Since Bwog broke the news of the ROTC referenda last month, the logistical details behind it have still been debated. However, it appears that the student councils at last have a plan. In an email sent by SGA earlier today, a letter from the four councils at the end spelled out more about the timing of, and the run-up to the survey.

The survey itself will go out to the student body the week of November 17th. Original plans had considered late October as the most likely date, but, according to the email, "we have had to postpone the dates due to difficulties in getting the survey technology set up." The survey will have one question ("Would you support NROTC on Columbia's campus?"), though it is unknown at this time how many possible answers the question will have.

The week beforehand, there will be two forums, one at Barnard and one at Columbia, in a "pro vs. con setup." The panels themselves will be composed of students as well, and students can submit questions. Deadline for participation in panels, despite the email not having reached any other undergraduate schools yet, is this Wednesday, October 22. The full email is after the jump.

In response to widespread concerns over access to the ROTC survey planning meetings that have been going on amongst student groups, the next meeting will most likely be moved to Friday, and be declared open to all groups, pending a vote from the current coalition of group and council representatives.

The move was pushed for by CCSC VP for Policy Adil Ahmed, who, in an email to student council and group leaders, said that the councils want to be "completely transparent." At last Wednesday's meeting, representatives from Everyone Allied Against Homophobia tried to enter the closed meeting. They were asked to leave by representatives there, and EAAH handed out a statement at the end of the meeting.

The student councils and a newly-expanded list student groups met last night in the SGO to continue their discussions of the NROTC referendum. Despite the now-public nature of their plans, the meetings remained closed to the press with notes being sent to campus media organizations.

The meetings are still focused on the process behind the referendum, rather than the debate itself. Most importantly, the vote will no longer be a referendum, but a "survey," a less formal version with the same procedures. Among other effects, Bwog notes that the vote can now go forward without waiting for the results of the "referenda committee" that was presented at both the CCSC and ESC board meetings this past week.

As for scheduling before the vote, there are currently plans for "information sessions" about the history of NROTC and Columbia, and two town halls, one at Columbia and one at Barnard, with panel discussions followed by an open floor.

However, other details about the exact date(s) of the survey and number of answers remain unresolved. More, including GS's absence and EAAH's rebuffed attempt to enter, after the jump.

UPDATE (1:20 AM): The media notes themselves are now posted after the jump.

With the dual force of Obamacain four days from striking campus, student groups and councils are scrambling to inject themselves into the festivities. On Saturday, representatives from almost every governing council, as well as CPU, the College Democrats, and the College Republicans, met to plan programming for the run-up. They plan to send their outline to Columbia administration tomorrow morning.

The plan consists of two parts: speakers and service opportunites. Highlights will apparently include a voter registration drive led by CPU, the Dems, and the Republicans. Governing boards and individual community service groups will also put on a "service fair," highlighting service opportunities on campus. Finally, there will be a canned food drive led by the four student councils.

As for speakers, the ad-hoc coalition plans to bring in live speakers from 6-7 P.M., before the beginning of the forum. The speakers will focus on both service and September 11th. The pre-forum programming will close with a moment of silence for 9/11 victims. The councils hope to get a famous speaker (possibly a celebrity like Angelina Jolie) as part of the program. Bwog will bring you more specifics and reaction as they come in.

UPDATE 11:31 PM: The full plan to be presented to the deans is below the jump

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.