NYU Protest Update: The Final Four

• I am very sorry for the parents of Tyler Clementi and I just cannot believe how even university students can be so disgusting today. I hope Dharun Ravi receives a fair and speedy trial for his crimes.

• While I disagree with the protest, I am appalled by some of the comments I've seen here, basically making gross generalizations about NYU students. For one thing, many NYU students must pay all or almost all of their own tuition, and will be paying it off for many years to come. It is unfair to group all NYU students into one category, and a stereotyped one at that. I can only draw the conclusion that these people deriding NYU college students are bitter that they did not have the same opportunities. Are these posters really any better than the uninformed protesters?

• While I disagree with the protest, I am appalled by some of the comments I've seen here, basically making gross generalizations about NYU students. For one thing, many NYU students must pay all or almost all of their own tuition, and will be paying it off for many years to come. It is unfair to group all NYU students into one category, and a stereotyped one at that. I can only draw the conclusion that these people deriding NYU college students are bitter that they did not have the same opportunities. Are these posters really any better than the uninformed protesters?

• While I disagree with the protest, I am appalled by some of the comments I've seen here, basically making gross generalizations about NYU students. For one thing, many NYU students must pay all or almost all of their own tuition, and will be paying it off for many years to come. It is unfair to group all NYU students into one category, and a stereotyped one at that. I can only draw the conclusion that these people deriding NYU college students are bitter that they did not have the same opportunities. Are these posters really any better than the uninformed protesters?

• Too bad the police can't just shoot these morons.

• I'm glad so many posters here agree that these kids are mindless, self-absorbed snot-nosed punks. Now that they are expelled, they may be joining the proletariat they claim to represent (and notice that includes the cops, who were unreasonable civil to them). Unless of course Mommy and Daddy buy their way into another school. Youthful exuberance combined with little knowledge and no experience of the real world is either very funny or very sad. Glad these d**kheads won't be polluting NYU anymore, but I'm sure there are plenty more to take their places.

• Time for a good ole-fashioned butt kicking.

• Ye Gads, can I interject a few EMPIRICAL FACTS here, people? The most disturbing thing about this entire article and debate is the utter ignorance of the most basic factual information! Yes, NYU is indeed a "private" - e.g., non-governmental - organization. However, it is NOT a "privately OWNED" organization, as someone said. Nor is it a "business" run by "executives". NYU IS A PRIVATE NONPROFIT, TAX-EXEMPT ORGANIZATION! This has numerous critical ramifications for the protest and the discussion about the protest, yet NOBODY has mentioned it, nor even seem to be aware of this central fact! Here are some facts to inform your thinking and discussion: 1) First off, "nonprofit" means that the organization is supposed to exist for some sort to of "charitable" purpose or "public good" - which is why it gets to BE a nonprofit, and get the perks (and the responsibilities) that come with that designation. And yes, NYU DOES have "responsibilities" to the community that a for-profit business would not have. Can those responsibilities be debated? Absolutely. But you have to talk in the context of what NYU is - a nonprofit organization - not talk about it as if it were either a government organization nor a private business. It is NEITHER. 2) Second, because it's a nonprofit, nobody "owns" the school, and nobody is supposed to make a "profit" off of it. People called "administrators" run the organization and get paid a salary to do so, but unlike business owners or shareholders, they receive no "profits" or "dividends" (or stocks or shares or anything like that) in exchange for running it. Just compensation, in the form of salary (and maybe some benefits like health care and pension). The organization is overseen by a Board of Trustees, whose responsibility it is to ensure that NYU fulfils it's mandate to provide a public good, exercises "fiduciary responsibility", etc.. Trustees may be volunteer or get a set stipend, but they do not make a "profit". Now, we can ask a legitimate question: Are the NYU administrators over paid? Possibly. Is NYU's money well-used? Maybe, maybe not. But this is a VERY different issue than the non-applicable discussion about "owners" and "profits". 3) NYU pays no taxes (that's kinds what "tax exempt" means, you see). The idea is that NYU gets to use public services (sewer, fire, police, roads, etc.) at NO COST, in exchange for providing a "public service" or "public good" - in this case, education, research, and probably other "services" as well, that the government might otherwise have to provide. Now, can we ask if NYU is providing sufficient services to justify its tax-exempt status? Yes, that is a legitimate question - but it's a very DIFFERENT question than the question about the "education" being "over-priced". Especially because "education" is undoubtedly only a small part of what justifies NYU's tax-exempt status - the research activities and other public programs probably also go a long way to justifying the nonprofit status as well. (The nonprofit status also makes NYU eligible for certain government grants and foundation support and tax-deductible contributions, but that's yet another whole discussion.) 4) All non-profits are REQUIRED, by LAW, to be more transparent than a private, tax-paying business - because, well, they don't pay taxes, see, so the government - a.k.a., we the people - have a right to poke our noses into nonprofits in exchange for the special perk of no taxes. To this end, NYU, in fact, is required to file an annual audit, and a special IRS tax form for nonprofits called a "990 form", with the government EVERY YEAR. These forms are ON FILE with the government (specifically, I think it's the NY Attorney General's Office that keeps the records in this state, not that it matters). The audit and 990 contain all sorts of budget information, and are available to the public. Demanding "transparency" from a nonprofit is certainly a legitimate issue - after all, if they get a free ride from taxpayers, they ought to show us wheat they're doing with their money. But did any of these protesters bother to look this stuff up? They FY08 budget, as well as the audit, should be available by now (nonprofits have to file their audits at the end of their own fiscal years). Go over the Foundation Center or Guidestar websites and you can start looking some of this stuff up on line - you don't even have to trek down to a government office to do it! Which makes this issue of "releasing" the budget all the more puzzling - what exactly do the protesters want "released" that isn't already available by law?? 5) NYU, as a nonprofit organization, most likely does not create "scholarships" - few schools do. Rather, the universities usually provide "financial aid", which is a different matter. Most "scholarships" are created for special purposes, by people like alumni, interest groups, relatives of students, etc., and even by foreign governments. This issue is a discussion unto itself, and we could have a whole debate about the "fairness" of which groups have or don't have wealthy allies to endow scholarships for them, but it's beside the point. Those Israeli scholarships probably came from wealthy Jewish or Israeli donors, not from the school administrators, and any "Gaza" scholarships would have to come from the same sort of external source. 6) The nonprofit sector - a.k.a. the "third sector" - has a whole host of financial and management issues that are worth discussing, and which could be debated for eternity. The nonprofit educational sector alone could fill numerous books - and it has. Anyone interested in this issue - and the student protestors in particular - might want to tread some of them. Knowledge is power, right?

• While the Voice coverage of this clusterfuck has been puke-inducing, the comments here are refreshing. Maybe there isn't so much distance between your side and mine.

• protest FAIL: http://www.campusprogress.org/opinions/3648/how-not-to-protest

• That phrase from http://takebacknyu.com/2009/02/21/nyus-use-of-force-and-violence/#comments

• There is a "Take back NYU ?!?!?!?" saying that his four comments on their site was deleted. If you go to that side and see the sort of comments they have allowed there, things like "committed fascists" and so on, it seems unlikely. And why did "Take back NYU ?!?!?!? " not post his four comments on this site?

• There is actually a video showing Khimji INSTIGATING against the police and pushing them. The was not thrown to the ground and is clearly attempting to claim "police brutality" so that she can cry about it on the news later. Just so you can see how completely IDIOTIC and UNREASONABLE and UNWILLING TO COOPERATE PEACEFULLY AND CIVILLY these kids are, you might want to take a look: Here you go: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2426264673933994555&hl=en

• There is actually a video showing Khimji INSTIGATING against the police and pushing them. The was not thrown to the ground and is clearly attempting to claim "police brutality" so that she can cry about it on the news later. Just so you can see how completely IDIOTIC and UNREASONABLE and UNWILLING TO COOPERATE PEACEFULLY AND CIVILLY these kids are, you might want to take a look: Here you go: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2426264673933994555&hl=en

• And if I were you, I would be pissed. In fact if I were you I would give the assholes who disrupted your education, devalued your degree, and gave many Americans (and employers) like me the impression that NYU students are all spoiled, lazy, entitled, naieve unintelligent and unintelligable children, a peice of my mind. But hey thats just me, i'm the type of guy who has had success in life and your a bunch of whiny NYU students who will probably just say "oh oh please don't insult NYU we don't deserve it." Get your peers under control and stop being pussies and then maybe America will reconsider its judgements. Lifes not fair and not everyone is open minded. You hardworking NYU students have really been screwed over by your lesser peers, I hope, for the sake of our country, that you are angry at them. If you aare not, I don't know what is wrong with your generation.

• Question: Once you have this transparency then what? If NYU makes all of their spending known and it turns out that they are spending a percantage of your money to donate to an organization that you don't like, what the fuck are you gonna do about it? Its a private institution not a democracy, NYU isn't all of a sudden going to say "Oh dear ten percent of our student body disagrees with the way we spent that last 100,000 dollars, lets have a vote on it and make everyone happy." The world doesn't work like that. Transparency or no transparency NYU is still gonna spend its money however it wants. If you find out that they are spending it in a way that is upsetting to your precious precious delicate countenances than you have every right to practice what you preach and leave the school. But after watching your recent spectacle unfold I have come to the conclusion that you are far far too cowardly to do something that has actual consequences. I have also come to the conclusion (because I, like most people, am a judgemental, generalizing asshole) that NYU is a school for whiny little spoiled, unintelligent babies. I say to you NYU students who are not Whiny, spoiled, unintelligent babies; Like it or not your protesting peers have given you a bad name, the value of your degree has gone down a few notches along with your schools reputation. Its not fair but its reality. But you probably won't understand this (as I said i'm an asshole) because apparently NYU students have trouble grasping reality.

• I am an associate faculty member of NYU and would like to recommend abstinence to those protesting multiple causes that are unrelated. Try harder, earn the respect you demand, and always remember the fundamentals of diplomacy if your going to yell over a megaphone. Administrators only embarrassments derive from proving them wrong and exploiting their mistakes in a viable manner. Hamas? Really?

• Spewing a bunch of sound bites is not a protest that inspires anyone. It is just the noise of a few deluded by what they selfishly believe are entitlements. I think the students suspended learned a lesson well worth the $50,000 tuition. It is called "Consequences for your actions." This is a lesson that makes responsible adults out of spoiled children.

• This has seriously gotten ridiculous. Last semester during finals week they did a protest in the library where they disrupted students studying for exams. Now they blocked the cafeteria. I am a Senior and know that I will be paying off loans for a while but I have no complaints b/c I chose to go to NYU. I gave up a free education at Binghamton and Albany. Reality is we live in a world where everything is a business and part of a business is profit, and I chose NYU knowing this. What disappoints me is the amount of students who either don�t even attend NYU or get tuition paid for b/c of their "social status" and yet still complain. They have a right to say what they want but the actions are not justified. They are depriving other students the right to use what they are paying for. I hope they all get expelled and charged for the disruption.

• There is no way this group of nimwit students can possibly be representative of the NYU student body as a whole.

• pl at February 21, 2009 4:01 PM wrote: "I would appreciate if people stopped calling all Palestinians �terrorists�. They�re not. Most are ... but not all" I agree: "Most are" "Not all." Those who are not are busy supporting those who are. That's why they have no time to work properly to gain money needed for education at NYU. Therefore, those who organized the NYU Protest demanding free scholarship for Palestinians are right: if granted, those Palestinians can devote more time to supporting "those who are...terrorists." Thus, human rights of terrorists killing people will be preserved, and they will be happy keeping killing with their preserved human rights. Who won't love our America - the Kingdom of Liberast Idiocy? Particularly when the human rights of terrorists are being defended by naked tits of young sluts with the Itchy Copulation Organs Syndrom...

• As an NYU alumni who has 3 degrees from this great institution I am appauled by such behavior. I am still paying for my degrees but, I knew that before I was accepted. I worked hard for those degrees its the price you pay to succeed. Only in America is such behavior tolerated. Bored, frustrated, pathetic whiners with fragmented little egos for a meaningless cause. Expel all of them, zero tolerance! In Singapore they would get a multiple canings. Travel a little and see if you can get away with that behavior elsewhere on the globe or for that matter an education.

• I would appreciate if people stopped calling all Palestinians �terrorists�. They�re not. Most are ... but not all

• Apparently, NYU offers 15 scholarships to Israel (scholarships donated for that purpose ) and should therefore offer Gazans the same. Because Gaza and Israel are exactly alike ?????. This might be misinformation, but it at least attempts to make sense of it. The scholarships were donated to NYU for that purpose . When alums donate money for scholarships for Palestinians , then they should receive them . Until then , wake up , and take notice of facts not made up stories from whiny NYU students

• Seems to me that Farah Khimji and her cohorts want to bring attention to whats going on between the Israelis and the Palestinians or even Judeo-Christian Americans and Islamist extremist. I guess if these students were to be expelled, given there tuition back, they would donate it to �students from the Gaza Strip and the Islamic University of Gaza.�

• I would appreciate if people stopped calling all Palestinians �terrorists�. They�re not. Most are ... but not all

• They�re asking NYU to give scholarships to an Islamic university in the Gaza strip? Are they on drugs? What about deserving students in the USA??? As someone who went to NYU, I wouldn�t want my tuition going to scholarships in some overseas university - especially one in a terrorism and Muslim extremist hotbed. To hell with these crybaby college punks. Bring on the tear gas and the cops with billy clubs. Teach �em a lesson

• This is outrageous. I go to NYU full time, and i also work full time. I work very hard to afford this education. Is my tuition supposed to pay for the the Gaza students� free ride at NYU? Community college is not an option anymore? So sick and tired of spoiled children at such a prestigious school --- no goals, appreciation or respect to anyone. I hope they will get kicked out of school so that it can be their first life lesson.

• lamest protest ever

• This is absolutely ridiculous. This is a private institution - nobody is entitled to go this school. All of these idiots CHOSE to go to NYU - and now they are protesting tuition and financial aid? I think a better, and more effective, protest would have been to embrace capitalism and go to school somewhere else. The power of the dollar speaks volumes. And I am now beginning to believe, especially after the last 8 years, that democracy has a new definition (playing off of the banner these morons hung off of the student center): Democracy means expressing your mostly inaccurate views loudly and obnoxiously while violently attacking those with an opposing opinion.

• What a massive waste of time. If the students want transparency, leave NYU which is a private institution and attend CUNY instead �- and use the tuition money you just saved to create and fund a scholarship program for Gaza students. Oh wait�that would require actual sacrifice!! Welcome to the real world. There are many other people out there who would be happy to take your spot at NYU, as well as your financial aid (or your parents� money). �an adult NYU student who pays 100% of her tuition herself

• What a massive waste of time. If the students want transparency, leave NYU which is a private institution and attend CUNY instead �- and use the tuition money you just saved to create and fund a scholarship program for Gaza students. Oh wait�that would require actual sacrifice!! Welcome to the real world. There are many other people out there who would be happy to take your spot at NYU, as well as your financial aid (or your parents� money). �an adult NYU student who pays 100% of her tuition herself

• why Gaza ??? why not camden,newark, rahway, asbury park, trenton, the oranges, lakewood, freehold. nj has some war torn areas that could use a ray of hope

• lamest protest ever

• I�m an NYU alum who is about old enough to be your parent, and your comments made me laugh out loud! Let me give you a big clue: it�s the PROFESSORS who made NYU a prestigious school when I attended, because they provided a great education if one worked hard to get it. STUDENTS do not make a school prestigious - never have, never will! You are showing how naive and self-centered you are by your statements. NYU was always a tough school to get into; that part is not new by any means, even though you seem sure it�s only been �elite� since you arrived. And the bit about �shouldn�t the university make us feel wanted?� - well, thank you for the best laugh I�ve had all week! And good luck recovering from your severe case of entitlement virus! You and so many others seem to believe that you can buy an education as if it�s a t-shirt off a shelf; if you go to NYU, then you�re sure you�ve bought a designer t-shirt! NYU markets itself to that, and *you* give NYU the power by (literally) buying into their system. If I were applying to colleges today, NYU would NOT be of interest to me, because they have amply demonstrated that they are now more interested in running an edu-business and a real estate business than they are in education. Here�s what I�d like to know: where were all the student protesters when NYU bulldozed half the East Village to make way for dorms? And why aren�t current students protesting the unnecessary, polluting, obnoxious private bus/trolley system NYU runs for the benefit of its students? If you�re old enough to go to college in NYC, (and are such �outstanding students� as to attend NYU), shouldn�t you be able to navigate the bus & subway system? The Kimmel protesters are self-indulgent mock-activists who�ve thrown a hissy fit when life didn�t instantly bend to their ludicrous demands. NYU should lock the batch of them *in* Kimmel, turn off the power & wi-fi, and check back in a few days to see how the �revolution� is going then, when there�s no free food and no one�s had a shower for a while.

• Dear students of Take Back NYU, I�m a very recent NYU alumna who now works as a teaching assistant at another university, and I consider myself to be pretty liberal. In short, I�m just the sort of person you should want on your side. But I�m actually kind of embarrassed for you, and for my alma mater. Can I tell you why? 1) About the scholarships: most likely, the reason there are scholarships for Israelis to attend NYU is because some well-to-do person donated money to NYU for that express purpose. If you want scholarships for Palestinians, all you need to do is find some rich donor willing to establish a scholarship fund for that purpose, and I�m sure NYU will be more than happy to acquiesce. 2) More people might be happy to support you if you didn�t make this a pro-/anti-Israel/Palestine thing. 3) Storming Kimmel and injuring one of the guards? Way to show solidarity with working people. 4) Also, your fellow students (all 20,000 who aren�t in there, as someone pointed out on WSN) might appreciate the chance to get a bite to eat at the cafeteria that they, you know, pay for � that incredibly high room and board, remember? 5) This quote, from the WSN, just about sums up why most people are frustrated with your tactics: �[xxx] isn�t protesting for a particular cause, though he says [he] agrees with several of them. �I just wanted to occupy a building. I�m not the posterboy for any of this.�� To everyone else - I got a perfectly good education at NYU, and so did many of my friends and classmates. While this isn�t the place to debate whether NYU is worth the astronomically high tuition or not, it should be noted that the majority of NYU students are not involved in this protest in any way. Please don�t let a handful of people stand for a university with tens of thousands of students, many of whom are working hard for the privilege of studying at NYU.

• It makes me feel really good seeing that I am spending all of my money (and YES, it is MY money, I will be paying my parents back for the rest of my life) on the best education I can afford (NYU) just to be lumped into a category of rich pretentious relying-on-daddy students. Students that some of you claim are trying to become a big name school just for the title and who are defiling your village with their bad manners. I think that we deserve a little more respect than that, regardless of your personal opinions on this one issue. � NYU Student

• If there really is nothing to hide�nothing suspect or plain wrong going on behind the scenes�then why not go transparent?� ����� Since when is a private entity guilty until proven innocent? There are plenty of reasons that have nothing to do with seediness or illegality. For one, �going transparent� � in this age of affirmative action and special interests � means that you�re automatically opening yourself up to all kinds of frivolous lawsuits and wild allegations. The smartest universities, including my alma mater, Harvard, just don�t disclose. Period.

• Real social protest involves taking responsibility and accepting the consequences of ones actions. TBNYU�s first demand in their manifesto is a get out of jail free card. 1.... Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation. I am unimpressed.

• It�s good to know that students have so much free time. Student demonstrations are always amusing in their demands. Scholarships to Gaza? Does it take so little preparation to be able to attend NYU?

• When I attended and worked my behind off for 18 credits while working a 30+ hour a week job, I didn�t have time to barricade myself in the dining hall, take off my top for attention, or make a series of 13 unrealistic and disjointed demands. They�re an embarrassment to the school, and to what real protest and civil disobedience means. Some of their demands are legitimate, but their tactics are obnoxious and skew towards terrorism. NYU, expel them and press charges.

• And NYU should do this why? Why haven�t the super-rich Gulf Arab states (kingdoms of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the sultanate of Oman, the states of Kuwait and Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) assisted their Palestinian brethren? - with money, scholarships, infrastructure, construction, etc

• This has nothing to do with taking a stand. These are self-righteous children desperately looking for attention. Unfortunately, there is a better way to unite as students. We have student clubs and organizations that will suffer if funds have to go towards the demands of Take Back NYU. Students have been unable to attend functions in Kimmel � for example, functions working towards fundraising for student run community service trips � because there is a shameful picket line in front of our student center. This is not even vaguely comparable to the protests of prior generations, and their behavior makes a mockery of who that came before them: those who had legitimate concerns and justifiable tactics.

• I went to this Take Back NYU website I submitted 4 comments , each of which was deleted because I do not agree with these students actions It is obvious that �Free Speech� is only a right if you agree with someone , but not if you are critical of their views . For agroup that strives for openness and transparency , it is interesting that they do not allow this right to others . Is this what they learn at NYU ??? Since when does Free Speech censure allowed at NYU ? Why should these students have any respect given to them , they have not earned it

• How does throwing in the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza going to help in your silly demands for transparency at NYU ? What is the connection between the two ? Why not support the plight of the citizens of North Korea who are starving to death at the rate of 500,000/year ? Or the plight of Rwandans who starve at the rate of 1,200,000/year ? Explain how you side with terrorists but not with victims ? Palestinins need no help , they are their own worst enemy

• Yes we Can !!!!!!!.... maybe not If you're going to protest like a real 1960's protestor .... get arrested or thrown out of school at least , otherwis everyone will realise that you are a bunch of posers

• Let's see Complaint about private college's transparency... check Wanting more services for less money ... check Getting sympathy by throwing in Gaza cliches... check Giving in after 48 hours because NYU administration threatens to throw you out of school .... and you don't care about those issues THAT much ..... check OK ... time for a few beers and bong hits .... another successful day for a bunch of whiny NYU students

• This protest was a disgrace . If you can't hold out for more than 2 days on "important" issues , you should be ashamed . You made no statement. You chickened out. Have the guts to protest until you are arrested or thrown out of school , not just suspended. If you want to show how important these issues are , you have to take a stand...... cowards

• What did you accomplish ? You served no one but your egos with this fraudulent attempt at "change" . Be serious , who could think that you cared enough for these issues , if you can occupy the cafeteria for less than 48 hours . Are we to belive that you are the Huey Newtons of our day . You have no clue or guts as how to stage a real protest. Threatened by NYU , you folded like a deck of cards

• Grow up and get back to your dorms to study

• $50,000 is appropriate for the education, housing and experience you are receiving. I live in Manhattan and pay over $40,000 for living without school and food. The fact these protesters are saying that they didn't know NYU was that much is ridiculous. That is one of the first things you look at when you applying to school. Majority of the people at that school have their parents pay for it, so they don't know the value of the dollar. As for the 13 full scholarships to Palestinians, come on?! This is why America is falling behind...let's worry about our country for a while, it really needs some love!

• Bernie Madoff walked off with 2 years worth of ALL NYU students' tuition. That's a very stressful, incendiary fact.

• what is wrong with being a revolutionary? ... Who are you to judge other people? What have you done in your life that you are so proud of?

• This is a publicity stunt. These kids just wanted to be noticed and feel like revolutionaries. Of course, they forgot to find a just cause for protest before they decided to hole themselves into Kimmel. However, the general consensus from my fellow NYU students seems to be that we loathe their existence. ...I hope Kimmel won't be smelling like TBNYU patchouli stank on Monday. I want some quesadillas.

• I support the strike.I think its a time for students raised their voices.Mel you are an idiot.

• oh and can we take the Israeli- Palestinian conflict out of this protest/ blog posts. It is a much more complicated situation then it is projected to be.

• I support the protest 120%. There is nothing wrong with protesting against this corrupt world. WE DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT THINGS BECAUSE THIS IS HOW IT IS. People make rules, institutions, policies. Did you forget that? It is about time students raised their voices. I am currently studying in Europe at NYU in Florence and there are protests against the privatization of Universities daily. All of you who accept things for how they are should think about what you accept because look at the world we live in today!

• I'm an NYU student at the College of Sadist...I mean...Dentistry and the one thing that i don't get is that how come out of all these other schools with the big names like Columbia or Stony Brook. it's always NYU that's got a bunch of suicide cases on its hands EVERY SINGLE YEAR and students rallying against the school?!?!?! Other than a bunch of asskissers, all other NYU studetns dislike NYU. However, most are afraid to speak up against the school and the ones who do speak up are punished. The administration with their fake smiles tells you that if there is anything about the school that you think needs to be changed you can tell them about it. They'll pretend like they care but when you do tell them that their system needs to be modified, they'll turn around and make things worse for you...if anything, they'll try to get you to drop out of school by making your life a living hell, if they can't just kick you out. Believe me! I KNOW what I'm talking about. May be one day I'll write a book about it.

• First, just because you are someone's customer does not give your a "right" to know what he does with the money you paid him. You engaged in a free exchange, money for education, and that's where it ends. Imagine demanding your doctor, mechanic, or grocer reveal how they spend their income just because you bought their goods or services. This country and its economic system gives us the freedom to exchange or not with whomever we like. You don't like Mr. A, then go deal with Mr. B. Second, there are less expensive good schools, so NYU students have a choice. Third, the reason the NYU protestors dragged Gaza into this is because their Socialist ideology, like all of the totalitarian ideologies which developed in Europe, is steeped in racist anti-Semitism. In knee-jerk fashion, they must, at all times, bring in an issue where they can stick it to the Jews. They can't help it! It's like the air they breathe to them.

• I got into NYU this year and have been struggling to find the money to go there. They should compromise, indeed the campus, housing, and city life i amazing, I don't believe itis worth almost $53,000 a year.

• serves them right for being the most leftwing institution in the usa. obama's fear tactics caused these poor lib kids to go off the deep end. hopefully some of them will do x and leap off the top floor of the library.

• to the people who keep saying that these kids should go to Gaza if they care... you are all so narrow-minded. do you see people who want to stop the genocides in africa going over there to get themselves killed? of course, a few people will go over. however, the smart thing to do is to raise awareness so that someone who can actually make a BIG difference will aid you. also, it's not about having mom and dad save you... if that were the case then they wouldn't be asking for affordable prices. this protest would have been great if NYU hadn't tried to put a stop to it through wayward to keep up appearances.

• I think most of the student body would agree with the need for more transparency (yes, it's a private institution, but we still have a right to know how our money is spent), but not with the tactics used, which were childish. And now they are trying to play the victims here? Um, you caused injury to security guards, damaged school property, and cut off access to a building that the rest of the students pay tuition to use. And now you complain about the way you are treated?

• stupid stupid ppl go to a cuny or suny skool

• There were 6 people on the inside at the very end. Two who had been tricked into leaving the occupied space returned to gather their things and sat down inside and refused to move. The six students left the university together.

• Unbelievable. Almost all of these kids have no clue what is really going on in the world. They never never pay attention to everything that's being done in the world, nor pay any attention to history. That's why we are all doomed to repeat history over and over. They live in their own little world and just pick up little bits here and there and are influenced by some well spoken, persuasive person and they are taken and follow their lead. It is unbelievable that one of their complaints is a scholarship for several people out of Gaza. I wouldn't even give scholarships to anyone else outside of the US, let alone there. Want to do something meaningful in the world? Go to Sudan he stop the killings and help those people. Nah, no guts at all. Just protest here in the Good ole USA where you know that mommy and daddy will take care of you and provide for you no matter what.

• Bottom line: it's a privately-owned university. You don't have the right to the information of which you request. Your demands are so ridiculous it's obvious you just wanted attention. It's a disgrace to the all the just protests that have been conducted in our country. If you care so much about Gaza, then get on a plane and head on over. I'm sure Hamas would welcome you with open arms. Everyone knows terrorists are very hospitable to Americans in this day and age.

• Man that last part is well said Johnny. thats the funny thing about a lot of hipster type Americans, they protest against things that are far beyond their control when they could be doing constructive things to help people in their own extended communities. They seem oblivious to the fact that america is a violent poverty infested place. Their parents have done a great job sheltering them from reality but a poor job raising them. I almost can't wait until Manhattan reverts back to the cesspool of crime and corruption that it once was (and mark my words it will) so that these hipster clowns will get the fuck out.

• I hope all of these enlightened, terrorist-coddling hippies are expelled and replaced with students who choose to learn and not disrupt the lives of others. Demand for 13 scholorships for Gaza students is absolutely rediculous when there are Americans in need.

• MLK,Ghandi,Mandella and all the others understood that protest is about making people sympathetic to your cause. I go to a State school. I have had friends and family members rocked, rattled and layed off by economic crisis. The State is increasing my already grotesquely high tuition (6,000 per semester) and I can do nothing. What makes you think that I, and the majority of Americans like me are gonna sympathize with your cause? You are the Marie Antoinettes of America. You do not live in Palestine. You do not know what it is like to live in poverty, you attend a University that, some of us, would kill to be able to afford and you complain about it? Half of you probably claim to be socialists, but you have never probably never really worked a day in your life, you are probably not even from the working class. You are, in my humble opinion what is wrong with America, you will be its downfall, you will be its demise and you will be its undoing. My thoughts may be flawed and wrong but I can't argue with my feelings I feel no sympathy toward you or your bullshit protest. Is that what you were going for? or were you just trying to look cool in front of your other NYU friends?

• LOL....that really made me laugh.

• MLK,Ghandi,Mandella and all the others understood that protest is about making people sympathetic to your cause. I go to a State school. I have had friends and family members rocked, rattled and layed off by economic crisis. The State is increasing my already grotesquely high tuition (6,000 per semester) and I can do nothing. What makes you think that I, and the majority of Americans like me are gonna sympathize with your cause? You are the Marie Antoinettes of America. You do not live in Palestine. You do not know what it is like to live in poverty, you attend a University that, some of us, would kill to be able to afford and you complain about it? Half of you probably claim to be socialists, but you have never probably never really worked a day in your life, you are probably not even from the working class. You are, in my humble opinion what is wrong with America, you will be its downfall, you will be its demise and you will be its undoing. (But what do I know I only go to a state school we don' hav dem fancay books that y'all got up down dar' in da big city gluglug.) My thoughts may be flawed and wrong but I can't argue with my feelings I feel no sympathy toward you or your bullshit protest. Is that what you were going for? or were you just trying to look cool in front of your other NYU friends?

• And now they don't have to pay NYU tuition anymore.

• This entire protest kind of reminds me of that scene in Spike Lee's "do the right thing" where the aptly named Buggin Out starts an overzealous protest about the lack of pictures on the walls of a business that he does not own, under the pretext that he has the right to control what is on the walls of the business because he frequently patronizes it. I know you have to be intelligent to get into NYU but I guess you don't have to know how to think. If these kids really wanted to stick it to the school that they chose to give bag loads of money to, they should have saved themselves the trouble of getting expelled, and organized a school wide drop out, instead of causing everyone a pain in the ass. I'm all for protest and change but when it is this gratuitous I get pissed off. But hey, what do I know? I go to a State school.

• Angelor well said. That is the main reason why most of these kids go to NYU anyways. I've met a few of them and they always brag about how they go to this school and live so close to the village. BLAH!! NOT to mention that NYU has slipped from it's spot on the best schools to attend. Even JOHN JAY COLLEGE (CUNY SCHOOL) beat them two years in a row.

• This is insanity. The last time I checked NYU was a private institution and we are a capitalist society, therefore they can charge as much as they want for their tuition and pay their administrators any salary they see fit. If you don't like it, then go someplace else. My favorite restaurant is one of the most expensive in New York, but my husband and I don't scream in protest because we think dinner there should be more "affordable". I have the option of going to the corner bar for a fantastic burger and a beer that's just as satisfying (at a fraction of the price), and you can check out CUNY and get a degree that won't have you swimming in student loans for the rest of your life.

• Mel never said that SUNY or CUNY is is inferior to NYU, Mel just said if you have a problem with the tuition, SUNY and CUNY have more affordable options. I wouldn't read into it that far, I don't think that's what Mel intended

• <i>"50,000 a year maybe those poor students should donate 40,000 to charity and transfer to queens college. You can get a superb education for a modest price, of course you are no longer a hipster hanging in Washington Square park between classes."</i><p> This says it all. Go to community college and donate mommy and daddy's money to whatever cause you like.

• ,i>"50,000 a year maybe those poor students should donate 40,000 to charity and transfer to queens college. You can get a superb education for a modest price, of course you are no longer a hipster hanging in Washington Square park between classes."</i><p> This says it all. Go to community college and donate mommy and daddy's money to whatever cause you like.

• Mel, I am really upset with your comment. How does one attending a SUNY or CUNY school make you less educated? In fact, most of my professors are either District Attorneys or Judges and are very articulate wonderful educators. I could have chosen NYU if I wanted to, but because of its higher tuition fee I chose to go with CUNY. I haven't regretted my decision and I now work for the City of New York as an Investigator. The quality of education between both CUNY schools and NYU is not so much different, your professors just get paid more for their bull shit.

• This is the equivalent of if they were to go to a shopping mall, take over the food court, and refuse to leave until all the stores agreed to disclose their financial records and to then lower their prices because they can't afford to buy their merchandise. And these kids are college material???? What a bunch of moron, entitlement loving Obama voters.

• Correct - The NYU students should have been more focused on their tuition demands. They might have been taken more seriously exercising their rights as Americans to protest. I realize the ideal of our country as a democracy with equal opportunity is far from the reality of it, but the huge difference in tuition between private universities and public has only contributed to the stratification and class differences in America. The undertone of Mel's statement is that an education from SUNY or CUNY is inferior is an elitist attitude carried over into the governance and business of the country as a whole. In addition to that, I would think Mel would be a bit outraged that he will spend 15 years paying for his higher education (provided he can get and keep a job today). That is not the case in almost any other developed nation in the world. You get your shot at a university education on the basis of merit and secondary school achievements. It's sad that in order to even have the possibility, particularly in these difficult times, of securing a good job one has to feel only a degree from a prestigious private university can do that. Final point - the lack of transparency on how endowment money is spent should concern all of our citizens. A good deal of it can be traced back to taxpayer coffers. If the absurdly high salaries American management now pays itself is reflected in how much university administrators are paying themselves it is just as wrong there as it is on Wall Street or the banks. If Mel thinks that is okay he missed the most important lesson he should have learned in kindergarden - the golden rule and the next most important lesson in grade school, this is supposed to be a democracy.

• Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't NYU a private college? This basically means that if you don't like how the college is run you can LEAVE!!!!!

• I am an NYU grad and am completely embarrassed by these antics. Idiots.

• More students need to stand up to their universities like this. We need students to reclaim universities and the funds and build an better system all around. Rock on, y'all.

• Don't forget Gaza and Hamas, how could we. Those palestinian terrorists had the opportunity for autonomy until that arafat killed the deal, of course he made sure his young wife living in paris had a luxury lifestyle. So much for taking care of the poor palestinians,let the rich arabs take care of the poor palestinians, we already have too much on our plates.

• A shame these punks are also promoting and supporting the terrorists in Gaza. Maybe they ought to actually study up on history and they might realize the Hamas thugs are modern day Nazis.

• Is it suspicious enough to incite violence? I think not. These students aren't just asking for transparency -- they're asking for lower tuition, higher wages for cafeteria employees who didn't even want to strike, used school supplies to be donated to Gaza University, NYU to get involved in establishing justice overseas...their demands are all over the place. I would bet that the only cause that has the true support of a majority of the protestors is protesting.

• And now NYU Housing is evicting from student housing some of the students who participated in the takeover of the cafeteria. This is outrageous. First, they say that they'll negotiate and not subject students to disciplinary hearings, and now they're suspending students and putting them on the street?

• Am very glad that Gaza was never forgotten. And won't be. We are in your debt for reminding the world.

• It isn't about a cheaper education, per se, it's about knowing where the bucketload of money you fork over every year is ending up. Many other private universities have disclosed their budgets and the fact that NYU refuses is more than a little suspicious.

• It isn't about a cheaper education, per se, it's about knowing where the bucketload of money you fork over every year is ending up. Many other private universities have disclosed their budgets and the fact that NYU refuses is more than a little suspicious.

• These people are idiots. I am an NYU grad who will be paying off my loans for another 15 years, but I signed up for it. I passed up a free ride at Rutgers to go to NYU and am footing my own bill as a result. Yes, it's stupid expensive, and yes, like any private business the executives are rolling in the (your) money. But that's the real world. Want transparency? Want a cheaper education? Go to SUNY or CUNY. Stop wasting the valuable time of the NYPD, your classmates who are happy to be there,and the media who have more important world events they should be covering. And shut up.

• This will go down in the annals of leftwing idiocy as one of the lamest protests ever. Here's hoping all these pasty-faced pukes are expelled. http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2009/02/not-allowing-us-bathroom-rights-is.html

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQsjmgwKQ1I Looks like a lot of kids ran when the cops showed up.

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