<p>Was NYU's heavy handed approach to the students protesting in Kimmel Center a good One? Will it hurt or help NYU's reputation? Is it bringing in a new era of student protest much like the 60's and 70's given the current economic situation and legitimate student grievances regarding escalating college costs and decreasing aid. Will NYU become and epicenter for change, or a victem of the times.</p>
<p>oh please. NYU still has tons of people applying, even after the suicides, after Bobst Boy, after all the celebrities and all the strange stuff that happens in Manhattan. one incident is not going to tarnish NYU’s history. Yale had a similar protest a few years ago and people still apply to Yale. </p>
<p>“victim of the times” is a little over-dramatic.</p>
<p>This will not tarnish NYU reputation. But with that said, NYU has been known to attract bohemians and rebels and it is good that we have student activism.
These kids had a golden opportunity to open dialogue, but they blew it. As i said in another thread, tuition costs are so high all across the country and with the economy meltdown, getting a college degree is even more unattainable for some. State schools had record high applications and will not be able to admit all. These private institutions are going to have to do something to attract a broad base of students from all walks of life. This is going to affect kids all across the nation. Private student loans have been dropped for some kids. My D has floor mates that did not return to spring semester because their loans were cancelled. </p>
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<p>The only difference was that their administration was responsive to the students and did change their financial aid policy. So yea students would apply becasue that protest made it better for future students.</p>
<p>I am so ****ed off from that event. I was on the streets, part of the crowd that told the fools inside to go home.</p>
<p>For the record, I am DEFINITELY supportive of budget disclosure and improved financial aid. However, the rest of the other demands were just a mess, and even contradictory. For example they want top priority for students when allocating space in buildings but they want to make Bobst open for the general public? Get real.</p>
<p>They had a chance to gain visibility but instead attracted the wrong kind of attention with their demands. One of my friends spent one night there and even he felt some of the demands were just tacked on so others would care. I am supportive of the citizens of Gaza but I find it downright insulting that these idiots would just blabber about Gaza and solidarity with the U of Gaza just to make their demonstration “relevant.” </p>
<p>How many of these students have actually contacted their state senators about this? How many of them actually know <em>who</em> their state senators are? That is a serious question. I could not stand how alot of my friends just jumped onto the mob bandwagon and started taunting the cops, trying to get past them. </p>
<p>Also it is downright cowardly to make your first demand on the list “amnesty” from disciplinary action. Gandhi didn’t hide behind a plea asking the British, “don’t punish me plz!!!” Man up to your consequences and maybe I will treat your movement seriously. I have told friends about the Disorientation Guide and once supported some of their ideals. Judging from their list of demands, it seems like it’s all they ever had: ideals. </p>
<p>While the administration hasn’t done a good job with dialogue, and while the group felt this was the only way for the university to react to them, the way this all fell into place made it look like one huge media circus event. It’s embarrassing because the people I knew who were in on this were swept by the excitement of being an agent of change, when really they (and myself included) have no concrete grasp of the realities of the surrounding community. I’m sorry but where were these schmucks when some non-NYU former residents of the Village protested NYU’s expansion? If this is my generation’s idea of bringing about change (a sensationalized slumber party in a cafeteria)… then we’re screwed.</p>
<p>Baobab - excellent post! I was inside the building at the time, had no clue what was going on until I headed down to the Marketplace to grab a snack - big surprise when I found out students were having a sit-in and barricaded the doors with tables and chairs!</p>
<p>Those students are so stupid. They assaulted a security officer (the woman was taken out on a stretcher) they broke into the 3rd floor balcony (broke the lock open - it was tresspassing), and they got their dumb asses suspended over budget disclosure. </p>
<p>They want scholarships for students in Gaza? Hello, what about the THOUSANDS of American students at the university who can’t afford it. Our own people need the money. And why Gaza - yes, they’re suffering, so are people in all 3rd world areas, look at most of Africa and the MiddleEast. </p>
<p>I’m all for protesting when there’s something legit to protest about, but this was a bunch of random kids protesting for the sake of it. Their demands are mostly ridiculous, and they resorted to tresspassing/assault. Amnesty from disciplinary actions? Haha yeah right - I would be fine if they were expelled! Boohoo, NYU is so expensive, no one told us before we came here! We better skip class and hide out in the dining hall, that’s a great use of our time and Daddy’s money! I read a comment earlier where someone said this is the equivalent of buying a Mercedes and then protesting how expensive it is - I have to agree. </p>
<p>I do support budget disclosure, and if there was an organization for making NYU cheaper, **every single student and professor at NYU would be on board **. But that was not that case here.</p>
<p>These gaza citizens are really ****ing me off…first they’ll want free education, then they’ll want control of the entire school…go back to gaza no one wants you around idiots.</p>
<p>Wow, I didn’t even know about this. Maybe because I’m not in NY. I think lots of people don’t hear about this stuff, because I never heard about the Yale thing either. It’s things like VA Tech shooting’s that got people’s attention.</p>
<p>Thanks Molly, I’m glad that our student body isn’t completely swept by this event. </p>
<p>DavidB1990, I don’t think there were any students of Palestinian origin taking part in the cafeteria siege. It was Take Back NYU! that demanded those scholarships and the shipping of surplus supplies (LOL. surplus supplies) to U of Gaza. While I am sympathetic towards the Gazans I agree with Molly in asking, why not other devastated regions in the world or even our own people? Not everybody in the New York city area can even dream of coming to NYU for financial aid. What about them? </p>
<p>and early_college, my family and friends from NJ heard about this on the news but I wouldn’t exactly expect this thing to make the BBC homepage or anything. The Virginia Tech massacre was a tragedy so I think it’s much different than a disgruntled student coalition taking over its own building.</p>
<p>To the original poster: Why do you call NYU’s handling of the protest heavy-handed? They kept the police out and did not have anyone arrested even though many of the protestors weren’t from NYU and were clearly trespassing.</p>
<p>They sent administrators to talk to them and tried to meet their demands for food. They extended the deadline for when they needed to leave without penalty and only suspended the students who stayed rather than expelling them as threatened.</p>
<p>Heavy handed is when you douse the crowd with tear gas or have the police and national guard intervene with tragic results.</p>
<p>Sorry, but I was at NYU and passed by the protestors when 2 girls whipped off their shirts proclaiming joyfully, " I want NYU’s budget to be as transparent as me!" Give me a break… they lost me there.</p>
<p>It doesn’t seem like a huge deal to me, no offense. I do know that NYU is like rated number 1 for terrible finanical aid. But seems like they went to far. I don’t expect the news to go far. I’m in the Southeast USA, so maybe that’s why I didn’t hear about it.</p>
<p>First… I have to agree with uskoolfish. They were not at all heavy handed. Kent State and Columbia protests during Vietnam were heavy handed. I thought NYU handled this very well. </p>
<p>Also, I dont understand why they felt it necessary to protest like this for budget disclosure. I would be the FIRST person to drop everything and take to the streets to protest for a legitimate cause (Believe me, I have before), but seemed a bit unnecessary. Also, the whole Palestine thing was absurd. As a Jew and a Zionist, I am offended that they would make use of this tragic situation to draw attention to their unrelated cause on budget disclosure. While I support a two-state solution (meaning an independent palestine), I dont think that this is the right way to go about this. </p>
<p>I will be interested to see how things turn out, and hopefully they will have things worked out by time I show up in the fall.</p>
<p>I agree 100% with you Bryan</p>
<p>sorry…What happened?</p>