Letter to NYU Administration
Feb 20th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!
Please copy, paste, and send this letter to all members of the NYU administration, particularly President John Sexton. Feel free to make your own changes. PRESSURE NYU TO NEGOTIATE!
To the NYU administration:
I am writing to express my support for the student occupation of the Kimmel Marketplace that has been occurring since Wednesday night. They will not leave the building until their demands are met. The Take Back NYU! campaign has been a constant presence on campus for two years, attempting to voice their demands through all means available. Their demands, though many and varied, are united by the desire to empower students to take part in the governance of their University. Thus far, the NYU administration has refused to address their presence or their request to negotiate. The administration’s failure to address the students’ demands reflects the fundamental factors behind the demands themselves - the lack of democracy, transparency, and student say in how their administration is run.
I, __________ , urge the NYU administration to immediately negotiate with the its students.
CONTACT INFO -
John Sexton
john.sexton@nyu.edu,
Telephone: 212.998.6840
Fax: 212.995.4021
John Beckman, NYU Spokesman
(212) 998-6848
jhb5@nyu.edu
Office of the Provost
Tel: (212) 998-2415
Fax: (212) 995-3190
Email: provost@nyu.edu
Office of the Vice President
evp@nyu.edu
212-998-4090
Hey all,
Greetings from the West Coast of Canada. Great, brave thing you are doing here. I’ve just sent some emails to your administration. I will be following this closely.
Sol.
Matt
[...] SUPPORT NYU OCCUPATION! [...]
[...] Support Take Back NYU! [...]
As an NYU alumna (BA ‘05) and now as a full time administrator at NYU, I just have to say I think this whole thing is ridiculous. I know that it’s mostly economic issues that are spurring this protest on, but what these students are not realizing is just how much the University is trying to do for both its students and employees. The employees are not only not seeing any sort of salary increase this year, but may be faced with cutbacks. Faculty are often drawing large parts of their salaries from government grants, endowed chairs, etc. These do not come from any sort of University money (aka your tuition money). And the rest of us are not making as much as you think we are - trust me. A lot of people work at NYU knowing they will actually probably take a salary cut - but do it for the benefits.
I’m the first to admit that the University has shortcomings, but I can tell you that administration is trying its hardest to make everyone happy. Of course tuition is going up - so is everything else, while salaries are staying the same and hiring is going down. In these tough times, people have to just shut up and deal - if, by some strange act of God, you get your demands met, it’s inevitable the University will fail. People will no longer want to work here - and without staff and administrators, the University will not be able to function.
Potentially damaging University property, “storming” Kimmel security guards (risking injury amongst the guards and students), and blocking off part of NYU property is no way to get sympathy. Sorry kids, we are ALL struggling to make ends meet. Again, I’m not talking from a completely outside point of view - I went to NYU from September 2001 to May 2005. I’ve been through the worst times the city has seen while at NYU. And I’ve grown up enough to know that I can’t always get what I want, and I have to deal with unfair situations sometimes. So salvage what little dignity you have left and please do the same - just deal.
Pleeeez. Appears to be nothing more than something you’d see from a group of high schoolers in Topeka protesting over the price of hamburgers in the cafeteria.
Support for the struggle. Neal Resnikoff, School of Education, 1957, Betty Alfini, Washington Square Liberal Arts, 1958
they merely want disclosure…is that too much to ask for?
Dear student occupiers!
I’m with in you in spirit!
I am very happy to see someone in the US stand up for the Palestinians as they are doing in the UK.
I sent emails as requested to the NYU administration.
I’ll be watching and cheering you.
Jim Burke