Our second newsletter is out! Big news this time, with the end of the occupation and all…and we promise that there’s more of that to come as we fight to keep Cooper Union tuition-free. Speaking of news, check out what NY1 had to say about the end of the occupation: “Facing an outcry from students, Cooper Union is rethinking its decision to begin charging tuition"…There’s also a pretty decent article from the New York Times, believe it or not!
Regardless of all the media fanfare, we’re proud to announce that we’re moving on to the next steps of our free education campaign, and contributing the the power and importance of student movements everywhere. Stay tuned for more!
The Cooper Union Community: Working for Free Education
"On Thursday, July 11, a group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni, met with Cooper Union trustees Jeff Gural and Mike Borkowsky to join together in an effort to keep Cooper Union free. At the meeting we reached an agreement to form a 16-member working group, to be chaired by Jeff Gural and Mike Borkowsky, that will “leave no stone unturned" as it seeks to return Cooper Union to being free to all.
In addition, we’ve secured a community commons, a space where students, faculty, and alumni alike may continue to work together on the Free Cooper Union campaign. For the time being, that space has been designated as Room 504 in the Foundation building. We plan to move into a permanent space before the start of the fall semester. We’re currently working on getting this space set up with desks, decorations, and all manner of supplies in the coming days. We hope to see you all in the new community commons space soon. It’s open to faculty, students, and alumni during Cooper’s building hours. Please get in touch if you have any furniture or office supplies to donate!
Phew. So after 65 days of occupying, and in reaching an agreement that will afford the community a real say in the future of free education at Cooper Union, we’ve moved on out of the President’s office and on to our next steps."