellowships to established intellectuals whose work focuses on women, gender, and society.

Everyone settles in to listen. Faust declares her pride the Institute and its success in bringing together people from disparate fields, promising to foster interdisciplinary scholarship and equal access to higher education. She says little more about her plans, preferring to reminisce about her time at the Institute and tell anecdotes about its successful fellows. Faust singles out theoretical physicist Lisa Randall for special praise, an unsubtle gibe at her predecessor, who claimed that women were naturally less talented in science.

As Faust finishes, Randall slips through the admiring crowd and arrives at the bar blushing, "A spritzer, please. For the toast."

The New York Times Magazine covers sex publications, marking the eighteenth time in as many years Bwog has read about H-Bomb; interestingly, the aforementioned Harvard publication was granted college funding, unlike, say, Columbia's Outlet.

No mention of sex pieces in non-sexual college publications? Following in the footsteps of our favorite "explicitly, absolutely, without a doubt straight woman," today's Spec sex column, "Embracing Your Inner Slut," begins, "A few weeks ago I arrived home to find one of my roommates involved in an orgy."

And that's all the news that's not fit for print.

In the latest news from the rest of the Ivy League, Harvard plans on naming Drew Gilpin Faust as its next president, according to the New York Times and Harvard Crimson (and most definitely not to a hoax email).

If Harvard's Board of Overseers gives her full approval as expected, Faust, who is currently Dean of the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study at the university, will be the first female president at Harvard in the school's 371-year history. In the meantime, Bwog finds it unnecessary to make any clever references to German folklore, since they've all probably been used within the last 24 hours (although admittedly, President Faust is a pretty damn awesome title).

OK, just kidding. But just for a second, the Harvard class of 2010 thought the Hutt-like former president had been brought back for the job: someone sent the gullible young ones an official-looking e-mail announcing the appointment. The buzz over at Bored@Lamont is pinning the prank on the Lampoon. The best part? The practical joke forced Harvard to declare their real pick a day early, and it's perhaps more exciting: law school dean Elena Kagan, who will be the first queen of the Crimson (i.e. female president). Looks like Bollinger really is sticking around a little longer.

Faux and genuine e-mails after the jump, courtesy of Zachary Katz, Harvard '10.

Update, 10:30 PM: Gullible? That would be us. Looks like we post-happy Bwoggers called the race too early, while other Harvard blogs had the sense to be skeptical.

This maintenance van has been parked on College Walk intermittently for the past week.

Go refurbish in Cambridge if their moldings are so nice, then.

On Thursday, Harvard released its 50-year plan for expansion in the Allston neighbourhood (think Manhattanville, except 341 acres instead of 17, Boston instead of New York, and more parking lots than people). It's long, like 72 pages (even Penn kept theirs to 32!), and Bwog didn't read the whole thing, but if we were Harvard alums with lots and lots of money, we'd probably give serious thought to sending it Allston's way.

Why? They've got everything planned out to the last street sign, and want all their buildings to be built to LEEDs Gold standard (Columbia hasn't committed to any LEEDs certifications), and think they can generate 15-20 startup businesses per year. Although it also helps to have about $25 billion on hand to make sure the thing gets finished. But really, we don't know, because all we can find is pro-Harvard propaganda (OK, and the Crimson). They're at a ten-year disadvantage, but maybe the folks up in Low should be taking lessons from their homies in Cambridge anyway.

Also! We knew Barack hated Columbia, but we didn't know he was such a buzzkill as well.

Also! Have you noticed that the Morton Williams receipts still have "Welcome to the Class of 2008" printed at the bottom? I mean, juniors are great, but '10 probably would appreciate the open arms a bit more...

Also! The Current wants YOU!

Finally! The Columbia University Model United Nations Conference and Exposition (a.k.a. CMUNCE, a.k.a. seamonkey) is underway, which means there are hordes of coiffed high schoolers running around. Be nice to them, maybe they'll give you food.

- LBD

An article in today's Boston Globe confirms that our esteemed President Lee C. Bollinger is once again on the shortlist of candidates for the soon-to-be vacant position of President of Harvard University. The list, which is currently running just over 30 strong, includes the presidents of Columbia, Brown, UPenn and Princeton, as well as some internal candidates vying for the ultimate promotion. As of yet, no word from Bollinger on whether or not he's considering jumping ship—although at a recent fireside chat at 60 Morningside, a Bwog staffer did hear him say something to the effect of "This is my home. I'm here for the long haul." O President! my President! Let it be true!

If he does in fact plan on sticking around, now is the time for PrezBo to start rolling out the thinly-veiled rhetoric about Columbia's future and how we're all in this together. We'll certainly be on the lookout in upcoming speeches for hints at the President's true intentions, but if he'd like a more direct approach, Bwog would like to hereby offer Bollinger a post—his very own Bwog post!—to formally announce his intentions to stay. So, Lee C., if you're out there, e-mail us! We'd love to hear from you.

Something's up in California--at USC, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Trojan was sacked by the school's Vice President of Student Affairs after being re-elected to the position by his staff. It's gotten some people upset, garnered a bit of national press, and attracted the attention of the venerable Harvard Crimson, which got 18 college papers to sign and run an editorial condemning the interference (never before has the USC administration denied a staff pick for editor).

Notoriously absent? The Columbia Daily Spectator (well, and Dartmouth, but they've stopped publishing). Bwog asked Spec Opinion Editor Miriam Datskovsky about the reasoning behind her choice. Here is her reply:

Thanks for writing. The Harvard Crimson did approach us, but after carefully looking over a draft of the editorial, we decided that we did not feel comfortable signing it. Of course, the Spectator editorial board is not happy about the actions of the USC administration either. But as journalists, we don't think it is responsible to sign our name to an opinion written in the words of someone else and based solely on the reporting of others. The Spectator editorial board has worked especially hard to do, and be responsible for, its own reporting this semester.

Best
Miriam

Nice to be financially independent, isn't it?

Clarification, 10:30 PM: The Spectator editorial board made the decision to not run the editorial.

Today, the women's soccer team beat Harvard in a 1-0 victory after more than 80 minutes of scoreless soccer. Columbia beat Harvard before— six years ago.

Columbia will learn of its next opponent during the NCAA Women's College Cup selection show on Monday, Nov. 6. The show will air on ESPNEWS between 3-4 p.m.

Read the play-by-play live blog here.

Careful, a frenzy of school spirit may ensue.

Spectator has relayed that Princeton has joined Harvard in ending early admissions. Shall we proceed from largest to smallest endowment? Or till the order go by US News Rankings? Either way, the other six are in the hot seat...

Harvard was the first to make early action non-binding, and it's now become the first to ditch the whole policy, which has been widely derided for favoring children of the rich and deadline-savvy. But the Iviest of the Ivy League says it might not stick with the gutsy decision if other schools don't follow suit, and Columbia, at least, isn't biting. From Robert Hornsby, Columbia's Director of Media Relations:

"Columbia University's admissions policies are re-evaluated annually. To date, it has not been our experience that our early admission program has negatively impacted our ability to create a diverse class. For example, Columbia's student of color representation and representation of students from lower income brackets has consistently been one of the highest among our peers. Through a constant review of our policies, we maintain our commitment to providing a fair and equitable review process for all applicants."

Translation: Now why would we want to do a silly thing like that? Look at all the people of color we have, and that number nine on the US News College Rankings!

How inspiring.

Watch out, Zvi G.--Harvard's now got a SEAS of its own, having made its own Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences into a full-fledged School. Rumblings of the transition started a year ago, when DEAS Dean "Venky" resigned pending some big changes. SEAS--with an admit rate three times that of the Harvard school--just beats out DEAS in the US News rankings. But for how much longer??

Oh, Harvard. If only you knew all the social awkwardness you're in for.