Avantika Kumar

Senior profile: Sara Snedeker, BC

Snedeker was instrumental in pushing the senate to endorse public course evaluations, which it did in a 44-12 vote last month. She helped lead a Student Affairs Committee effort to develop and draft a course evaluations resolution, a yearlong initiative that required faculty, administrative, and student support.

By Avantika Kumar | May 15 03:20 pm ET

Proposed storefront zoning restrictions loosened

A measure to restrict the width of storefronts along Broadway, Amsterdam, and Columbus avenus—an effort to protect small businesses—was amended to appeal some critics.

By Avantika Kumar | Apr 27 07:45 am ET

Stringer talks role of small-scale politics at urbanism panel

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer argued that Columbia’s campus expansion would have been impossible without input from community boards. “They give neighborhoods a say in their own futures,” he said.

By Avantika Kumar | Apr 24 03:00 am ET

Community Board 9 chair, econ prof talk race, homelessness at Habitat panel

Rising housing costs is one of the biggest barriers to providing affordable housing to Harlem residents, especially those going through substance abuse or mental illness.

By Avantika Kumar | Apr 6 04:03 am ET

O’Donnell, locals continue to oppose St. John’s expansion

Tuesday's meeting was the latest in an ongoing battle between the cathedral, which has maintained the development is necessary for it to survive, and the neighborhood, whose residents have urged St. John’s to look for other solutions.

By Casey Tolan and Avantika Kumar | Apr 5 04:17 am ET

Profs, students hold ‘Keys to the Core’ panel discussion

East Asian studies professor William Theodore de Bary moderated a “Keys to the Core” panel that included three professors and three students.

By Avantika Kumar | Apr 2 06:54 am ET

Harlem charter school teachers unionize

While the school's founding administration fought unionization, new administrators say they're ready to work with teachers on a contract.

By Avantika Kumar | Mar 29 04:45 am ET

At local schools, parents react to release of teacher evaluations

The release of 18,000 assessments of the city's public school instructors is raising concern from local parents and educators about their helpfulness.

By Avantika Kumar | Mar 1 06:17 am ET

UWS small businesses face tough times, but CB7 rezoning proposal could help

Small mom-and-pop businesses—especially in the face of economic decline and competition from larger retailers—are struggling to stay afloat. If passed, a new zoning proposal from Community Board 7 will restrict store and bank frontage size along sections of the Upper West Side.

By Avantika Kumar | Feb 28 05:46 am ET

CB7 approves amendment to allow for ‘greener’ buildings

In an advisory vote, Community Board 7 members approved the Zone Green Text Amendment on Tuesday night, helping clear a local path for environmentally friendly buildings.

By Avantika Kumar | Feb 8 05:42 am ET

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