Axis of Logic's correspondent, Scott Campbell writes:

2 P.M. FRIDAY, FEB 20 - "Security has broken through the barricades and started escorting people out. NYU agreed to negotiate and then detained the negotiators.  People are being suspended and removed from housing."

1 P.M. FRIDAY,  FEB 20 - "Showing their true face more than ever, the NYU administration cut power to all outlets in the occupied space and turned off the wireless internet.  So now communication to the outside lasts only as long as cell phone batteries do. They now have students on the outside maintaining the website."

Scott

3 A.M. THURSDAY, FEB 19 - "Thanks for spreading the word. The occupation is still going strong more than 24 hours later. We had a huge 500 person rally in the freezing cold at midnight tonight. People took the street outside the building. Kops responded with pepper spray. Negotiations are continuing inside. The administration refuses to agree to amnesty for all those involved and is threatening all with expulsion and/or arrest."

scott

PLEASE SHOW SUPPORT TO THE STUDENT'S AT NYU RIGHT NOW!!!! INFO. BELOW
New Update: Thursday afternoon, February 19

This is live webcam video of the student occupation at New York University. 70 students and non-students are inside. From time to time, they issue a report on this live video. - LMB

UPDATE AT BOTTOM

Editor's Note: Scott Campbell, the author of this e-mail is a friend and translator of Axis of Logic who has been living in Oaxaca, Mexico in the thick of the revolution taking place there. He recently moved to New York to begin graduate school at New York University in Manhattan. We received this message from him last night.

Students occupying a building at New York University is significant and may signal the beginning of a militant student movement in the U.S. It was recently announced that the head of NYU university relations has cut his vacation short and is flying back home due to this student action. Please help us support these students by contacting the administration at New York University via e-mail and telephone. Here is some contact information we found on the NYU website:

John Sexton, President Office of Public Affairs 25 West 4th Street, 5th Floor New York, New York 10012 Telephone: 212.998.6840 Fax: 212.995.4021 (no email listed)	Michael Alfano, Executive Vice President Office of Executive Vice President 212-998-4090 evp@nyu.edu
David W. McLaughlin, Provost Telephone (212-998-3077 Facsimile: (212-995-3190) Email: davidmclaughlin@nyu.edu	Administration David Greenberg, Director 212-998-4097 dgreenberg@nyu.edu
Media Rosalind Romera-Rivera 212-998-6841 rrr2@nyu.edu	NYU Student Government 212-998-2230 ucsl@nyu.edu

- Axis of Logic Editorial Board

From Scott Campbell

Friends,

I'm writing from New York University where I just started grad school. Very briefly, I'd like to let you all know that as of 9:30pm tonight we have occupied NYU. A website with more info is at www.takebacknyu.com.

The list of demands is below. I don't have internet time and my cell phone is dead, but please spread the word. Thanks!

Scott

We, the students of NYU, declare an occupation of this space. This occupation is the culmination of a two-year campaign by the Take Back NYU! coalition, and of campaigns from years past, in whose footsteps we follow.

In order to create a more accountable, democratic and socially responsible university, we demand the following: 

• Full legal and disciplinary amnesty for all parties involved in the occupation.
  
  
• Full compensation for all employees whose jobs were disrupted during the course of the occupation.
  
  
• Public release of NYU's annual operating budget, including a full list of university expenditures, salaries for all employees compensated on a semester or annual basis, funds allocated for staff wages, contracts to non-university organizations for university construction and services, financial aid data for each college, and money allocated to each college, department, and administrative unit of the university. Furthermore, this should include a full disclosure of the amount and sources of the university's funding.
  
  
• Disclosure of NYU's endowment holdings, investment strategy, projected endowment growth, and persons, corporations and firms involved in the investment of the university's endowment funds. Additionally, we demand an endowment oversight body of students, faculty and staff who exercise shareholder proxy voting power for the university's investments.
  
  
• That the NYU Administration agrees to resume negotiations with GSOC/UAW Local 2110 – the union for NYU graduate assistants, teaching assistants, and research assistants. That NYU publically affirm its commitment to respect all its workers, including student employees, by recognizing their right to form unions and to bargain collectively. That NYU publically affirm that it will recognize workers' unions through majority card verification.
  
  
• That NYU signs a contract guaranteeing fair labor practices for all NYU employees at home and abroad. This contract will extend to subcontracted workers, including bus drivers, food service employees and anyone involved in the construction, operation and maintenance at any of NYU's non-U.S. sites.
  
  
• The establishment of a student elected Socially Responsible Finance Committee. This Committee will have full power to vote on proxies, draft shareholder resolutions, screen all university investments, establish new programs that encourage social and environmental responsibility and override all financial decisions the committee deems socially irresponsible, including investment decisions. The committee will be composed of two subcommittees: one to assess the operating budget and one to assess the endowment holdings. Each committee will be composed of ten students democratically elected from the graduate and under-graduate student bodies. All committee decisions will be made a strict majority vote, and will be upheld by the university. All members of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will sit on the board of trustees, and will have equal voting rights. All Socially Responsible Finance Committee and Trustee meetings shall be open to the public, and their minutes made accessible electronically through NYU's website. Elections will be held the second Tuesday of every March beginning March 10th 2009, and meetings will be held biweekly beginning the week of March 30th 2009.

Socially Responsible Finance Committee

1. That the first two orders of business of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee will be:
   
   a. An in depth investigation of all investments in war and genocide profiteers, as well as companies profiting from the occupation of Palestinian territories.
   
   b. A reassessment of the recently lifted of the ban on Coca Cola products.
   
   
2. Additional demands of the Socially Responsible Finance Committee
   
   
3. That annual scholarships be provided for thirteen Palestinian students, starting with the 2009/2010 academic year. These scholarships will include funding for books, housing, meals and travel expenses.
   
   
4. That the university donate all excess supplies and materials in an effort to rebuild the University of Gaza.
   
   
5. Tuition stabilization for all students, beginning with the class of 2012. All students will pay their initial tuition rate throughout the course of their education at New York University.  Tuition rates for each successive year will not exceed the rate of inflation, nor shall they exceed one percent. The university shall meet 100% of government-calculated student financial need.
   
   
6. That student groups have priority when reserving space in the buildings owned or leased by New York University, including, and especially, the Kimmel Center.
   
   
7. That the general public have access to Bobst Library.