Saturday, February 21, 2009

NYU Siege Concludes with Arrests; Pres. John Sexton, VP Lynne Brown Choose Suspensions, Not Murder

Well, the siege of my alma mater, NYU, is finally over, with the university once again living up to its reputation for negotiating in bad faith. I encourage anyone who knows how underhanded the vile administration of President John Sexton has been to keep a good eye on Take Back NYU.

Frankly, I was waiting for Sexton to order his security goons to simply burst into the cafeteria and go all Virginia Tech on the protesters. I wouldn't put it past him: there is no tactic too low for the man. Oh, and what's with trotting out Lynne Brown, vice president of university relations, to tell the protesters -- via the rolling cameras -- "You are now suspended. You have to leave NYU," as if NYU owns the public streets of the university? Pure evil. What will Brown do? Bar them from Washington Square Park? Bar them from LaGuardia Place? Let them try. If Lynne Brown thirsts for violence in the streets, they may well get their wish. I hope it doesn't come to that. The students want fiduciary transparency -- what is Sexton hiding?

Also, what does "suspended" mean? Is this high school?

This is the list of the board of trustees of NYU. Concerned students, faculty and alumni should be pelting these folks with letters and emails, don't you think? If someone organizes it, I'll help.

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1 comment:

Mae West NYC said...

Since I live near NYU, have a degree from NYU, and taught NYU undergraduates Expository Writing - - - and since I jog daily around Washington Sq Park and was an eye-witness to the stand-off - - - I have a comment.

The rhetoric of the student protestors who took over the NYU Student Center made it very difficult to understand their aims or goals. Through a megaphone, they invited students to join them and "SIT IN" and they called for "democracy" but did not clarify what they hoped to achieve at any time when I was present. Several students shouted back: "SIT IN? WHY? BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, AND IT DID NOT WORK AT ALL!!" A male student wearing a Yale hoodie yelled: "If you want us to join you, tell us what you want to accomplish! What is it?" The protestors yelled back, "Take back NYU!" - - as if that made it all crystal clear.
There was a heckuva swarm of news trucks on Friday evening and I listened in when more people were being interviewed on the pavement - - and it was no more clear to me what it was all about than on Thursday.
- - - Hmmmmmm . . . . - - -
Yours truly - - and come up and see Mae