For this LGBTQ History Month special episode, reporter Natalie Goldberg highlights The Bush, New York City’s newest lesbian bar. Following up from last year’s “The Last Lesbian Locales in New York City,” Natalie reflects on the importance of queer bars as spaces for both fun and community building. ​​Credits • Edited by Claire Schnatterbeck • Produced by Natalie Goldberg • Music by Eva Scholz-Carlson Harp Transition Music Cue by Pixabay  • Illustration by Olya Sukonrat Follow us on Instagram @SpectatorPodcasts and check out our other episodes ..read more

Columbia seeks to better students’ minds, but does it really? Columbia is rooted in an academically and socially rigorous culture that pervades all aspects of daily life and can be straining to students’ mental health—and it needs to be talked about more. What are the mental health experiences of Columbia students? In this episode of Pod-Tone 292, reporter Kelly Warner explores these questions. ​​Credits • Script edited by Claire Schnatterbeck • Audio produced by Matthew Schwitzer • Music by Christina Li • Illustration by Cassie Wang Follow us on Instagram @SpectatorPodcasts and check out our ..read more

International students face a variety of challenges, from adapting to different educational styles, to confronting language and cultural barriers, but navigating visa concerns is perhaps the most daunting. Audio reporter Abby Thayananthan speaks to four international students to understand some of the challenges they face and their experiences as international students considering their future. ​​Credits: • Script edited by Claire Schnatterbeck • Audio produced by Justin Chan • Music by Obi Okoli • Illustration by Chiara Guigou Follow us on Instagram @SpectatorPodcasts and check out our other ..read more

Living in New York City, Columbia students are surrounded by vibrant and plentiful nightlife opportunities—but at a price. Going out and even staying in can get costly, prohibiting students from socializing in certain circles and spaces. In this Pod-Tone 292 episode, reporter Andrew Kirdahy speaks with Columbia students about the socioeconomic boundaries in their social lives. This episode was produced by Julia Hay and composed by Obi Okoli.  ..read more

Every once in a while, there is a great professor who is not only able to teach content but able to demonstrate how to meaningfully engage with it. In this episode of the Pod-Tone 292 series “Office Hour,” reporter Aliza Abusch-Magder explores the pedagogy of professor George Chauncey, known for his pioneering work on queer U.S. history. Through talking with his students, we learn about what makes his teaching so inspiring. This episode was produced by Matthew Schwitzer.  ..read more

In the second episode of “The Grownups are Talking,” reporter Abby Thayananthan, CC ’24, invites Narayan Kini, CC ’24, and Maya Nalawade, CC ’24, to reflect on their experiences working over the summer. In many ways, interning over the summer involves adapting to a lifestyle that is very foreign to us as college students but very normal to adults. We learned that adulting requires skills such as the ability to prioritize and balance multiple commitments and that ultimately, you learn a lot from just being thrown into it. This episode was produced by Chase Cutarelli ..read more

In this episode of the Pod-Tone 292 series “Fake Names, Real Love,” host Natalie Goldberg interviews “Sarah,” a junior at Barnard, about the particular difficulties of feeling unwelcome in queer spaces as a result her relationship with her current boyfriend. They delve into topics like internal versus external validation, how unique it is that Columbia can feel like a place where being gay is the norm, and whether or not straight people belong in queer spaces. In listening to Sarah’s story, we seek to understand the complicated social and cultural dynamics that lead to acceptance, both from on ..read more

As the summer of 2022 waned, reporter Lilienne Shore Kilgore-Brown invited fellow Columbia students to call her on Spectator’s new late-night call line, Sleepless Somewhere. Their conversations drifted from discussions of magic grandmothers to the ethereal blue color of glaciers and reminded us of the quiet beauty and intimacy that our slowed down, sleepy moments can hold. This episode was produced by Julia Hay with music by Eva Scholz-Carlson ..read more

In this special episode of Pod-Tone 292, reporters Natalie Goldberg and Avery Reed document the last lesbian locales left in New York City for LGBTQ History Month. They speak with Columbia and Barnard students about their opinions on and experiences in these establishments. They also reflect on our city’s rich queer history and why we need to preserve queer spaces and prioritize queer joy. This episode was produced by Matthew Schwitzer with music by Eva Scholz-Carlson ..read more

Professors can make or break a class, and sometimes can even make your college experience. There are a number of highly esteemed professors at Columbia and Barnard who have developed cult followings of students. So who are the magnetic personalities shaping our community culture and their fields of study? Why have they gained traction? How did they become the person they are known as? What influences do they have in our community? By exploring the people behind the professorial personas, we will start to build a greater understanding of our Columbia community. In this episode of the new Pod-To ..read more