General Studies Lounge

Students of General Studies,

Your Student Council will begin collecting tangible proof of the wide ranging support our student body has for a GS Latin diploma.

Over the next week Council members as well as other student volunteers will be in the GS Lounge, in your classrooms and around the campus in general collecting signatures.

We need your help.

If you support a GS Latin Diploma you can

Sign a petition

• With someone holding a physical petition either around campus or at scheduled times in the Lounge

Send an e-signature

• By sending an email stating “Yes to a GS Latin Diploma” with your full name and UNI to me at mr2593@columbia.edu

Please feel free to add commentary expressing why a Latin diploma is important to you.

Get involved

• You can also download the PDF attached at the bottom of this message and collect signatures yourself. 
• *If you plan to do this please contact me via email*

Or you can simply encourage your fellow students to view this page and send me an e-signature.

If you do not support a GS Latin Diploma

• Send me an email, also with your full name and UNI expressing why you do not support this change

If you would like to know more about the history of diplomas at Columbia please visit  http://gslounge.com/ColumbiaDiplomas

The GSSC looks forward to reaching out to you and gathering your expressed support as we continue to work help improve your student lives.

Kind regards,

Michael Rain
Vice-President of Policy

Here's a short piece to offically state the rationale your Student Council is presenting in our effort to change General Studies diplomas to Latin, as well as, offer some facts about Columbia diplomas to clarify common mispreceptions. The better informed we all are the more productive our conversations will be when discussing this issue.

The classic Latin diploma has always been issued to students of Columbia College.

Columbia University has issued a separate, general diploma to all other graduates for years.

The general diploma is in English and used to look like this.

In the 1980’s two schools decided to make their diplomas unique. Columbia Law School changed theirs to Latin and made it larger, while the College of Physicians and Surgeons decided to issue a portrait orientation instead of a landscape layout.

Columbia Law School diploma

Friday evening a large group of General Studies newcomers gathered at Alma Mater to engage in some fun social activities away from Morningside.

As part of GSCC’s Pre-Orientation schedule, the brand spanking new students embarked on their first experience hanging out afterhours in New York City. Led by alum, Joel Pichardo GS’08, the group trekked down to the East Village and hopped from several dive bars to classier liquor establishments. Newbies enjoyed the mix of cheap prices and high quality company while discussing what lies ahead in their first Columbia semester.

The group enjoyed the night as much as they could; staying out until the wee hours of the morning to savor what is left of their free time.

Special thanks to Joel Pichardo, Robert Clemens, James Agapoff, Kristen Hutzler, and Helena Lellis for participating with this event.

Several General Studies students and administrators gathered in Lewisohn Lounge for the annual Orientation Prep meeting on the Friday afternoon before Orientation week. 

Henry Ford himself couldn’t be more proud as volunteers formed productive assembly lines to compile folders, magazines, candy and other goodies into trendy GS bags. The group enjoyed hardy laughter as they exchanged past orientation experiences and shared memories of their own orientation days.

The incoming class of fall 2008 will be formally welcomed on Monday, August 25th and treated to a classy after party sponsored by GSSC.  Those wanting even more fun throughout the week have the option to participate in the many activities outlined in the extensive, Extended Orientation schedule which is full of joint undergraduate school events, activities, workshops and club meet & greets.

Special thanks to Assistant Dean Leslie Limardo and Martha Palaguachi, NSOP 2008 GS Programmer and GS Student Orientation Coordinator who both have been working since January to prepare a proper welcome to the School’s newest students. 

A few General Studies pros spent the afternoon with some incoming students Wednesday as part of GSSC’s Pre-Orientation events. 

Gathering at Alma Mater, the group of excited newcomers was led on a fantastic tour by the School’s own Melissa Van, an official Campus Tour Guide. Hiking up stairs, strolling through the lawns and skipping up and down the pathways (OK, there was no skipping); the Pre-Orientation group was treated to quite a few nuggets of knowledge.

Did you know President Dwight Eisenhower, former Columbia University President, insisted on having a GS bulletin appear in his portrait? It now hangs in Butler Library above the stairway going from the second to third floor, behind the security desk at the main entrance.

The group ended the afternoon chowing down and sipping some great strawberry iced tea at the cafeteria in the Interfaith Center. The newest GS students discussed their enthusiasm with the upcoming semester as the pros shared their wishes for summer break to be extended.