Why did I come to NYU? I came here for an education. Universities are havens of intellectual discourse. The dynamic process of these exchanges is extraordinarily generative. These are made manifest at different universities in different ways, as they are comprised of different people. That being said, I am at NYU for the people. The program I attend at NYU is unlike any other program in the country. The faculty I have met have been invaluable sources of information. A majority of my fellow students share the love of and fascination with New York City, a passion for learning, and a commitment to making the world a better place. I attend the university for them, the faculty and my classmates.
In New York City, such melange is multiplied by the cultural richness that surrounds and interpenetrates our open campus. The vivacious creature that is New York City is an unequaled source of knowledge. Its interplay with the established curriculum is visible to me on a daily basis.
That being said, my love for NYU increases my desire for it to become a better place for those who come after me. I am here for what NYU can offer me intellectually, and not for decisions of the administrators. Upon applying to NYU, I did not know what an endowment was. I did not know about Socially Responsible Investment. Thanks to NYU, I now know a lot more about how the world works, how I am implicated into it through the university as well as through other aspects of my life.
Criticism and dialog are the only ways to create. Change is not incited by accepting things they way they are. While virtually every single one of us disagrees with the policies of the United States, we are still here. There are always going to be things that we love and things that we object to.
Thus I encourage all members of university community to agree and disagree, but most importantly to talk about it. Engage in dialog. Discuss with your professors and peers, with Public Safety Officers and administrators. Demand more information and do not accept what any one source has told you. Keep an open mind and thus keep the intellectual integrity of our university. Every issue has its complexities, and we as an academic community should be the ready to acknowledge and explore them.
It was a very good idea to post this.
And I agree with the sentiment 100% - this whole ordeal hasn’t taken NYU off of my short-list of schools to apply to.
This may be the first rational post I’ve seen on this site. Kudos.
I am a University of Houston student. I just wanted to let Take Back NYU! know that I stand with them in solidarity.
You guys are brave for standing up for what you belive in, not many people today have the courage to do so. Most of us are passive critics, but then there are folks like you that actually take action on what you think is wrong is our society.
You have inspired me. I am planning on talking to people at my university to see if we can do something similar at University of Houston.
I am following all the universities and colleges around the world that have taken similar stand, all the ones that I am made aware of, and it makes me so happy that young people are finally waking up!
What I and many other individuals are interested in are how to defend those suspended and what the next steps are. Does everyone face the same punishment, what about non-NYU students, what’s the process going forward regarding both defending you all and building on this action.
And with all due respect, NYU doesn’t care if you love it or not. It is a business that cares only about money. It will only respond to pressure, not emotives. Ni un paso atras!
does this mean that take back nyu will stop censoring web comments?
Actually, “dialog” is correct. There are two spellings of the word. Please know such things (or look in the dictionary) before you try to appear witty.
@ james andrew hodges
we do not “censor” comments; however, we do moderate them. this site is meant for intelligent dialogue, and we welcome critique - but as we stated before, commenting in ways that are racist or misogynist, or that personally attack our members (for example, by calling them names), is grounds for deletion.
thanks,
tbnyu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qys5dC42Rw
You are “temporarily” suspended? You had better reevaluate that adjective and get far away from this trouble-making group if you really have any desire to return to NYU. Show some remorse for your irresponsible behavior.
@Take Back NYU!
Actually, a moderator blocked a number of my comments earlier in the week which were neither racist, misogynist nor offensive. I was providing constructive criticism as a peer who shares your passion for transparency. I sent an email to takebacknyu at gmail asking about why my comments were silenced, but have yet to receive response. the comment i’m referring to read:
“Perhaps instead of addressing these unsurprising and inarticulate
criticisms, it would be productive to address the concerns of peers
like myself who take issue with your self-congratulatory tone and
childish image. Transperancy isn’t a joke, and it demands a more
mature, measured, and even-handed campaign than Take Back NYU has been undertaking”
If Take Back NYU deems that kind of message offensive, there is an alarming disconnect between their stated principles and their actual practices. Please respond via comment or email, I’m interested to hear what TBNYU thinks.
Wow, I hope the nazi-like commenters above are not representative of the student body at NYU. Without knowing a whole lot about this, it sounds like NYU decided to crack down with full force rather than giving some of its brightest students a little slack and letting them make a statement. That’s sad, but probably exactly what they will be able to do in the new Abu Dhabi campus so why not in NYC? Anyway, while I’m admittedly relieved that my own graduating senior was not caught up in this debacle, I hope that many students will stand up in support of the organizers, even if they don’t agree with all of their demands.
Akbar - actually, he/she IS “temporarily” suspended. That adjective is completely appropriate to describe someone who is suspended from buildings pending a hearing, which the 18 students are. Permanent suspension denotes a specified time limit for its end (as far as I know. And no, permanent suspension and expulsion are not the same thing.) Get your facts straight before you decide to flame people for no reason.
To “parent”:
These are NOT the brightest students at NYU. If they were they would have a more organized argument and more of the NYU population would be supporting them. At a school with thousands of students, it’s sad that fewer than 100 staged this protest, and RAN when the police came in (check youtube.com). That’s a great way to show that you will fight for your cause! Now why don’t you all go study or do homework like the real “bright” students are doing!
Actually my son told me that two of the organizers (two young women that he knows) are in fact two of the brightest undergrad students at NYU. He does not give out such praise lightly, so I believe him. It’s true they may not have carried this action out very well and perhaps are somewhat lacking in street smarts, but they are excellent students and deserve better treatment from the administration it seems to me.
@ Parent.
You do realize that NYU is not running the Abu Dhabi campus at all, right?
Justin,
If that’s true, that’s extremely disturbing…
I think we can all agree with this post (a first for me because everything else on this site is ridiculous). I think any NYU student feels the same and yes, we are equally concerned with what NYU is hiding and the way it handles matters and we all know there is corruption, but the majority of us think you went about it the wrong way. That “occupation” was definitely immature and stupid and destroyed any respect anyone had for TBNYU. Exchange of ideas is most certainly important for growth but THINK BEFORE YOU DO. Otherwise, you look like stupid hipsters and you lose all credibility.
“Actually my son told me that two of the organizers (two young women that he knows) are in fact two of the brightest undergrad students at NYU.”
Parent, you’re probably the mother or father of the naked girls. Someone who knows them intimately seems bent on selling their smartness to the rest of us. If they were so smart, why didn’t they think before exposing their breasts for all eternity? Those images will follow these “smart” girls wherever they go. And suspension goes on your permanent record, so good luck with getting into grad school later on, regardless of how “smart” you might be.
“Permanent suspension denotes a specified time limit for its end (as far as I know. And no, permanent suspension and expulsion are not the same thing.) Get your facts straight before you decide to flame people for no reason.”
I’m just predicting the future, baby. The administration is surely reading your blog, and will surely realize based on the petition signed by many of your members that you have not changed your attitudes. You will be out so fast and so permanently that your head will spin.
@ not supporting this
No one RAN when the Police came in as that clip suggests. NYPD never entered the building that evening, or at least they did not come up to the occupied marketplace. The video depicts the student occupiers responding to the commotion below; the flurry of activity was out of fear and shock after witnessing peers being injured by police. The commentator on that video clip distorts what actually happened in that clip - people were agitated, frightened, and unsure of what was happening but NO ONE LEFT at that moment. However, I can see why you would think that given the framing of the clip.
Wow. I’m surprised at the hatred some of the commentators are spewing. As for Akbar, I seriously doubt that name reflects you in anyways shape or form ethnically or spiritually for that matter.
TBNYU! do not let these people bring your spirits down! Haters have a tendency to speak up more than people who support you because they are driven by their pessimism and those types seem to comment a lot. I know so many people who support your efforts but they do not come on here and comment. I certainly hope that TBNYU! does not take this as an indicator of the support or lack thereof.
I emailed the NYU president to let him know how disgustingly they acted towards the students.
If worst comes to worst, sue the administration and school. Seriously.
Oh Saleema, I have doubts about your ethnicity and spirituality, too. My name may not be indicative of my true form, but the photo beside my profile is. Trust in that and go with god, my friend. Shalom.
“In New York City, such melange is multiplied by the cultural richness that surrounds and interpenetrates our open campus. The vivacious creature that is New York City is an unequaled source of knowledge. ”
One does not have to be a student to experience NYC. To achieve the starry-eyed state that the quoted text describes, one only need be a whore or a heroin addict in the Big Apple. The protest was a sham, although the pleasure obtained by watching a bunch of impotent, feminized Marxists is indescribible!
I completely agree with what people have said in response to this post, as it was necessary and heartening to hear. I feel that maybe TakeBack NYU should post more pieces like this one and probably approach the desired change within in NYU in a similar manner. I completely understand that not all change can come peacefully or lacking controversy, nevertheless, when embarking upon such ambitions regarding change it is crucial to approach it in a mature and level headed manner, which at time the coalition seems to stray away from. I do, however, believe that Take Back NYU succeeded in getting people to talk about the issues and did spark an interest in people, motivating them to research and question the workings of their school. There is, however, room for progress and maybe if the protest had been more focused, organized, and coherent, Take Back could have gotten people to talk about it and also have had the administration comply with some of there demands.
Akbar, your sense of humor well taken.
Cool. I like your bat wings in your photo. Can we date?
Hey, has NYU taught you who how to maintain objectivity? Or even try to?
Why Palestine? Last I checked there was lots of oppression and poverty in Latin America, Asia, Africa, AFRICA, AFRICA, AFRICA, and even Eastern Europe. Oh yeah, almost forgot, HERE IN THE U.S.A.
Lastly, has NYU taught you who founded the ISLAMIC University of Gaza? I like that you guys deleted that part out in your demands. Mind changing it like you do everything else?
Unfortunately, no. I live in Houston. If I visit NYC again, maybe I’ll dop by and say Hi.
Shucks, well keep smiling and keep your antennae up high and proud. Have a good year in Houston!