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CAMPUS BULLETINS

CLASS OF '04: The beat goes on when it comes to College admissions, with the Class of '04 being the most selective, and possessing the highest SAT scores, in Columbia history.

Columbia's selectivity - the percentage of students admitted from the number of applications received - stands at 12.9 percent, down from 13.6 percent a year ago. Breaking the 13 percent barrier is significant, as the only school below that mark in last year's U.S. News & World Report survey was Harvard, at 12 percent. Princeton and Stanford were both at 13 percent and Columbia at 14 percent in last year's survey, which rounds off its percentages.

"Very few institutions ever get anywhere near that mark," observed Dean Austin Quigley.

The College received nearly 13,500 applications, up 3.5 percent over a year ago and the most ever, though the rate of increase moderated somewhat from recent years. "It's almost inevitable that we would hit a ceiling, in fact it's pretty remarkable that we are up for another year," commented Quigley. "I think what's more significant for us than the total application numbers is the 15 percent increase we had in early decision applicants. These are students who have done their research and investigated schools and for whom Columbia is their first choice, students who really want to be here. This can only help to improve the general atmosphere among the student body.

"We have tried to limit the percentage of the incoming class from the early decision pool to 45 percent, and this year we failed," added Quigley. "This year's group was so exceptional that the figure rose to 47 percent."

The average combined SAT score among students accepted for the Class of '04 was 1,430, up some 30 points from last year's previous all-time high, leaving more than one alum shaking his head over his own prospects for admission had it been so competitive way back when.

SCHOLARSHIP reception: Nearly 400 people gathered in the rotunda of Low Memorial Library on February 16 for a reception in honor of the donors and recipients of the over 200 named scholarships at the College. Organized by Heather Applewhite of the Alumni Office, the event brought together the students who benefit from scholarships with the alumni and friends of the College who donate them.

Derek Wittner '65, executive director of College development, welcomed the assembled guests and introduced Chad Shampine '00, recipient of the George R. Lanyi Memorial Foundation Scholarship, who thanked all donors for making his time at the College possible. Dean Austin Quigley also praised the donors, noting their importance in keeping a Columbia College education accessible to those with the most ability rather than the most money.

ROSKOT FUND: The family of Kathleen Roskot '02 has established a scholarship fund in memory of the College sophomore who was slain in February. Donations may be made to the Kathleen Adams Roskot Memorial Fund at:

Columbia College
c/o Derek Wittner, Executive Director
Office of Alumni Affairs and Development
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 917
New York, N.Y. 10115.

Roskot, a popular member of the lacrosse team, was found with a stab wound to her throat in her Ruggles Hall dorm room on Saturday, February 5. Police have concluded that Roskot was murdered by Thomas Nelford '99, who had left the College on academic leave in 1997 and had been dating Roskot. Later on Saturday, Nelford apparently killed himself by jumping in front of an oncoming subway train.

A Catholic Mass said in Roskot's honor drew hundreds of members of the Columbia community to St. Paul's Chapel on Sunday, February 6. The following day, students organized a candlelight vigil on Low Plaza to bring the campus together and help in the healing process. A memorial service for Roskot was held in St. Paul's Chapel on March 20.

Obituaries for Roskot and Nelford appear on page 42.

CENTER OPENS: A reception was held in Low Library on February 21 in honor of the official launching of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, with Gary Y. Okihiro as director. The Center is housed in Hamilton Hall and currently consists of the African-American Studies, Asian-American Studies and Latino Studies programs.

ALLEGORICAL: An upcoming exhibit at the New York Historical Society on Central Park West will explore three female allegorical figures - "Indian" Princess, Lady Liberty, and Columbia - that have been used to represent the United States since the eighteenth century. Among the images of Columbia scheduled as part of the exhibit, which opens on May 23, 2000, are images of Daniel Chester French's Alma Mater and several pieces of Columbia College Today memorabilia.

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Mid-Cheshire College in Northwich, England has placed four computers with internet access in the Slow and Easy, a local pub, in an effort to encourage the use of technology among those without easy access to it, the BBC reports. The pub's new "learning zone" offers computer courses and other instruction.

Whatever happened to darts?

THE NAME GAME: A recent article in the Los Angeles Times examined the increase in naming opportunities on college and university campuses nationwide, specifically among public institutions that have been forced to decrease their reliance on government funding. The article noted that because tuition does not cover the full cost of educating students, universities must make up for budget shortfalls through fundraising methods such as naming opportunities.

Naming opportunities can apply to almost anything at a university, from an esteemed professorship to a campus streetlight, reports the Times. After furnace company founder Henry Rowan gave $100 million to Glassboro State College in New Jersey, the institution was renamed Rowan College. At the other end of the spectrum, $12,000 will buy a bench at the University of Southern California.

The Times also made note of an anonymous $5 million gift made three years ago to the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. The donor's condition: that the museum and archive never take anyone's name.

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