I think a whole lot of folks have read some of the recent press about us. In light of our interest in full disclosure, I’d like to address some concerns individuals might have about the campaign and about our ability to sustain an effective campaign.

Most of these article’s writers focus on our appearance at the recent Town Hall, which we posted a quick report-back on but didn’t really talk about deeply. First of all, I think it’s crucial to realize why we’re doing this: we have a solid set of demands we believe in. Yes, we have the option of going to a public school where the budget is disclosed. But most of chose NYU because it’s an institution that provides amazing opportunities. Many of us, however, worry we are complicit in things we fervently disagree with - ranging from genocide to sexism to vivisection. Clearly, this is something with which most individuals agree, including many of the same folks who’ve written about us being angry radicals.

So why do we act the way we do?

Members of Take Back NYU! have attended several town halls, and have consistently been talked down to and ignored by John Sexton. In the past, student activists have gathered thousands of signatures on petitions, joined the Student Senate, and written letters to NYU about changing its policies - and rarely has the University ever engaged in a dialogue, much less granted requests. For instance, the Tuition Reform Action Coalition existed for years. They had an amazing platform (“Accessibility, Affordability, Accountability” - they demanded tuition increases only at the rate of inflation and for an increase in financial aid) and used many “normal” tactics: sending letters, getting signatures on a petition (3000 or so, I think), and so on. No disruptions.

Where is TRAC at now? Dead. Gone. Sexton ignored it and by and large, it has been erased from NYU’s collective memory.

While JSex suggested we should have come with “open minds” and it has been implied that we refused to adequately consider his suggestion. Some examples of his bullshit:

• He said that ethics and politics are different from one another, saying that NYU invests ethically but not politically. How can one draw such a boundary? Is genocide an ethical or political issue? War? Murder?
• By continuing to invest like companies that are environmentally destructive, but by using CFC lightbulbs, we’re proving how NYU is incredibly sustainable - we support anti-environmentalism with millions of dollars, but use CFC lightbulbs at home.
• We choose our investments based on profits - not on people, ethics, or anything else, and that makes us ethical. What?
• Since we don’t think there are going to be issues with labor in Abu Dhabi, we don’t have to sign any kind of agreements to prove/promise it. That’s absurd - Jsex went to law school, where they teach you that K is for King (K is shorthand for contract).
• Since TBN! is concerned with Abu Dhabi, they’re clearly uninterested in worker’s rights in China, Africa, Mexico, etc. (I don’t remember where he referred to, but it’s the idea of it). We’ve clearly expressed the contrary (that we’re ESPECIALLY worried about labor conditions here in NYC) at previous town halls, on our literature, and at our events.

Regardless of specific examples, I think the point of the matter is that this is not a “town hall.” This is a complete farce of democracy - to which Sexton unapologetically admitted. We wanted to point out that the town hall, as it now functions, is just another arm of NYU’s sham democratic policies. At the moment, events like the town hall only serve to cultivate the impression that NYU is supposedly listening to student concerns, when in reality any students interested in creating real change at the university are systematically ignored. This is a one-way flow of information - which is to be expected - but the format is one that suppresses any kind of dissent and meaningful engagement that doesn’t occur via interruptions.

We take a great interest in our effects on the student body. The topic of public image is a tricky one in activism. While on one hand, it’s important to put pressure on those you are attempting to affect, I think it’s also important to remain accessible to everyone. Our meetings are every Monday at 7 in Kimmel 405 and everyone is always more than welcome to come. We try to spend more of our time interacting with students than the administration, but it’s tricky because by not engaging with the administration, we essentially write them a blank check to ignore us.

And regardless: we have elected one of our members onto the Student Senate, have a petition, have approached faculty for support, and have organized multiple educational events, including What Is NYU Hiding?, along with Have Your School and Eat It Too. We’re interested in a diversity of tactics and want - nay, need - to put pressure on the administration if we want to take back NYU.