The Columbia Chronicle

Columbia’s ASL program continues summer workshops after major is cut Columbia’s American Sign Language program is moving forward with its summer workshops, aiming to keep the campus and local community engaged even after the college decided to phase out the ASL-English...

Columbia’s American Sign Language program is moving forward with its summer workshops, aiming to keep the campus and local community engaged even after the college decided to phase out the ASL-English interpretation major.

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NASCAR heats up in Chicago with international flair, uncertain future Australian Supercars champion Will Brown will make his second-ever NASCAR Cup Series appearance in the Grant Park 165 street race, joining the Chicago Street Race as a late entry for Kaulig Racing.   ...

Australian Supercars champion Will Brown will make his second-ever NASCAR Cup Series appearance in the Grant Park 165 street race, joining the Chicago Street Race as a late entry for Kaulig Racing.

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Columbia rushes to cover fall courses following latest round of layoffs The college is working to reassign courses originally planned to be taught by the 20 faculty members who were laid off on Tuesday, June 17, aiming to ensure students stay on track for graduation and t...

The college laid off 20 full-time faculty on Tuesday, July 17, forcing the reassignment of dozens of fall courses. The move come as Columbia continues to adjust to lower enrollment and shifting academic needs, according to a college spokesperson.

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Documentary pioneer Michael Rabiger, co-founder of Columbia’s film and video program, dies at 86 Michael Rabiger, a pioneering documentary filmmaker whose textbooks and teaching shaped generations of nonfiction filmmakers and who co-founded Columbia’s film and video program, died June 8 at his ho...

Rabiger, a professor emeritus, directed or edited over 35 films in his lifetime and was the author of a widely used directing textbook considered foundational in the field.

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What is blues in 2025? Chicago Blues Festival answers the question The opening act of the entire three-day festival was Lady Adrena and the LA Band. Following her performance on the Visit Mississippi Crossroads stage, Adrena spoke to the Chronicle about what blues me...

Millennium Park celebrated the 42nd annual Chicago Blues Festival over the weekend. Since 1984, the festival has put together amazing performances for consistently large turnouts.

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‘The people want to hear Latin music, and that’s what we’re here to do’ The Sueños Music Festival, which continued into its second day this Memorial Day weekend, had many vendors and artists from the city and from across the country.   Surrounded by many different colored...

Local vendors and DND, one of the groups performing, shared what it’s like to be a part of the Sueños Music Festival.

En Sueños Music Festival, la moda y la cultura brillan a pesar del frío Miles de fans atendieron el primer día del Festival de Música Sueños en Grant Park para un evento que celebró la moda y la cultura latina.   El festival, en su cuarta edición, se celebra este fin de s...

Un atendiente describió el festival como un "Lollapalooza Latino". El festival musical de dos días se extiende hasta el domingo 25 de mayo en Grant Park y marca el inicio de la programación musical al aire libre del verano de Chicago.

At Sueños Music Festival, fashion, culture shine despite chilly temps Thousands of fans turned out on the first day of the Sueños Music Festival in Grant Park for an event that celebrated Latin fashion and culture.   The festival, in its fourth year, is being held in Gr...

One fan called the festival a “Latin Lollapalooza.” The two-day music festival runs through Sunday, May 25 in Grant Park and kicks off Chicago’s summer outdoor music line-up.

El Festival de Música Sueños se apoderará del Grant Park este fin de semana Uno de los festivales de música latina más grandes de los Estados Unidos regresa a Grant Park, en el South Loop, este fin de semana. El Festival de Música Sueños regresa en su cuarta edición, celebran...

El festival de música latina de Chicago regresa por cuarto año con un cartel lleno de estrellas, como Shakira, Don Omar y Peso Pluma.

Sueños Music Festival takes over Grant Park this weekend One of the largest Latin music festivals in the United States is returning to Grant Park in the South Loop this weekend. The Sueños Music Festival is back for its fourth iteration, celebrating the vib...

The Chicago Latin music festival returns for its fourth year with a star-studded lineup that includes Shakira, Don Omar, and Peso Pluma.

Breaking: Marcella David out as provost Senior Vice President and Provost Marcella David will not continue in her role at the college after this month.   In an email the day after commencement, Interim President and CEO Jerry Tarrer, whose ...

In an email the day after commencement, Interim President and CEO Jerry Tarrer, whose term ends at the end of June, said the college would name an interim chief academic officer before beginning a national search for a new provost.

Live Updates: 2025 Commencement Related

‘We’re transitioning together’: Columbia graduates celebrate community at 2025 Commencement ceremony

Manifest 2025: Live Updates from Columbia’s annual arts festival Manifest kicked-off with student performances and exhibitions for the college’s annual arts festival.   The all-day event happens at the end of every spring semester and showcases graduating senior an...

The Chronicle’s photojournalists captured big and small moments during the annual event on Friday, May 16.

2025 graduates end year with Manifest celebration Manifest kicked-off with student performances and exhibitions for the college’s annual arts festival.   The all-day event happens at the end of every spring semester and showcases graduating senior an...

Students celebrate in the summer heat to join this year’s Manifest Arts Festival, showcasing their work throughout the school year.

Chronicle Creative Desk Spotlight: Illustrations of the Spring 2025 Semester The Chronicle creative desk selects our favorite works from the last semester from illustrations to playlist covers and more. Related

The Chronicle creative desk selects our favorite works from the last semester from illustrations to playlist covers and more.

Review: “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is an underwhelming movie With many iconic songs, Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd, is an artist known for many themes such as heartbreak. Making a film in relation to an album is a new frontier in comparison to jus...

Too much tonal shifting and an early bird climax leaves the film dragging to the finish line, writes our critic Uriel Reyes.

What to expect at Manifest 2025 Columbia will officially close out the 2024-25 school year with its annual Manifest Arts Festival on Friday, May 16, a day filled with excitement, pride and emotional reflection as students celebrate ...

Over 80 student-led exhibits take place throughout 12 campus buildings on Friday, May 16 for the college's annual Manifest Arts Festival. A program of Manifest events can be found inside the May print issue of the Chronicle, available at newsstands in every campus building.

Breaking: College won’t offer sensory-accessible commencement this year After hosting a sensory-assessible commencement for the past three years, the college will not offer a sensory room or sensory bags at commencement on Sunday, May 18 at the Credit 1 Arena.   The initi...

But Manifest will have ASL interpretation at nearly every event on Friday, May 16, and Columbia will host two sensory spaces for students and their guests at the arts festival on campus.

Reclaiming creative freedom through DIY culture Across campus, a growing number of artists are moving away from the perfection of digital tools and toward concepts that are more tactile. Rooted in handmade art, analog tools and in-person collaborat...

Rooted in handmade art, analog tools and in-person collaboration, DIY culture offers students a way to reconnect with their creativity on their own terms.

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Class of 2025: A tribute to resilience, call to action in Trump’s America As we wrap up this school year and congratulate the new graduates, the usual pomp and ceremony are tinged with a deeper significance. Our graduates are not just receiving degrees, they are carrying th...

After two years marked by challenges and changes at the college, this year's graduation honors the strength, growth and unwavering spirit of students who pushed through and rose above. It’s a lesson that will help during an increasingly unstable time in America, writes The Editorial Board.

Chicago celebrates city native, first pope from United States In heavily Catholic neighborhoods around Chicago, people are celebrating the election of the first U.S.-born pope, a native of Chicago.   Pope Leo XIV was elected on Thursday, May 8. Although Robert F...

Robert Francis Prevost, who grew up in the South Suburbs of Chicago, was elected pope on Thursday, May 8.

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Five Columbia faculty earn tenure, six promoted to full professor Five Columbia faculty members were granted tenure this year, and six were promoted to the rank of full professor.    The awards were granted on schedule this year after a five-month delay last year le...

The work of the newly tenured faculty spans film, architecture and performance, reflecting Columbia’s mission to innovate and inspire. Six additional faculty members, including one who is on leave from the college, were promoted to the rank of full professor.

Fashion design students showcase work in ‘240 Hours’ show Every Thursday since the start of the school year, junior fashion design majors have spent hours creating designs, making patterns and sewing, accumulating a minimum of 240 hours on their pieces.   On...

The name of the show comes from the number of hours the students put into their designs in the past school year. Eleven junior fashion design BFA students showcased their designs on Thursday, May 8.

College hosts first ever ‘Unity in Pride Ball’ Upcoming dancer and rapper, Breslin “B-5” Webb, a senior dance major, kicked off the performances for the “Unity in Pride Ball,” working the entire stage and crowd with his music and dance, which was ...

The event on Friday, May 9, was the finale to a three-day celebration called PRIDE in May.

Breaking: College adds additional seats for some courses, moving frustrated students off waitlists The college is adding additional seats to some full classes for Fall 2025 and opening new sections to accommodate frustrated students who weren’t able to get the courses they needed.   In a campuswide...

In a campuswide email sent on Friday morning, the college said it was adding seats and sections to some “high-demand courses.” Some schools had already started moving students off waitlists earlier this week, expanding the class size.

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Students kick off ManiFresh with a pre-party curated to celebrate hip-hop culture From cyphers to surprise faculty performances, Columbia’s “Hip-Hop: A Sonic History” class brought the heat Thursday, May 8 at “Timeless Flows: hip-hop Through the Ages,” a student-produced pre-party ...

The event in the Conaway Center featured student performances in a course taught by faculty member and hip-hop club faculty advisor Amina Norman-Hawkins. Students filled the space with performances showcasing the sounds, styles and stories that shape hip-hop.

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Columbia needs to remind students of safety measures like red phones Columbia has many safety programs throughout the campus, including the very recognizable blue light phones, but one of the services that they provide often goes overlooked. Many students are not aware of the more than 100 red phones that connect directly to campus security.    As Ronald Sodini, the associate vice president of Campus Safety...

This could be something as simple as a poster or social media post or even an email to students as a refresher, writes The Editorial Board

Students create educational hair app to bridge gap in beauty industry Senior Charlesa Thompson, a user experience and interaction design major, struggled to gain traction from her peers after pitching the creation of a textured hair care app in one of her classes.    It...

Four students in the School of Design developed the Braid app to offer resources for textured hair.

Students attempt to lower screen time in last two weeks of semester Ishara Kelsaw-Fletcher, a senior fashion merchandising major, said her daily average screen time is usually 12 to 14 hours.    “I’m on my phone a lot, trying to work at any point I can,” Kelsaw-Fletch...

In order for students to lock into school work before the end of the semester on May 16, some have taken to restricting time on their phone, hiding them or even letting the device’s battery die out.

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In pictures: Chicago celebrates 134th Polish Constitution Day with parade Hundreds of people line both sides of Columbus Drive in downtown Chicago on Saturday, May 3, all wearing red and white to symbolize Poland.   They waved signs and flags to mark the anniversary celebra...

The event marks the day Poland’s constitution was adopted on May 3, 1791. It is the largest celebration of its kind outside of Poland. The Polish immigrant community in Chicago is the largest in the United States, according to the Polish American Association.