<p>They also want the university to provide 13 scholarships a year to students from the Gaza Strip and to give surplus supplies to the Islamic University of Gaza. -- Oh I predict that will increase alumni contributions.</p>
<p>There was also an occupation at New School University earlier this year. A guy from my school went to both and actually tried to persuade me to go with him. Hah. I'm not sure why he's there, though....</p>
<p>As I saw on the news, the standoff is over. Lynne Brown- Vp at the university said that students are being suspended and they are not allowed in any NYU buildings (not even the dorms to get their stuff) and NYU is not giving in to any of the demands.</p>
<p>Fallgril, I am certain she will be fine, it is a great school, and I do support colleges trying to get control over costs, but if my college (Ivy, with high Jewish % alumn) suggested scholarships for Gaza, there would be consequences.</p>
<p>Frankly, I don't understand why the students are protesting the high tuition. It is a private school, the students know pretty well in advance of the cost. They might choose a lower cost option (i.e. state schools), but did not. They still have that option. And, in defense of private colleges, tuition and fees alone are not enough to cover the operating costs.</p>
<p>I guess I'm in the minority here but my Father was a University admin in the 60s and 70s. They had several sit ins on campus. Back in those days, students believed in the worthiness of a cause. </p>
<p>I didn't think today's students cared enough about anything but themselves to mobilize in this way. I'm glad to see it. Whether it produces the desire results or not, at least they are showing an interest in something other than themselves.</p>
<p>If they really feel strongly about providing scholarships to students from Gaza, why not start an organization that raises funds for this, instead of sitting in a building and demanding that the university pay for it (and out of what money? do they not realize that the high tuition they decry would be even higher if money were spent on this?)?</p>
<p>Some of their demands seem understandable (more transparency in how the school spends its money and invests its endowment; after all, many of these students pay substantial amounts to NYU each year and it would be nice to understand where the money goes) but what I find particularly galling is that they are demanding that staff be compensated for any work hours lost because they were unable to enter the occupied building. Um, if you really cared about the staff, you wouldn't have kept them from being able to work!</p>
<p>^ The building is Kimmel, the student center. As far as I know, there are no classes held there, the building is where Club/Extracurriculars are held, it has a number of lounges and a dining hall. I was in the building at the time and no one even seemed to know it was going on, or at least I didn't until I left the building and saw a mob of people. </p>
<p>I feel like no one at NYU knows what Take Back NYU is about - we see their posters, flyers, them protesting, the stuff they scribble on sidewalks - but I had no clue and I asked a number of people (mostly freshman) and they didn't know either. So I looked them up online and am still unsure.</p>
<p>NYU is a private institution run like the billion dollar corporation it is...after NYC itself and the Catholic Church, it's the largest property holder in Manhattan (so i've heard). It's a big powerful wealthy university, the kids knew that before they decided to shell out Daddy's savings to come here. Budget disclosure would be nice, as I want to see where my tuition is going, but Gaza scholarships? No thanks. </p>
<p>These students also broke into a locked balcony and assaulted a security officer - nice job, guys. Way to show the man how much you care about the university by resorting to illegal activities and violence! no wonder half the students don't take Take Back NYU seriously.</p>
<p>And what's there to take back - it was never yours to begin with.</p>
<p>I like seeing protests starting on campus again. If even students don't protest, who does anymore? </p>
<p>But this seems like a protest searching for a cause. A random hodge-podge: unionizing grad student TAs, support for Gaza, lower tuition, and increased transparency. PICK ONE people, and stay focused! Sheesh. I guess they are out of practice.</p>