Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

NYU's Kimmel still closed; students voice frustration
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Washington Square News, NYU
February 21, 2009

A day after the Take Back NYU occupation of the Kimmel Center for Student Life at New York University ended, most students were hoping to return to the building either to attend an event, study or just meet up with friends. But security at Kimmel remains very strict today.

James Devitt, an NYU spokesman, told WSN that Kimmel will reopen on Monday, though the exact time is still unclear. Until then, the same rules will be in place: no entry unless you’re there for a previously scheduled event.

Stern senior Nick Burch expressed his frustration when a security guard asked him and some other students to leave when they tried to get into Kimmel for a Matthew Exchange event.

“They’re not telling us anything,” Burch said. “They’re just telling us, ‘you cannot be in here.’ I think we should be able to use our student center.”

Steinhardt senior Rachel Moy also planned to attend the Matthew Exchange event. She said that while she understood the reasoning behind the security measures, she believed that they were too strict.

“I think it’s a little bit much,” Moy said. “It’s a Saturday. There’s not going to be another protest. It just doesn’t seem likely.”

Steinhardt senior Benjamin Ancher, who was asked to leave Kimmel after trying to attend an event with the NYU LGBT Office, was more vocal in expressing his frustration.

“The security guards are bugging the shit out of me,” Ancher said. “It’s a big hassle.”

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