Protest at NYU (Important Update)

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 10:42am

When did young people become such morons?

They want a tuition freeze and they want public access to Bobst Library. Plus freebies for Palestinians.

So if NYU freezes tuition, who pays for the extra maintenance created by public access to Bobst?

Link

Updated On: 2/20/09 at 10:42 AM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 6:08pm

The leaders of tomorrow.

Heaven help us.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 6:13pm

You know what they say...today's entitled dimwits are tomorrow's heads of the nation's banks.

[Calvin]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 6:18pm

They should be making Nazi signs and posing with Michelle Malkin like real American heroes.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 8:18pm

Why is it so bad to want budget disclosures? And can you point me to the part that says "Freebies for Palestinians"? Thanks in advance.

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 8:22pm

So am I reading this right, we're protesting a school NOT increasing tuition?

[shira467]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 8:29pm

I don't know what they're up to these days, but I would love NYU budget disclosure, because something funky is going with those finances. The rest? Yeah, I don't know.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 11:18pm

Phyllis, this is from their list of demands:

"9. That annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year. These scholarships will include funding for books, housing, meals and travel expenses.
10. That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza."

http://takebacknyu.com/2009/02/19/nyu-occupied/

[dramamama611]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 11:26pm

NYU doesnt' have to negotiate anything. Students don't like what they are doing, they can go somewhere else. NYU has PLENTY of qualified applicants dying to take thier place.

I liked the post: the more students we have the LESS chance they will call in NYPD! Bwhahahaah.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/19/09 at 11:32pm

Thank you, Cy. And I agree with Goth. Scholarships for Palestinian youth would be a disgrace. Imagine - educating those people?

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 12:19am

people? Kringy, i think you mean human filth.

[BillFinn]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 12:28am

I disagree. NYU needs to come down to the common people and realize normal people cannot afford 20-40K a year in tuition AND live in New York City. They extended their Grad. Application deadline twice. People just aren't applying like they used too.

[justabwaybaby]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 5:47am

This is also just a small number of student- I think only 20 or so were in Kimmel still as of 2 am. A vast majority of students, while many do want the budget disclosed, think this whole thing is incredibly stupid.

I want to know why students from New School got involved....

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 6:19am

nexttoelectric,
They want the school to freeze tuition rather than have it increase as much as it has been.. it's ridiculous the way they raise the prices.

justabwaybaby,
I am not sure of the scpefics around it, but I do that geographically speaking, NYU and the New School are extremely close neighbors, literally side by side, and the students at New School have been protesting the school administration and calling for the removal of the University president. Many faculty members of the New School are publicly, and vocally, supporting their students. It seems to be the students of New York City are banding together across university lines to call for education reform.. I don't see that as a bad thing, though how it is being handled is open to debate.

As far as NYU goes, I very much wated to go there. I am glad I didn't. The entire mind set behind the NYU machine is disgusting. Columbia heralds the fact that you can enjoy there campus within the vibrant Upper West Side neighborhood of manhattan, while NYU says that Greenwhich Village IS their campus. Those simple statements speak so much. NYU, more than Columbia, believes that it has absolutely right to do whatever it wants in the neighrborhood and that no one should be able to stand in their way or tell them otherwise. They shout from the roofs about the feel and mood of the village, yet they constantly demolish historical buildings because they want to build a glass megadorm that is completely out of character with the area. Pretty soon, those glass structures will BE the area. EVERYWHERE you go around there you see the NYU banners and maps and see how much of it they own, and you can't walk 10 steps without encountering a pretentious brat with NYU gear who feels far too entiled to everything in the world and that it should be handed to them on a silver platter. Not all of the students are like that, but enough of them are.. I can't stand wandering around that area anymore.

[nexttoelectric]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 6:26am

small counterpoint, Columbia is abusing Imminent Domain to expand.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 7:11am

Oh yes, indeed they are.. and should be taken to task for that. I find them to be the less of the two evils though.. Columbia should be held to task as much as anyone. I did not inded for my posting to seem as though I believe them to be good neighborhoods or the white knight of the universities in NYC. Quite the opposite. I just find to be NYU to be a bit more blatant in their distaste for the city around them.

[scott68]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 7:26am

New York Times update...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/nyregion/21nyu.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion

Two points that made me wince:

a. The only person inside the protest they quote is some random kid from New Jersey who joined them to "feel connected." Talk about a lack of credibility, although to be fair, that does seem like pretty sloppy journalism on the Times's part.

b. They lost people when they left to go to CLASS? "We're taking back NYU, this cafeteria is occupied until you meet our demands... or until it's time for me to chem lab, whichever comes first!" I disagree with their methods and some of their demands, but seriously, stick to your freaking guns.

Full disclosure: I'm a pretentious NYU brat myself, but I live off-campus and haven't actually even seen this protest except from what I read on the interwebs.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 7:52am

Scott,
In full disclosure, as I said, I didn't mean all students, but what I find to be a great number. I know plenty of current and former students that I love dearly!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 12:09pm

These people aren't as moronic as I thought.

The bippie brigade has joined their cause.
Bippie Brigade

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 6:24pm

It's over and the few students who refused to leave may face suspension.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 7:02pm

What did they do with the Bippie Brigade?

[Raspberry]

Posted: 2/20/09 at 8:59pm

NYU put out this statement after the whole thing ended. The last sentence is perfection.


NYU STATEMENT ON EVENTS AT UNIVERSITY’S KIMMEL CENTER

New York University is pleased to report that the students who sat in the Kimmel Center’s cafeteria and disrupted services have peacefully exited the building.

Robust dialogue is a customary, normal, and expected part of the interaction between students, faculty, and administration at NYU. But it is not appropriate for it to take place while there is an ongoing violation of university rules.

Despite the protesters’ stated principles that the protest was to be non-destructive and non-violent, the protesters, despite specific warnings to stay off the Kimmel Center balcony, broke the lock to gain access to the balcony. The protesters also injured an NYU security officer during a scuffle. These actions dishonor NYU’s commitment to free exchange of ideas, reasoned debate, and legitimate forms of protest.

From the outset, the University made clear to the protesters that they were violating the University rules and engaging in improper activity. Nonetheless, the University offered to sit down and have a dialogue with the students if they left the cafeteria early the night of February 19.

The 18 students who stayed through the night of February 19–after rejecting the University’s offer to leave the building–have been suspended pending the outcome of the university’s disciplinary process.

No students who were participating in the demonstration in the Kimmel Center cafeteria were arrested by the New York Police Department.

None of the students’ demands was met.


************************
James Devitt
Office of Public Affairs
New York University
[e-mail]


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