They’ll be watching you! CCSC Meeting - October 12, 2025

CCSC Meeting - October 12, 2025

On today’s agenda: student group surveillance, condom refill data, and a final goodbye to Chef Mike’s soups.

By Rocky Rūb

This week, Columbia College Student Council started their weekly G-Body meeting with a “brief” (40 minute) presentation from two members of Columbia’s Center for Student Success and Intervention as a part of a presentation on the new Student Group Accountability Review Board (SGARB) policy. Associate Director of Student Accountability and Group Conduct, Greg Caso, was the member presenting, accompanied by another member of SGARB named Rilwan, but whose last name and job title has been scrubbed so deeply off of the internet you would think he’s a member of the witness protection program. 

“We’re not just sitting behind our computers all day, trying to find out what student groups are doing, trying to figure out if they’re having parties; no, not at all, right?” said Rilwan. It’s good to hear, but why did he have to say it? No one was picturing these two grown men surveilling students from their computers until this self report. Maybe to appease the growing suspicions, he began appealing to the interests of the CCSC E-Board. “We want to make sure that they’re engaging and having the best matcha parties,” he said of the Columbia Matcha Club, which VP Communications, Maraki Tamrat, CC ’27, has been known to promote. Unfortunately, he was unable to give a shout out to many other Columbia/Barnard student groups in the 40 minutes that the presentation carried on—even though I gave him googly eyes when he walked in so he’d mention The Blue and White. Things finally started to get interesting just as soon as the CCSC President, Sam Cano Cabrera, CC ’26, hastily interrupted the body’s Q&A session. As Miles Sturges, CC ’27, Student Services Representative, received the answer to his second question of the three he launched at the speakers in quick succession, Cano Cabrera jived, “OH, I’m so sorry. I’m gonna have to cut you off just because we’ve been 15 minutes over time.” And thank God he did. 

In the remaining 45 minutes, the meeting was BY THE BOOK. A rapid fire update go-around commenced, during which we learned: John Jay will be setting up a heated tent for outdoor dining in the winter, Cano Cabrera was invited to a dinner with Claire Shipman later in the semester (maybe important, maybe not), and most tragically, Chef Mike’s will NEVER be offering soup again. It seems the University simply just can’t afford such unnecessary luxuries anymore. And the cuts aren’t stopping there. 

“Menstrual products/contraceptives; we love them, we need them, let’s talk about them,” said Cano Cabrera while introducing the conversation led by Senior Class President, Sarayu Bethamcherla, CC ’26, and CCSC VP Policy, Matias Hernandez, CC ’26. The two met over the week with Honey Sue Fishman, Associate Vice President of Housing Services and Student Center Operations, and it looks like the University is questioning just how effective the free product dispenser initiative actually is. Bethamcherla noted with suspicion that “weirdly, condoms were just like always gone in specifically the freshmen residence halls.” A data set acquired by The Blue and White outlines the frequency of which the contraceptives must be refilled, and let’s just say, Congrats Ruggles and Hogan Residence Halls!

To test the theory, Honey Sue Fishman proposed, according to Bethamcherla, “to camp out … near the menstrual product machine for like an afternoon, and have CCSC members talk to people.” But, and luckily, CCSC is looking into alternative methods of obtaining qualitative data regarding the effectiveness of the free product dispensers. 

Otherwise, Homecoming is on Saturday, and all eyes turn to the Columbia Lions’ Football Team for the one and only time of the year! For a team that hasn’t won their Homecoming game since 2021, The Blue and White is always pulling for our underdogs! See you there (maybe?).