A-Infos (en) US, NYC, Why We Finally, Really Took Back NYU by Take Back NYU!*

A group of student-empowering, social-justice-minded rabblerousers have occupied the 
Marketplace at Kimmel and we refuse to move until our demands are met. All are encouraged 
to join us on the third floor and help us sustain this occupation until NYU complies with 
our demands. (Our demands are listed below)

We apologize for inconveniencing the loyal lunchgoers of the Kimmel Marketplace, but we 
are not sorry for causing a disruption! Established channels have been insufficient to 
make our voices heard by the administration, and we have waited too long to be taken 
seriously. By disrupting the University’s functioning now, we are forcing the 
administration to deal with those people it depends upon the most—we, the students!

Our demands, though many and varied, are united by the desire to empower students to take 
part in the governance of their University.

Continue Reading »

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Live Video from the Occupation!

Feb 19th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!

Experience the NYU occupation over a live streaming broadcast! You can also chat with 
folks inside!

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Statement of Non-Violence and Abstention from Property Destruction

Feb 19th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!

Statement of Non-Violence and Abstention from Property Destruction

We the occupying students of New York University do not support or condone violence 
against people, nor do we condone or support the destruction of property over the course 
of this occupation.  Such acts undermine our goals of the reclamation of student space, 
and therefore all participants in the occupation are expected to retain respect for all 
persons and property throughout the course of the action. We do not intend any harm or 
damage to any living beings or to private property, and strongly criticize any will to do 
so. Any individual who wills such violence or destructiveness will be asked to leave the 
premises, and will not represent the interests of this occupation.  Our action condemns 
oppression in any form, and thus we do not espouse the subjugation of others using 
violence. We will not tolerate any discrimination based on race, color, sex, gender, 
religion, age, sexuality, or nationality. We take very seriously the safety and wellbeing 
of all those involved in and affected by this occupation, and hold them as our highest 
priorities. In our quest to construct an ideal university, we seek a university founded 
upon mutual respect, democracy and accountability, and we espouse methods consistent with 
that quest.

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NYU OCCUPIED!!!!

Feb 19th, 2009 by Take Back NYU!

NYU is the latest university to join a wave of global student occupations in the name of 
student empowerment. The Kimmel Center for University life is official a reclaimed space.
What you can do:

     * Come support the occupation!
     * Send a letter to the administration in solidarity
     * Send an e-mail to your professors, peers, listservs, facebook groups you name it! 
Tell the world.
     * Have your parent write a letter or e-mail to the university
     * Print the following demands and distribute them far and wide!

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 publicly affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student 
employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU 
publicly 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.

SOLIDARITY STATEMENT

We, the students of Take Back NYU! declare our solidarity with the student occupations 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 occupations 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.

Groups

Oct 11th, 2008 by Take Back NYU!

Amnesty International @ NYU
Asian Cultural Union
Campus Anti-War Network @ NYU
Campus Icarus
Coalition for Fair Labor @ NYU
Community Roots @ NYU
Earth Matters
Gallatone
Graduate Student Organizing Committee
Krishna Bhakti Club @ NYU
Latinos Unidos Con Honor y Amistad
Malaysian and Indonesian Students Society
National Organization for Women @ NYU
Queer Union
Radical Film and Lecture Series
Students Creating Radical Change
Students for a Democratic Society @ NYU
Students for Education on Animal Liberation
Students of Color and Allies
Transform America
Voices for Choice

Points of unity for the groups above:

     * We are working towards achieving the following demands: disclosure of the budget, 
disclosure of the endowment and a student on the board of trustees.
     * All formal decisions and actions of the Take Back NYU! coalition will be agreed 
upon by consensus at non-hierarchical meetings. If consensus is not reached, the group can 
continue with their action, but should not use the Take Back NYU! coalition’s name.
     * Take Back NYU! is an egalitarian, anti-oppression, anti-sexist, anti-racist, and 
queer-friendly organization.
     * We encourage and respect the right of our member groups to use a diversity of 
tactics, provided that those tactics do not conflict with aforementioned Points of Unity. 
Endorsing the demands of Take Back NYU! does not mean endorsing particular tactics of 
other members of the coalition.
     * We believe these demands will create a more transparent, accountable and democratic 
NYU community.
==============
* http://takebacknyu.com/ An antiauthoritarian anticapitalist initiative
_________________________________________
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