England set the precedent for the world. We at Strathclyde set a precedent for Scotland. And then it spread across the Atlantic. First it was Rochester, and now its NYU. This is historic.
NYU BUILDING TAKEOVER!!!
At approximately 10pm tonight (Feb. 18), students of Take Back NYU! took over the Kimmel Marketplace. They have blockaded the doors and declared an occupation! They presented their demands to the NYU administration. They read as follows:
DEMANDS
We, the students of NYU, declare an occupation of this space. This occupation is the culmination of a two-year campaign by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow.
In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we demand the following:
1. Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.
2. Full compensation for all employees whose jobs were disrupted during the course of the occupation.
3. Public release of NYU’s annual operating budget, including a full list of university expenditures, salaries for all employees compensated on a semester or annual basis, funds allocated for staff wages, contracts to non-university organizations for university construction and services, financial aid data for each college, and money allocated to each college, department, and administrative unit of the university. Furthermore, this should include a full disclosure of the amount and sources of the university’s funding.
4. Disclosure of NYU’s endowment holdings, investment strategy, projected endowment growth, and persons, corporations and firms involved in the investment of the university’s endowment funds. Additionally, we demand an endowment oversight body of students, faculty and staff who exercise shareholder proxy voting power for the university’s investments.
5. That the NYU Administration agrees to resume negotiations with GSOC/UAW Local 2110 – the union for NYU graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants. That NYU publically affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU publically affirm that it will recognize workers’ unions through majority card verification.
6. That NYU signs a contract guaranteeing fair labor practices for all NYU employees at home and abroad. This contract will extend to subcontracted workers, including bus drivers, food service employees and anyone involved in the construction, operation and maintenance at any of NYU’s non-U.S. sites.
7. The establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee. This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions. The committee will be composed of two subcommittees: one to assess the operating budget and one to assess the endowment holdings. Each committee will be composed of ten students democratically elected from the graduate and under-graduate student bodies. All committee decisions will be made a strict majority vote, and will be upheld by the university. All members of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will sit on the board of trustees, and will have equal voting rights. All Socially Responsible Finance Committee and Trustee meetings shall be open to the public, and their minutes made accessible electronically through NYU’s website. Elections will be held the second Tuesday of every March beginning March 10th 2009, and meetings will be held biweekly beginning the week of March 30th 2009.
8. That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance committee will be:
a) An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
b) A reassessment of the recently lifted of the ban on Coca Cola products.9. That annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year. These scholarships will include funding for books, housing, meals and travel expenses.
10. That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.
11. Tuition stabilization for all students, beginning with the class of 2012. All students will pay their initial tuition rate throughout the course of their education at New York University. Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation, nor shall they exceed one percent. The university shall meet 100% of government-calculated student financial need.
12. That student groups have priority when reserving space in the buildings owned or leased by New York University, including, and especially, the Kimmel Center.
13. That the general public have access to Bobst Library.
Along with this, students have issued a
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student [sleepovers] in Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, as well as those of the University of Rochester, the New School for Social Research, and with future [sleepovers] to come in the name of democracy and student power. We stand in solidarity with the University of Gaza, and with the people of Palestine.
P U L S E 
We are with you, in your fight..Do not compromise and others will unite as well.
Viva la revolution….
How much longer will these needless wars led by Israel continue? Will it ‘change’ under Obama? Highly doubtful, after his ‘no comment’ about Palestine. Israel already owns Obama after he picked Rahm Emanuel, the son of a terrorist, as Chief of Staff. Obama will probably let Mossad slide on their 9/11 involvement and Obama will continue Middle East wars. So who owns the new US President? Israel does, as always.
9/11 and Israel, here:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=309228910&blogID=441442669
Woot! You guys rock. It is sad watching other schools and citizens from other countries stand up for injustice and yet we sit and do nothing. It is nice to see not everyone in the US are cowards. Best of luck to you.
God love and be with you all. I pray for your success.
i am with you and so are many others that i know. i applaud and appreciate your courage. keep it up and god bless you all
Great job fellows in NYU.
Hope this campaign spread all over the US as it did in the UK.Apartheid is not tenable in any form, including Israeli occupation. Stand strong and best of luck from your fellows in St Andrews, Scotland
You make me so happy!! I am verclept that our students are geting active!! I have been saddened by the apathy of the youth, but you give me hope, and bathe me in happiness.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH!
This is your nation, and we need you to help us.
KUDOS and GRATITUDE!!!
Much love!!!! and Peace.
Spoiled brats are spoiled. Lets play activist while we get our degrees at college.
Lets play activist while we get our degrees at college.
Why not!
University is like a big store with really long lines, which if your too stupid you get kicked from the line. At the end you get a piece of paper. But its the store and your the customer. The demands they have made for a customer are ridiculous. I am down with equal moral treatment of all employee’s, but why would it need to disclose anything financial? Sure there is tax payer money at work with these schools; but then for changes to be made I think they should be done at a higher level. I also think if they wanted reform, they would have tackled issues separately. Rather then mix together some broad demands.
You’re much nicer than I.
I feel so hurt about what these inhumane creatures are doing to our planet and our culture.
The hate that froths at the mouths of the wounded and the crying requires absolute justice.
These same people who are doing Gaza are killing the world, stealings it money and pilliage our coffers.
We must IN ALL WAYS stop them.
“By God then we take it back.” Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.
MikeD, oh yeah it’s Israel starting these wars? No, it has nothing to do with constant terrorist attacks on their citizens coming from the terrorist group, Hamas, who is in charge. Nooooooooooo, it’s Israel! What a historical denialist. Are you next going to claim the Holocaust never happened, because it’s just as ridiculous a claim.
I’m a liberal, and disgusted that liberals are supporting a terrorist regime and dare bash a middle east democracy attempting to protect their citizens. Israel is the one bastion of goodness in the middle east. Hamas is a terrorist organization attacking innocent people. These are the fact, no matter how much you shove your fingers in your ears and scream “NO! NO! ISRAEL IS EVIL!!!!!!”
Fuck off antisemite.
It is a private school which means it can do what it wants with its money regardless of whether or not taxpayers or students agree. I hope they expel every single person who took part in this.
Yes, I agree with these students.. and I agree with above commenter: Obama IS (also) owned by Israel. It seems that our entire government (any many of our schools) are owned by the Zionists and it IS time for the U.S. to take back our Universities (NYU being a great place to start).
Someone NEEDS to get the message to this administration (in our White-house) that we will no longer put up with what Israeli Zionists are doing and have done for over 60 years to their neighbors AND to their hosts, the people of Palestine.
Good for you kids!!
i find SD’s opinion not very interesting or unique since… i hear it all the time. So no one can criticize israel’s government and/or it’s military’s policies or its antisemite? If anything anyone does or says that is could possibly be against the interests of the israeli government is called an antisemite so they can be squelched. awesome man! no more free speech!
People here are talking about legitimate views and worries about people being needlessly killed… and we are supporting them for barely any reason at all.. just b/c we have to or else well get called antisemites!
i also like how SD tries to say israel is the “last bastion of goodness in the middle east”. But then he tries to defend their ruthless killing as necessary for a “bastion of goodness”
Spolied brats playing revolutionairy.. How long did you stay up and denounce Israel? Do you really think hamas is going to play nice with you an your little black macbook?
Was there truce on while Hammas sent blind rockets into the suburbs? Yes there was. There is no negitiation with people who can hold up their end of the deal.
You would not know a revolution if it bit you on the dick. for the sake of real revolutions, please go back to your selfish expiriments with cocaine and casual sex.
I never felt more proud then now to be a part of Student Activism, thus you have inspired us all.
Long live Revolution.
And SD, your too stupid to be called stupid (putting it mildly).
Hopefully this starts a wave of student strikes at universities calling for ethical and financial accountability.