Within the last month or so, ads and flyers boasting the phrase “100 Years New” have been popping up around school, in coffee shops, on our Instagram feeds, and most recently, in the Union Square subway station.
These ads are for the Festival of New (otherwise known as the Centennial), the New School’s very own week-long, 100-year birthday celebration. The festival finished up today, Sunday, Oct. 6. It included “compelling performances, thought-provoking talks, and bold exhibitions curated to question the status quo,” according to the Festival of New booklets that were passed out in the 12th street Lang building.
The festival was open to “students, faculty, alumni, and our NYC neighbors,” and its events aimed to reflect the New School’s progressive image and values. Students received regular emails in their inboxes, and professors were urged to cancel classes throughout the week in order to allow students to participate.
Though the Festival of New has been adequately advertised in the local community, to some students it’s still unclear exactly who the festival was for — or what it’s aim was.
“I feel like, in my honest opinion, it caters more towards alum and not current students,” said Liv Hepner, a second-year communication design major at Parsons.
Some students expressed their negative feelings about the festival on social media, especially in response to the New School’s ad campaign in the Union Square subway station. Students pointed at a multitude of problems they face inside the university and criticized the university’s focus on an outward facing event.
The event relied on volunteers, mostly faculty and staff, to keep things running smoothly.
Some volunteers were frustrated by the work they did for the festival. One staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been unhappy with the volunteering process and felt pressured to volunteer.
The technicalities of the event sparked curiosity amongst the New School community. Ashley Bruni, director of brand strategy at the New School, said that the festival is requiring extra security measures given the influx of visitors in university buildings.
“Everyone who comes to campus who is not a registered student, or alumni with an alumni card, has to go through the registration process,” Bruni said. “Once they get to campus, they’ll say ‘I’m here for the festival’ and we’ll check their registration. If they’re a walk up, we will have them go through the registration process. So we see their name and their email address, and then everyone will get a wristband so that we know that they’re affiliated.”
Hepner, the second-year at Parsons, attended the concert in Union Square, which she says was fun. “It was very cute and there were a lot of talented alumni there,” she said.
Still, it seemed slightly under-planned. “The concert was supposed to start at 4 p.m., but they put in an email that it would start around 2 p.m. if the weather was nice,” Hepner said.
Despite being unclear on whether this event really is for students or not, those who have attended the events have very positive things to say.
“I’m so glad I attended Tarana Burke’s talk,” Susie Fordi, a second-year Journalism + Design major at Lang, said. “Her conversation about survivors of sexual assault was beautiful to experience, especially in a room full of people who cherish the #MeToo movement.”
Bruni, director of brand strategy, also filled in the blanks about the festival’s budget.
“The budget comes from a few different places. The overall university budget has created a Centennial edition and there is money from the board of trustees to kind of help with this. Then each department that is taking part in the festival is using part of their annual operating budget to support it,” Bruni said.
“For instance, for marketing, we’re not spending additional money marketing the festival. We’re using our existing marketing budget, and strategically focusing on the festival as a main point for the message that we are normally saying about the university,” Bruni said.