The activities fair may be over, but you've still got a while to find your niche in Columbia's extracurricular scene. To help you sift through the alphabet soup, our series of club crib sheets continues with groups that hand out money and groups that may eventually make lots of money.

Governing Boards and Councils (a.k.a. The Man)

Activities Board at Columbia (ABC) - This oversight organization funds publications, cultural groups, competition groups--basically everything SGB doesn't pay for. Every club competes to have its friends on the board of representatives in hopes of upping their allocations.

Engineering Student Council (ESC) - ESC may be elected undemocratically—the executive board, which composes a much larger percentage of the total student body than any of the other councils, selects the president--but they do come up with the most wonderful web applications.

Student Government Association - Barnard College's student council, this year headed by Sarah Besnoff. SGA mostly stays on the west side of Broadway, but frequently cosponsors events with the other undergraduate councils.

General Studies Student Council (GSSC) - Now with a cute owl logo and a website that's at least helpful and up to date, GSSC is one of the more constituency-conscious councils out there. Bwog can only hope current president Brody Berg will be as entertaining as ex-leader Nico Cunningham.

Well, they moved quickly this time. As we wrote about before, the announcement of a joint appearance by Obama and McCain on campus next Thursday took student government and group leaders completely by surprise.

Just before midnight, though, the presidents of the student councils, club governing boards, and Panhellenic councils have sent an email to President Lee Bollinger, as well as fellow administrators interim Dean of Student Affairs Kevin Shollenberger, Executive Vice President for Student Services Jeffrey Scott, and Housing & Dining Vice President Scott Wright.

The email asks for two accomodations: "a fair share of the tickets made available are apportioned to undergraduates" and "arrangements, similar to those made for the Ahmadinejad visit, should be made for all students, including but not limited to the installation of a large screen on South Lawn." In other words, "make sure everyone gets an equal chance at tickets, and give us another jumbotron." The full letter will be printed in Thursday's Spectator, but you can save yourself from waiting outside a residence hall until noon and just read it below the fold.

On Monday night, the Student Governing Board voted to elect their new board, as well as to determine new group recognition and to derecognize inactive groups. Their new board is as follows:

Chair: Arjun Kapoor, CC'09, Amnesty International
Vice-Chair: Jacob Taber, GS-JTS'09, College Democrats & Hillel
Treasurer: Devora Aharon, CC'10, Hillel
Secretary: Jim Downie, CC'10, College Democrats (and Bwog staffer!)
Representatives-at-Large:
Nishi Dedania, SEAS'09, Hindu Students Organization
Charles Dwyer, CC'09, CU International Relations Forum
Sana Khalid, CC'11, MSA, AHIMSA and USINPAC
Aaron Krieger, CC'10, Hillel Executive Board, Gayava, Columbia Queer Alliance
Ali Shafei, CC'10, MSA
Eugenio Suarez, CC'11, Cuban American National Foundation
Elissa Verrilli, BC'11, SEEJ

New groups and groups-no-longer are after the jump—and in keeping with the theme du jour of objectivism, the ill-fated Ayn Rand Discussion Group is one of the latter.

In the continuing saga of ABC/SGB budget and group allocations, SGB has just released their budget, as well as a handy Powerpoint presentation entitled "Fun with Funds" (really!). "I apologize for the lack of animation, but we wanted to get it out quickly," explained SGB chair Jon Siegel.

So let the comparisons begin:

In the political arena, Democrats were allocated $7500, the Republicans $1500, the Libertarians just $350 despite a New Yorker write-up. CPU was a huge winner with a whopping $15,000.

On the publications front, Ad-Hoc apparently still exists and apparently was allocated $800. Who knew? The Current also received $800.

A group cryptically entitled "Catholics" received $8500, while Hillel took home $27,000. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship received $735, nearly double that of the Atheists and Agnostics, who received $350.

This was a only small sampling, so head to the SGB website to see the full budget.

- JNW

Like many of you, Bwog was curious and excited upon learning that ABC (unlike last year) had released their 2007-2008 budget and student group allocations. But what of the Student Governing Board, (the ABC of political and religious groups, among others)? According to Jon Siegel, a chair of SGB, the SGB has been in talks with various groups for about a year in attempts to publicize their budgets. This year, SGB will be releasing their full budget and all of their allocations.

"The only reason we haven't published ours yet is because a member of a student council asked us not to release ours for another week or so so that they would be able to release theirs without appearing to have been pressured into it by us," Siegel said.

Because SGB serves mostly religious and political student groups, clubs and events, the release of individual allocations to groups is a very sensitive and charged issue. Bwog will be publishing SGB's budget as it is released, check back for updates.

- JNW

Let the spin-doctoring begin: "It's a victory for free speech and anti-racism."

Kind farewell to Lisa Anderson: "Being in SIPA next to the law school is like living in Mexico on the border of the U.S."

JTS decides to admit gays and lesbians. In other news, sky does not fall.

SGB "combats social injustice" by...recognizing groups that will do it for them

Inside the university's rules procedure: where's Kafka when you need him?

Elections are everywhere this time of year (ESC, such as they are, from April 1st - 3rd, and the Dems on the 11th), and a few hours ago representatives from SGB's 60+ groups met to choose new leaders, welcome new groups, kick out a few others, and overhaul their constitution. Highlights from the Spring Town Hall after the jump.

Having garnered seven big-name endorsements, including that of the Columbia Political Union, Michelle Diamond '08 is widely considered the frontrunner in the upcoming CCSC elections. However, it is just those endorsements that have placed her and her party, One Columbia, under fire for accusations of wrongdoing.

Rebel CC Presidential candidate Tracy Chung '08 filed three rules violations against Diamond at midnight on Monday. The primary violation, which was provided to Bwog, alleges that SGB treasurer Jonathan Siegel (also the CC 2008 class treasurer) and SGB representative Jessie Leiken had approached Diamond with an "endorsement deal" early in the campaign.

In a previously unpublished Bwog interview that took place in February, Siegel discussed past funding difficulties: "In the past, the relations between the SGB [which provides funding for groups such as the College Democrats and the Columbia Political Union] and the Council haven't been very good."

The Student Council cut the SGB budget at the end of 2002-2003 school year and had continued to cut $20,000 each subsequent year, forcing the SGB into debt. Last May, the SGB told Seth Flaxman's administration that $140,000 was the smallest number they could survive on. According to Siegel, the group was given $139,000. Sunday night, he said, "SGB groups are independent and wouldn't take their marching orders from us." But, he added, "SGB groups do care about how SGB is funded."

Prezbo's December 22nd school-wide statement on "Free Speech Issues" (which managed to cover several issues, in one glorious 1,156-word e-mail) did not go over well with the kids whom it mainly addressed. Yesterday at around noon, SGB President Sakib Khan responded, in a missive half the size but with at least as much punch: Khan complained that our leader had left the student board out of the loop on a number of changes (including the institution of standardized procedures for bringing outside speakers) that amounted to a "taming of SGB."

"No increase in funds or in square footage will ever be able to replace lost or encumbered freedom of expression as an asset to this institution. As partners in the academic endeavor at Columbia, students have the fundamental responsibility to protect free politics, free religion and free activism. We hope that you adopt a view of the student body as active partners in our common endeavor and begin to communicate with us equitably," he wrote.

As of this posting, no administrator had responded. They do get a lot of e-mail.

Meanwhile, Bwog has learned that the Chaplain's office in Earl Hall now has two staffers, down from six a month ago. There may be an explanation. Inquiries are in the works.

Looks like Student Governing Board has got a room of their own--in Student Affairs, complete with a new Associate Dean, two advisors, and a financial assistant (although they've since been ironed out, SGB has a definite history of fiscal difficulties). According to a press release today, the SGB governing board is happy with how things worked out, and it looks like they played it well: by getting a "financial and managerial" commitment from Provost Brinkley and President Bollinger, they effectively nullified any objections to the staffing hike and independent office from Dean of Student Affairs Chris Colombo. Financial processes will be preserved--you'll still be able to get your funding voucher for a hastily-arranged event on short notice, without going through ABC-style paperwork. And the SGB governing board gets a say in the job description and hiring process of the new associate dean.

It worked out "better than expected," said Brett Murphy, B '07, a member of SCEG. But, she noted, "it's not how the administration should make decisions. I'm still wary of it."

Some groups will be sad to leave the Chaplain's office, even with the new cozy digs. CU Marching Bander John Shekitka, C '07, is a little worried about the idea of dealing with religious groups in the bureaucratic universe of Lerner Hall. "In a way such a move, I think, is a statement about the place of religion, suggesting that it can be understood and regulated by the same type of folks who handle ABC and SDA etc.," he wrote in an e-mail.

Bwog encourages vigilance! And hope there will continue to be Saigon Grill-catered Town Halls.

Item! Last night, the Dems and CPU hosted a dinner with leaders of campus political groups in the James Room of Barnard Hall to "foster intergroup cooperation." Bwog's request to attend was politely denied, but organizers graciously provided the list of those in attendance: besides the Dems and CPU, representatives from the College Libertarians, LionPAC, Students United For America, Earthco, Working Families Party, Amnesty, Pro-Israel Progressives, Students for Choice, and CQA all showed up for free food provided by the Kraft fund. The College Republicans and C4 declined to participate. (OK, to be fair, so did SEEJ, the ISO, Catholics for Life and the ACLU--none of which are major political parties).

Update, 6:22 PM: According to a person in attendance at the event, the College Republicans refused to come because the ISO had been invited, and both the ISO and SEEJ couldn't come because of scheduling conflicts. Also, a clarification: the ISO is an ABC group, not an SGB group.

Item! They may or may not have discussed their governing board's move from Earl Hall to SDA Student Affairs, which has provoked fears that Dean Colombo and Robert Taylor might not be able to keep their hands out of planned event content (or at least more so than student favorite Chaplain Davis, who has held student dinners in her own apartment). People in the know say the administration hasn't told them why SGB has to move, but to one anonymous CCSC source, the reason is clear: there need to be more layers of bureaucracy to insulate PrezBo from shitstorms like the Minuteman fiasco. While the Chaplain reports directly to Provost Brinkley, under Student Affairs, there are more administrators between students and top brass than Bwog wants to even think about. No more gravy for you, SGB!

Item! We said yesterday that the Dems don't pull off political stunts like the Republicans. They may prove us wrong on Thursday, when the Activist Council plans to hold a "Global Warming Bash," in which kids in Bush masks will thwack an earth-shaped pinata. In an earlier e-mail, members were encouraged to "dress like Republicans" for the event. Bwog wonders what that means, exactly: Uncle Moneybags? Scrooge McDuck? Stay tuned...

As the Spec reported on their website yesterday, the Student Governing Board of Earl Hall--that amorphous body that gives your political or cultural group money every year--will soon no longer reside in Earl Hall, under the benevolent eye of Chaplain Davis. If administrators get their way, SGB will move next year to the oversight of the Office of Student Development and Activities (which also houses the Activities Board at Columbia), which means they'll report to Chris Colombo instead. The administration says the move will afford SGB the financial resources of the College in staffing its advising. Three cheers for synergy. On the other hand, it's nice having the safety of a satellite office to plan potentially controversial events, like the Finkelstein and Gilchrist speeches. Worth noting: on October 20, the SDA posted a job listing for someone to manage political events.

Next Monday, PrezBo and Executive VP for Student Services Lisa Hogarty will be at SGB's biannual town hall. The leadership of the SGB has put together a diplomatically worded press release about the change, reprinted after the jump.

- Lydia DePillis

After leaving the Minuteman Protest, Bwog sat down and e-mailed all the adminstrators it could think of for interviews. Chaplain Jewelnel Davis, who runs Earl Hall, responded via Blackberry at 6:30 AM the next morning. She and SGB program managers Jane Huber and Raquel Whittaker speak about protesting, free speech, and the swinging sixties.

When the idea to have Jim Gilchrist came up, what were your thoughts around that?

Chaplain Davis: We know that Columbia, at its very best, must be a place where free speech is affirmed and central, not only in the classrooms must there be a vigiorous exchange of ideas, but also if they have issues that their groups want to focus on, we are delighted for students to proposed events and propose speakers that will allow students first hand experience of what the issues are that face them as young people, and as citizens not only of Columbia, but of New York, of the region, of the country, of the world.

If you're going to have a speaker and have a question and answer session. You're at Columbia. If you want something to have a significant contribution to the Columbia Community, you make sure that there's a Question and Answer period.

In this case, for example, the speakers were scheduled to speak for 45 minutes, and then followed by a 45 minute question and answer period. Raquel and Jane had worked carefully and well with Chris Kulawik to make sure that the issues the College Republicans wanted to be heard, issues of immigration, were coming out. So it's not whether you read the newspaper, whether you've filtered through the television media, but no, you could say I was actually there with the people who were making the news that other people are reporting on.

At Columbia, you get to say I was there. The Minutemen are part of the national conversation about immigration, especially on the southern border of the United States, and the College Republicans wanted students to hear from them, and to interrogate. There were no bars on what the questions were going to be. There were no questions that were predetermined that could not be asked. The College Republicans made no effort to do that.