[NYC] New School Occupation

re-posted from NewSchoolInExile.com

From within the occupied New School in Exile, 65 5th Avenue, New York City:

We have been in occupation of the Graduate Faculty building of the New School University since 8pm Wednesday the 17th of December. More than 100 of us have taken over a student building, including our only library, which the administration has marked for demolition without creating any equivalent new space on campus. We have opened the building as a student-run autonomous space, in protest against the administration of President Bob Kerrey who recently received a vote of no confidence from the majority of faculty in this school. Details of our multiple grievances against Kerrey, his vice-President Jim Murtha, and treasurer of the board of trustees Robert Millard are laid out in our first communiqué. This morning we have an update on our situation. At around noon today New School security moved to block our access to the fire exits, preventing us from allowing in our fellow students of the Inter-University Consortium to whom they had refused access to the building in a violation of the Consortium agreement. When they failed to remove us, the NYPD were sent in to violently evict us from the fire exit and one of our fellow students was arrested. The police entered the building at the same time as President Kerrey arrived and offered to speak with us, we responded by refusing to negotiate with him and repeating our demand that he immediately resign. He left and took his police with him. At the moment our security has returned and our numbers have doubled, but we expect future incursions on our space and encourage all who support us to come to the Graduate Building at 65 5th Avenue and 14th street.

Signed,
The New School in Exile

re-posted from cuny_movement listserv

Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 12:15 AM

New School Occupied! 10:30am Press Conference/Rally - CUNY Students statement

We write this statement from an occupied New School University. (WHAT WHAT)

At 8pm, December 18th, over 75 students reclaimed the cafeteria at the New School University as an autonomous student center. Students from several Universities commandeered this space. Students of City College, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center are here participating in this struggle. This is every student's occupation.

If this can happen at the New School, through the organized activity of 75 dedicated students, it can happen at CUNY. And we certainly have reason to be upset: On the first day of the Fall 2008 semester, the CUNY budget was slashed $50.6 million. Massive layoffs plague all our schools. We are now being told of a looming $600-per-year tuition hike and more colossal budget cuts to CUNY students and teachers, in a school that was once FREE.

We will continue this campus occupation until our demands are met. While the demands tonight are specific to The New School we will not be satisfied until the students and faculty of CUNY, NYU, all the consortium schools and beyond, have control over their universities. Education should be free, student debts should be cancelled, students and workers should work together to achieve our goals, and we start here.

Please, come out to the New School and support us! Join us! We are at 65 5th avenue (between 13th and 14th St.). The building will be open to all consortium students at 7:30am, we invite you to come any time tomorrow, but particularly at 10:30 when there will be a rally and press conference. The morning hours will be crucial, and the student-occupiers need to know that we are not struggling alone!

Our next stop? CUNY.
- CUNY students at The New School in Exile

Contact:
Frank at 718.314.2328, fmanning@gc.cuny.edu
Conor Tomás Reed at 979.204.9253, cocoreed@gmail.com

!! EMERGENCY UPDATE !! (11:30 pm)

A huge group of students have just gained access to the 65 5th Avenue building and joined the ongoing New School student occupation. For a few minutes the cafeteria was a whirling maze of shouts, cheers, dancing and jubilation as friends inside the occupation were joined by friends and supporters outside. Students breached the security lockdown shortly after 11pm est. The student negotiators who had been meeting with the university administration reported back shortly after the breach, and have reported that the negotiations were very successful and there is widespread support for our demands, including information that President Kerrey himself has agreed to some of the student demands. In solidarity with the students, staff, faculty and supporters around the world we are with you, and thank you!

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO: www.newschoolinexile.com