NYU OCCUPIED!!!!
Feb 19th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
NYU is the latest university to join a wave of global student occupations in the name of student empowerment. The Kimmel Center for University life is official a reclaimed space.
Demands
We, the students of NYU, declare an occupation of this space. This occupation is the culmination of a two-year campaign by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow.
In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we demand the following:
- Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.
- Full compensation for all employees whose jobs were disrupted during the course of the occupation.
- Public release of NYU’s annual operating budget, including a full list of university expenditures, salaries for all employees compensated on a semester or annual basis, funds allocated for staff wages, contracts to non-university organizations for university construction and services, financial aid data for each college, and money allocated to each college, department, and administrative unit of the university. Furthermore, this should include a full disclosure of the amount and sources of the university’s funding.
- Disclosure of NYU’s endowment holdings, investment strategy, projected endowment growth, and persons, corporations and firms involved in the investment of the university’s endowment funds. Additionally, we demand an endowment oversight body of students, faculty and staff who exercise shareholder proxy voting power for the university’s investments.
- That the NYU Administration agrees to resume negotiations with GSOC/UAW Local 2110 – the union for NYU graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants. That NYU publicly affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU publicly affirm that it will recognize workers’ unions through majority card verification.
- That NYU signs a contract guaranteeing fair labor practices for all NYU employees at home and abroad. This contract will extend to subcontracted workers, including bus drivers, food service employees and anyone involved in the construction, operation and maintenance at any of NYU’s non-U.S. sites.
- The establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee. This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions. The committee will be composed of two subcommittees: one to assess the operating budget and one to assess the endowment holdings. Each committee will be composed of ten students democratically elected from the graduate and under-graduate student bodies. All committee decisions will be made a strict majority vote, and will be upheld by the university. All members of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will sit on the board of trustees, and will have equal voting rights. All Socially Responsible Finance Committee and Trustee meetings shall be open to the public, and their minutes made accessible electronically through NYU’s website. Elections will be held the second Tuesday of every March beginning March 10th 2009, and meetings will be held biweekly beginning the week of March 30th 2009.
- That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance committee will be:
a) An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
b) A reassessment of the recently lifted of the ban on Coca Cola products. - 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.
- That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.
- Tuition stabilization for all students, beginning with the class of 2012. All students will pay their initial tuition rate throughout the course of their education at New York University. Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation, nor shall they exceed one percent. The university shall meet 100% of government-calculated student financial need.
- That student groups have priority when reserving space in the buildings owned or leased by New York University, including, and especially, the Kimmel Center.
- That the general public have access to Bobst Library.
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student occupations in Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, as well as those of the University of Rochester, the New School for Social Research, and with future occupations to come in the name of democracy and student power. We stand in solidarity with the University of Gaza, and with the people of Palestine.
[...] NYU OCCUPIED!!!! [...]
[...] Full list on TBNYU’s site. [...]
theyoungvote.com as well as the students at Brooklyn College stand in solidarity.
On behalf of all the Students who took part in the occupation of Strathclyde University, Glasgow, I would like to congratulate you on your principled action and send a message of solidarity. We admire your courage and applaud your actions. We wish you success. You are making history.
Hey good job there on the takeover.
But a few concerns about the list of demands, if anyone checking this can fill me in.
1. Considering the 13 Palestinian scholarships: why in particular Palestine? I realize that Gaza has been besieged lately, but if this is going to be a permanent demand (as I assume it would be), why is it limited to a current event crisis? Tack on the 13 scholarship allocation to the Socially Responsible Finance Committee, so it can be dynamic with the times.
2. Tuition to not exceed inflation AND 1%? This term should be changed to “tuition increase not to exceed inflation”. The 1% limit seems artificial and unobtainable.
3. Socially Responsible Finance Committee: we’re asking for 20 votes in the board of trustees? It seems that a demand this large will only have a polarizing effect on the administration you’re trying to negotiate with, and will hamper your ability to get your demands met (especially if you’re working with an “all or occupation” mindset).
I appreciate the work you guys do, but would feel much more comfortable endorsing you if these issues could be addressed.
I’m writing as a student at Hampshire College who was involved in our successful campaign to divest from corporations involved in the Israeli Occupation of Palestine.
I’m heartened by your courage, and wish all of you well in this endeavour. I will be writing letters to the admin in support, and hope that something good comes of your actions.
in solidarity :: aidan
hi, Take Back NYU! congratulations on successfully taking control of the building - i hope the occupation sustains and your demands are met. many of these are demands students have been agitating for since i was a student there
- i hope you are successful!! i think there has been some thoughtful critique of the demands on this comment thread and would love to hear any responses you guys have to that.
also, on media: great that you got the blog up so fast. any pictures or video? just makes it a bit more festive and helps other bloggers, as well.
onward.
Solidarity with Take Back NYU from the New School!
What better time then now, to take back what’s been ours all along?
In solidarity.
An exile
I spent six months of my life walking a picket line in front of bobst library. You’ve taken the struggle inside. Like many other GSOC folks I’m inspired by your courage and your vision and will do everything i can to stand in solidarity with the struggle you have initiated.
Oh, this is cute! Disrupting NYU during tough times is a good idea. Good luck!
Good on you! Keep fighting the good fight; we are in solidarity with you at the New School.
Thank you, children, for the entertainment value of your ridiculous sit-in. I hope that you are enjoying all of the bad attention you are getting.
Nobody takes you seriously. You will get some pro forma response from the NYU administration, then told to go back to whatever anti-knowledge studies in which you had been previously engaged (which, by the way are clearly not rigorousm seeing as you have time for this nonsense). Should that fail, the New York City Police Department will remove you and you will be expelled. Good Luck finding a job after that happens.
Pretty much everyone who is not a hippie, wierdo, kook or all of the above is laughing.
Why do the Palestinians deserve anything from NYU? From what merit do the Palestinians deserve to have their tuition paid for? Shouldn’t you also extend this offer to every victim of Hamas-led attacks in Israel?
This reeks of tragic idealism. Does the “general public” deserve to steal library access from another student, especially if that student is paying an exorbitant tuition? Bobst is surely huge, but its space is finite, and the sooner we open it up to the under-educated proletariat and moist-minded Luddite, the sooner its sturdy infrastructure will fail to serve the students who require it most. Democracy is great, but 99% of the population will drag down the 1% who are reforming it. Remember, Bush was elected twice in a democratic election: the first round of embarrassment just wasn’t enough for the evangelical robots, so they installed him again. At least between 2000 and 2008, as many as 51% of the country’s people were more or less stupider than the others.
A public space such as Union Square is a perfect example: When Obama was elected, some moron just trying to celebrate a good time climbed a lamppost and ended up shattering a glass bulb and disabling the entire thing. Now you’re saying someone like that should be free to run around our library, the books and computers and resources completely at his whim. Do we really need to see our primest center of education defaced and burgled like some tattered jungle gym for freeloaders? Ask anyone who explored every one of Bobst’s floors during finals week for a free spot to sit down and study how they’d feel about letting even more people in to their educational refuge.
[...] demand listed on their website asks that excess supplies and materials be donated to the University of Gaza. As far as I know, [...]
FUCK YEAH!!!! I <3 you all and am so proud of you. Take Back NYU!? Um, y’all just did…
Video of demonstration (Wed. night) outside of the occupied building:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EkD_4rWxHU&eurl=http://www.newschoolinexile.com/
Holla!
Fight Imperialism Stand Together endorses Take Back NYU.
Join us as we converge on Wall Street April 3rd and 4th, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to demand Bail Out Students, Bail Out the People, Not the Banks
http://www.bailoutpeople.org
I know I speak on behalf of several and perhaps many more at Fordham University in saying you have our full support and we are moved by your example and our aims, all of which are worth fighting for. We are here in the city and with you should you need anything.
Well since I don’t like being raped in the bathroom of Bobst LC2 by a homeless man.. I think this demand is pretty much retarded (Bobst open to general public).
They cant raise tuition greater than inflation or 1%? Probably should have had an Econ major help you with that one, because you sound like morons.
Pro Palestine demands- also very dumb… Its too controversial and double sided. The university will not piss off the NYU Jewish Community by giving in to these demands. I mean I’m not for either side, but If NYU does give in.. They are basically taking an anti Israeli stance. Wont happen. They are also beyond what one would consider your inherent rights as students. Sure maybe you can argue that you are owed a more transparent budget but you cant demand this nonsense..
Good luck, keep it going for as long as possible… I like the entertainment.
New School Student wrote:
Solidarity with Take Back NYU from the New School!
– You people are clearly not getting your $40k’s worth of education. And just you wait until Daddy hears about this stunt. I hope the NYPD start thumping skulls like they should’ve done in December.
[...] were built around 10p.m. Wednesday night. We’ll leave when our demands are met. WHY: Our demands are as [...]
Solidarity from here at the Pluto Press in London. Good luck. Have you thought about contacting US offices of Press TV or Al-Jazeera?
http://www.presstv.com/reports.aspx?sectionid=3510301
Owen
Solidarity my brothers and sisters, solidarity. Be brave and stand your ground. You will face the absolute worst in amerikan political brutality now. That is the “true” face of amerika’s monster. Blood must be spilled. It is inevitable. How freaking sad for us.
Remember children, IT IS BETTER TO DIE STANDING ON ONE’S FEET THAN TO DIE BEGGING FOR MERCY WHILE GROVELING ON ONE’S KNEES!
Remember Wounded Knee. Remember Gaza!! Remember Kent State and remember NYU!
You leave me feeling proud on this fine sunny morning. It’s time children. Get jiggy wid it and make some noise.
my deepest respect to you all,
skulz fontaine
Gaza Strip, Utah/Nevada
Solidarity from greece. the whole world faces the future with more optimism, when students occupy universities in USA…
[...] to mention that the demands TBNYU makes are as overly ambitious as they are completely scattershot. I mean, what does Gaza have [...]
Solidarity from Hampshire College and Caracas Venezuela! Que Viva la revolucion estudiantil!
CUNY students are facing similar problems of democracy, unfair labor practices, and soaring tuition. It is very heartening to see students at NYU taking action like this. I hope that you find more support from among your own student body, but know that there are lots of students at CUNY who support you, just as many of us supported the sit-ins at the New School. Hopefully CUNY students will find the resolve, the courage, and the inspiration to take their demands to the next level soon.
If you’re interested check out my editorial from the December issue of the GC Advocate on the need for more sit-ins:
http://gcadvocate.org/index.php/view/00383/Shut-it-down.htm
“You’re all just pissing in the wind
You don’t know it, but you are”
- Neil Young
So basically you would like NYU to provide more services, pay their TA’s more, and turn already overcrowded facilities into public spaces while at the same time not raising tuition more than 1% a year. (By the way the last time inflation was under 1% was 1955.) Also as for revealing every NYU employees salary, please name another private institution that has that policy.
keep it up - when we act in anti-imperialist/zionist solidarity with the rest of the worlds’ peoples and nations, there is genuine hope for revolutionary change! don’t allow snakes to sell you any sell-out economist changes. Add political demands against u.s-israeli terror wars against all Arabs, immigrants, Muslims & the u.s.Black nation.
with you in spirit and solidarity sisters and brothers,
liz
Congratulations! Fight on ! The struggle continues!
I posted the latest occupation reports and your list of demands to my news list a short while ago. Here is the short preface I wrote:
“Students occupied Kimmel Dining Hall at New York University last night, February 18, 2009. I’m not sure what Kimmel is–it’s on Washington Square South and might be the new student center building.
“While the 60 occupying students put out a good list of demands it’s too bad that they did not include a demand that NYU cease *all* further real estate development (including dormitory construction) and speculation in the East Village/Lower East Side, central Greenwich Village and the Washington Square area. NYU has been one of the most pernicious forces in the area and has done more than any other single entity to foster neighborhood gentrification, residential displacement and decline of a stable and viable community. NYU had torn down the historic Edgar Allen Poe house to build something else and now it is destroying the old Provincetown Playhouse, where Eugene O’Neill’s plays were first produced. The unnecessary, useless and costly “renovation” of Washington Square Park was done in large measure at NYU’s behest, in collaboration with a corrupt NYC Parks Department–whose mandate is to privatize city park space–despite overwhelming community opposition; NYU seems to lay claim to the Park–why don’t we just rename it NYU Commons? NYU has bought numerous buildings in the East Village and forced out local businesses (it tried to close down one of the very few supermarkets in the neighborhood–a store which many low-income and elderly people relied on). Its unchecked dormitory construction has turned the neighborhood into a student ghetto and helped push up rent costs generally, forcing many long-time residents to have to move. The list goes on and on.
“NYU is a slimy business, and I hope the occupying students will consider the disastrous effect its presence has had on its surrounding neighborhoods, and incorporate an awareness and acknowledgment of those conditions, and an agenda to remedy the situation, into their analyses and demands.”
In Solidarity-
Bill Koehnlein (administrative/outreach coordinator, the Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory, NYC; resident of the Lower East Side/East Village since the mid-1960s)
This is laughable. The comments are even more laughable.
1) Hampshire College is divesting nothing.
2) Why not 13 more scholarships for american arabs?
3) Why is your first demand amnesty? you’re not very committed to your cause if your major concern is the ability to head back to your dorm and play wii when this is over.
4)What’s tuition going to be at university of gaza?
Good job. You’re sitting inside kimmel looking like idiots.
Lol. Have fun kids.
As a Palestinian NYU alum, I wish you would all just go away. Your efforts trivialize real efforts being done around the city and around the world to effect change, both at NYU and in Gaza.
solidarity from kalamazoo!
I am an NYU student and this action totally sucks. Diplomacy and mutual understanding would achieve the good aims of this protest; but the good aims are compounded with colossally stupid ones as well (WHY should Bobst be open to the public?? NYU is not a public university. And WTF does Gaza have to do with NYU’s financial accountability??)
What you are doing in the name of all NYU is reprehensible. I hope you guys get busted for this.
[...] facility in the Kimmel Center on Washington Square Park last night at about 10 pm, presenting a 13-point list of demands. They occupied the space without incident [...]
This is enfuriating!
You are NYU students - you CHOSE to go to a PRIVATE school - you CHOSE to pay $50,000.00 / year. ( Fifty grand that goes towards your priviledges to use Bobst. )
Get off your high horse and go to a PUBLIC school - nobody’s taken that choice from you.
this is not an israel-palestine issue so why do you care if one of their demands is to offer 13 palestinian students scholarships? i know a school like nyu would never take an anti-jewish stance even if it means helping those that can use it. and yes, hamas attacked israel too but guess what, israel was blockading the entire gaza strip and treating people like animals not allowing them food or any other aid. just imagine the frustration. sorry to make this political, just throwing that out there because it seems there’s some anti-palestinian sentiment.
Would greatly appreciate responses from drafters of demands, as others also have requested: how was the 1% figure arrived at? What is the rationale behind the number of scholarships and exclusivity of Gaza (considering the numerous other underserved populations in the world!)
In addition, your standing would be much improved by attention to grammatical structure in your statment. “The Kimmel Center for University life is official a reclaimed space.”
Seriously…seriously? Seriously??? First of all, you’ve got two typos in your first line of text (the L in “Life” and the lack of -ly on “official”). Secondly, this screed makes the Port Huron Statement look well thought out.
1. Why do you care about full amnesty? Shouldn’t the rectitude of your cause be enough to insulate you from The Man’s inevitable, petty retribution? Shouldn’t a draconian response from the administration help you make your case? Do you fear the administration’s response? If so, why?
2. Full compensation for the food court employees. Well, you’re asking Aramark and NYU to compensate them—why not do it yourselves? Again, if your cause is worthy, these workers probably shouldn’t care that you cost them a day’s pay. If you believe in your cause and you believe that these workers need to be compensated for something that wasn’t their fault, why are you asking someone else to make financial renumeration for your actions?
3. NYU’s not a public school. You knew this when you signed up. There are numerous SUNY and CUNY options if you’re really concerned with where all the money’s coming and going. You don’t actually think you’re going to get NYU to concede on this, do you? It would demand a fundamental change in the university’s mission—yet even with such weighty connotations, this is only the 3rd most important part of your credo. Brilliant.
Skipping ahead…
7. You want to create a Socially Responsible Financial Committee. You say you want to seat the new committee with the Board of Trustees, but the Committee can “override all financial decisions,” so why even keep the Board around? This is just inane—I’d expect you to have figured out Organizational Structure 101 during high school student council.
9. Thirteen? Where’d you get that number from? Why not twenty, forty, one hundred? Why not five? And where do you propose this funding comes from?
10. What makes the University of Gaza more worthy than, say, Mogadishu’s institutions of higher learning? Peshawar’s? Congo’s?
11. Jesus, man, you CAN’T be this sloppy and expect anything to change. “Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation”? I think you mean to say “Yearly tuition increases shall not exceed the rate of inflation.” You’re talking about percentage increases, not absolute rates. The way you’ve worded this, “tuition rates” have to be equal or less than “the rate of inflation,” which means that tuition suddenly becomes…like, 5%. That’s right, 5%. Not five percent OF anything, because you didn’t word it that way—just 5%. Fucking Rhodes scholars…
Honest to god, shut this thing down. This is country-club-meets-Che. This is embarrassing. Your larger point is limited and certainly not worthy of the title “revolutionary,” and your execution is just amateurish. Best of luck—I have high hopes that NYU won’t change existing policy and you’ll get your way on #12!
WE DEMAND JOHN SEXTON’S BOBST OFFICE BE TURNED INTO A MEMORIAL FOR GAZA AND A REFUGEE CAMP IN WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK. AND IN THE CENTER OF THE REFUGEE CAMP, A PRISON CAMP TO HOLD ALL BIG BUSINESS CRIMINALS. WE DEMAND ALL ISRAELI STUDENTS BE PUT THROUGH PROPER INVESTIGATION OF ANY WAR CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST OUR HOMIES IN PALESTINE. AND NO DIET COKE! SOLIDARITY!
[...] students, budget and endowment disclosure and academic and humanitarian aid to Gaza), they have released the following solidarity statement: “We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our [...]
all power to the people’s soviet…confiscate all land and distribute it to the poorest and most oppressed workers…firing squads to bring justice to the running pig dog quislings and revisionists (and their wall street lackeys)
sic semper putas !!!!!!
[...] bizarrely, the group released a list of demands which, though well-intentioned, baffle me. Amongst their demands are such things as investigations [...]
twitter.com/kennycity
Not sure if I too stand in solidarity, but I’ll twitter the shit out of you guys.
I would suggest you all be transferred to the University of Gaza.
14x, do you actually read over the things that you type?
“Do we really need to see our primest center of education defaced and burgled like some tattered jungle gym for freeloaders?”
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. I was hoping that you were being sarcastic but the more I read it became apparent that you were serious. You know it wouldn’t be the first time a library that was at one time private has been opened to the public. Where the hell do you think all of the great art museums, historical archives, and rare book collections in this city have received their works? They were nearly all owned at some point by private sectors, whether they were hung in the halls of the mansions of Rockefellers or Fricks, or passed down through generations of the families of those who created them. We now are able to read a first-edition copy of Candide, see tapestries hanging in medieval cathedrals, or watch a film of Stravinsky playing his own work on piano because it was understood that the knowledge of art and culture should be spread to all men, rather than just the privileged few. On a closer level, the New York Public Library has remained a revered institution in our city. The libraries scattered around the five boroughs have been open long before you were born, and in my lifetime I have never heard of any “moist-minded Luddites” ripping apart copies of Socrates and Voltaire. I could understand if you’re angry about the library released to the public despite the fact that you still have to pay huge fees for the privilege of calling it your own. However, not wanting to share the library simply because you’re too much of an overfed, over-privileged snob to accept that the other members of the human race might want access to the collection of knowledge it holds is absolutely deplorable.
[...] of the West Bank and Gaza), support for Palestinian students and educational institutions, and more. They have declared solidarity with the students who occupied the New School and the wave of UK [...]
[...] the lolz: Revolution Strikes NYU Food Court. So, this group is called Take Back NYU! and they have basically barricaded themselves in the third floor of the union, Kimmel Center. They [...]
“That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.”
What? Why?!
What makes you think Bobst isn’t accessible to the public? Check out the membership policies. And if you are asking that student groups have priority when booking space at NYU, you’d better ask that students have priority in Bobst too. Because if the public begins to use it en masse, it will be SRO every day. Or don’t you ever go in? And by the way, critical as it is to book space in Kimmel conveniently, are you aware that there is a war going on that was started by Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush in order to get cheap oil? It never occurred to you to protest that?
I left NYU after a year…looks like I got lucky.
Yeah, what the kids in Gaza really need are your leftover pens. And having the bums watch you study is going to be great.
Caveat emptor, bitches.
Never in my life have I been more embarrassed to say I am an NYU grad. You have brought shame on thousands of graduates and current students. There are hundreds of other ways to get your message across (even ludicrous ones like yours.)
I hope you realize that this will haunt the rest of you forever. Yes, you still might be able to get a job for children’s amnesty where you can hang out on the sidewalk in front of warehouse liquors stopping people who are busy and try and get them to donate $20 but even that might be a stretch.
I hope you walk out of their arrested with your head down realizing what a huge mistake you just made.
I support the fact that you are protesting. Keep it up. I won’t support demand number 9 unless I know more about it, and I definitely won’t support demand number 13. But good job making an effort and getting people to talk and think about things.
Oh…..and next time….get some Guy Fawkes masks!
[...] education, new york, politics, protest, student, union, university, war | Students at NYU have occupied their campus in solidarity with student occupations around the world and have issued a list of [...]
[...] to Britain to the New School and the University of Rochester. See the full list of demands here: http://takebacknyu.com/2009/02/19/nyu-occupied/. See live streaming video from the occupation here: [...]
People like you are the reason Obama and the Dumbocrats are in office today.
Real intellectuals vote Republican. Tax Cut and Spend now just means Tax Hike and Spend on the back end when the Dumbocrats realise they can’t afford 800 Billion dollar socialist handouts. And honestly, get a new issue. Supporting Palestine is so last year, and so overrated. Israel is our ally and commands respect as such.
This list of demands is the definition of sophomoric. As an alumnus, I’m a little annoyed that you guys are making us look so stupid.
Bobst open to the public? First of all, NYC already has an extensive public library system. Second, have any of you every been to the bathrooms in Port Authority, because that’s what it’s going to look like in Bobst. I don’t know about you guys but back when I was studying for a Molecular and Cellular Biology exam, the last thing I would have wanted was a homeless guy interrupting me asking for change. Think it through.
Public disclosure of all employee salaries? Shareholder voting? Disclosure of investment strategies? NYU is not a public corporation. There are no shares. There are no shareholders. Are there no Stern students in there? Anyone of them should be able to clear up this confusion you have about Business Associations.
The Socially Responsible Finance Committee? There are clearly some enthusiastic politics majors among you. The committee organization you lay out is very detailed. But seriously, packing the Board of Trustees with students? Do you guys really think you have the experience to run an organization as large as NYU? One student representative is reasonable.
What’s with all the stuff about Gaza? You’re muddling your point and confusing the shit out of everyone. They don’t need books; they need medicine and flak jackets.
The demands to resume negotiations with the Union and for fair labor standards for NYU employees are reasonable and admirable. The tuition is out of control as well and the administration should reign it in.
Have fun in Central Booking when this is all over. That at least will probably change your mind about opening up Bobst to the public.
Here’s what I want to know, Take Back NYU:
http://nattyadams.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like-shit.html
You are silly, spoiled, entitled children who clearly need to round out that liberal arts education with an econ class.
This is so stupid. The ideas are totally incoherent and what does Gaza have to do with any of this?
You guys are idiots…
I’m a Northwestern University student, and the only thing this made me think was, “wow, it must be a lot easier to get into NYU than I thought if all of these people were accepted.” Seriously, many of our demands are already met. Are you kidding me, guys? I don’t even GO to NYU and I knew that. And the bulk of the rest of them are beyond ridiculous. Especially that stuff about solidarity with Palestine. Honestly? You want to give victims of violence old pens and try to force your school to pay for a few random Palestinians to go there? Yeah, I’m sure Palestine and various other struggling people groups (some rather more innocent and deserving) will really appreciate your efforts to trivialize their suffering by throwing pens at it.
I also really love that you said, “this is what democracy looks like!” but do not for a moment suggest that the students of NYU, say, VOTE on any of these issues. How is it a democratic system if some crazy insurgents just make demands? I’m fairly certain that’s just some sort of backwards vigilante justice. And why Palestine? Why not Israeli victims of attacks by Hamas? You honestly just make supporters of Palestine look bad with all of this. If you genuinely cared, you should have gotten involved with an organization with the primary aim of aiding Palestinian victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and found ways to help and raise money yourselves. All of that extra cash you’re paying to go to a nice, private school could have done a lot more to help poor Palestinians than it ever did for you, as evidenced by your clear lack of both intelligence and education.
The way this whole thing was handled made things even worse. Changing your mission statement and your statement of nonviolence mid-protest to accommodate smokers, demanding that the school let your friends bring you food because the perfectly nice and freakishly overly-specified vegan lunches that the SCHOOL OFFERED YOU just wouldn’t cut it, attacking police officers, the fact that several of your protesters weren’t even STUDENTS, making the negotiations so non-transparent, you’ve just set back everything you were working for. No one will be able to take you or any of these issues seriously anymore. Way to shoot yourselves repeatedly in the foot.
- Anna Stark
Northwestern University, Class of 2011
As a Palestinian we appreciate your efforts but I must correct the fact that in your demand to help us rebuild the Islamic University of Gaza you omitted the word “Islamic” and called it simply the “University of Gaza”
Our university was founded by Sheikh Ahemed Yassin, the founder of Hamas who was killed be the Israelis. We continue to support his enduring legacy through our programs for liberation of the Palestinian people.
[...] of the demands (listed here) have a common thread: openness and reform of the university’s secretive business practices. [...]
Greetings and solidarity from Greece!Seeing a U.S university (and especially a private one!) being occupied means a lot!And I hope it’s just the beginning for many other great things
[...] Feb: NYU in New York goes under. Details here! This is [...]
Back in the 1960s they at least had the balls to take over actual administration buildings; but taking over the cafeteria? That’s a real asshole way to try and make a point.
What about the rights of the other students to use the cafeteria?
Plus there’s a certain irony about this happening in a bastion of far left propaganda and indoctrination.
Solidarity from the UK!
You guys are an amazing! An inspiration! Your Demands are brilliant - so well written!
Check out occupations dot org dot uk for information on the UK occupations/peaceful sit-scene.
Stay strong!
[...] their naivete in protesting, let’s look at their demands, as stated here: 1. Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the [...]
Keep up! Solidarity from greece! We people are finally in war with the power elite! NO PASSARAN!
::That the general public have access to Bobst Library::
To put it plainly, this is bullshit. I fail to see why the general public should have access to Bobst. I pay a whole lot of money to attend NYU and I have a hard enough time getting the books I need for projects, classes and the like without competition from the general public. How about the general public covers some of my tuition then they can use the library?
It’s sad, but if you had focused on emphasizing demands that were realistic and all-encompassing, and had applied some basic common sense, you all wouldn’t be suspended right now and you wouldn’t look like fools to the majority of North America.
There are definitely *some* worthwhile concerns being addressed, like issues of transparency, but you’ve failed to have any of them met. You are back at square one, having accomplished nothing except getting yourselves suspended.
The school offered you the chance to enter discussions and you refused. But that’s the first step in making any sort of change. Your demands were too unrealistic and badly conceived for them to accept off hand, and frankly, you really need to grab the administration by the balls in order to ensure that your demands are met.
As such, they couldn’t give you half of your absurd list and had no choice but to “send in the troops” as it were. This was 100% foreseeable.
This whole thing reminds me of a child having a temper tantrum in public and refusing to move from a given location. What does Mom do? She says, “ok, bye” and walks away, and the child, scared of being left alone, runs after her.
This whole thing was so badly planned - there was no strategizing or discussion of realistic demands for the school to entertain or room for compromise given, and you have no one but yourselves to blame for your own failure.
Internationalist greetings to all students in struggle of NYU
From University Group En Clave ROJA from Argentina, we send our greetings and support to NYU fighting students who have occupated NYU.
All over the World student movement begins to arise not only defending public education and knowledge, but also saying that “capitalists have to pay for the crisis”
Last months we have seen how Greek youth rebelled against antipopular plans of Karamanlis governmet. He’ve seen French students raising against Sarkozy plans. We have seen how Spanish, German, Italian and all UE students rebell and organice against Bolonia plan. Today we’re also see how New York students fight for the defense of their Rights.
International economy crisis that travels every country in the World, puts on the agenda students organization and struggle, not only in defense of education, but also in defense of workers and exploited all over the World. Student movement has to be close to workers and and common people from French Antilles, who have being holding a general strike for four weeks; closet o people from Gaza against Israel massacre; closet o workers al over the World who are being fired from their Jobs because of the capitalist bankruptcy.
En Clave ROJA fight for shaping a student movement democratically auto-organized, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist, who getting back French May and Argentinian Cordobazo, join working class and oppressed from all the world, to fight against governments and companies and claiming that capitalists pay for the crisis.
¡Long live the struggle of students from New York and around the World!
¡Capitalists have to pay for the crisis!
En Clave ROJA – Argentina
http://www.enclaveroja.org.ar
enclaveroja@enclaveroja.org.ar
Versión español:
Saludo internacionalista a los estudiantes en lucha de la Universidad de Nueva York
Desde la Agrupación Universitaria En Clave ROJA de Argentina, enviamos nuestro saludo y apoyo a los estudiantes de Nueva York en lucha que han tomado durante más de 40 horas la universidad.
En diferentes países del mundo el movimiento estudiantil comienza a levantarse no solo en defensa de la educación pública y el conocimiento, sino para que “la crisis la paguen los capitalistas”.
Los últimos meses hemos visto como la juventud griega se rebeló contra los planes antipopulares del gobierno de Karamanlis. Hemos visto como los estudiantes franceses se rebelaron contra los planes de Sarkozy. Hemos visto como los estudiantes de España, Alemania, Italia y toda Europa se rebelan y organizan contra el plan Bolonia. Hoy también vemos como los estudiantes de Nueva York se rebelan por la defensa de sus derechos.
La crisis económica internacional que recorre todo los países del mundo, pone a la orden del día la organización y lucha estudiantil, no solo en defensa de la educación, sino en defensa de los trabajadores y explotados de todo el mundo. El movimiento estudiantil debe estar junto a los trabajadores y el pueblo de las Antillas francesas que hace cuatro semanas realizan una huelga general; junto al pueblo de Gaza frente a la masacre del Estado de Israel; junto a los trabajadores de todo el mundo que son despedidos de sus trabajos por la bancarrota capitalista.
Desde En Clave ROJA luchamos por construir un movimiento estudiantil autoorganizado democráticamente, anticapitalista y antiimperialista, y que retomando las banderas del Mayo francés y el Cordobazo argentino se una junto a la clase obrera y los explotados del mundo, para enfrentar a los gobiernos y las patronales y para que la crisis la paguen los capitalistas.
¡Viva la lucha de los estudiantes de Nueva York y todo el mundo!
¡Que la crisis la paguen los capitalistas!
En Clave ROJA – Argentina
http://www.enclaveroja.org.ar
enclaveroja@enclaveroja.org.ar
I think by now you have been evaccuated, some of you proudly facing the consequences of the brave decision you made. Not in vain. Your statement is extremely inspiring; ” and with future occupations to come in the name of democracy and student power.”
[...] Shut Up, College: The Painfully Ridiculous End to the NYU Revolution Direct action pwnage: Take Back NYU! ? Blog Archive ? NYU OCCUPIED!!!! God, y’all, this is JUST LIKE THE 60s. Gawker comments: Quote: These perfectly just and [...]
inspiring work, and since it seems that there is much student support around the city I hope that we hear more in the future about coalitions and city-wide occupations.
Liz
I think the video pretty much says it all.
http://gawker.com/5159003/the-painfully-ridiculous-end-to-the-nyu-revolution
What I can’t believe is that the person who took this video actually posted it on youtube thinking that it reflected positively upon him and his “cause”.
[...] occupied the school cafeteria for three days. During their sleepover, they produced a bizarre list of demands, which includes, among other things, full disclosure of NYU’s private budget, card check for [...]
WOOO! DOWN WITH COKE! Seriously, has anyone tried Surge? What is up with that shit?
Food court revolutionaries. Ha ha ha ha ha.
Just because you finished your first semester at a liberal arts university, does not mean you understand the real world. Go out and get a real job (not working at Starbucks or some other liberal arts occupation) before spouting off your out-of-touch idealistic concerns.
“This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions.”
————————————
I am really sure a few finance majors really understand the market after reading chapter 3 of their intro to finance book from sophomore year. But please, don’t let that get in the way because you kids are “revolutionaries” and understand the plight of the everyday man. . . .
I hope the workers sue your asses for loss of income, because if I was a worker that would be my plan. If all else fails, just quit the university and star your own school where you can play socialist kumbaya all-day, everyday.
Irony is delicious.
Anti-capitalist whining in a private institution is hypocritical. You (or someone else; I’m not passing judgment on that) paid for your education. Paid, not went to the government for a hand out, paid with money. As a private institution NYU doesn’t need you, nor will it give in to your demands because they have thousands of people they turn down a year. Students are very replaceable. The reality is that they don’t care what you do to stay happy because they cater to rich people who like to think they are activists. The second you start crossing the line they will respond with vicious force. When you cross the line you are the ones who suffer. They don’t have to play fair because you voluntarily handed over your rights to them when you signed the forms to attended their university. There are things you can do but ultimately they won’t to anything because the people who run NYU are businesspeople who are looking out for their livelihood.
The administration writes its budget and you pay your tuition and everyone is happy. That is capitalism. Capalism is mutulaly giving something and getting something because you think it will benefit you. If you think you donot benifit there is nothing pressuring you to attend this university. ultimitly you do want to attend NYU so niothing will actually get done.
The administration will not do anything for a moral reason because their livelihood is dependent on the credibility of their university, which you conveniently degrade with these protests. It is no secret that the most prestigious university in the country are private schools, with good reason. Universities can only keep the quality education because it is expensive. The facilities to maintain a prestigious university are expensive, the staff to maintain a prestigious education (I am assuming that you are learning something at NYU). In order to maintain a prestigious university you must pay for it.
When you whine and complain about you list of demands you are missing most of the story. When you people come out of your shell and learn that neither morality nor reality are clear cut maybe, just maybe something you want might happen.
TANSTAAFL
Revolutionary dudes and dudettes. Greetings.
This morning, as I was slipping on my non-corporate imitation Birkenstocks made from recycled corporate water bottles, I had an epiphany. Why bring surplus NYU supplies to Gaza, when it would be easier, faster, and cheaper to bring Gaza to NYU? I suggest a Democratic Consensus Subcommittee of TBNYU called FiThPoSuVeFA (Fight The Power/Suicide Vests For All) and you can just blow up the cafeteria instead of occuping it. Now THAT’s revolutionary change. Just make sure you have lots of bold and brave students ready to step in ever couple weeks, because the turnover in the suicide bomber movement is a bit high.
I have to go now. It’s time for my daily masturbation session underneath the Che poster I have tacked to the ceiling over my cot in the homeless shelter. Solidarity.
[...] NYU kids, though, had an even more hillarious list of demands than did the WRC protesters. In addition to the usual laundry list of college progressive smegma, [...]
[...] by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow. Read More|||The action, organized by a student group called Take Back NYU, began just before 10 pm in the [...]
Re your demands: Don’t forget about improved
spicy mustard for the deli sandwiches at Kimmel.
You’re well positioned for a condiment concession
from the NYU power structure.
Don’t forget the mustard!
I just saw the footage one of your members took on a forum. Oh wow! What a bunch of morons you guys are. Trying to use big words you heard watching C-Span or some bs, trying to pretend you’re important and that your point of view is valid.
BRING DOWN CORPORATE WATER, MAN!!!
[...] decision, the remedy they sought was not “an administration investigation.” They demanded that the review of the Coke ban be conducted by a new Socially Responsible Finance Committee whose [...]
[...] in an attempt to establish direct dialogue with the NYU administration and pressure them to meet demands for NYU to have financial transparency, lend aid to Gaza and Palestinian students, freeze tuitions [...]
You guys are the most retarded bunch of “revolutionaries” ever. Did you know you can’t protest and/or take over a building? You have to do it on the street.
Sure, the cause is noble - full fiscal transparency - but doing it at the mall? In the food court? And your so-called “leader” behind the camera is an absolute joke. I’ve seen more respect given to Saddam Houssein’s statue in Baghdad. His followers are just milling around or doing their own thing.
Remind me not to go near NYU any time soon. Jeez.
Ree. Tar. Did.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-02-25-free-lunch_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Chew on this before you start trying to save the world.
Think people, THINK!
ReaganRevolution,
Please refer to the past 8 years.
I didn’t realize the war was being funded by Monopoly money, my bad.
Obama won, you lost. Deal with it.
BTW, I’m a liberal, majored in economics. You? Yeah, thought so.
Nathan Adams,
I agree with virtually everything you said. Thank you, but I’m sure Take Back NYU will simply ignore this:
http://nattyadams.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like-shit.html
Solidarity from Belview!! TBNYU, you guys are amazing! I’m sure we’ll see great things from most of you in the future. I’m sure NYU will reinstate you guys, after all we’ll all be proud to know that the future of socialism and anarchy in the US are NYU grads (assuming any of you clowns can complete 128 credits).
But seriously- can you complain about budget transparency and tuition on the hand and push for opening Bobst to the public, or sending our tuition money to University of Gaza on the other? Why is our money going to Gaza? Maybe we should be paying more tuition to fund Darfur funds as well? And did you miss the news bulletin about the bomb plant found at U of Gaza? Should we really be funding that.
And oh yeah- of course we should reevaluate the coke ban. After all 60 students should definitely be able to override the student council.
Go Democracy:)!!
Nearly Braindead social revolutinists Unite!!!
Take Back NYU, you have successfully acheived one goal:
Hurting NYU and its students by bringing down the school’s reputation. In all seriousness, NYU was silly enough to grant you all admissions, that says a lot about NYU…
please excuse my poor english.
Now, in France, students and teachers are fighting against an application of a neoliberal law… We make big demonstrations, occupation and sometimes riot…
Your strike is our strike
[...] • Take Back NYU’s full list of demands [...]
I find it interesting that a handful of students who claim to want a democratic process brought to NYU, are making demands of the school and student body that removes the right of the rest of the students. YOU feel that it the library should be open, YOU feel that 13 scholarships should be given away, YOU feel any surplus should be sent to another institution. In all of your DEMANDS, you at no time ask for any of them to be put to a DEMOCRATIC vote by the students. They would be the ones that would have to pay the extra so that those scholarships could be offered. They would be the ones that would have to share the library, and they would be the ones to pay, while you look for amnesty. A handful of people DICTATING what the majority has to do is not democracy. Just by your actions and demands, you have become the very people you claim to despise. Oppression by a minority over the majority because you feel it is right, is still oppression. Congratulations, you have just become Fascists. Enjoy.
[...] 18: NYU OCCUPIED!!!!…In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we [...]