A sea of students and part-time faculty gathered together in mourning to hold a funeral outside of The New School’s University Center on Halloween Day. Dressed in all black, the mourners blocked pedestrian traffic to surround a makeshift coffin supported by pallbearers. A eulogy was then held in remembrance of the university’s progressive values. 

This rally was coordinated by the student-led group, Student Faculty Solidarity, to protest the university’s alleged stalling in bargaining a new contract for the part-time faculty union. The bargaining has been ongoing for several months, with the union claiming that the university has been unresponsive to their requests, and has often been refusing to meet with them.

“The New School’s progressive values are dead,” union organizer and part-time Parsons professor Molly Ragan (she/her) told the crowd. “We are all here to bury all that The New School stands for and we can keep doing this, or we can fight like hell for a just and equitable part-time faculty contract that gives us the respect, security, and economic stability [that] we deserve.” 

The protest started at 11:30 a.m., when participants gathered outside the university and blocked pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk of Fifth Avenue. Organizers passed out flyers that read, “No More UNPAID LABOR,” and handed out fake roses to students. The group was referred to as a procession, and a eulogy was delivered by part-time professor Dianca Potts (she/her), and written by Oliver Kellhammer (he/him). The speech referenced the university’s failings when it came to bargaining with the part-time faculty. 

As we fight for a living wage, we are deeply concerned about the erosion of our university’s social justice legacy,” Potts said. “The hostile attitude The New School’s team brings to bargaining is more like what you’d expect from an anti-worker company like Amazon or Starbucks.“

Dressed in black, students followed a DIY-constructed coffin up West 13th Street, across Sixth Avenue, and down West 12th Street.. Marchers shouted chants such as, “Professors over profits,” while various passersby stopped to take photographs or to nod their heads in solidarity. 

Students who marched in the funeral procession said they felt disappointed by the university which attracted them with its progressive history. 

Genevieve Simon (she/they), a first-year student, was one of the marchers. She said she chose to attend The New School because of the university’s unique curriculum. 

“I just honestly really liked the fact that they were not a traditional school in terms of tests and the curricula offered. But once I got here I was appalled by the way the administration was operating.”

Nell Lyons (she/her), a second-year psychology student at Lang, felt the need to take action after The New School which promotes its progressive values, disappointed her. 

“I think that workers’ rights are something that is really important which is a part of why I chose to go to a seemingly progressive institution like The New School,” she said.

The protestors gathered at the back of the university’s cafeteria, where part-time faculty placed the coffin and dozens of roses, creating a makeshift altar beside the staircase. Signs surrounded the coffin with bold text read, “Their working conditions are our learning conditions,” and “No more unpaid labor!” 

Students gathered around union organizers as Ragan, spoke to the crowd about the background behind this funeral. 

Several ACT-UAW Local 7902 union reps were in attendance during the dining hall gathering, prepared to answer students’ questions. 

“Our bargaining team has been negotiating for six months and seeing very little movement and collaboration from The New School. In fact, we’re seeing a very aggressive, and almost hostile attitude as far as I can tell from the bargaining blog,” Tamar Samir, a union rep told The New School Free Press. “So we’re here today to bring more awareness to that and to show the hypocrisy of The New School that performs this mission of social justice.” 

Students who participated in the “funeral procession” expressed their concerns about The New School’s poor treatment of part-time faculty. 

“I’m here because a lot of my professors are part-time faculty and just by being in their classes and seeing the effort they put in their everyday workload…it really is discouraging to hear that The New School doesn’t pay their professors equal amounts and doesn’t care for the part-time faculty which make up 87% of our school’s faculty,” Anna Forst, a third-year history major, said. “It’s an injustice that I think needs to be solved immediately.” 

When asked for comment about the protest, a university spokesperson said The New School has a history of supporting free speech and respects the community’s right to express their points of view. 

“We also respect and deeply appreciate all of the faculty, staff, and students who work to make The New School such a remarkable institution,” spokesperson Amy Malsin stated.

“The university’s guiding principle throughout these negotiations has been to achieve a contract that reflects our deeply held respect for our part-time faculty while balancing the need to make responsible economic decisions for the institution. We will continue to negotiate in good faith with the union and move toward an agreement that works for our entire community, as we have with all of our union-represented employees for decades.”