***BREAKING NEWS***
Feb 20th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
We have just gotten word from our student representatives that NYU ADMINISTRATION HAS AGREED TO BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS!!!
We will update you as soon as we finish the first round of negotiations. Thank you again to the tireless supporters outside, some of whom have been out in the cold all day today and last night - we love you so very much, and we could never have accomplished this. You are all amazing.
***Edit 2/21/09: We now know, of course, that the NYU Admin’s promise of negotiations was a lie. Negotiations actually never ensued, despite verbal agreements to begin negotiations from the NYU Admin. This is yet another example of the NYU Admin’s commitment to duplicity and dishonesty.
Congratulations y felicitaciones! You guys are awesome for pulling this off, it’s truly been an inspiring day. I’ll be out front for the midnight rally.
This is fantastic news. Congratulations and well done!
Does this mean no more occupation?
great!!! i hope you guys get what your asking for. keep up the awsome job you have my full support!!!
This is a pathetic, ridiculous event. Thank you guys for fulfilling every stereotype about the student body of NYU. I cannot wait to see you fail.
Congratulations! This is great.
Congrats. Please continue to keep us posted.
Great job! We all commended your occupation at a meeting of left organizers here at the University of Washington in Seattle.
In solidarity,
Aditya G.
University of Washington (Seattle)
But please – and I realize this is somewhat “easy” to say from the outside, but if you have prepared yourselves to be the spokespeople for your causes and demands, you must be properly qualified – take note of much of the legitimate, constructive criticism – as in the “Give Back, NYU” opinion piece – of your general coherence as a protestational group; you have done much of this so far, but if you truly seek to represent more of the student body and demand greater transparency – tremendous causes – it would be terrific if you could organize some conferences – not rallies, but events stripped of any protest atmosphere, given more to discussion than antagonism – to more greatly synthesize your demands. They’re very strong, but a bit all over the place and disjointed, particularly those that reach beyond NYU and enter the geopolitical realm. You have done tremendous jobs, but the more important and more complex work is long ahead of you if you truly seek to achieve the goals you have set forth. Good luck and congratulations!
Don’t give in, not one inch, on divesting from the Israeli occupation. You’re a role model for many thousands already.
We thank you.
…goood luck. may the force be with you.
only am so wary because I have a feeling they’re just gonna try and negotiate/work-out a temporary agreement with you guys- so you’ll still be leaving tonight (they’d hope?). I hope I’m wrong on that.
Nevertheless as divided as opinions are (then again, it’s hard to imagine in what possible context there WOULDN’T still be some degree of strong-worded opposition), you all deserve some serious recognition for being the ones who were courageous (or crazy - in all honesty it varies, depending on who you ask) enough to actually take action and stand up the issues you’ve raised. Thank you, and good luck…
want to send a message? DROP OUT
if even 10% of students dropped out in protest, the school would make whatever changes they thought would bring people back. your fairy-tale-loving minds might not realize it but the school is a business and will respond to moves in the market. you dont like the product they are offering? stop buying the product you morons! you can blame yourselves more than anyone else for this simple reason. dont they teach economics over there? or common sense for that matter…
Even though it’s really late, I want it to be know: I’m going to spell out the Bobst issue from a typical NYU student’s point of view. It is hard enough finding space in our 12-floor, suicide-inducing library. It’s always a struggle to find rooms and tables, and if you’re trying to get books from course reserves, you can expect a long waiting list and extremely limited time with your textbook. We don’t want more people in our library—if anything, we want them to get out. It’s one of the few places left where we can study (we don’t have a campus, remember?) and just because YOU (0.14%!) think that people should have public access, doesn’t mean WE (99.86%) will. You can’t argue for stabilized tuition and then open up our library to the public, because our tuition is what keeps the library running at its current rate, so bringing MORE people into our buildings will only increase the cost of maintaining our library. People in New York City pay taxes; let them use what their taxes pay for (yes, the New York Public Library, emphasis on the PUBLIC!) We pay tuition, so let us peacefully use what we are paying for. I think it’s a fair statement.
I hope these fuckers get arrested….
trying to terrorize NYU with their bias agendas…
Take Back NYU,
You are immature and are giving our school a bad rep. You suck.
Buncha amatuers nothings gonna be settled and you’re paying that much to go to NYU to really protest drop outta that school and take your tuition away DUH.
You guys need to realize that you do not represent the student body of NYU. Your incredibly small numbers should prove this. Most of the outrage surrounding this debacle is about you. Not NYU, YOU. If you want to be taken seriously, change your name. Who are you taking back NYU for?
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/02/19/give-back-nyu-an-open-letter-from-a-wagner-student-on-the-occupation/
Keep up the good work. Unionize- fight for your rights- stay organized and stay strong. A lot of other schools could learn from you guys. Send your most articulate students forth and get everything that you deserve, NYU needs to know- it ain’t shit without the student body to fund it and make the name for it.
You guys are morons!!! Don’t you guys have to go to class?… I feel sorry for you cause it looks like you’re going to get expelled from the school. Isn’t NYU a private higher ed institution?… maybe you should’ve gone to a state school, were tuition if much more affordable. I am disappointed that NYU admitted you into their “safety school”.
[...] apparently NYU has agreed to negotiate. Oh, NYU. Your torch will forever burn in my heart, despite all your insanity. Possibly related [...]
I hope you realize what a small minority you represent. I’m ashamed to have you in the news, giving an ugly and uninformed face to our generation and the student body of NYU. You don’t represent anybody but yourselves. If you had the backing of the student body the entire park would be shut down and flooded with students. As it is, we’re mostly sitting around talking about how wrong you are.
I understand. You want something to protest. Who wouldn’t want to be a member of that golden protest era so glorified by retrospective?
The problem is that what you’re asking for is preposterous. Budget disclosure is something to request, not to demand, from a private institution. They don’t owe you anything, and they’re too strong to be held hostage. In the sixties they protested US involvement in Vietnam. Do you REALLY think that your pitiful “demands”–some of which read, as I’ve seen them, as though they are based on The Protocols of the Elders of Zion–measure up to the legitimacy of the causes of yesteryear?
Student involvement in the University’s investments would be a fantastic way to run funding for everything we enjoy into the ground. You really think you guys know more about investment than the people they’ve appointed to handle it? We’ve lost money recently because the market crashed and EVERYbody lost their fucking investments, not because students weren’t running things.
Go home. We’re just waiting for you to leave. Stop appointing yourselves as spokespeople, I’m not interested in your ideals or values or demands. Enjoy your expulsions and good riddance.
please do not even for a second convince yourselves that you are representing the nyu student body.
You are nothing else but hoodlooms. You don’t own NYU. You are lucky you were admitted. Now you should be expelled. There is no room for gangsters in higher education.
Please make sure that Bobst DOES NOT open to the public. It’s crowded enough in there and it’s the only place where many students can find quiet refuge to do work.
in the end you’ll just have to accept what the university put on the table, at the “negotiations.”
What spoiled, immature, rich crybabies. I’m sure your parents are happy that the money they spent on sending you to college is being wasted away right now. And, if you don’t like the tuition hikes — leave NYU and go somewhere else. By God, grow up.
I am not a student at NYU and am many years past college, am not a conservative a** like some of you who responded here must be! After reading everything entailed regarding this occupation I can only commend those that are attempting to stick up for and/or represent many students(AND SOME FACULTY) and have their problems aired and LISTENED TOO! That is the key from my point oif view is just to be HONESTLY HEARD.
So to this poster,
“6 Student: This is a pathetic, ridiculous event. Thank you guys for fulfilling every stereotype about the student body of NYU. I cannot wait to see you fail.”
and this poster,
“14 The Man: want to send a message? DROP OUT
if even 10% of students dropped out in protest, the school would make whatever changes they thought would bring people back. your fairy-tale-loving minds might not realize it but the school is a business and will respond to moves in the market. you dont like the product they are offering? stop buying the product you morons! you can blame yourselves more than anyone else for this simple reason. dont they teach economics over there? or common sense for that matter…”
and LAST BUT NOT LEAST,
“16 Kerry: I hope these fuckers get arrested…. trying to terrorize NYU with their bias agendas…”
To verbally and ANONYMOUSLY vilify these protestors gains you guys nothing. To those students who feel like this isnt my thing and THEY DON’T represent ME, that is all fine amd good to voice your opinion nicely and constructively but to those of you blogging NASTY HATEFUL comments here, WHY? Is this occupation TRYING to represent ALL OF THE STUDENT BODY, EVERY PERSON. From my reading the answer to that is NO. This group of students wants to be heard REGARDING THEIR concerns… Not yours but theirs. Show me where the occupation stuents have said they are trying to represent ALL of the student body
This is too much already. If you cannot be supportive but still want to comment, can’t it be done without the hatefull comments and I HOPE THEY GET ARRESTED COMMENTS. One day it may be YOU who is asking to be heard. Remember that. This may not be your day that your fighting for but TOMORROW MAY!!!!