Cooper Union Students End Occupation of President's Office

[hrmjustin]

By Raillan Brooks

After 65 days, the Cooper Union students holed up in President Jamshed Bharucha's office ended their occupation last Friday. Student organizers announced the decision to vacate via Twitter midday Monday.


While vacating the office may have ended the direct conflict between the Cooper Union and its administration, the dispute over the school's decision to begin charging tuition will enter a new phase of deliberation over the institution's budget. Part of the accord struck by student occupiers and the administration was the formation of a committee to reanalyze the school's finances to identify savings.

In a statement released by occupiers, the administration has agreed to open its books to a 16-member working group of students, faculty, and alumni, which has until December 2013 to "leave no stone unturned" in its effort to keep Cooper Union free. They have also agreed to included a student member of the Board of Trustees and open a communal space for students, faculty, and alumni. The space will obey Cooper Union's building hours.

The prevailing mood is one of cautious optimism. Occupying student Victoria Sobel says that "We, and the rest of Cooper's community believe that when our efforts and experience are added to the board's, that we will find a way back together to Peter Cooper's vision of education that is as "free as air and water."

Read more at http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/07/cooper_union_st_2.php

[NYC_SKP]

1. Emails were sent out to alumni at 7:02 pm

It looks like the occupiers have given in and must promise to obey rules in exchange for amnesty.
I'm glad I went there when there was no tuition, but I'm pissed that it's come to this, the end of a free excellent education.
We need more Cooper Unions, not fewer of them.

Joint Statement by Former Occupiers of the President’s Office, the Administration,
and Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union, July 15th, 2013

The administration, Board of Trustees of The Cooper Union and those members of the Cooper Union community who have been occupying the Office of the President since early May have reached an agreement that ended the occupation on Friday. A working group will be established promptly to undertake a good faith effort to seek an alternative to tuition that will sustain the institution’s long-term financial viability and strengthen its academic excellence.

The working group will consist of Board, faculty, alumni, students and administration representatives and will submit its report to the administration and Board of Trustees for consideration at the December Board of Trustees Meeting.

The Board also confirmed, in accordance with the motion approved at the June Board meeting, that procedures for student representation on the Board will be established at the September meeting.

An interim room has been identified as a Community Commons that can serve as a student center or a community center for all members of the Cooper Community.

All individuals who have violated Cooper Union policies throughout the period of the occupation will be granted amnesty, and in turn, commit to complying with, and cooperating with the enforcement of, all laws and Cooper Union policies.

(Agreement is pasted below for reference)


Proposal that was agreed to on July 11, 2013

Working Group

A Working Group will be set up, chaired by Trustees Mike Borkowsky and Jeff Gural.

The charge of the Working Group is to explore ways in which Cooper Union may revert to providing full-tuition scholarships for all enrolled students while establishing a sustainable financial model and continuing to invest in academic excellence. The Working Group’s work is to be a good faith effort to seek alternatives to tuition. The definition of a sustainable financial model will be provided by the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees. Financial information will be provided by the administration as appropriate. Any financial information that is more detailed than what is used in public reporting will be shared with the Working Group only on the basis of strict confidentiality.

The Working Group will report to the Administration and Board of Trustees by December 1, 2013. The Board of Trustees will consider the recommendations at the following meeting.

Membership:

three trustees
three administrators
three students (one elected by the Student Council of each of the Art, Architecture and Engineering schools)
four members of the full-time faculty (one elected by each of the full-time faculty of each of the Art, Architecture and Engineering Schools and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences)
three alumni (one from each school)
If independent financial expertise is to be sought, it shall be provided by a nationally recognized expert in higher education finance at selective institutions.


Student Representation on Board of Trustees

At the September Board of Trustees meeting, the Board will approve the details for the election of a student representative as a member of the Board of Trustees, with the first such representative to be seated at the December Board meeting.

Community Commons

A room will be identified on campus, as soon as is practicable, that can serve as a student center or a center for all members of the Cooper community. Use of all Cooper facilities (including this room), and all individuals entering or utilizing Cooper Union facilities, shall be subject to all Cooper Union policies, building hours, and entrance restrictions.

Occupation

The terms of this proposal must be agreed to in principle by the occupiers coming out of the 7:00PM meeting on July 11. The President’s Office will be vacated no later than 5:00PM EDT on Friday, July 12, 2013. Henceforth, occupiers and all present at this meeting commit to complying with, and cooperating with the enforcement of, all laws and Cooper Union policies.

Amnesty

If the above condition entitled “Occupation” is met, all individuals who violated laws or Cooper Union policies in the course of the occupation will be granted amnesty.

Joint Statement

*A joint press release will be issued on Friday, July 12th announcing the agreement on this proposal.


*Agreement made on Friday July 12th change release date to Monday, July 15th per the request

[hrmjustin]

2. The whole thing is very sad.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Building the dorm building was, I think, unnecessary.

And I see that they've razed the engineering building for a replacement.

It's one thing to do these things if the endowment or other funds can sustain them, but if these expenses killed Peter Cooper's vision, then it would have been better to have waited and just maintained them until funds could be found.

In the 1970's they remodeled the foundation building (the original school) which was paid, at least partly, through a $300 per year student fee. Tuition was free.

Now they have the monstrosity of the building, an egomaniac's wet dream, and debt.

Fuck.

[hrmjustin]

4. I am sure someone will make a penny off this, but the students feel the pain.