Archive for student life – Page 6

The Morningside Post- SIPA’s Student Newspaper

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Monday, December 30th, 2013 
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Every institution of higher learning needs a free press, and Columbia University is fortunate enough to have a number of student publications informing and engaging the student community. The Morningside Post, SIPA’s student-run newspaper, is one such news outlet.

Established in 2004, The Morningside Post focuses on covering the SIPA community and Morningside Heights, but also delves into national and international issues of interest to its readers. Last school year, TMP covered TEDxSIPA, the school’s choice of hiring Dean Merit Janow, and Follies, SIPA’s annual comedy show (p.s. you MUST watch this video from last year’s show), as well as the day-to-day happenings inside the International Affairs Building.

TMP’s editors are always looking for new writers, and encourage all members of the SIPA community to get involved in the publication. There are regular writers, op-ed contributors, cartoonists, and photographers that help make the paper run smoothly. Students are always welcome to pitch stories.  A number of TMP writers are involved in the IMAC (international media, advocacy and communication) specialization, and there is also a class students can take that allows you to write for the paper for credit.

The paper has certainly been successful in reaching readers outside of SIPA; some of its articles have been picked up by  The Guardian, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, International Policy Digest, Radio Free Europe, Voice of America and Global Voices Online. All prospective students should take a look at TMP’s website and get an inside look of what’s happening at SIPA!

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Categories : Columbia University, Meet Seeples, SIPA
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In need of a retreat?

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Friday, October 18th, 2013 
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Each year, at the beginning of the fall semester, is what we here at SIPA like to call “retreat season”. Each concentration and specialization organizes a weekend-long retreat for students throughout the month of September. The retreat is an opportunity for first and second year students to get better acquainted in a fun and engaging environment. Students are able to share experiences and knowledge, such as the “do’s and don’ts” of SIPA student and academic life. Additionally, this is a great opportunity for students to get to know faculty members and professors in a less formal way.

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International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP) Retreat

Over 80 IFEP students attended the annual retreat in September held at Camp Kinder Ring in Hopewell Junction, New York. After traveling for two hours by bus, students arrived and had lunch together. Shortly after, Professor Richard Goldberg led an interactive discussion about the financial crisis with students. Professor Andrea Bubula, the IFEP Executive Director, also attended the retreat and gave students an overview of the concentration and its competitive advantages in the current job market. The rest of the afternoon was spent with students playing tennis and basketball at the camp. In the evening students enjoyed dinner followed by a dance party. Despite the near freezing temperatures, students enjoyed this opportunity to get to know each other and learn more about the IFEP concentration.

Energy and Environment (EE) Retreat

On the 28th of September, the EE concentration had its yearly retreat in the wonderful Kinder Camp as well. This was a great chance to escape from the city and enjoy a nice autumn landscape, lake included, but also a fantastic opportunity to get to know the new members of our SIPA community beyond the Columbia campus. There were several fun outdoor activities including the hilarious build and the what’s your shoe size/eye color grouping game. At one point, even some brave Seeples dived into the lake! The trip couldn’t be complete without a bonfire and s’mores, which of course quickly turned into a party that many will remember for the musical variety (yes, someone played reggaeton).

International Conflict Resolution (ICR) Retreat

The International Conflict Resolution retreat brought together 25 SIPA students as well as faculty and guest speakers for a weekend of inspiration and recreation. Saltzman Professor of Professional Practice and International Conflict Resolution specialization director Jean-Marie Guéhenno kicked off discussion on Syria, supported by adjunct faculty member Richard Gowan. Guest speakers David Haeri (MIA, 1997) and Sarah Cliffe (MIA, 1996), both senior United Nations officials in New York, shared insights on the field of conflict resolution and inspired students with their personal stories and experiences. The retreat closed with a conflict type exercise, where students assessed their personal approach to conflict using role play to demonstrate reactions under a variety of scenarios, both calm and stressful. In addition to some self-discovery, canoeing, and a lakeside bonfire, students left the retreat with new friendships and some intellectual stimulation to help them embark upon the new semester.

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Categories : Columbia University, Meet Seeples, SIPA
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MPADPs?

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Friday, February 1st, 2013 
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As most of you may know, SIPA is a place where you come to do an MIA (Master of International Affairs) or an MPA (Master of Public Administration). When encountering new people at school, the first question you get asked is usually “what’s your concentration?”, or sometimes an even more blunt, “Are you EPD?”.  Walking around our beloved International Affairs building, you can’t help hearing stories about the endless “Conceptual Foundations” course readings, or the “light” assignments for the Politics of Policymaking course, better known as POP.

But although these two programs might encompass the majority of Seeples [SIPA students], there is a third, not so well known category, popularly identified as the “MDPs”.  MDP or MPA-DP is the acronym for the Master in Public Administration in Development Practice program.  MPA-DP is a relatively new program, originally quite small but it is increasingly becoming more popular.  We are the returned Peace-Corps volunteers; the ones who leave NYC for some of the most remote corners of Africa every summer; and the sometimes peculiar crowd that always hangs out together on the 6th floor.

But aside from this subtle uniqueness and its smaller size, are we really that different? As a second year MPA-DP student myself, I wouldn’t say so.  Academically, the main difference in the first semester is that the MPA-DP core course is called “Foundations of Sustainable Development”, and as its name suggests, rather than focusing on international relations, like the MIAs, or policy-making, like the MPAs, we study what is behind sustainable development. Aside from that, we share all the quantitative and economic courses, the core and all the parties.

From then on, MDPs have to take courses on the various disciplines that shape development.  The goal of our program is to train well rounded practitioners who can understand the broad picture, being familiar with key topics in the development world such as public health, food security, nutrition, infrastructure, environmental issues, among others.  This multi-sectoral curriculum is our “concentration”.  This is not to say that you cannot specialize in something if you want to, because we have plenty of electives left to choose all sorts of courses at SIPA and Columbia.  Likewise, a certain number of MPAs and MIAs are also welcome in core MPA-DP classes every semester and if they wish to construct this kind of interdisciplinary knowledge, they also have electives to do so.

So ultimately, aside from your concentration or lack of thereof, I think SIPA is a school that gives you enough space to explore other disciplines and take the subjects you like (disclaimer: in your 2nd year).  All the MIAs, MPAs, MPA-DPs, and even the more mysterious PEPMs, EMPAs and ESPs, share facilities, courses, professors and the privilege of being part of a school that has plenty of amazing people in every program.

 

Blog post submitted by Mariana Costa Checa. Mariana is a second year student in the MPA in Development Practice program at SIPA.

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Categories : Admissions, SIPA
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A Day in the Life of An Over-Committed 2nd Year SIPA Student

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Saturday, February 25th, 2012 
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8.00AM—Alarm goes off. I could go for the run I planned to take, but instead I hit the snooze button. Up too late last night working on a problem set.

9.00AM—Alarm goes off again. This time I’m up, eating yogurt (breakfast is the most important meal of the day) making a caffeinated beverage, searching around for a business casual outfit (there are some professional events today, so better look the part) and getting my bag ready to walk the 10 blocks from my apartment on Central Park West up to 118th and Amsterdam.

10.00AM—Arrive at the All Ivy Sustainable Development Fair to scope out potential employment opportunities. Graduation is only a few months away and then I have some loans to pay off, so better work the network and pass out some business cards.

11.00AM—Meeting with my Capstone group and our advisor to discuss plans for our upcoming trip to Haiti over spring break, review our survey questionnaire, complete the stakeholder analysis and mapping exercise, and assign tasks for the next week.  There’s a lot to do, but thank goodness we’ve got a solid, hardworking group. Group work is not so bad when you can count on your team.

1.00 PM—Grab a quick lunch with two of my group members at Brads. Tucking into sandwiches and salad we discuss life before SIPA. Jeremy lived in Italy for 7 years- he used to work for the FAO and before that he was posted there as a sergeant in the US Air Force. He’s a Macroeconomics TA and will be proctoring the 1st years’ midterm exam later today. He and his Italian wife speak French at home and are planning to visit a new US state every month this year.

Ben is from California and is doing the long distance thing with his girlfriend in medical school. He’s interested in conflict resolution, worked interviewing refugees in Zambia with the UN Relief Works Agency last summer, and he’s also interned with CARE in the Gaza Strip. He speaks Arabic and is working part time as a Program Assistant at the State Department Office downtown. I’m always amazed by SIPA students- their amazing talents, their diverse backgrounds, and how they manage to do everything they’re doing while at school.

2.00 PM—Swing by the Office of Admissions to log a few hours: update Apply Yourself and filing new documents that have come in, respond to a number of emails, answer phone calls from prospective students, and sit down with one or two who have just come out of the 12PM info session.  Answer questions they may have about student life and the different programs.

4.00PM—Attend the MPA-DP Development Practitioners Seminar for MPA Development Practice students.  Every week development professionals join us to talk about their careers and the challenges they’ve faced in the field, allowing us to ask lots of questions at the end. Today Maha Bahamdoun, a Yemeni national who has managed UNDP projects all over North and sub-Saharan Africa, fields questions like, “Do you feel the work you’ve done has lived up to the idealistic expectations you had when you entered the UN? Are you still excited to go to work every day?” Good question!

5.30PM—Another amazing SIPA classmate- a dual degree student with Sciences Po in Paris, Alisia, teaches a free yoga class at Barnard. Work up a good sweat and get those shakras flowing. This is making up for the run I missed.

7.00PM—Hurry home to shower and change before heading to Apryl’s house warming party (she’s MIA Urban and Social Policy). Wine, cheese, and appetizers count as dinner, right?

10.00PM—House party is winding down as people talk about checking out the SIPA Pan Africa Network (SPAN) or Latin American Students Association (LASA) parties tonight.

It is a Friday, so I can sleep in tomorrow… until I remember I’m going to a museum in the morning with a friend in Queens, and then a group meeting for my Tools for Advocacy class, and dinner with another friend who’s swinging through town… I’d better get a good night’s sleep…. Well, Ok, maybe just one hour at the SPAN party, I love the music… Ok, and one hour at the LASA party, I LOVE the dancing…

2.00AM—Finally back in bed. It’s already tomorrow. Just another day in the life of an over-committed 2nd year SIPA student!

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Categories : Academics, Meet Seeples, SIPA
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SIPA Life on a Friday

Posted by Columbia SIPA 
· Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 
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The following post was written by Andrea Bustard, a second year MIA student concentrating in Urban and Social Policy. Her involvement in the Southeast Asia Student Initiative, SIPA Students of Color and the Migration Working Group has proven to be an enriching experience while at SIPA.

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SIPA offers a wealth of avenues to prepare students with the needed skills for their careers after graduation. Courses range from Cost Benefit Analysis to Policy and Practices of Humanitarian Assistance, and this doesn’t include the classes offered through other schools such as Columbia Business School or Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia. And with over 40 student organizations, you’re bound to find at least one that matches an interest. As a second year, while I’ve felt the courses have taught me skills, having an opportunity to get involved in student groups has given me a chance to work with like-minded professionals and expand my network.

Few classes meet on Fridays, so students often take advantage of the time to attend SIPA related events. Here’s a snapshot of my Friday:

8am Arrive at the Localizing Global Justice conference in the International Affairs Building and greet incoming presenters and help with check-in for registered guests as a board member of the Southeast Asian Student Initiative.

10am-4pm Hear from panelists at the conference about law and human rights issues in Southeast Asia. Highlights included the presentation “Keeping it Up and Keeping it Down – Broadcasting Rights at Thai Protests” by Benjamin Tausig.

4pm-530pm Attend a reception for the panelists from the conference. I especially enjoyed a poetry and cello performance by Professor McCargo’s wife.

6pm-9pm Network at the Alumni of Color Reception hosted by SIPA Students of Color attended by graduate students and alumni from various schools. The highlight was hearing from SIPA alum and candidate for Congress in New York, Vince Morgan, but the food catered from a nearby Côte d’Ivoire restaurant was a close second.

11pm-2am Support SIPA Pan-Africa Network by going to their African Diplomatic Forum fundraiser party at the Empire State Building. On the way back, we stopped at a pizza place outside the subway station before catching a train home. It was a great way to end the event-filled night.

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Categories : Academics, Columbia University, Meet Seeples, SIPA
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"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs

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