University Student Senate passes ‘Cops Off Campus’ resolution

In response to the arrests of student demonstrators and the continued presence of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers on campus last semester, the University Student Senate (USS) has passed a new resolution titled “Cops off Campus,” that calls on the university to implement measures that ensure the TNS campus “remains a safe and empowering space for all.”

The resolution calls for the removal of the NYPD from campus and for changes to be made by the administration in reference to their response to on-campus activism. 

The legislation demands that the New School administration reject the presence of the NYPD on campus, decriminalize and destigmatize student activism and demonstrations, avoid influence from the NYPD in their decision-making, and restructure the TNS safety and security protocols to de-escalate situations without calling in the NYPD. 

The USS also requests that the university allocate additional resources to health services for marginalized groups on campus and that they commit to devising a more equitable campus access policy for students who have been arrested. 

In an email to the university community regarding the legislation, the USS stated that this resolution “reflects the core values of our student body and reaffirms The New School’s mission to foster a more equitable, inclusive, and socially just campus,” adding that students, including those from marginalized communities, had “voiced deep concerns over the NYPD’s presence.”

“No one should be arrested for activism at a school that prides itself so heavily on saying things like ‘we welcome dissent, we were built on progressive values,’” Student Senate Chair Adam Young said.

The university has not released a statement about the resolution, but Young is hopeful that they will be open to discussion.

“Whether the university administration receives this positively and actively does work with us — that remains to be seen,” Young said. “I think Joel Towers and other administrators do like to talk to us about [legislation] we’ve passed. I’ve had meetings with administrators on legislation we’ve passed, and I hope this one will have a conversation going around it too.”