Students Occupy NYU

NYU has been taken over in Solidarity with Palestine. Students are demanding that NYU become economically democratic and fiscally transparent. No joke. Here is the website www.takebacknyu.com with all the demands and a live camera feed.

Take Back NYU! is a coalition of nearly two dozen groups and hundreds of students at New York University demanding budget disclosure, endowment disclosure, and student representation on the Board of Trustees.

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.

Some of their demands are of specific interest to Evergreen’s TESC Divest group: 8, 9 & 10:

8. That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance committee will be:

• An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
• 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.

Check out their website!

-mr, am