Name: Joseph Villafane
Bio: Joseph is a first-year student in Columbia College hailing from Miami, FL. When he is not suffering from the fierce cold of Riverside Dr. you can often find him in Ferris Booth Commons enjoying one of the iconic American and Ham sandwiches. He has served as Sandwich Ambassador of CCSC and if re-elected aims to bring back that Miami warmth and love of sandwiches to the spirit of the Council and the College.
Platform: Assist
• Establish the Sandwich Ambassador as a key assisting unit within CCSC
o Join forces with other representatives within the policy committee of CCSC to tackle student concerns
• Assist the Policy Committee via the delegation of initiative-related tasks, actively getting involved in initiatives beyond the express role of the Sandwich Ambassador
Associate
• Create a business network between the businesses associated with Columbia University for the promotion of their interests and the universities, including but not limited to an online platform of communication, publication of pricing, menus, and promotions
• Establish incentives for student groups to have food catered from the associated restaurants.
• Reach out to 20 new businesses in the Morningside Heights community throughout the year, advocating for student discounts and low-cost/free student-oriented programming when possible
Advocate
• Advocate for students together with the Student Services Representatives, Inclusion & Equity Representative, and other relevant members of CCSC on issues related to the food-insecurity of Columbia College’s low-income students
• Make the State of the Sandwich a forum for student discussion and in addition to the required speech
• Make the Sandwich Ambassador a central, approachable CCSC representative for the students of Columbia College to voice concerns to and engage with
o Establish the Sandwich Ambassador as an initial contact person for student-centered concerns
• Recognize the humorous nature of the Sandwich Ambassador’s position and history and use it as a tool to foster community within the College
Name: Samuel Ravani
Bio: Hailing from Northern California, Sam is currently a junior studying financial economics and jazz studies. Since his freshman year, Sam has had the fortune of being involved in CCSC as an appointed council member on the finance committee. During this time, Sam has worked on several endeavors, including allocating student project grants, securing space for student group storage, and compiling reports on spring concert funding across Columbia’s peer institutions. In his free time, Sam can be found in the basement of Dodge jamming out on the drums or at Riverside Park playing pick-up soccer.
Platform: At its core, the Sandwich Ambassador seeks to secure more affordable eating options for Columbia students. My platform aims to not only diversify the offering of food discounts for students, but to also expand access to these food options.
As Sandwich Ambassador, I would work to develop a frequent buyer mobile app that would consolidate discounts and deals for Columbia students, in addition to providing electronic restaurant punch cards for frequent customers. I would also work to implement a mechanism for flex dollar usage within the app. This mechanism would allow students to use their flex dollars for both in-store purchases and delivery, similar to Seamless. With this option, students would be able to place delivery orders for supported eateries by using their flex accounts. By linking students’ flex accounts to a central meal app, students will have significantly more flexibility with what they eat and where they eat it.
Along with making off-campus dining more accessible, I would ensure better food deals for student groups. Currently, student groups pay the market rate for meals at most eateries. In reality, though, buying meals in bulk quantities significantly reduces the cost per meal for the restaurant. As such, I would collaborate with supported eateries to establish exclusive deals for student groups, allowing them to purchase food on a more cost-effective basis for student events. In addition to establishing deals for student groups generally, I would also ensure specific deals and discounts for student groups who plan on purchasing kosher or halal foods. These specific categories of food often demand a premium price, partially due to inconsistent inventory supply held by the eatery. By working with the eateries and the student groups who desire these types of food, I could facilitate the establishment of a mutually beneficial food request timeline that would bring down the costs for students.
Finally, I would ensure that all student discounts are up-to-date with the constantly evolving Morningside Heights food landscape. With new restaurants, like Shake Shack and Junzi Kitchen, slated to open soon, it is important to be proactive in establishing beneficial deals for Columbia students.
Name: David Shan
Bio: What makes an individual qualified to carry out the responsibilities of a Sandwich Ambassador? It’s hard to measure the intangibles necessary for this crucial position: leadership, passion, drive. Unless you know me personally, I can’t prove I possess these qualities. However, I hope all of you can find my platform meaningful and worth fighting for. My goal is ultimately to improve quality of life in Morningside Heights by making food options more affordable, and supporting off-campus excursions through programs like the Urban New York. My name is David Shan, and I want to represent YOU as your Sandwich Ambassador.
Platform: David Shan Sandwich Ambassador Platform
The Sandwich Ambassador is the only position for which the job description in the CCSC Constitution states “duties shall include, but are not limited to…” I therefore pledge to the student body a new vision of “Unlimited Ambassadorship” built on the following points:
Attractions
Columbia students should take part in off-campus recreational activities. I will work with New York City businesses to create “Columbia Days” which offer discounted admission or special package deals to Columbia students at New York attractions such as observation decks, bowling alleys, golf courses, and tours. I will also follow up on efforts to expand the Passport to Museums program.
Outings
Columbia prides itself on a “doubled magic” consisting of campus life and New York City. I will strive to ensure students are able to take advantage of the city by utilizing existing funding sources to support off-campus excursions and by working to expand and better publicize the Urban New York program, which distributes free tickets to events throughout the city by lottery and standby.
Food
Everyone loves food, and my job will be to make sure food options in Morningside Heights are affordable and desirable for students. I will maintain current discount agreements with neighborhood establishments and actively seek new ones. These discounts will be well publicized and posted in a public, online location for all CC Students to review. I will also work to create events which will showcase the food offerings of MoHi at a free or discounted rate and will seek student feedback on non-dining hall on-campus eateries to better improve their products.
Fun
I will make it my mission to ensure every CC student enjoys their time at Columbia by working toward all of the aforementioned goals and collaborating with the campus life committee on fun events that bring students together and promote school spirit. My semesterly State of the Sandwich addresses will hopefully become one such event.
Community
A stronger sense of community must be built at Columbia. As an active member of a club sports team, I know how much having a strong community can improve a student’s experience. I applaud recent efforts to adapt and renovate space on campus in a way which will better foster community building, and will do everything in my power to ensure these plans are seen through to fruition. I will also advocate for appropriate funding for student groups which help build community.
Diversity
As an ethnic minority student and a non-incumbent of CCSC, I will bring valuable diversity of perspective and fresh new ideas to the Council. I am committed to ensuring every CC student of every identity and perspective has a voice. I will actively seek to represent all students all the time.