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It's been an eventful day for New School students occupying a dining hall at the university's Graduate Faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue. The group, estimated to be between 75-150, has been hurriedly posting blog "communiques" about the situation as it develops. This morning they reported that "a couple of our comrades have been roughed up and a couple arrested." Then, around noon, New School President Bob Kerrey arrived and tried to dialogue with the students, but according to one communique, "we responded by refusing to negotiate with him and repeating our demand that he immediately resign. He left and took his police with him." Now Kerrey's blog is down due to "technical difficulties." Comrades have occupied the Internet! Now the New School Free Press tells us that students are debating about continuing the occupation through Christmas break, which is a month long. One potential snag is that the building will be undergoing asbestos removal next week in preparation for its eventual demolition.
New School Occupation Day 2: The Revolution Will Be Blogged
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John Sexton could be the highest paid college prez.
http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2009/12/02/is-joh
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Hell no we wont go! Hell no we wont go! Hell no we wont go!
Free Angela Davis!
Attica! Attica! Attica! Attica! Attica! Attica!
Make fuckie not war! Make fuckie not war! Make fuckie not war!
"we responded by refusing to negotiate with him and repeating our demand that he immediately resign. He left and took his police with him."
Which about says it all. Hard to take these people seriously when they're not even smart enough to engage in any dialog...
Bet they bail by Monday.
dialogue...
If they don't like the school, go to another one... jeez.
Look how cool I am! Today I'm protesting for _________...
Sounds like a movie I'd catch on USA or TBS late at night...
how dare you make a mockery of USA and TBS
Frankly, I prefer to "dialogue" with individuals who aren't backed up by armed members of the NYPD. But I have done it and I can tell you from experience that it's not exactly an optimal state for communication.
douchbags
@ mocanlagunas
Tell me you've seen PCU?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110759/
wait, I think it's legal to shoot them as long as it's not in the back.
"a couple of our comrades have been roughed up and a couple arrested."
Comrades indeed.
Are these the same kids who are pissed at Bush for not "dialoging" with Ahmadinejad?
Hang in there, brothers and sisters. Don't let the creepy man get you down.
"Frankly, I prefer to "dialogue" with individuals who aren't backed up by armed members of the NYPD."
Frankly, I don't blame Kerrey for having an escort.
I like this story a lot.
The real issue is that daddy didn't pay enough attention to the little darlings when they were growing up.
Kerrey is simply the father figure punching bag.
Enjoy your therapy children.
12/18 - 10pm rally in front of the New School tonight.
A Rally? Wow, can't wait to miss it...
Hope they stay warm.
Usually I'd write "revolutionaries" like this off right away as kids who are just full of shit... however, I was a student at the New School. I graduated May 2008, and having recently attended the school, I feel I should try and qualify this situation in some way. So I'd like to say a word or two defending the students...
The GF building was--to me, and many others--the New School. Why? Because it was the primary place to do school work. There were, in fact, few other places for students to work. Yes, there were chairs in hallways, etc., but the GF was where I went when I wanted to have peace and quiet, and to do serious work. It was our library, for all intents and purposes.
To be blunt, not having the GF would've made my going to the New School a very, very bad investment. I paid a substantial sum to go to that school (which I don't regret) and I don't fault students for lashing out. Working space is included in the tuition that is paid for education; if the administration cannot provide a replacement space immediately, then they lack the justification to take it away. I have visited to colleges that cost significantly less than the New School, yet still manage to provide more extravagant and spacious libraries than the New School. If you ever go into the GF building, you know that this is not extravagant. It is... well. An ugly building. But it's what we had.
Furthermore, it's well known among students and faculty that the "politics" of New School administration is fucked. The worst part of the New School experience is the constant sense of disarray, disorganization, and laziness that the administration radiates. To me, the notion of attempting to actually stop the administration from tearing down this building "via dialogue" is a false positive. It wouldn't happen.
I don't know the students who are doing this. I will say that a few of my classmates were a little bit--what's the phrase?--full of shit. Faux revolutionaries; always ready to bitch and moan about how things are run when regardless of what's actually going on. So my caveat is that there is a potential invitation to write off these students based on the zealous, and sometimes mislead, nature of some "radical" students.
None the less, it was not long ago when I was finishing up my degree at that school, and so I know better than to simply write this off. Personally, I wouldn't have had the guts to stop the administration from tearing down the GF building. I wouldn't have done something like this. But I know that there are very serious students at that school. And I know that if the GF is gone, and there is no replacement, many will not have a place to do class work.
I just hope these people don't hurt anyone, or get themselves hurt. It's not worth that... if the administration insists, despite the strong outcry of their students, to tear the building down, then perhaps the students should find another school. That's the best way to hurt the New School--take away their "investors"...
the hope these kids win their fight. Stand strong.
"Hell no we won't go!! ...asbestos? ...Mommy!!!
#20: Well, yeah. While I agree with their aims here, protesting to improve their university - which will only benefit them personally for a short time - vs. avoiding lung cancer should always come out on the side of avoiding lung cancer. It's not like they would be acting like especially spoiled children if they decided to de-occupy a building with loose asbestos floating everywhere.
If they were serious (or had a clue...), they would Negotiate or at least start a Dialog.
yawn
wow. of the four posts about this, I think Snoopy at the top wins for biggest ass-comment. which is really saying something.
well snoopy and the rest of you who spent the last two days criticizing the students as inefective, wanna-be 60s, faker hippies, you're so much smarter and better than them except for the part where they won:
http://www.newschoolinexile.com/
read the agreement yourself and maybe, just maybe, you'll consider the idea that direct action may actually be more useful than indirect criticism from your desk chair.
"huh, social movements for change actually change things? who wudda thunk?!"