Back 2 School
Yes, yes, I’m one of those lame-ass NYU students and I’m going to have to tell you that it’s great to be back in school. This is my last semester (graduating early! not late.) and I’m only taking two classes (and I’m still not getting my reading done.)
For any of you that traverse the Greenwich Village area during the day throughout the school year, I salute you. I’ve only now realized what a bitch it is to maneuver through all those flip-flop wearing, NYU sweatshirts when you hit one of those 15 minute in-between-classes breaks. NYU is certainly expanding and encroaching upon its neighborhood. I know many people who are upset by how dominant NYU is in the area and I understand. I certainly took the first opportunity I got to move out of the dorms and into the real city. But, the messiness of walking in the area does not stop outside of the doors of NYU buildings. It now takes me 15(!) minutes to get to the eight floor of the main classroom building. There are elevators that go to even floors. There are elevators that go to odd floors. And you have to get in line to get on one. The security guards love enforcing their meager authority by squishing as many people as possible into each elevator. “Take your backpacks down. Make room for a friend!”
So, while everybody in the public nyc sphere loves to hate on NYU students and how dumb they are, I also have to let you know that there are plenty of NYU students who are fighting to make it a better place (which is rather hard in a top-down power structure) for the community at large. Certainly, with such a large student body there will always be lame-os, but the people I have encountered are in general engaged, intelligent, interesting, and involved in their community. These people like New York City and, like it or not, they make up a significant part of the fabric of the city. Many will end up staying here, working and complaining about NYU students.
On a related note: Regarding the suicides that happened last year, a guy is making a documentary about the suicides and you can find info on the project here and here.
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Those squashy elevators were the worst part of having class in that building! And the stairs aren’t much better, if I remember my NYU days correctly — they’re packed with everyone who’s trying to avoid the elevators…