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Jaya Shankar
Jaya Shankar is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Barnard Bulletin for the 2026-2027 academic year. She is a member of Barnard College's Class of 2028.
Letter from the editors: Representing Barnard College
As Barnard’s student-run news publication, we are dedicated to chronicling the College’s developments for present and future readers.
Jaya Shankar and Kimberly Wing
Sep 21
Students and faculty condemn Barnard’s ‘pausing’ of Slavic department as sole faculty member’s contract ends
“Nobody thinks that this is a good idea,” said Ava Lyon-Sereno (BC ’26), whose petition supporting Professor John Wright and Barnard’s Slavic department has received over 800 signatures as of April 25
Ava Glicksberg and Jaya Shankar
Apr 25
President Rosenbury and Barnard administrators address Epstein files, campus security, and financial transparency
President Rosenbury and College administrators held a press roundtable on March 13, answering questions from The Barnard Bulletin and other campus publications.
Sunaya Mueller and Jaya Shankar
Mar 31
Meeting the moment with Rebecca Jordan-Young: 50 years of ‘The Scholar and Feminist’
A conversation with Professor Jordan-Young, Interim Director of the Barnard Center for Research on Women.
Jaya Shankar
Mar 3
Barnard’s independent counsel ‘did not uncover any evidence’ of a relationship between College affiliates and Jeffrey Epstein
Barnard reported no “wrongdoing or activities at odds with Barnard’s mission and values” for any current affiliates mentioned in the Epstein files, including notable donors and trustees from the LeFrak, Blankfein, and Milstein families.
Jaya Shankar, Karissa Song, and Kimberly Wing
Feb 27
Hundreds gather to protest detention of Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva (GS ’26) by federal agents
Aghayeva was detained by agents from the Department of Homeland Security in her Columbia residence hall.
Riya Mahanta, Jaya Shankar, and Vanessa Zhou
Feb 27
Epstein files mention Francine LeFrak, names of Barnard trustees’ families and alumni
The Barnard Bulletin found that the Department of Justice’s Epstein Library contains multiple mentions of prominent Barnard College affiliates, including the LeFrak and Blankfein families.
Ava Glicksberg, Jaya Shankar, Karissa Song, and Kimberly Wing
Feb 1
616 break-in leaves residents concerned about safety, dorm security
Barnard employees who were on duty at the time have been placed on leave.
Anika Bahirwani, Jahnavi Bolleddula, and Jaya Shankar
Jan 25
Columbia SIPA hosts panel honoring former Israeli Prime Minister Rabin, met with protests from Columbia student groups
SIPA’s Institute of Global Policy invited Bill and Hillary Clinton, along with other experts in American-Israeli politics, to discuss Rabin’s legacy three decades after his assassination. In response, students organized a protest outside of the President’s House.
Jaya Shankar, Elisabeth Siegel, Karissa Song, and Kimberly Wing
Nov 11, 2025
Palestinian, Jewish student groups gather on campus during second anniversary of October 7 attack
The day’s events fall on the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza.
Fiona Hu, Riya Mahanta, Jaya Shankar, and Kimberly Wing
Oct 7, 2025
‘We must commit to disagreeing better’: President Rosenbury publishes op-ed in The New York Times calling for freedom of expression and open discourse on campus
“This is a time to foster more disagreement, not less,” wrote Barnard President Laura Rosenbury.
Jaya Shankar
Sep 23, 2025
Columbia student groups hold emergency rally on the Sundial calling for resistance against federal government encroachment, campus policies
The protest took place on the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment.”
Giselle Bradshaw, Fiona Hu, Jaya Shankar, and Lydia Snyder
Apr 23, 2025
Jewish students chain themselves to St. Paul’s Chapel and Earl Gates, demand accountability from Columbia trustees
Protesters called for the release of Mahmoud Khalil from ICE custody and transparency from Columbia leadership.
Giselle Bradshaw, Theresa Cullen, Fiona Hu, and Jaya Shankar
Apr 9, 2025
Barnard admits Class of 2029, yet to release acceptance rate or number of applicants
Of the students who reported their class rank, 94% were in the top 10% of their class.
Jaya Shankar
Apr 7, 2025
CUAD launches sit-in at Barnard’s Milstein Library, declares building the "Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya Liberated Zone"
Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) has launched its second sit-in this semester, protesting Barnard's expulsion of three...
Riya Mahanta, Jaya Shankar, and Kimberly Wing
Mar 5, 2025
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