P&S Welcomes Class of 2020

In August 2016, P&S welcomed new students in the Class of 2020. Several events during orientation week helped new students make the transition to medical school while becoming acclimated to the medical center campus and the Washington Heights community. The week began with the always memorable White Coat Ceremony and a reception that followed in the new Vagelos Education Center with family and friends in attendance.

Other activities during the week included a gross anatomy lab, academic and administrative overviews, a welcome expo, and social events. At Field Day in Central Park, students divided into teams to demonstrate their physical prowess, competing in classic events such as wheelbarrow race and tug of war. Students also went to the Broadway show “Kinky Boots” and enjoyed the annual orientation boat cruise on the Hudson River. Highlight of orientation week was enjoying the new spaces at the Vagelos Education Center, which opened during Orientation Week.

Orientation activities wrapped up with the annual club fair, which introduced the new students to more than 70 student organizations that make up the P&S Club.

— Rosemarie Scilipoti, director of student activities and P&S Club

Bard Hall Players Marks a Milestone

Since its first production of “Threepenny Opera” in 1966, Bard Hall Players has provided a creative outlet for students with a talent for acting, an ear for music, an eye for art, or even just a passing interest in trying something new. BHP celebrated its 50th anniversary with a November 2016 production of “Cabaret,” a spectacle befitting the occasion and a uniquely poignant show whose political undercurrents are appropriate for the election season.

Although BHP prides itself on putting on high quality productions, at its heart is the goal of fostering relationships within the medical center community and encouraging students to expand into those lateral dimensions of art and performance that might otherwise go unattended in medical school. Recent productions of “Urinetown” (2013), “The Music Man” (2014), “The Tempest” (2015), and “Cyrano de Bergerac” (2016) not only cast a wide net in terms of student involvement, but also gave our student actors, musicians, directors, and tech teams the opportunity to leave their creative stamp on shows ranging from Shakespeare to Sondheim.

To commemorate the BHP 50th anniversary, the group designed hoodies, tank tops, and white coat pins. These offer members of Bard Hall Players, past and present, a chance to show their pride in an organization unique to Columbia and take a memento of their BHP commitment with them upon graduating. Questions should be directed to bardhallplayers@columbia.edu.

— Sean Marinelli’19