ColumCollab

The ColumCollab Team is pleased to present a collaborative event this semester titled “An Evening of Columbia Commons”!

This will be a physical event tied to an online interdisciplinary gallery.  Why should you care?  Because by participating in the event, you have the opportunity to garner increased exposure for your art as well as win cash prizes! 

The idea is this: American copyright law is thought of as restrictive by many artists.  Creative Commons is a system of licenses that allows for certain rights to be parceled out at the will of the creator.  So for example, you can fully own the rights to your bangin’ dubstep track, awesome digital painting, or killer dance moves, but let people know that it’s okay for them to remix, collage, or reinterpret your work as long as they credit you.  This presents an excellent system for collaboration and exposure as artists work together while elevating each other and staying within the bounds of the law.  “An Evening of Columbia Commons” represents our efforts to create a body of Columbia student and alumni works licensed under Creative Commons licenses, fostering a larger community of collaboration around Columbia.

How do you get involved?  Head over to http://www.columbiacommons.net/ to learn more about the event and Creative Commons, and then submit your works!  Works of all disciplines and medias are accepted! Send us that awesome video you made over the summer, some sweet designs you drew for that art project, the epic poem you wrote about breakfast cereal, your latest hit song, or whatever else you’ve created, and tell us what license you’ve released it under.  You have until November 26th to submit your works, which will be combed through by a panel of judges.  Approved works will be showcased at the event, and some artists whose works are selected by the judges will win prizes!

The event is at Stage Two, 618 S. Michigan on Monday, November 28th at 6:00.  Come by to view, listen, and interact with art that could potentially become your next big collaborative project!
For any questions, email columcollab@loop.colum.edu!

There are several exciting events and opportunities available to Columbia students this week!  Keep your head up, and who knows?  You could find your next collaborator or business partner to launch your career!

1. 3C Student Networking Event: Thurs. March 31, 6:30-9:30 pm, Conway Center (1104 S. Wabash Ave.)
   Meet and mingle with Columbia students of all disciplines at one of the only interdepartmental networking events of the year. Find that collaborator for your next big project!  Refreshments will be served.
2. Talent Pool Launch Party: Wed. March 30, 12:00-5:00 pm Stage 2 (618 S. Michigan Ave)
   Join the Portfolio Center in Celebrating the launch of Talent Pool, a website for Columbia students to be discovered by employers and each other.  Talent Pool will enable students to find collaborators in any department without relying on posters or fliers!  Drop by to create a Talent Pool profile, enjoy refreshments, and enter in a free raffle to win an Ipod Touch! You can check out the website before its launch at talent.colum.edu/ !
3. Auditionfest: April 1st 11:00-2:00 pm, Theater Center (rooms 507 & 511)
   Are you an actor looking for film roles? Auditionfest is your chance to audition once for numerous roles in student films on campus! Prepare a 1 minute monologue (contemporary) that you will perform twice, the second time receiving direction from the film makers.  Sign up for a 5-minute time slot on the third floor audition table.  Bring headshots, resumes and business cards if you have them! Questions: contact Dennis Wise at dwise@colum.edu

If you’re available to help out at any of these events, we’re always looking for volunteers!  For more information about these events (and ColumCollab), feel free to email me questions, or check out this article from the Student Loop! http://students.colum.edu/news/2011/03/student-powered-networking-opportunities/

I have also just received information about several opportunities for Columbia Students:

1. Creative Services is looking for student workers in a variety of fields! Creative Services is a Columbia department in charge of Columbia’s branding and image.  They have paying internship positions for photographers and filmmakers, as well as numerous freelance opportunities for photographers, copy writers, filmmakers, designers, web developers, and more!  They are also currently looking for original music to provide the soundtrack to some promotional videos. Contact ColumCollab@gmail.com for more information!
2. Opportunity for Columbia Student Bands:  Several Audio courses are constantly looking for bands to record as part of their coursework.  If you (or other Columbia Students you know) are in bands and are looking to record some tracks, get in touch with me at ColumCollab@gmail.com!

ColumCollab has been working tirelessly to improve interdepartmental collaboration at Columbia, meeting with numerous department chairs, student organizations, faculty members, and administrative departments.  But we’re always looking for more student participation: if you have an idea for a collaborative system at Columbia, or want to get involved in ColumCollab’s efforts to improve Columbia, let us know!  Drop us a line!

A brief update of recent developments:

1. Student Networking Event Postponed: Due to a scheduling issue, the Networking event previously announced for the 24th will be pushed back to later in the semester.  I will keep you updated as the event develops.
2. Talent Pool Website:  As mentioned previously, ColumCollab is working with the Portfolio Center and Student Communications to assist the development of the newest Columbia web portal: Talent Pool.  Talent Pool will be a way for you to showcase some of your work, be discovered by employers, and seek out other students to collaborate with.  With a launch goal set for the end of March, the site isn’t yet complete, but would benefit greatly from your involvement and feedback.  It will ultimately become a crucial aspect of your Columbia experience, so you owe it to yourself to jump on board ASAP!  Check it out at talent.colum.edu/ and login with your OASIS information.  It will be updated with new content every Friday until it’s released.
3. Opportunity for Audio and Television Students:   Through working with various student and faculty groups, some recent opportunities have developed relevant to students studying Audio Arts & Acoustics, Television, Film, or Lighting Design.  The music center is currently looking for student volunteers to help use the Music Center’s top of the line equipment to produce and record student concerts.  Participants will receive training and valuable experience.  If you are interested in volunteering, get in touch with the Music Department’s Technical Director Steve Hadley at shadley@colum.edu.
4. Opportunity for Columbia Student Bands:  Several Audio courses are constantly looking for bands to record as part of their coursework.  If you (or other Columbia Students you know) are in bands and are looking to record some tracks, get in touch with me at ColumCollab@gmail.com! 

As always, the ColumCollab team welcomes your input and feedback!  If you have ideas about how to help make Columbia a better connected environment, please feel free to drop us a line at ColumCollab@gmail.com! 

Despite the lull in communication, ColumCollab is back, and stronger than ever. Here are a few things we’ve got in the works.

1. Networking Website: The Portfolio Center’s new website “Talent Pool” is currently in a beta phase, with a planned launch date at the end of March. The website will allow students to browse and search for very specific collaborators; you’ll be able to search for students by everything from their discipline and unique style to how much time they have available to collaborate. It’s in a bare-bones state right now, and much more content (including some more ColumCollab specific tools) will be added later. But if you want to be ahead of the curve, head on over to http://talent.colum.edu/, login with your OASIS information, and make a profile! (I’d recommend using the Safari browser, if you aren’t already.)
2. Connecting the Campus: Over the past three weeks I have been running around campus meeting with department Chairs and Faculty members to discuss ways to get their students more connected around campus. There are already some exciting developments in the works regarding stronger connections in the curricula of the Theater, Film/Video, and AEMM departments. Connections are being strengthened between the Music and Audio Arts & Acoustic Departments, with a number of AAA and Television volunteers being invited to help produce and record music student performances. There are other departments whose faculty have expressed interest, but aren’t sure what form collaboration with their disciplines would take. Do you have ideas about connecting your department to other disciplines? Drop us a line at ColumCollab@gmail.com !
3. CCC Student Networking Event: Mark your calendars! This semester’s CCC Student Networking Event will by February 24^th, 6:30-9:30 in the Conway Center (1104 S. Wabash). In the Arts and Media world, you can’t overestimate the importance of having a large network, and this will be a great way to meet and mingle with people outside of your discipline. SGA is pulling out all the stops to make sure this semester’s event is even bigger and better than the last! And as if you needed another reason to come, refreshments will be served!
4. Weekly Networking: Just can’t wait to start networking? ColumCollab is sponsoring a weeklyCoffee Hour, Fridays 11-1 in the Hokin Cafe (on the first floor of the 623 S. Wabash building). Looking for that talented collaborator to help you make your next big project a reality? Want to meet some new people outside of your discipline? Interested in sipping coffee and making new friends? Swing by, and look for a sign.

I’ll try to update you more regularly about the exciting changes going on around campus. Don’t hesitate to email us with your questions, feedback, or ideas at ColumCollab@gmail.com!

At only 2 weeks old, the ColumCollab has already made great strides towards increasing the amount of interdisciplinary collaboration at Columbia College.

Our team members have been constantly spreading the word around campus to students and faculty, and the amount of positive feedback is overwhelming. It is clear to us that everyone sees the benefit of improving the channels of collaboration between students, and we’ve been inspired to take our activities to the next level.

In the last week alone, we’ve managed to make several important allies across campus. SGA Senator Casey Gold was kind enough to give us a presence at the recent CCC Student Networking event, which gave us the opportunity to discuss our project with ambitious students of every discipline. Vice President for Academic Affairs Louise Love has invited us to work with her own interdisciplinary program, “Spotlight on Collaboration”. We’ve been excited to discover many other existing catalysts for collaboration around campus, and hope to be involved with many more organizations and upcoming events.

Perhaps most exciting was our recent meeting with the Portfolio Center. The Portfolio Center has informed us that they are well into developing a website with features that overlap and support ColumCollab’s vision. They have been gracious enough to ask for ColumCollab’s input on the project, and hope to use ColumCollab students as beta testers. Since a website is the first priority of ColumCollab, we hope to move quickly to enhance the Portfolio Center’s efforts with our own insight and expertise. Their previous efforts will undoubtedly allow us to create an effortless way to connect Columbia students on the web.

As a reminder, ColumCollab is still looking for students leaders with good connections to students and faculty to help us coordinate our interactions between the different departments. If that’s you, or someone you know, please contact us at ColumCollab@gmail.com!

     While the diverse academic programs at Columbia College Chicago have the potential to provide incredible opportunities for students to work with each other, this potential is not being realized. It is critical that students be provided the tools to form collaborations within the Columbia community, and that stronger ties be formed between Columbia’s academic departments.

ColumCollab is a student collective seeking to forge these connections. We want to empower students to build a resume of professional experience and a portfolio of collaborative work. Our first goal is to create a website designed to make interdepartmental networking effortless.

    Columbia is full of musicians looking for recording engineers to record their demo, graphic designers seeking experience in branding, film directors that need actors, and game designers who need writers.  Yet more often than not, the connections aren’t being made because the current channels of communication aren’t working.  “Columbia on Facebook” is too informal, ColumbiaWorks is too complicated, and posting fliers in every department requires too much legwork. 

     For this reason, ColumCollab’s top priority is to create a streamlined website dedicated exclusively to connecting students.  By establishing a single portal as the best way to connect students in a professional capacity, students seeking to collaborate can meet at the same place.  

     We hope to work with Columbia’s administration, faculty, and student leaders to implement this website as the first step towards improving interdepartmental collaboration.  ColumCollab aims to give students out-of-the-classroom experience, a portal for school wide networking, and opportunities as creative entrepreneurs before they even graduate.   

For more information, or to find out how you can help, contact ColumCollab@gmail.com.