Update: According to the NSFree Press, students voluntarily left the study space permanently yesterday. "The occupiers were not removed," they quoted New School Director of Communications Peter Taback. "The occupiers left on their own at some point during the night." They add that some students did indeed head to Kellen Gallery, but that was closed after they "damaged property" (as you can see above). more ›

Yesterday we noted that the New School's president, David E. Van Zandt, is totally chill about the ongoing occupation of the second-floor study center the school leases at 90 Fifth Avenue. Unlike some school presidents we know of, he can appreciate the value of unvarnished free speech. Can the same be said of the protesters? A tipster passed along the photo above, which targets freelance Times reporter, New School alumnus, and current Columbia J-school student Aidan Gardiner for his HIT JOB that he wrote for the City Room yesterday. more ›

Current New School President and former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey has reportedly been tapped to be the next chairman of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA). Kerrey announced last year that he would be stepping down as head of New School in July 2011 for obscure reasons (though there was some controversy on campus over his involvement in the CIA's Operation Phoenix). more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] The Occupy Everything student dissidents have sent out another video from one of their strident street demonstrations, which is always a fun way to start the day. This one is described by the group as "video of last night's incident when the police attacked students at the anti-war march in times square." Man, here we go again, another outrageous example of the police state in action, with pigs cracking skulls to suppress dissent and... Oh, actually, it shows officers using reasonable force to arrest two direct action demonstrators blocking traffic. But then wait until you see how the protesters get attacked once they surround the station house, reciting their favorite chant, "From New York to Greece, Fuck the Police!" more ›

Student activists have released two more videos to complement last week's footage of an NYPD officer violently arresting a protester during a march in solidarity with student protesters at the University of California. Both videos depict some of the activities leading up to the arrest of two individuals—neither of whom are actually enrolled at the New School, according to university spokeswoman Deborah Kirschner. more ›

There's not much background on this video depicting the violent arrest of a demonstrator last night, but it's still a bracing way to start your day. New School students and their comrades brought the ruckus downtown to show solidarity with students at the University of California, who are occupying various administration buildings on multiple campuses to protest budget cuts and an increase in student fees, among other grievances. more ›

The innovative New York City arts scene is now $2.7 million closer to staying afloat. The Rockefeller Foundation announced today that after sorting through 500 grant proposals from the metro area, 18 organizations will be receiving anywhere from $50,000 to $250,000 over a two-year period. more ›

At a meeting of the New School’s board of trustees last night, Bob Kerrey announced that he will step down as university president when his contract expires in July 2011. He did not explain the reasons for his decision, but insisted that it had nothing to do with faculty opposition and passionate student protests demanding his resignation. In breaking the news, City Room accurately describes Kerrey as "a decorated war hero," but omits the small matter of his slaughter of more than a dozen Vietnamese women and children in Thanh Phong village in 1969. The massacre is not irrelevant; New School students calling for Kerrey's dismissal say his involvement in the CIA's Operation Phoenix make him unfit to govern a progressive university that was founded by WWII refugees. In other New School news, trustees and faculty members have ordered an inquiry into the events surrounding last month's short-lived student occupation of a New School building, which resulted in 22 arrests. (On GOOD FRIDAY!) more ›

Two New School students and one academically unaffiliated protester were arrested last night for blocking traffic on Fifth Avenue during a demonstration against police handling of last week's occupation of a university building. According to the New School Free Press, about 150 students, faculty, and supporters gathered outside the site of the occupation around 6 p.m. to condemn the NYPD and, once again, demand the resignation of president Bob Kerrey, who protesters blame for encouraging what they're calling a "brutal" and "violent" end to Friday's sit-in. more ›

You didn't think they were just going to disappear into their dorms, did you? New School students, faculty, and supporters plan to hold a rally near Union Square tonight to protest last week's protest, particularly how cops "brutally beat" a student outside the school as the NYPD ended the short-lived occupation. The beating in question was caught on tape, and though it looks more like a smack in the face as payback for yelling "Shame!" at the cops, the New School in Exile group says the student "sustained a concussion and serious wounds to his head and face." They held a press conference yesterday to decry the university's "repression," demand that all suspended students be reinstated, and insist upon the immediate removal of President Bob Kerrey, VP John Murtha, and other officials. Here's video of the presser with more details on the demands that must be met before protesters will even think about hanging up their Keffiyah scarves. Details on tonight's rally are here. more ›

After the dust cleared in yesterday's New School building occupation and police confrontation that resulted in 22 arrests, demonstrations continued into the night Friday with around 200 protesters marching south from Union Square towards President Bob Kerrey's house before being blocked off by police officers at 11th Street. more ›

Well, it's still unclear whether police used tear gas in breaking up this morning's student occupation of a New School on Fifth Avenue and 13th Street, but this striking video shows that plenty of pepper spray was liberally applied. Earlier today, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told City Room it was “untrue that pepper spray or mace was used in effectuating the arrests." Could it be he was fibbing? See for yourself, but only if you want your faith in NYPD flacks utterly shattered. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Well, that was short and sweet, and everybody gets out of here in time for lunch! Except for the protesters, who were promptly arrested in an efficient, well-organized raid. Because the students had been threatening to "shut down" the New School since April 1st, the fuzz had plenty of time to prepare, and Bob Kerrey wasn't about to let this thing turn into a prolonged media circus like the last one. more ›

Student activists have occupied a New School building on 5th Avenue and 13th Street and are standing on the roof shouting their demands through a bullhorn and waving the anarchist flag. Good times. The takeover took place around 5 a.m. and is believed to involve some 60 students affiliated with the Radical Student Union, which participated in last year's New School occupation—not to be confused with the more recent NYU sit-in. more ›

At 10:00 p.m. last night, some 70 students from NYU and the New School barricaded themselves inside a cafeteria on the third floor of NYU's Kimmel Center. The group, which includes members of "Take Back NYU!", is vowing to extend the occupation "indefinitely" until the university's administrators comply with a series of demands "to make our school more democratic, accountable and socially just." more ›

As you've probably heard, for several days a group of students at The New School University occupied a dining hall in the Graduate Faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue, which is scheduled for demolition. Among their demands were the resignations of university President Bob Kerrey and other officials, and voting representation on the search committee for the interim-Provost and the Provost. more ›

It's been over 24 hours since New School students occupied the Graduate Faculty building in protest of school president Bob Kerrey's and other administration figures' action, and it hasn't been without incident. The students, who promised to "inaugurate a wave of occupations in New York City and the United States, a coming wave of occupations, blockades, and strikes in this time of crisis," scuffled with the police when they tried to take over more parts of the building (they were initially just in the dining hall). more ›

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. more ›

A group of New School students, perhaps numbering 75 or more, are continuing their occupation of a dining hall at the university's Graduate Faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue. Taking over the room last night, the group announced, "We liberate this space for ourselves, and all those who want to join us, for our general autonomous use. We take the university in explicit solidarity with those occupying the universities and streets in Greece, Italy, France and Spain." more ›

Some New School students have gathered to "occupy" the Graduate Faculty building at 65 Fifth Avenue, in protest of New School President Bob Kerrey and Vice President James Murtha and students' lack of voice in the university's direction. According to the New School In Exile website, "The original idea of the University in Exile, and the New School in general, was to be a safe-haven for academic freedom and scholarship free of oppressive political regimes. It was known for its deep thinkers, its innovative academics, and its commitment to social and political justice as a bedrock of all other scholarship. The New School, under its current administration, is no longer able to fulfill that role of critical engagement and dissent." You can get some more info at the Facebook Group "New School Students with NO CONFIDENCE in Kerrey." Additionally, the students occupying 65 Fifth declare it "an open student study space and intent to keep the building open indefinitely" and invite other students to join in. more ›

on Facebook anyway) to open up lines of communication with the school community. The former Senator has been under fire after announcing he would assume the role of provost after the fifth provost in 7 years was let go, which then prompted senior faculty to give him a vote of no-confidence. Kerrey, who is no longer assuming interim provost duties, tells readers, "I look forward to having a direct conversation with you about the future of the New School," but one student writes, "I appreciate that you want to hear, or read, my voice. However, I am a little disappointed that this blog has been setup now after the recent incidents. It seems like this blog is just flimflam for you to claim an active roll in listening to what faculty and students have to say. I would like to remind people that even if you do genuinely interact with this blog, it still is only a product of the situation and should not distract from any current affairs." more ›

months— decided to step down (and work on the Obama transition team). While board of trustees announced their support of him, tensions are running high. Anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, who served as provost between 2004 and 2006, told the Times, “I came to the New School largely because I sensed that he was a charismatic, affable, charming person. I found that was one part of the style. But I also found there was another part that was impulsive, autocratic and produced an increasing sense of fear among those who worked for him.” more ›

MOVIE: Tonight the Brooklyn Independent Cinema Series delivers two very different films. First up is The French Riviera, described as "a road documentary that follows a truck driver on a mission to earn enough money selling ice cream in the Icelandic countryside to go on a vacation on a French beach." more ›

The Chronicle of Higher Education released its annual salary survey of the heads of educational institutions and the value of a college education is evidenced in the paychecks being cashed by institutions' presidents. More than a dozen heads of private universities took home more than $1 million during the 2005-06 school year. According to the New York Post, the dean of higher earning was Donald Ross, who took home $5.7 million--most in deferred compensation after... more ›

As outrageous as this may seem, this sort of makes sense: James Lipton, he of Inside the Actors' Studio, used to be a pimp in Paris! ABC reports:

The revered TV presenter, who has sat down with Hollywood's biggest names for in-depth chats about their life and work over the last 13 years, has revealed he once procured clients for French hookers.