A CUIMC Campus Tour With Two Long-Time Staffers Working at the Heart of Community

Before she came to work at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) campus in Washington Heights, Diana Mejia (GSAPP'90, SPS'13) thought she already had campus down pat as a grad student in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation on the Morningside Heights campus. 

"I remember coming up to study at the CUIMC campus one day, getting off the subway at 168th St., and I just breathed in this realization that I knew nothing about the campus," Mejia said. "And it is a campus; it is just a very open and urban campus, comparatively."

Today, after 25 years working in various roles across facilities management on the CUIMC campus, Mejia serves as the Vice President for Student and Campus Services, where she oversees six divisions that focus on student health, libraries, faculty club, events, housing services, and campus services. It is safe to say she knows a thing or two about how to make oneself at home at CUIMC — in fact, it is something she is focused on every day. 

"With this new role, I really welcome the opportunity and the challenge to build community, create collaborations and camaraderie, and craft a place where people feel like they belong," Mejia said.

Enter Sandra Harris (SPS'13), a self-described "Washington Heights girl," who is from the neighborhood, born and raised. 

"To this day, I have to tell you that my mom still says I work at the medical center," Harris said. "I tell her: 'mom, I work at Columbia.' And she says 'What? No, you work at the medical center.'"

Harris, whose background in social work led her to positions at nonprofits across Washington Heights, has now worked on the CUIMC campus for 26 years. She was recently appointed the Vice President of the Office of Academic and Community Partnerships.

"The office is designed to strengthen community collaborations with our neighbors and our local and institutional partners," Harris said. "We have a rich history of these collaborative relations with the community, but we always find ourselves trying to figure out how we strengthen our relationship in a way that not just supports our mission, but also the mission of the community because we do share one footprint."

Harris relishes CUIMC's status as an open campus and that the perception of Columbia's connection with Washington Heights' health facilities and NewYork-Presbyterian has shifted over the past 30 years. 

"Just the other day, as I was walking to the office, I almost cried because there was a group of school kids that were walking by and they stopped at the new School of Nursing building, which is glass," Harris said. "And these kids, you know, they're walking by and they go 'hey, look, there's Columbia! There's a Columbia school here. Before, they might think of this space as a medical center, but now kids can see a future for themselves here."

Mejia and Harris are close colleagues and, together, represent 50-plus years of knowledge of the CUIMC campus and community. They recently sat down with us at Columbia News to help show those new to the campus around. 

Tell me a little bit about the path that led you to Columbia. 

Diana Mejia (DM): "I grew up in San Francisco but came to the East Coast for school. I had a background in community development and housing and worked for years in Washington Heights and Inwood as a nonprofit director — so I was very familiar with the community organizations here before I started working at Mailman School of Public Health to help them renovate their building. That expanded over into a role with facilities management to help address the physical renovations of campus. It felt like coming home. 

Sandra Harris (SH): "I am a social worker by training, but started my career in politics doing constituent services. You see the community's issues and challenges firsthand and that's when I realized I wanted to help people. After pursuing my degree from Hunter College, I proceeded to work for a local nonprofit, running a mental health clinic that worked with immigrant families. After a while, I realized there were broader challenges that my clients were facing that had more to do with systems. 

"I saw an RFP for a project called "Community Voices for the Underserved" and Columbia's Dental School was one of the 13 sites across the United States that were a part of it. At the time, a previous boss of mine from when I worked for Alianza Dominicana was at Columbia and one of the core people working on this project and he brought me on as the Director of Community Voices for the Underserved in 1998.

"My work since then has evolved into getting the community excited about what excites us in terms of medicine, all the benefits that await there, and closing the gap so we can have better health, a more informed community, and a healthier community overall."

What would you say are the top spots on campus that people should know?

Haven Plaza

DM: "We are lucky we have Haven Plaza, which is a nexus where people gather and have lunch outdoors and we have events there. It is a wonderful green space that allows you to have a bit of nature and to see the community share it with us is probably the best part. It is a nice place to feel a part of a bigger community."

SH: "Some people like quiet spaces to study, but at least for me, I love how Haven Plaza has a sort of a buzz where you could be into your studies and then look up and just be with folks."

Haven Avenue

DM: "I have an affinity toward Haven Avenue as being the lifeblood for student services, because all our student housing is on Haven Avenue and all our service providers — Student Health on Haven, the libraries, housing, they're all based there."

50 Haven

DM: "50 Haven is definitely a place to touch base, because the Office of Housing is here and they have a lot to offer in terms of student engagement programming. There's always a lot of activity buzzing in this building."

Hammer Health Sciences Building — August C. Long Health Sciences Library

DM: "The Health Sciences Library is spectacular. It offers the most current and contemporary concepts of group learning, group study, individual study technology, and supporting students in their studies. There are quiet spaces and less quiet spaces. It has transformed in the past 10 years into a beautiful, state-of-the-art contemporary facility."

School of Nursing Rooftop Garden

SH: "The School of Nursing has this wonderful rooftop view on the seventh floor. We sneak in there for lunch too. It's beautiful and you get a wonderful view of the community."

100 Haven South and West Lawns

DM: "These are just beautiful lawns and nobody uses them as much as they should. They have wonderful views of the George Washington Bridge, Riverside Park, and the Hudson. It's quite spectacular. "

Schaefer Awards Gallery at the Alumni Auditorium

DM: "We are planning to enhance the gallery, which is a reception space,  with more indoor seating so it can become a hub where people can meet and have a cup of coffee." 

Vagelos Education Center, 'The VEC'

SH: "It's a really great place to study and a beautiful building."

What are the top spots in the neighborhood that people should know?

Restaurants

Malecon

DM: "Malecon, up on 175th, is guaranteed delicious food. If you want Dominican food — good, tasty, decently priced food. You can always find our students there."

Tasty Deli

DM: "Everyone knows that's where you can get your tasty sandwiches. They are a hit."

Tung Thong Thai

DM: "I always, always go to Tung Thai for Thai food. It's typically $10 or $11, depending on the protein you get, and you get an egg roll with your meal."

Sample the Cafecito!

SH: "It is a tradition in Dominican culture to have a little cafecito [a small shot of coffee with a layer of crema on top], so every single Dominican restaurant will have good coffee in the mornings you can stop by and try."

Local Landmarks 

The Armory

SH: "We have world-class runners coming here and a national Nike track and field right across the street."

Dyckman Street

SH: "There's this great restaurant strip with a plaza as well. It has become a true hub for the culinary arts. There is usually a restaurant week with a great sampling of Dominican cuisine." 

Fort Tryon Park

DM: "Fort Tryon is one of my favorites to just go and walk around. You can let your mind drift."

Little Red Lighthouse

SH: "This wonderful little beacon where you will see tons of people."

Look Up!

SH: "Just go on a walk through Washington Heights and, like an architect, look up. It is amazing going from 155th to 190th St. and seeing the beautiful architecture and revitalization. There are some iconic buildings from across the centuries, but you never see them unless you look up."

United Palace

DM: "United Palace has become this wonderful beacon for arts and celebration. The fact they had the Tonys there just speaks to how rich the arts are, and how important the arts are to this community as a form of expression."

SH: "There's Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance at United Palace and their exhibits are incredible. They have wonderful events every Friday."

Other Uptown locations worthy of note:

Morris-Jumel Mansion, Audubon Ballroom, The Met Cloisters, and Inwood Hill Park. 

What do you wish people understood about the CUIMC campus?

SH: "I say this to our students: The minute you get off at that 168th St. station, you're in Washington Heights and the middle of a community and a medical center. While you're coming to class or going to work, you can feel the vibrancy of that community reflected. You can hear it in crosswalk conversations and parents taking their kids to school and I think that is very unique. 

"It may not feel entirely like a traditional campus, but it is a community. You will get to see patients that come in for care and feel like you're in the center of it. It is truly urban living and I just love it. It is as good as it gets in terms of a learning environment."

What are you excited about for the future?

DM: "I think our biggest challenge is to break down silos between schools to create a communal, collaborative atmosphere where the whole student community can come together. We're planning a Homecoming on Haven in October to celebrate the Homecoming football game (which students get free tickets to!) on Haven Plaza.  It was a big hit last year and we hope that helps dental students to meet medical students and students from public health. 

"We're looking at opportunities to create a Music Monday on Haven Plaza, which would draw us all out. This summer, we had an ice cream social, which was great and we distributed 6,000 ice cream bars to students and community members. It was just a celebration of summer and community. We had a wonderful "dinner with strangers" partnership with University Life that helped students meet people from different backgrounds over dinner. 

"I'm also excited about the ways we're working to improve the campus experience. We're currently lacking in indoor dining opportunities, so we are identifying spaces where we can add tables and chairs, somewhere for people to sit besides their desks. We're going to introduce seating in the ballroom where you can meet with friends."

SH: "I think what keeps me excited is creating new things and the fact that every day there is a new problem to confront.  There is such potential for what we can do with great medicine, great education, great research, and doing it in support of our neighbors. That's what excites me about where we're going forward."