After spending the night on various floors of the University Center at 63 Fifth Ave., students centralized in the lobby and the basement of the building. Some students and part-time faculty members carried cameras to document the occupation, while others organized teach-ins and first-aid seminars or passed out donated books.
This is the state of The New School as the 24th day of the part-time faculty strike comes to a close. While students and faculty have been picketing most days outside of the University Center in hopes of negotiating a fairer contract with the university, a group of students chose to occupy the building itself yesterday afternoon following the administration’s decision to withhold wages from striking employees.
“We will occupy the building day and night until the administration resumes pay, full healthcare protection and retirement benefits to all school employees, and until the university reaches a fair contract with part-time faculty,” the Student Faculty Solidarity group said in an Instagram post yesterday.
A few hours after Student Faculty Solidarity announced the occupation yesterday, The New School released an email reporting “significant movement on contract offer for part-time faculty,” in which it promised to agree to all of the union’s compensation demands, including compensation for work done outside the classroom.
Following the university’s email, the union posted on Instagram that the strike will continue “until we have a deal” and advised its followers to use “critical thinking” when reading university messages. The union also released a statement on its website expressing their concern for part-time faculty healthcare plans under the university’s new offer.
“The timing [of the university’s announcement] felt very strategic given that it was like three hours after the occupation started,” Ian Powers, a student who is participating in the occupation, said. “It is a way to kill momentum and to give students a false sense of a resolution.”
Powers and other occupying students expressed their continued frustration with the university administration.
“It doesn’t shock me that this was their response because we have a corporate administration,” occupying student Vanessa Guaraca said. “We have more confirmation of what we thought the entire time.”
While students remained cautious of the recent email, the promise of movement has made many of them feel more optimistic.
“It is great that there is movement happening because, for the past three weeks, it’s been very stagnant,” Powers said.
Some students said the occupation created an unexpected sense of community.
“It’s been very — I don’t want to say fun — but it’s been nice,” Guaraca said. “Everybody’s been talking and coming up with ideas together. Maybe it is fun.”
Students sat in groups making signs, planning event schedules and forging new friendships.
“I’ve made so many new friends, [more] than I ever have in my entire time at Parsons [School of Design],” occupying student Ash Chang said.
Occupying students have planned many community-oriented events, some of which they promote on the Instagram page @newschooloccupied. Students used the page to announce various teach-in sessions as well as a concert full of student performers. They called for donations of tents and camping supplies for a “UC campout” set for tonight.
While student occupiers have felt a great sense of community, they also hope to take back their power through the occupation.
“We are the school. There is no school without students,” occupying student Nico Jo Grace said. “If we’re your entire funding, if we’re the entire reason you exist, of course we should also have power.”