It's a truth universally acknowledged that, with the exception of, like, Bob Jones University, institutions of higher education are generally more progressive than the world outside their gates. But all the idealistic hippie students who came of age in the '60s and later became idealistic hippie professors are now retiring. The younger professors replacing them still disproportionately vote Democratic, but they are "less ideologically polarized and more politically moderate": 17.2% of the 50-64 age group define themselves as "liberal activists," versus 1.3% of professors 35 and younger. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a 31-year-old professor, told the New York Times, "My generation is not so ideologically driven" and the article credits the rise of civil discourse over fractious infighting. Read the rest of this entry »

Just when we thought Lee Bollinger hadn't done anything in the past month or two to inflame various Columbia constituencies, here comes a reminder that all is not well in Columbia-land.

In honor of the Jewish Festival of Purim - in which my people get drunk and dress up in costumes to celebrate their deliverance from annihilation in ancient Persia - the advocacy group Bnei Haman, founded to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's September visit to  campus, is distributing masks of President Bollinger and President Ahmadinejad ("Bnei Haman" is literally translated as "children of Haman" - Haman being the villain of the Purim story, the man who sought to destroy the Jewish people).  According to Bnei Haman - who are planning an extensive Purim masquerade ball, mainly involving effigies of Bollinger -  the organization has received over 2,000 requests for Bollinger masks from around the world, from places as far-flung as Kazakhstan (is this another joke? Borat maks?). A spokesman declared:

The Ahmadinejad-Bollinger speech was broadcast around the globe and its lasting impact can't be overstated. The fact that individuals in the former Soviet East Block want to share in our Purim festivities demonstrates that the fight against evil knows no boundaries."

Sure, the fight against evil might no know boundaries, but your sense of boundaries knows no sense of proportion.

After the jump: some very weird stuff from the Bnei Haman blog.
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According to the Spec's newly minted "Ahmadineblog" -- we'd take more time to make fun of that, but too much stuff at the moment -- up to 10,000 protesters are expected tomorrow at Columbia's Low Plaza in response to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speaking engagement.

Things are getting nasty on all sides, and the New York City Council has anted up its pressure on the school. After requesting that President Lee Bollinger rescind the Iranian President's invitation, City Councilman David Weprin asks "that the Board of Trustees of Columbia University intervene and force President Bollinger to rescind the invitation."

The Bwog and Spec staffs will be freaking the fuck out all day tomorrow (love you guys), and Spec's website may or may not work. We'll have some posts of our own, too, with reporting from Columbia students. 

After the jump, some ominous photos from the night before. Thanks to Columbia's J.D. Porter for these shots, and he'll be back midday tomorrow for a pre-lecture post. This means fuck Nick and Chris' talky thing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Back on the island of Manhattan, Ahmadinejad-gate rolls on.  Columbia president Lee Bollinger sat down with 50-odd student leaders yesterday to discuss his decision to allow Iran's resident bad boy, Holocaust-denier, alleged international kidnapper and suspected terrorist-enabler President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on hallowed university grounds.  Present at Bollinger's heart-to-heart were representatives from the College Republicans, Hillel, Iranian Students Association, Sikh Association, the Law school, B-school, J-school, and the Spectator (which, despite presence at said event, still managed to have suckier coverage than the Bwog). Apparently some Iranian chick cried, and two politicians have joined the anti-A-Jad fray:

Presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whose daughter graduated from Columbia last year, denounced the University for inviting Ahmadinejad. "A man who is directing the maiming and killing of Americans troops should not be given an invitation to speak at an American university," he said in a statement.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn issued a similar denunciation. "The idea of Ahmadinejad as an honored guest anywhere in our city is offensive to all New Yorkers," she said in a statement. "He can say whatever he wants on any street corner, but should not be given center stage at one of New York's most prestigious centers of higher education."

Today's New York Post features a column by neo-con John Podhohertz entitled "A Terrorist For Tea" in which J-Pod imagines a conversation between Bollinger and Ahmadinejad. PrezBo talks about hurt Jewish feelings and A-Jad talks about how much he loves American liberals because they are actually terrorists, just like him. J-Pod is extra-qualified to comment on the dangers of mass murder, genocide, and racism because his dad, Norman Podhohertz, wants to nuke Iran and penned a clever little ditty called "My Negro Problem" in Commentary magazine in 1963. Always ahead of the curve, those Podhohertzes.

As IvyGate's Resident Jew, it's fallen upon me to write about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's--Iran's Resident Anti-Semite--planned September 24 visit to Columbia.

The cameras, the protesters (this time right wing!), and the Iranian nutjob are all descending on Columbia like it's May 1968. The Spec's site is so deluged with traffic that it's not even working anymore (granted, this happens every few days). Read the Bwog's intense coverage here. 

After the jump: various reactions to the beige-suited madman's upcoming visit.

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Or, so says indie cabaret star Nellie McKay.

The kind of twee singer/songwriter lass that male hipsters cream their tightest pants over, McKay is a Manhattan School of Music drop-out turned jazz-pop sensation based in Harlem.  And she hates Columbia's president!

New York Magazine caught one of McKay's shows last week:

If McKay, a passionate animal-rights activist and anti-corporate leftist who has lived in Harlem for most of her life, gave the night a theme, it was her disgust with Columbia University, both for its research on lab animals and its aggressive plans for massive expansion in West Harlem. She urged the audience to go home and type "Columbia is an asshole" into their search engines to see how many hits it got. "Is Columbia racist?" she asked, then, answering herself, said, "Yes." But she saved most of her bile for the school's president, Lee Bollinger. "He just looks like a big, dumb jock - a doofus," she declared.

Oh, it's on.  Fight!  Fight!  Fight!  We fully expect Columbia PR to come out with a statement incorporating the phrase "big fat stupidhead" any day now.  As for McKay, well, we'd make fun of her, but she's sort of tiny and adorable (did we mention said Bollinger-attack took place during a set in which she played the ukulele?) so the whole situation is more like a little puppy that thinks it can kill you by nipping at your heels.  To which we respond, "awww cute, let me scratch behind your ears and give you some free publicity, pookie." --MAUREEN O'CONNOR