Special Interest Communities

2009-2010

The following are Columbia’s Special Interest Communities for the 2009-2010 academic year:

• Casa Latina exists for the purpose of providing a safe haven and accessible space for Latino and other cultural organizations. The community's programming is centered on the universal education and celebration of Latino culture. Many groups have used the space as a location to bake food for dinners, hold informational sessions, or have a simple culture show.

• Community Health House seeks to create non-judgmental, open dialogue regarding issues of health and wellness in a safe and comfortable space. Their programming discusses issues ranging from eating disorders to abortion, and are open to any topics of interest. This house has worked with many student groups on campus and will continue to do so, as they hope to increase communications between students on campus as well as within the surrounding community.

• Metta House provides a positive model of healthy and sustainable living by creating a vegetarian and interfaith environment in order to promote harmony within, and among, the larger community.

• Pan African House has been established to function as a resource for those who want to know more about Pan-Africanism. The duty of the Pan African house is to institute programming that will teach the surrounding Columbia community about Pan-Africanism.

• 114 Rue de Fleurus: We will provide a collaborative environment for writers. We would host readings, workshops, and talks related to various genres including poetry, prose, screen-writing, playwriting, creative nonfiction, and journalism. On a day-to-day basis, we would provide immediate criticism and support for our housemates as well as an enthusiastic audience for each other's work. We will host events open to the larger community. We will also venture out into the city for readings, book talks, and other literary events. In addition, the house will provide a network for internships and publishing opportunities outside of the immediate Columbia community.

• Q House is a unique residential community dedicated to providing a safe living environment for LGBTQ students at Columbia. Q House residents strive to foster a safe campus environment and engage the Columbia community in meaningful dialogue about LGBTQ issues. In addition, residents seek to foster a creative environment of collaboration which focuses on the intersections of identity, and further builds community among all Columbia students. To this end, the Q House will sponsor events for the larger Columbia community focused on building safe and comfortable social and educational environments in which all students feel welcome.

• Students for Substance Free Space is a group of undergraduate students who promote substance free living by educating peers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

• Symposium House fosters an organic relationship between food, debate and the community that arises from such an exchange. This SIC strives to provide a nexus, a resource, and a physical space through which its members and the greater community can realize their artistic, academic and social ambitions.

• GreenBorough: The mission of the GreenBorough SIC is to establish a community of students to develop creative and practical ways to reduce their impact on the environment and increase campus awareness of environmental issues by example and education.