The spring 2014 semester brought a slew of stories that took the university by storm. This timeline represents some of the most popular and contentious of those stories.

Jan. 27, Vol. 42 No. 1, American Studies Association boycotts Israeli academic institutions

By Kavish Harjai and Ann Schmidt

A conference organized by the American Studies at NYU sparked controversy as it attempted to answer questions that arose after the Americans Studies Association endorsed a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Although NYU President John Sexton condemned the boycott, he did not cancel the conference because he said he wanted to allow academics to pursue their scholarship, regardless of what ideas were being discussed.

Jan. 31, Online, Robot cuts ribbon, Poly merger official

By Scott Mullen

Students and faculty celebrated the merger between NYU and the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, creating the Polytechnic School of Engineering. Those present at the reception watched a video of the official ribbon being cut at the Brooklyn campus by a robot built at Poly’s Mechatronics and Controls Lab.

Feb. 12, Vol. 42 No. 9, University revisits past ban on Coca-Cola

By John Ambrosio

Five years after NYU lifted its ban on Coca-Cola products, union activist and Corporate Campaign, Inc. director Ray Rogers brought the debate over the soft drink company’s labor practices back into the public eye. Rogers sent a letter and a critical pamphlet to 130 university administrators during the week of Feb. 5, imploring them to reinstate the ban on Coke products.

Feb. 19, Vol. 42 No. 12, NYU Reacts: Facebook adds list of 50 gender categories, expands pronoun choices

By Anjana Sreedhar 

In response to requests from users and various LGBTQ organizations, social media giant Facebook announced its addition of more than 50 gender categories for users to identify themselves with on Feb. 13. It also expanded pronoun choices from “him/his” and “her” to include “them/they.”

March 5, Vol. 42 No. 20, Space Priorities Working Group finalizes NYU 2031 proposals

By Kavish Harjai

The University Space Priorities Working Group issued its final report, on March 4, which suggested how NYU should use space in and around Washington Square Park. The Working Group hosted a press conference regarding the report the same morning. Three days later, NYU President John Sexton announced that senior administration approved of the plan.

March 10, Vol. 42 No. 22, Keystone pipeline divides students on environment

By Kavish Harjai

Seven NYU Divest students were arrested in Washington, D.C., on March 2 during XL Dissent, a protest against the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Police arrested 398 people at the protest, which began at Georgetown University and welcomed 1,200 people in total, including students from over 80 universities.

April 18, Online, NYU Law community lends support to students subpoenaed by trustee’s company

By Michael Domanico

Two NYU Law students were subpoenaed by CareOne, a company owned by NYU law trustee Daniel Straus. The students, second-year Luke Herrine and first-year Leo Gertner, were subpoenaed on March 20 after they circulated a petition against Straus’ labor practices.

April 28, Vol. 42 No. 46, Petitions circulate after flyer scandal

By Kavish Harjai

The NYU Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine delivered mock eviction notices to thousands of residents in Palladium and Lafayette, enraging Vice President of TorchPAC Laura Adkins, who erroneously accused them of targeting Jewish students. During the scandal, both groups posted petitions to garner support for their respective causes.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, May 1 print edition. Kavish Harjai is a news editor. Valentina Duque Bojanini is a deputy news editor. Email them at [email protected].