New York Magazine’s new cover package, produced in partnership with the Columbia Daily Spectator, is an intimate look at the events on the ground at Columbia University in the midst of antiwar protests that began on the campus and are now sweeping the nation. The package includes an oral history of the encampments, the takeover of Hamilton Hall, and police crackdowns, portraits of protestors on all sides of the issue, as well as a 719-person poll of a diverse cross section of Columbia students, professors, staff, and administrators. The work was written and photographed entirely by the undergraduate staff of the Columbia Daily Spectator. It is edited by the Columbia Daily Spectator’s editor-in-chief, Isabella Ramírez, as well as by New York feature editors Nick Summers (a Columbia alumnus who was the Spectator’s editor-in-chief in 2004) and Ryu Spaeth, with photographs shepherded by New York’s photo director, Jody Quon.
“As a severe lockdown of Columbia’s campus restricted outside press and collided with an unfolding campus crisis gripping the nation, our reporters and editors were among the few people with exclusive access to the story within our gates,” said Ramírez. “The team fearlessly placed ourselves in the middle of the action, risking everything from university sanctions to arrest to deliver news to a community who needed us now more than ever. And with this collaboration, we hoped to push beyond the image of a university thrust into the spotlight.”
In a letter to readers, the editors at New York shared more about the genesis of the project:
“As the unrest at Columbia University became the biggest and most contentious news story in America, there was one sentiment that everyone could agree on: Students on campus were producing phenomenal journalism. (They even got an informal nod from the board of the Pulitzer Prizes.) In particular, the Columbia Daily Spectator was pacing the national media — aggressively covering every development with an unmatched level of access to the student body, faculty, and administrators. Two weeks ago, the editors at New York Magazine approached the undergraduates at the Spec with an offer: Make our next cover package, telling the story of the Columbia encampments from the inside. The resulting issue features a gripping oral history of 17 days that shook the campus and triggered nationwide protests, dozens of portraits and news photographs, and a poll of more than 700 Columbians — rich with takes on President Minouche Shafik, the police raids, and what the tumult reveals about the university. As the magazine came together, we were as impressed by the students’ reporting as we were by their spirit. They made excellent deadline journalism as their community boiled around them, and as they continued to cover the news hour by hour online. Whatever your position on the showdown at Columbia, it’s a feat to be admired.”
Photographs were captured under the direction of Quon, who alongside members of her team spent four days on campus with the Spectator’s photography team to shoot the cover, critical events on the ground as they unfolded, and a photo portfolio of protesters on all sides of the issue. The cover image was photographed by Stella Ragas, a Barnard College student, and depicts the encampment as seen from the second-floor reading room at Butler Library.
Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator delivers news daily to thousands of readers around Columbia University, Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Content is published five days a week during the academic year as well as in a weekly print edition. It is the second-oldest college daily paper in the country and has been financially independent from the University since 1962. The organization is run by undergraduates from Barnard College, Columbia College, the School of General Studies, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science with a staff totaling over 200 students.