Statement of The New School Board of Trustees
On the Events of April 10-11, 2009
New York City, April 15, 2009 – Following is a statement from The New School Board of Trustees regarding the events of April 10-11, 2009:
“We are responding to the events of April 10-11. There is no room for violence or threats of violence at The New School. Friday’s break-in of 65 Fifth Avenue disrupted the health, welfare and academic pursuits of the student body, some 10,000 in all.
We support President Kerrey’s decision to summon assistance from the New York Police Department. After extensive negotiation with those who had barricaded themselves in the building with apparent intent and capacity to remain there indefinitely, the NYPD gained access and effected the peaceful removal and arrest of 19. Three more were arrested on the street after they had left the building. Of the 22, fourteen were students of the New School.
We very much welcome and support the statement of Professor Jim Miller on April 12 and the statement of the Provost and Deans on April 13 condemning these acts of vandalism and harassment, which, as the April 13 statement said, “ have no place in our community.”
We have read the anonymous manifestoes issued in January and called to our attention on April 12 by Professor Miller. In essence they call for closing down the university by whatever means possible. All words convey meaning, but words of incitement, if not condemned, can lead to destructive results, as the events of April 10-11 demonstrate. Beyond the break-in at 65 Fifth Avenue, mass demonstrations were organized by unknown actors on Friday and Saturday nights, each involving over 100 people. These gatherings turned demonstrators into angry mobs that marched on The New School and its President’s residence, threatening not just the university community but also those living in the neighborhood. On each night they were stopped by the NYPD.
We do not believe an institution of higher learning anywhere in the United States should need to have recourse to a police department to assure civil discourse and peaceful conditions for the pursuit of knowledge. Events of the past weekend made such recourse necessary. We understand that some feel the police presence may have been excessive to the situation at hand, and we support the university's current inquiry into this matter. We are resolved to find peaceful ways to prevent similar events from occurring again and so assure the community – both those within the university and those living around it.
There has been much progress made since the events of last December—the board, president, provost, officers, deans, and faculty and student senates have worked collaboratively to appoint a new interim provost, open lines of communication, and begin the process of increasing student and faculty representation in the governance of this university. We ask for all members of the New School community to take stock of this progress and work together for the good of the university.”
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