General Studies Lounge - ARCHIVE 2006-2011

Welcome to the start of orientation! This is said to be the best part of a GS student’s experience here at Columbia. So, embrace it!

If there is one piece of advice I can give you, it would be to make the most of your relatively short time here. Beyond learning as much as you can while at Columbia, you should get to know as many people as possible. In other words, I don’t want to see you for the first time on graduation day. It’s about who you know as much as what you know.

The good news is that Columbia has such a rich community and offers so much to explore during your time here. I beg you, please, do not graduate having only visited Butler. Historically, GS students have not been the most active participants of on-campus activities. This year, as president of GSSC, my goal is to devote 100% of our energy on improving student life and encouraging GS students’ participation around campus.

To make this happen, we need GS students with initiative to take the lead and become organizers of events. There are two ways to become leaders. Firstly, if you are willing to make a commitment to join our student council, you will have the opportunity to drive the agenda of meetings, to plan and promote events, and to connect people. However, if that is too much of a commitment, I would encourage you to take advantage of the GS Fund, a program we started last year to fund big ideas submitted by you. We will fund up to $1,000 per winning idea. On top of that, you will be named special delegate to GSSC once you successfully make your big idea happen. This will allow you to do something awesome, without committing to council for the entire year.

Aside from leading and organizing events, we desperately need GS students to participate, to show up, to add our voice to the campus conversations. So we will put money where our mouths are. This year, our co-sponsorship will be driven entirely by GS students’ participation and not merely by club requests. If you participate in a campus activity and your club requires financial resources, we will provide a co-sponsorship to your society, provided there are active GS students in your society. On the flip side, for clubs seeking extra funding, we strongly encourage you to seek out GS students to apply for co-sponsorship, as this will greatly increase your chance of getting a ‘yes’ from GSSC. (Hint hint.)

My goal this year is to get everyone from GS to be an integral part of the Columbia community, but we will still continue holding events for-and-by GS students. Let me give you a list of can’t-miss big events:

• Right after orientation, we will have a Kick-off Rooftop Party at a downtown lounge exclusively for GS students. So, be sure to come out and mingle.
• Then, you might want to start making a stack of official Columbia business cards in time for the alumni networking luncheon.
• Around spring time, you would want to start looking for a date to bring to the fabulous GS Gala.
• Finally, start polishing up those hidden talents of yours for the 2nd annual talent showcase, and join us to be wow-ed by your fellow GS friends.  

These are highlights of the many activities we have in store for you this year. So, watch out for the official event calender and the oh-so-useful weekly reminder emails. I really look forward to meeting you all. Be sure to say hi when you are around campus, I would love to know what you are up to. I wish you all a great semester ahead!

Jacqueline Thong

GS Student Body President 2010-11