NYC, 2/11/10 — Online elections ended Wednesday afternoon for three vacant Senate seats from Mannes, Jazz, and Lang.
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Corey Mullee was elected from Lang, Ben Fox was elected from Jazz, and Hajir Sailors was elected from Mannes.
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Ben Fox rejoins USS; he was last year’s Jazz Senator. Five candidates vied for the hotly contested one vacant seat of Lang. Check the results here.
NYC, 2/9/10 — Hundreds of students attended uss’s BIG Winter Party Monday night in Theresa Lang Student Center. This first party of Spring Semester featured a live band, projections from Bruce Weber, Astroboy, and Peanuts, free USS Water Bottles, an open bar and pizza, plus a surprise visit from the Provost.
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USS plans more parties, including the Grad Student Mixer on March 25 and the LGBT dance on Friday, April 9. More parties will be announced shortly. We email all students for every party. See u there!
NYC, 11/15/09 — The Univ and USS will jointly launch the New School’s lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans-queer LGBTQ Office in winter 2010. USS voted today to fund $12,000 of startup cost from your Student Activity Fee. Pres. Kerrey has agreed for the Provost’s Office to fund the remainder. A full-time Director of LGBTQ Services will be hired via open search. The LGBTQ Office could be in the new Student Center, and will coordinate events, academics, and support. “This will keep the New School attractive and fun for current and future LGBTQ students,” said USS co-chair Peter Ian Cummings. “We should all be proud.”
Jan 28, 2010 (NYC) — The Board of Trustees has approved USS’s multi-year Agenda Item for the Board to establish a Socially Responsible Investments Committee (SRI) to ensure the University does only the best things with its money. This great news results from a trustee-student-admin-faculty committee which met for most of 2009; the University’s money will be invested according to this policy and students will be appointed to the Committee shortly.
Sadly, however, the Trustee Special Committee’s other unanimous proposal that there be four voting student members of the Board of Trustees, was put on hold.
NYC, 11/15/09 — President Kerrey has approved USS’s proposal for a Student Building to replace the lost space at 65 Fifth. The University has taken over the floor above TD Bank at 90 5th Ave, which will become our Student Space in 2010. It has space for hundreds of students to study and meet up, as well as the OSDA office, but it only partly satisfies the need for a true Student Center, which would also have space for parties and conferences, a campus pub, offices for student orgs, and all the other functions of a true Student Center. See USS’s position paper on a Student Center. Plans for 90 Fifth coming soon!
Nov 15, 2009 (NYC) — USS today voted $8000 from the Student Activity Fee to establish a Student Research Committee, to fund student research. The committee will have 6 student members who will be chosen by open call. Matching funds will be sought from the university in which case it will also have faculty members. Students will be able to apply for funding throughout the year; all proposals will be compared according to merit. USS also voted an additional $5000 for research on Gender Studies in preparation for a Gender Studies Conference in Spring Semester. More details on the open call for Research Committee members will be forthcoming.
Mar 23, 2009 (NYC) — The President and Provost said March 23 that graduate-student TA/TF/RA salaries would rise. USS campaigned for TF salary rises for 3 years, since our TFs (Teaching Fellows–PhD students who are the faculty of record for a class) were paid in the bottom 10% of TF salaries nationally. Now TF salariess have risen from $3,000 to $5,000, and TAs to $25/hour. RA (Research, not Resident Assistant) rises aren’t yet set. GFSS 2008-09 Speaker Jonathan Cogliano, praising the TF rise although noting it was less than requested, said the TA rise was vague and sought information on RAs. GFSS representatives will meet the administration to discuss. Read GFSS/USS’s Policy Paper on Grad Salaries.
NYC, 11/15/09 — President Kerrey has approved USS’s proposal for a Student Center Building. The University has taken over the building above TD Bank at 90 5th Ave and 14th St., which will become our Student Center in 2010. “USS only thought up a Student Center in Feb 2009, and we are overjoyed to see it happening,” said USS co-chair Dan Schulman. “This was a main plank of our Students Agenda from last year.” The Student Center will be a great place to hang out, party, study, and hold events, with a cafeteria, and should contain offices for Student Activities and student groups. Plans coming here soon!
Sept 3, 2009 (NYC) — In his groundbreaking Convocation Address kicking off the school year in Tishman Theatre, USS Pres. Tushar Gogia likened a New School education to a plane trip, encouraging students to utilize the in-flight amenities. Tushar noted that his parents had met on a trans-atlantic flight, and greeted his Mom in the audience. This was the first student address ever at Convocation. Here’s to many more!
Read Tushar’s address | Watch the video!
NYC, 5/5/09 — Univ Pres Bob Kerrey told the Trustees he will leave the New School when his term expires in 2011. Kerrey said this year’s occupations, faculty no-confidence votes and protests played no role in his decision. Kerrey has been Pres for 7 years, and will be remembered for raising the university’s profile, inviting John McCain to speak at graduation, and rebranding the divisions with very long names.
Kerrey’s Resignation Statement | USS Statement on Kerrey Departure
NYT: Kerrey to leave | Trustees, Faculty Order Occupation Inquiry
<-- A MESSAGE FROM THE GLAMOUROUS USS OFFICE
As outgoing USS President (and this year’s Secretary), I so much thank the outgoing 08-09 Senators and Officers. Hats off to Senators Sarah Cunningham, Slim Lopez, Ida Benedetto, Heather Sheridan, Yoni Sunshine, Atlee McFellin, Ben Fox, Aleks Malejs, Kate Griffin, and Jason Mellow. We will eSpEciaLLy miss the amazing officers (Chair Hendrick Cho, Treasurer Elizabeth Loran, and Secretary Barb Teed) whose help, fun, and wisdom made USS what it is today. You’ll all be missed.
– Peter Ian Cummings
Announce Announce
April 17, 2009
To the New School Community
On Tuesday, I received a resolution from the Faculty Senate requesting
that I consider lifting the suspensions on the students involved with
the occupation Friday. I do not have the authority to make this
decision. President Kerrey has that authority and has agreed to my
leading out a process of consultation with the deans and the faculty
senate. This has led to a modification of the suspensions to permit all
these students to complete their academic work this semester. President
Kerrey fully supports these modifications and I want to thank Linda
Reimer, Senior Vice President for Student Services, for her help and
cooperation.
I appreciate that recent events have provoked a variety of profound
concerns for many of us within the University community. I share these
concerns, and want you to know that addressing such concerns is
currently my top priority.
Tim Marshall
The Student Government congratulates Tim Marshall, Dean of Parsons The New School For Design, whom President Kerrey appointed Interim Provost March 16. Marshall was the recommendation of the Provost Search Committee, which included the USS officers, deans, trustees, faculty. Marshall is a widely respected academic and administrator. USS believes Marshall to be uniquely placed to develop academic programs, and restore and expand the vitality of the Provost’s Office.
• Visit Provost Tim Marshall’s Website
• Hey! What happened to the last 5 Provosts?
NYC, 11/19/09 – On 11/15, Pres. Bob Kerrey suspended USS’s access to funds, comms, and meetings with admins for four days, pending a “review” of USS’s recent leadership election. 86% of Senators sent Kerrey a protest letter stating our election was constitutional and public, and supporting USS’s Executive Board, but Kerrey proceeded with actions. Kerrey reinstated student government’s powers 11/19.
| Admin letter to USS | USS Protest Letter | USS Letter to Students |
| Letter restoring powers | Just The Facts | Free Press election story |
| Kerrey’s letter giving USS email access | TELL USS YOUR OPINION |
Students, again demanding Kerrey quit after faculty vote, occupied 65 Fifth 4/20. Police storm bldg; arrests; pepper spray. Videos show police hit students. 22 arrests; suspended; unsuspended (?). 500+ students & faculty at USS Forum 4/13 (video here). 100s also march Thu 4/16.
| Occ blog | Kerrey stmt | Occ reply | Students bailed | Press reports | Free Press coverage | USS stmt on 12/08 Occ | Fac Union: ‘Kerrey Resp a Failure’ | NSIE posts photos, video | Trustees still “fully back Kerrey”
