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Featured

NYU Protest Update: 30-40 Students Rush Guards, Join Occupation. UPDATE: Protesters Say NYU Will Negotiate

By Roy Edroso, Thursday, Feb. 19 2009 @ 10:46PM
Comments (69)
Categories: Follow-up, Higher Ed, Protest, Schools
nyuprotest6.jpg

At Take Back NYU, representives of the Kimmel Center occupiers claim that 30 to 40 new protesters have joined them by storming past security guards. In a subsequent statement they say, "Our fight is not with the guards; our fight is with the administration, and unfortunately the administration is hiding behind the security guards instead of confronting us themselves... we do not intend our occupation to cause harm to anyone, both guards and students alike." Did someone get hurt? Building Our Power relays a report that "the police assaulted students Occupying the Kimmel Center and those making their way inside. She said that they hit many students and ripped shirts off of others."

The video feed is spotty. They've shown a pile of cafeteria chairs jumbled into a "barricade." At one point we heard some kid on the balcony yelling, "Any institution that claims to be a liberal instituion... would maybe respect the students a little bit..." "Can't use the bathroom, for fucks sake!" said one nearer the mic. "I drank so much water!" Another guy asked viewers to approach, "not your parents, but adults who can speak articulately" and get them to call NYU President John Sexton and complain on their behalf.

An anonymous Runnin' Scared commenter has a suggestion for the protesters: "You want to see John Sexton shit his pants? Get a large percentage of the student body to go on leave for a semester... Get them to move out of NYU housing (approx $1550 a month! per person!). Get them to drop their meal plans (which can be $2000+ a semester).... The only way to get it to stop behaving badly is to boycott its products."

Update to update, 11:15 pm. A young woman on the balcony speaks to onlookers through a bullhorn: "The administration has finally started talking about maybe meeting with us." (Large cheer.) "To clarify, they have not actually agreed to enter negotiations." (Mutter, mutter.) "What they have said... they have asked what we will give them if we agree to negotiate (MUTTER MUTTER! "We'll give you tuition," says a wiseguy). "We're not giving them shit." (Larger cheer.) "We are strong and we are united! Now's the time for you guys to stand here and be as loud as you possibly can. (Yelling.) We want them to hear you at the meeting... we want them to be fucking scared! " Then they chant "We will not cooperate/Till you negotiate." Then the young woman comes back says, "The administration has agreed to negotiate with us." Website posts this news.

Then they chant something else. Eventually the protesters break into "Solidarity Forever" (Commenter: "AUTOTUNE") which degenerates into a discussion of the proper lyrics. In the immortal words of George Booth, we may as well go home; it's obvious that this meeting isn't going to settle anything.

Comments (69) Write Comment
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More About:

  • Kimmel Center
  • John Sexton
  • New York University
  • George Booth
  • Protests and Demonstrations

Comments (69)

Eugene says:

Buncha SPOILED RICH KIDS!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:56AM
Sara says:

How can you call us spoiled rich kids if we are fighting for financial aid and against tuition increases? I am certainly not rich, nor spoiled and never have been. I am forced to pay for an expensive education on borrowed money with very little help from my university. We are asking NYU for help with paying for our education because we cannot afford it!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 1:20AM
NYUstudent says:

Okay, yes, NYU is expensive, but it was your choice to come here. You want a cheap education? Go to a state school. Stop complaining. You want to talk about transparency? Remember that email John Sexton sent everybody regarding the financial situation of the university? Seems pretty transparent to me. Also, the notion of giving complete budget records to the student body is completely unprecedented and unrealistic. And obviously everyone wants lower tuition, but if these protesters knew about economics, they' realize it's completely unfeasible. We just lost millions with Madoff. And we're in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The "take back NYU" group claims that they want NYU to become more prestigious. But prestige is gained through expansion; expansion requires money. The primary means of gaining money is through tuition. As far as I'm concerned, if you're pissed about the tuition, transfer to a state school where you pay a fraction of the cost.

So anyways, I'm an NYU student against these ridiculous protests at Kimmel. It's giving NYU an unnecessary negative reputation nationwide. These protestors are complete hypocrites and should just leave NYU if they don't want to be here.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 1:50AM
Sara says:

I never said I didn't want to be at NYU. ever. I love NYU. I do not love the cost of NYU. I chose to come to NYU because I felt that, like everyone who comes here, it would be worth the cost, eventually. I sincerely hope that it will be. I also sincerely hope that I will be able to pay off my students loans before I die. Also, budget disclosure is important on many fronts. One, the students can see how their tuition money is being spent. This means, for example, that we could see if our money is really being spent on green energy or if NYU is just "green washing" to look like they have a commitment to sustainablility when they really don't. Why should I take NYU's word for it? If they had nothing to hide, they would show us where our money goes. Secrecy only hides corruption and incompetence. The fact that there is no precedent has nothing to do with whether or not it is just. Also, I have read all of the e-mails I have recieved from President John Sexton and I find in none of them any specific reasons why tuition is so high to begin with, why my works-study is being taken from me, or why President John Sexton gave himself more than twice the raise that the average faculty member recieved in the face of yet another tuition increase. In regards to Madoff, perhaps a little more transperancy would have led to a little more foresight. We don't have to sit back and watch our University be run like a corporation; we can change the way it is run and have a say in where our money goes. We all love NYU and if we didn't, we would leave.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:04AM
Anonymous says:

Just a note to NYUstudent - if NYU is like many other private institutions, tuition is actually only a small fraction of their income.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:34AM
Anonymous says:

how long before the Jonas Brothers play a benefit concert?

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 3:01AM
Michael says:

You should all stop this nonsense and go back to your classes. I agree with another post above, you chose this school. Live with your decision. You've no right to find out what the salaries are of your professors. Your excuse for demanding this information (listed on your website) is that you want to ensure that there is no sexism and that there is equality in pay and that low wage earners are making a living wage. What business is it of yours? If the female professors felt like they were being unfairly paid, that's an issue for them to take up. Same for low wage earners. I don't see them supporting your goals.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 7:20AM
margot says:

Students cannot get out of their housing contracts. Even if they were to move out, the deadline for cancellation has been passed.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 7:40AM
margot says:

Students cannot get out of their housing contracts. Even if they were to move out, the deadline for cancellation has passed.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 7:41AM
Mary says:

I think the mutual goal in this situation should be to resolve conflict. In any conflict, there is always a common ground...something upon which a resolution can be built. As an outsider looking at this situation, it appears that a bunch of immature, irrational students, are undermining what could be productive and serious conversations about possible solutions and also preventing their fellow students from focusing on their studies.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 8:27AM
Josh says:

You want the school to give you more service for less money and you want to cloak it in social justice by tacking on something or other about Gaza.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 8:45AM
Chuck says:

Spoiled babies

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 9:53AM
Ed says:

These students know nothing of the real world. NYU is a private school and they elected to go there by choice. You cannot legitimately protest an institute you attend voluntarily.

Each of these should be expelled at the very least and sued by the school as well as the security guards. And face criminal charges.

Would you stage a sit-in after a movie because you didn't like the way it ended? Would you demand that the theater give a dozen free tickets to every show? Would you demand to know their future schedules before they are published or how much it costs to pop popcorn?

NYU is a business, like any other operation in the private sector it has a right to operate how it chooses. This is not a public institution funded by all taxpayers that is discriminating against a segment of a population. It is not justified.

These protesters should be taught the most basic priniciples of living in a society. Seizure of private property and disrupting business is not democracy. If you are going to fight for equality, you cannot expect to receive special treatment. And if you break the law you have to suffer the consequences.

Expel, sue and charge. There is a forum for dissent, and these kids are grandstanding for media attention without a true worthwhile purpose. This isn't about freeing Nelson Mandela...

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 9:53AM
Julianna says:

Speaking as an NYU student for plenty of NYU students - this is nothing more than a publicity stunt. These kids had no plan and no exit strategy. Their protests are absurd and, frankly, they are an embarrassment to their fellow students.

Yes, I'm a spoiled rich kid. About $100,000 in debt to spoil the next 5-10 years of my life.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 9:57AM
Hal says:

People are saying their not spoiled, and that they're being forced to pay tuition. Wrong. If you don't want to pay it, go somewhere else. I'm an alumni, and I wasn't forced to do anything. If I couldn't pay for it, I would have left. Morons. Wasting a high quality education, and risking expulsion. Just plain stupid.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 10:21AM
Claire says:

I live near the "protest" and this is silliness. The suggestion of not buying NYU products (food, housing, etc) is the way to make a point. Locking yourself in a nice building, yelling off of a balcony to Washington Sq Part is not going to help.

This is NOT the way to get your demands...it is childish.

Aren't you NYU folks supposed to be smart? Maybe you can call in some stern students and law school students to help develop a strategy. You need it.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 10:35AM
Karen says:


As a parent of an NYU student I am totally against the protest of these students. Their demands are ridiculous and are not justified in any way. They have no right to protest why NYU should be giving foreign students scholarships when the US students are struggling with tuition and receiving financial aid. You obviously do not belong at NYU and your are going to find your radical ideas will not be welcomed anywhere. If you cannot appreciate what NYU has to offer then leave and let other students have the chance to study there. P.S As a parent I am working hard for my childs education and to make this happen for them.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 10:47AM
FU Morons says:

Have you read their demands? This isn't about tuition. They've got a pro-Palestinian agenda. Higher up in their list of demands than tuition is "Annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students."
and "That the university donates all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza."

Fuck them and their demands. Can't wait til they're expelled. Terrorist Supporters.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 10:47AM
Anonymous says:

America love it or leave it, right?

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 11:05AM
Sarah says:

These protestors are NOT representative of the NYU population. My friends and I do NOT support them.
As an NYU senior, I remember the protests of the graduate teaching assistants my freshman year. We as undergrads were occasionally disadvantaged because of it, but we mostly thought their demands were reasonable and justified.
Take back NYU is ridiculous, and they are outright hurting other NYU students by occupying our building. I keep an instrument in one of the Kimmel lockers, and I'm not allowed in to practice or even get my instrument out. They're holding my property hostage for an indefinite amount of time and I want them OUT. I would fully support the expulsion of these individuals.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 11:14AM
Struggle to live in Ny says:

Times are bad for everyone
You know what?
I'm going to stage a sit-in in my apartment building's lobby.
My rent is too high and I want to negotiate. I won't leave until some one from pinacle comes to discuss.

Fat chance.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 11:19AM
jennifer says:

I was sympathetic when I thought they were doing it for the FA of the students, but now I do not support their Gaza agenda. We have enough to deal with in this country. My daughter attends and she says that many protesters aren't even NYU students. A lot are CUNY students.
They need to grow up and have a plan. I agree the better idea is to boycott their products, food, campus cash, housing, etc. That would be more credible. Hit them in the pockets.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 11:29AM
Nathaniel Adams says:

Here's what I want to know:


http://nattyadams.blogspot.com/2009/02/this-is-what-democracy-looks-like-shit.html

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 11:48AM
Anonymous says:

You should and have every right to protest against NYU and their policies. You should always question where your money is going. There is nothing wrong with taking appropriate action. Although some of you argue that we all choose to attend NYU voluntarily, that does not mean that we should sit back and let things that frustrate us proceed. We have nothing to fear, if anything the administration should fear us. If every college student across the U.S. protested against the privatization of Universities , trust me they would lower the cost over night.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:02PM
BooHoo says:

Cry me a river sara - Go somewhere less expensive - I went to city college - you know why? CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I COULD AFFORD! Spoiled little brats. Take your entitlements and shove it all - liberal scum

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:27PM
BooHoo says:

Cry me a river sara - Go somewhere less expensive - I went to city college - you know why? CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I COULD AFFORD! Spoiled little brats. Take your entitlements and shove it all - liberal scum. I'm so sick of people thinking they can bring change by causing civil unrest...grow up

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:29PM
MaraFred says:

its so scary how people can't protest in the united states...its horrendous to think that all the protestors are being suspended. In europe there are protests like these everyday. Im not sure how successful they are but these movements should be tolerated.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:34PM
Anonymous says:

Apply to USC.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:43PM
boohoo says:

It should be tolerated to take things hostage to further your agenda? Seriously Mara? We follow laws in this country - need I remind you this isn't Europe...loser

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:43PM
Anonymous says:

First of all, reading these people's demands, I am seeing how incredibly stupid they are and in no way support this. Complain about cost of tuition? Fine that's good. Complain about the fact that there are NO scholarships for ANY international students, fine. But Palestine? Screw you guys.

However, I'd like to point a few things out. Not only are there no scholarships for international students, now there is no financial aid options as well. But this is beyond the point.

I chose to go to this school. Yes. I am okay with my choice. I don't like how expensive it is but whatever, I deal with it. I would like some transparency, yes. I didn't have to come here, I knew it would be a good opportunity. That said, as a Canadian student, the quality of our Universities are, for the most part, at par if not better than NYU. The most expensive institution probably costs around, get this, $7,000 a year. In Quebec, where I am from, tuition is $1,000 a semester. There is NO reason why American Universities need to be this expensive. Sure, the Canadian ones could be improved, but find a happy medium somewhere. Having seen that there is little to no difference between the quality of my Undergrad degree in Canada and the quality of my Masters at NYU the difference in cost astonishes me. I would have no problem paying something like $10,000 a year, even 15,000....but $15,000 a semester is kind of stupid.

I know I am paying for the name. I came here to be able to get the experience I am getting in the US and to open doors for my career. I'm okay with it, but this doesn't make it right.

Protest that.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 12:53PM
kerry says:

Look, I went to NYU when I was 27. When I say I went up there with no money, I mean that I went up there with NO MONEY. I quit my construction job, put my life savings into the first year's tuition, I took loans out, I paid cash from the money I made bartending, I even pulled 4.0's hoping to get the university to invest in me (which they didn't). And now I've got a good job working with autistic students and I'm paying my loans off(and my MORTGAGE by the way!).

What I did not do was act like I was entitled to ANYTHING!
I chose NYU. I chose it! I could have went to Rutgers and left with more money than I went with, but I CHOSE NYU. Why am I reminded of the spoiled prep school rich kids who were forever disrupting classes and pretty much acting like they were ENTITLED to be there just because mom and dad were loaded.
You make me sick, kids. You do. You're not entitled, you have no right, and someday my friends, the real world just might smack you right in the face...but I doubt it. After all, there's always your Trust Funds!
-peace

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 1:45PM
Anonymous says:

Yes, Kerry, right on.

I just went by Kimmel and the cops totally racially profiled a kid going to the library. That was nice. They're asking everyone where they are going. Its kinda sad for the rest of us that are just trying to go to school and who are doing so without the help of their parents or a trust fund.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 1:53PM
Bryn says:

In response to Michael's comment above, students should have the right to know how much their professors are paid. For public universities, like the school that I attend for graduate instruction, the salaries of our teachers/administrators and even the janitors' salaries are disclosed to the university community each year through the school newspaper. They are considered public records and are therefore disclosable to the public at large, including the university community. SInce NYU is a private institution, I am not sure if they fall under the same rules, BUT it is important information to know especially when your tuition is paying part of your professor's salary.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 1:57PM
kerry says:

Alright, let's look at it another way.

You go to eat at a fine (expensive) restaurant that's...private!
Do you then have the right to hold the chef hostage until the owner comes clean with the details of how the money you're paying is spent??

You are eating at a FINE RESTAURANT!!

You know you are paying more than your meal cost to prepare!!
If you don't want to pay that much money, shut your aching pie-hole and go to the diner down the road like the rest of us! They are WRONG. Period. They are wrong.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:09PM
michael22 says:

progressives in tennessee fully support the nyu protesters. as a child of the sixties, i can only hope that students will lead the battle to get us out of this mess. unfortunately, direct action is the only language university administrators understand.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:15PM
Chris says:

You know, it WOULD be great to know what the University's priorities are with financial data evidence to back it up, but I feel that the way that Take Back NYU has done this, at least as it is conveyed here in this article and another in the NYT, is counterproductive and self-ostracizing: to ask for 13 scholarships to be offered every year to Palestinian applicants is unfair to other international students and to students from within the United States who would've received the scholarships (IF, the financial aid situation is a zero-sum situation, which surely it isn't. This would be one reason to have, at least, partial disclosure of the University budget and the rationale for budget allocations).

I think that the protesters might have more support if their "demands" weren't so fantastic. The way to go may not be complete budget and administrative transparency, but THIS DISCUSSION seems that it needs to happen and if it does, it needs to happen in a very transparent and public way. I received an email blast from Owen Moore about the Kimmel Center being closed and redirection to Weinstein and Hayden dining halls. No explanation, though I could understand that Mr. Moore doesn't want to potentially offend the administration he has to work with by giving an explanation (e.g., there is a student protest happening at Kimmel 3rd Floor) and possibly exacerbating the situation for the University Administration.

Although the way that Take Back NYU has done this has been incredibly offensive to both the University Administration and to the majority of NYU students who WOULD like to know how the University is spending money (not out of distrust, but out of wanting, no, needing, to feel involved as part of the NYU family), the protest has given this issue the light of day -- it is important to keep this discussion visible, transparent, and open while moving the language of the discourse toward a more rational, reasonable, and productive direction.

As Tony Morrison said earlier this year at the 92Y, "One speaks at the cost of silencing another." I'd like to hear what the University Administration has to say and I'd like a broader cross section of students -- less belligerent but no less passionate or resolved -- to begin talks with the University Administrators in a very open forum, where any NYU student who wishes can, at the very least, observe.

Just my two cents.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:16PM
marinna says:

you people must be ignorant of the conviction of top schools for collusion on tuition

transparency is not a dirty word except for people who are ignorant

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:18PM
Anonymous says:

The request for transparency now would be much more effective if ALL of the students can be mobilized to write to or petition the University for greater transparency and for this to be done so in a respectful, clear and concise way. If NYU recognizes the requests and concerns of many, instead of the demands of a few, maybe they will start listening and producing results.

While these students were very wrong in how they approached the issue, and in many of their demands, a good education from a reputable university should not be a luxury, it should be a right.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:24PM
Anonymous says:

I hope the police and NYU Security beat the living crap out of these people. Damn liberals. You don't see Stern students involved in any stupidity like this.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:40PM
NYUAdult says:

I love love love NYU, I have had to drop out multiple times because I can't afford it and now student loans to cover the whole cost are nearly impossible to come by... I say this why? Because I chose NYU, and I continue to choose it... but I do so with the understanding of the accountability of my decision. Would I love it if I were able to attend classes this semester, of course... but I can't and yet you don't see me acting like a jackass ruining the reputation of our school and student community.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:44PM
more than a bit annoyed says:

I take great issue with the demands for scholarships annually for 13 Palestinian students to allow them to attend NYU. My child is an undergraduate there now, and while my child had excellent grades and credentials, and was accepted early decision, we are scraping and saving to send him there at full tuition and board.

What makes these other students "entitled" to a free ride??? Because they would be international students???
How about if my child gets to do a free study abroad program, courtesy of NYU then? Would these protesting students care to kick in for that?

Oh... I forget... they don't want to have to pay for any of it at all - including their own educations!!!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 2:47PM
Anonymous says:

To more than a bit annoyed, totally agree with you with how awful the demands of these students were. As an international student though I have to say, no reasonable international student would ask for a free ride, but just some help. If not in scholarship form than at least in a greater accessibility to student loans. Until this year we only had one option, and that was the CitiAssist loan program. The cap on this program didn't even come close to covering the full cost of tuition. And now the program has been pulled. Thank god for me this happened in my last semester, but now for others, especially for those who are trying to get a better education than their home country can offer, coming to NYU is no longer an option. I am not saying that tuition isn't hard for everyone. And god bless those parents who are helping their kids. But the truth be told, as an American at least you have SOME options. Now we have none, and its sad. You basically now have to be some rich international with deep pockets to be able to get an education that you may not have been able to get at home. Like I said in an earlier post, education really should be a right, not a luxury. Obviously more so for people in their home country than those coming from abroad.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 3:00PM
NYUAdult says:

I would love it if the children calling themselves fellow members of my student body would look into the backgrounds of their leadership... if the Palestinians are getting free rides, then I want my tuition comped too!

I am a Jewish New Yorker and survivor of 9/11... I am attempting to pay for school by myself since loans are all but disappearing. Where is my free ride you spoiled little shits! WTF?!?!

Obama got in, can't you just relax for a minute!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 3:23PM
Anonymous says:

A note to all the take back nyu protestors: had this protest legitmately been about helping NYU students and not about pushing a pro-palestine agenda, perhaps you would have gotten more support and been more effective. Just a thought. Perhaps you all could have used more of those in the process of organizing this mess...

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 4:52PM
Still annoyed says:

"no reasonable international student would ask for a free ride, but just some help. If not in scholarship form than at least in a greater accessibility to student loans."

And while not meaning to upset any international students, because I do think it is wonderful how we can all learn from each other's different cultures, the same should apply to local students as well. Why not protest for more reasonable scholarships for them?

"Like I said in an earlier post, education really should be a right, not a luxury."

This is where we part ways - as others here have said... NYU IS a PRIVATE school. Just like any other private business or industy, it has the right to charge admission, or charge for its goods. There are other schools that are public, at much less cost, so those who CHOSE to attend NYU need to be aware of the difference at the onset! Or move along to a more affordable school, as others have written above.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 4:53PM
Anonymous says:

I could type up a novel about how childish and absurd these kids are, but in the end, they're just spoiled kids who have no concept of economics, business, strategy, life, law, etc, etc...
Mark my words, you will (hopefully for your own sake) wake up one morning many years from now and be utterly embarrassed for your actions. I'm a liberal.. I'm a NYU student... I'm on loans.. and I chose to be here just like you all. Stop crying and go call daddy to bail you out of this mess you've all created for yourselves.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:22PM
Anonymous says:

"You basically now have to be some rich international with deep pockets to be able to get an education that you may not have been able to get at home. Like I said in an earlier post, education really should be a right, not a luxury. Obviously more so for people in their home country than those coming from abroad."

I meant to address this as well - why do you think that even if education "should be a right", that that "right" should extend to anywhere in the world that one might wish to study? Can I then say, that if I want to go to your country for an education I should be able to do this as well for little to no cost of my own? Is that how it is done there? Or is it just the United States that should offer this to international students?

Don't get me wrong - I do not approve of what the protestors were trying to enforce on NYU, but by the same token I don't understand where you, as an international student, feel that you should be entitled to an education here without having to pay for it fully, just because your own country can't/doesn't provide a comparable education?

As I said, I am very much in favor of international students studying in whichever school they can afford to attend, as it greatly enriches both our cultures. But NOT at the cost to those of us US citizens who are paying through the nose for that school!

By stating "more so for people in their home country than those coming from abroad", I just don't get why those coming from abroad should get allowances at all really. If one is not a citizen here, and does not "pay into the system", then why should that person get scholarships or allowances? The way the economy is in this country right now, we should really focus more on what is happening at home for a while...

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:23PM
Anonymous says:

ABC news has reported that 2 of the students have been arrested, and 18 are now on suspension. They are all now out of Kimmel and hopefully life will go on as usual there now.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:26PM
View from Here says:

Seedy academic corruption runs quite deep at NYU. Take, for example, the allegations of plagiarism that have surfaced against the Judaica department chairman; they were initially made in an Israeli newspaper years ago, but the matter has been hushed up and never investigated, in violation of the university's own regulations. For details, see

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/plagiarism-and-dead-sea-scrolls-did-nyu-department-chairman-pilfer-chicago-historian-s-work

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:34PM
Carolyn says:

From an NYU alumnus...
Such convictions of entitlement! Where on earth does that come from other than an overfed ego? Based upon my experience, I have some tried and true alternatives the NYU "protesters" might have considered prior to their "organized" tantrum:
1. Enroll in a less expensive public university or college (I did for my undergraduate and second graduate degree).
2. Work and earn tuition reimbursement (I did for my first year of my first graduate degree, which was from NYU).
3. Earn an academic merit scholarship (I did for my second year of my first graduate degree, which was from NYU).
4. Work two part-time jobs while in school to earn lunch money, rather than hold up the school cafeteria (I did - earn lunch money, NOT hold up the school cafeteria- for my second year of my first graduate degree, which was from NYU).

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:39PM
Anonymous says:

what does a plagiarism article have anything to do with these idiotic kids that chose to come to a private school? Important words in the previous sentence to take note of: "Chose" and "Private"..
Hey, I've got an idea.. I have no argument whatsoever so let me attach anything negative about the school and see if I can gain support that way!!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 5:45PM
Jack Flint says:

This is a Bu!!sh!# stunt led by pampered Jewish kids> Like this has fugall to do with Palestinians. Like this "Occupation" even slightly is evocative of Israel's crimes. Which may be the point; To discredit backlash against the NeanderthalCons, the Jewish financial elites, and the mouthbreathing , AIPAC stooge politicians who protect them..

They are trying to ward off the wave of protests (students the least of their worries) against prominent Jews who have ripped off the country, who seek never ending welfare for themselves and Israel, and have conducted nothing less than warfare on the assets and economic well being of their supposed fellow US citizens. For Decades now.

People are rubes who give these kids any credence.. Who lists their top demand as "Amnesty" if you're looking to get something done? Any other group, and the NYPD would have gone in and summarily kicked their @ss out.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 6:23PM
Anonymous says:

"This is a Bu!!sh!# stunt led by pampered Jewish kids"

And you know this how???

Have you first hand information about the religious followings of all the participants?

Talk about prejudice!

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 6:30PM
Donna says:

Yes, I'm a spoiled rich kid. About $100,000 in debt to spoil the next 5-10 years of my life.

No, you're a stupid kid for going that much into debt for a college education you couldn't afford. Just like those stupid people who bought more house than they could afford.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 7:42PM
truth says:

yes is is true that NYU is filled with spoiled rich kids but that does not give the admin the right to do whatever they want. As a NYU alumni I know that they lost a ton of money when Enron went down. Back then we asked for transparency so that we could monitor their investments for both social and financial responsibility. If only we had got it back in 2000 the current students might have been able to save NYU money if they had the ability to look at their risky investments. Oh and by the way John Sexton is a complete FRAUD. I know for a fact that he paid his piers to write his thesis papers and take his tests while attending Harvard Law. He is the biggest spoiled rich kid who has bought his way through live.

Posted On: Friday, Feb. 20 2009 @ 8:59PM
lisa smalls says:

whiny crybabies.

Posted On: Sunday, Feb. 22 2009 @ 2:23PM
Anonymous says:

Foolishness of protesters does not make this fact go away - NYU is a private university that exploits its tax-exempt status to build its real estate empire in New York City. Everyone knows this. Sexton is an expansionist with a bad taste similar to Tramp (new buildings are hideous, including Kimmel Center.). His pet project in Dubai is costing money as well. Buying premium lands, taking down existing buildings and constructing brand new ones cost billions. Students don't need those fancy dorms. How does Sexton pay for all this? Tuition.

NYU refuses to submit its budget to Senate last year, which was concerned that certain private universities appeared to be using tuition money for wrong purposes. Other schools complied. In theory, NYU can charge as much as it wants, but how it spends its tuition becomes a public concern as evident in the Senate's ongoing investigation.

Posted On: Sunday, Feb. 22 2009 @ 5:29PM
Anon says:

I congratulate the students for their actions.

People please note that the students are not saying what should be the color of President's Car. They are asking for transparency in something which directly concerns them.

Also, if "education" is just another business deserves thought. Ancient Greeks felt contempt for whoever teaches for money. US now has for-profit 'Army' (Blackwater) and for-profit prisons. The eventual goal is to probably end as for-profit government. And that would be freedom.

The students protesting are not Stupid-Kids. Stupid Kids won't have enough courage or conviction to protest.

Posted On: Monday, Feb. 23 2009 @ 12:16AM
Julianna says:

Spoiled rich kids? This is coming from people who live in New York City - the most spoiled, pretentious city on the face of the planet. And you know what? Most of us WONT be living here when we graduate because we can't afford it.

And frankly you all know nothing about our student body.

Posted On: Monday, Feb. 23 2009 @ 2:01AM
chuck says:

Kudos to the university for suspending these children. Hopefully, after their hearings, they will be expelled. Their parents failed to teach them that it is not right to throw a tantrum when they can't get what they want. The fact is, they have no rights to anything they 'demanded.' Nor do they have the right to take over a building, and deny the owners and the other students the right to use those facilities in peace.
The university responded correctly. The alternative is to begin the slide to chaos and obscurity that swallowed Antioch College.
NYU has an excellent reputation for academic performance. Such things do not come on the cheap. Still, they have 4 to 5 applicants for each student accepted. If the cost is too much for you, there are a variety of cheaper options--at other schools. There are five people waiting to take your place.
Grow up.

Posted On: Monday, Feb. 23 2009 @ 8:28PM
Chief says:

These kids are worthless wastes of space.

Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 24 2009 @ 12:53PM
Bob W says:

Take Back NYU rocks!

I love those guys! A team of the world's best comedic screenwriters could not have scripted their pathetic last stand to play out any funnier. Corporate Water???? That's the most patently bourgeois thing I've heard in a long time. Water is bad, Apple is good? Take Back NYU! is going to ruin the Apple brand altogether; Apple is marketed for slackers, NOT hippies.

And why did Take Back! narrow their goals when they were doing so well and capturing the imagination of the worldwide public? Why did they not fight to achieve protection for the Cape Fear River shiner, one of the most endangered fishes in North America? Or fight to replace the hurtful "MILF" genre of adult film with the less judgmental "experienced women" title?

If only they had not been so pragmatic, this really could have been a changed world. . .

Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 24 2009 @ 11:55PM
Anonymous says:

just come to western its cheap as hell 3500 a semester

Posted On: Wednesday, Feb. 25 2009 @ 2:04PM
Big Dave says:

Your all a bunch of cunts!!

There I said it.

Long live the high resolution TV!!

Posted On: Thursday, Feb. 26 2009 @ 12:55AM
liz says:

As a recent graduate of high school I can safely say that I am terrified to be attending NYU. Between the hiked up tuition and the threat of spoiled rich kids- NYU is starting to seem more and more like a mistake. I got a scholarship for about half the tuition due to my grades and financial situation from a non-profit organization. When I told them I am on my way to NYU they sighed and said good luck. Am I getting scammed or is it everyone else trying to make NYU seem worse than it is?

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Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 21 2009 @ 4:02PM

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