The Work of Rebuilding Community

Columbia College Today has published a print magazine three times a year since the onset of the pandemic. We follow the rhythms of the academic calendar: an issue at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters, and then one in June to close out the year and share the celebratory news from graduation. And yet, this issue arrives in July — online only and about six weeks later than usual.

You can probably imagine the reason why. In April and May, the ground continually shifted beneath our feet as events unfolded, including congressional testimony about antisemitism and the University; demonstrations that escalated into the seizure of Hamilton Hall; and multiple NYPD interventions on campus. CCT is not a news publication whose job is to cover such developments as they happen (for those who are interested, we point you to the work done by the reporters at WKCR, Spectator and the Journalism School). However, by delaying our typical publishing date, we put the magazine in a position to recognize and thoughtfully respond to what was happening. And that took time.

None of this is to say that our community has turned a corner, or that the issues that have come to the fore have been resolved. But the summer brings an opportune moment for reflection. In that spirit, I recently sat down for an interview with Dean Josef Sorett. His perspective adds dimension to our understanding of this past semester, in addition to underscoring his care for students and alumni and respect for their many points of view. He also spoke to the complexities of the work that lies ahead, and outlined three priorities that will guide the College in the coming year — about safety, who we are as a community, and what it means to be a college within the context of a university. Through it all, as the dean observed, we must keep talking. As demonstrated on our cover, the work of building community requires sitting at a shared table.

Elsewhere in the issue, we cheer on Charlotte Buck ’18, who returns to the Olympics this week as part of the U.S. rowing team. It’s an exciting moment for a Lions record holder who hadn’t handled an oar until a month before starting at Columbia. In Paris, she’ll try to claim the medal that her eight-woman boat just missed in the Tokyo finals four years ago. We also ask a few alumni to take a walk down memory lane and share the stories behind their most treasured keepsake from their time at the College.

At this year’s Class Day, keynote speaker and journalist Poppy Harlow ’05 delivered a moving speech that, in part, spoke to what it’s like to be “in between.” As Harlow noted, she and the graduates share a between-ness; her CNN morning show was recently canceled, and they are transitioning from college life to whatever comes next. But the power of that space lies in its potential. “Remember,” Harlow said, “the ‘in-between’ is where you get to choose.”

Here between spring and fall, as we contemplate what comes next, they are words for all of us.

Alexis Boncy SOA’11
Editor-in-Chief