The joke goes:
Illustration by Lian Plass
How many Columbia students does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Seventy-six. One to change the light bulb, fifty to lead a protest about the light bulb’s right not to be changed, and twenty-five to lead a counter-protest.
Indeed, we Columbians are often recognized (either in admiration or in derision, depending on whom you consult) as the most politically active, left-leaning student body in the Ivy League.
And there is truth to this recognition. We do have a history of political movements on our campus, the most recent of which left Low Steps decorated with student protestors on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One of the most legendary of the worldwide 1968 protests occurred on our grounds.
