Op-Ed on the Pool

Taking another small break today! In the meantime, you should read my piece about why the Barnard pool is important not only to the students who use it, but as a statement to the administration about their financial transparency. Check it out on at the Columbia Spectator. Here's an excerpt:

"When I tell people that I am heading the Save the Pool Campaign at Barnard, folks often look at me with excitement and a little disbelief. I get questions ranging from, “Why would you put your energy into something that’s already been decided?” to “Isn’t it already closed?”

To all of these, I reply that until the sign is on the door and the concrete is filled in, I am going to keep trying to save the pool in any way possible. I am not a new swimmer. I know what it’s like to run a tough campaign. And, as a student that is very much invested in the Barnard community, I have both my feet on the ground and invite others to stand with me in keeping the pool open past the end of this year."

Homesick without a Home

I'm taking a rest ("air quotes") day today, but that doesn't mean I don't have something for you to read! Check out my article on separating from home while at college printed in the Columbia Spectator. Here's an excerpt:

I’ve heard it called the “learning edge” by Pam Phayme, Director of Barnard’s Office of Diversity Initiatives—that place where you feel like you’re stepping out onto the precipice of your comfort zone. You’re not falling off, completely unmoored from everything you know, but neither are you completely secure in the comforts you’ve enjoyed before. Taken in an academic context, it means that you’re willing to entertain new thoughts and take on new experiences. It’s similar when separating yourself from home: you push your own boundaries to avoid stagnation. This will look different for everyone and isn’t determined by such arbitrary factors as days spent on campus or off.