Kerrey Calls New School Students' Occupation an "Unauthorized Sleepover"

"once you lite the joint, hold it like this...then pucker your lips like this and..."

I just want to add that the University Student Senate could only take this vote after 10Pm because it could not meet anywhere else except a convenience store because all buildings were under lock-down.

The USS will be releasing a resolution that was passed and read aloud to the body of students soon.

I am a new school student and I do not support this protest. The students protesting do have some valid points -- as well as some grossly misinformed points -- but while I may support what they support, I repeat, i do not support the protest.

Right now, they have hijacked my school and dirtied its name making me an academic refugee.

I cannot return my library books, I cannot study in my computer lab (which is supposed to be open right now yet was closed down because of the protesters), i cannot get things from my locker, I cannot practice piano in my schedule practice room.

I am a victim of the activism of those who need to learn that communication is not done through pickets and chants, but rather through information and discussion.

what is their problem? i can't find a straight answer anywhere.

Kerrey's just trying to take them into the 21st century while these eejits pretend to recreate the sixties (and do a poor job of it).

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2007/03/bob_kerrey_gets.html

I'm a New School student who would love to post a little piece that I wrote regarding the situation.

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My views on the ongoing events involving a jumbled New School administration and a defiant group of students are varied and, relative to reactions on other matters, rather complex. Inversely, I can't help but be disappointed by the actions of the students based at 65 5th Avenue and elsewhere on the NSU campus. I dare not question our ability to dissent, but raise a point that there are more productive, responsible ways in doing so.

The stated mission is to oust members of the administration seen to be unfit. To have fiscal transparency and a reworking of financial priorities.
Yet they celebrate, saying 'We Shut Down the School!'

I admit that I, too, would get an adrenaline rush reliving the experiences those who have rebelled for a common objective. The energy must be palpable, the passion indissoluble. But are you just getting off on the high from it all, with the excuse that this discord will shake the administration's resolve, will just complicate shit, raise some hell?

'We Shut Down the School.' At the moment, and for the last few (and next few + few + few) hours, no New School University student is permitted to reenter a school facility once they exit. This policy was instituted by NSU staff of some form, much to the dismay of many.

The protesters staked their claim of a small victory over the school, and kudos to 'em, I suppose, if that's the case. I could argue whether or not they did in fact accomplish such a feat of shutting it down, but choose to instead contemplate what good comes of it, regardless of whether the School was in fact Shut Down. Bob Kerrey is in bed right now, I imagine. He can't be happy, of course. But he ain't losing too much sleep based on whether some kids are sprawled across a floor not to be sprawled upon. And the security guards would be there either way, so this might even be a little fun for the more stale hours of the night.

As the last few days of finals elapse, who needs the school? Who uses it? Students.

These are designers glued to computer screens at 3 a.m., and writers frantically researching a subject matter as zero hour approaches. Artists who need some space, or a quiet little escape from home, disjointed from the seduction of delicious leftovers and booze and DVD's and high thread-count bedding and just a little nap within said sheets that no, you shouldn't succumb to.

I haven't slept in thirty-four and one-half hours. This is and was a decision entirely my own, one enchanted by the allure of that perfect window of creative potential when one is lucid and sleepdrunk and honest and inspired and rushed, rushed, rushed. So yeah, that's my fault, my foolish prerogative. A girl spent much, much longer camped out at a workstation a few chairs over. We chip away at the keyboard with zombied demeanor, occasionally slipping out for a breath of fresh air and, more importantly, a cup of deli coffee.

Perhaps we head home for a quick sec, or to grab that other disk or book or That Important Thing I Forgot. Perhaps for a shower, or a lick of sleep. That's the dirty dance of finals, the ugly romance of procrastination and minds on overdrive and thoughts of home and holidays and eggnog and family. She ain't pretty, but we love her anyway. Or at the very least, we allow ourselves to get sucked back in, year after year.

This debacle has inhibited our efforts to get our work finished in a manner that is actually argued for by the protesters themselves. You want shared student space, eh? Come on in, the water's fine. The fourth floor of the UCC ain't bad, and there's plenty of room. Your actions, and their repercussions, are denying students that very availability.

Employees here -- a number of whom I just spoke with -- share the sentiment that the ideas are well-founded, but the methods are not. I overheard one woman contemplate how she and a few other lab workers were going to get dinner. They can't go outside. E7 is Twizzlers, and they go for a buck. There are some candies, too, at seventy-five cents apiece.

Not to get lost in the personal, but my computer crashed. This building is my only practical availability for getting through this wild mess. If I choose to get a bite to eat that doesn't come from a vending machine, I forfeit my right to a shiny new Mac that is really fast and a nice big office chair that's considerably comfortable, though I trust it's seen better days. Nonmatter.

I do not blame the security guards, who are merely carrying out the jobs they have been assigned. Nor do I the administration, who must take certain measures within reason so as to mantain safety and order. I blame you, oh brave fighters of right. Was this considered when the big ol' camp-out was coming to life? What did you anticipate happening, and how did you foresee your actions in achieving such a result?

Come what may from this escapade -- both comedy and drama -- I hope we can consider the veiled selfishness of The Protestors and their Comrades in their valiant fight beyond their handsome prose (one I may also be guilty of), vague objections, and flawed resolutions. Just because you agree with the objective does not mean you must get sucked up in these particular tactics.

I am not bitter -- this work will get done, albeit under more stressed, unhealthy terms. And I'll be happy. Saturday is my birthday, the first in years that I won't likely be positively buried in work. We're heading to a wine bar or two, me and a bunch of close friends. It'll be great; head over, if you want. Once you leave 65 5th Ave., though, you're done for good. But I'll buy you a drink -- you need one.

So,

Complaints have been voiced on the basis that Kerrey gutlessly cancelled the meeting. Yet you refused to speak with him when he approached you on multiple occasions earlier on.

Do you want change, or has getting off on the adrenaline rush become more important?

At 10:35, you tout your hard work. Yet I'm only aware of the sitting around, the sign painting, The Liveblogging With Capital Letters and ye olde fashioned words. Comrades? Really?

You tout solidarity, yet your very actions divide the student body.
You speak confidently and emphasize strength, yet you redact the names and blur the faces.

Why are we throwing bottles, becoming physical, and escalating the issue into terrain that threatens those not directly involved, or not wanting to be involved in this fashion?

If we're all going to talk, we need an equal platform. No cheap shots, no manipulation. This goes for all sides, for all parties involved. Get your word out, and use that fine grammar you've been workin' on. I bet you'll win me over. But stake your claim and then (this may be the hard part) listen to everyone else. Not just the administration, the opposition. But also fellow classmates -- myself included -- who revere the ability to stand in opposition to that which we disagree with, to fight at length on the behalf of our rights, beliefs, and expectations. There's more than one way, and more than one voice. Let's just do a little less shouting for the sake of a richer dialogue. There's nothing that could be more 'New School' than that.

Over time, various opinions on the man...

Kerrey's blog - current

Old School - Dec. 12, 2008

How Kerrey Gave New School Growth and Its Own Éclat - Sept. 12, 2007

Fugitive Scandal May Pose a Hurdle for the New School - Sept. 9, 2007

What's the Matter With Flakiness? - May 2, 2005

Bob Kerrey Gets Innovation Right At The New School And Parsons - March 18, 2005

New School extends Kerrey’s contract six more years - Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2004

A Tale of Innocence Lost - June 17, 2002

Kerrey's Quagmire - May 19, 2002

bagelman: what's a non-internet blog? Underground newspaper? Fliers in a bathroom stall?

I don't disagree with you, incidentally. :)

Is New School an accredited school? I always thought it's for adults to take afterwork classes such as knitting and self improvement b.s. courses? I thought these sit-in only happen in "poorer" CUNYs? They all look like privileged kids living off their parents' trust funds. I say send in the NYPD and make these spoiled brats know what's the inside of Riker looks like.

I thought the New School was where GED kids learned how to fix televisions and air-conditioner systems.

They are wishing they were at Berkeley in the 60s. While I understand some of the arguments, this is stupid.

Besides, isn't it finals? Reading a book would be more useful than this.

Go Home

If you really want to do something useful look to the Greeks

Now there are are some students with passion for their ideals

rioting in the streets is much better than 20 year olds acting like 5 year olds having a temper tantrums and locking them selves in their room

Act your age not your shoe size

These students want to rearrange the present administration, and probably have no idea what actually needs to happen for that to go forward remotely smoothly.

A lack of deep understanding of the real issues at hand is not the right position from which to start a "rebellion". But if they want to live-blog in hopes of 15 minutes of fame, they're doing just great.

Maybe the New School students who just want to get through finals week will stage a counter sit-in.

#30 - I read the "agreement" and they were lame, there were no clear cut promises made by Kerrey nor the admin? And I thought the goal was the resignation of Kerrey and the other heads of the School?! These privileged douchebags seem to give up pretty easily. Wasn't there a hardcore 60's radical among the hipster morons during the "sit in" to give an inspiration speech on "never giving up"? If the civil right movement were ran by these airheads, critical mass and bike lane clowns, we will still have separate restrooms for the "colored folks". There's a time to fight when the cause and time are right, but this was purely a media whoring exercise.

#30, well, isn't it nice that you think you accomplished something, but how does a mob chasing a man with a prosthetic leg and hurling a tomato at him succeed in anything other than making you look like a bunch of idiots? For goodness sakes, you're not oppressed freedom fighters living in a dictatorship -- you're a bunch of privileged students in an exclusive private university who are unhappy with the way it's being run. You'll be gone in about two or three years, why make asses of yourselves?

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/protest-at-the-new-school-turns-unruly/