Something needs to be done about the line of students waiting to get into NYU Cantor Film Center before every class. The line usually stretches from the Eighth Street entrance and snakes all the way to University Place leading up to the doors of Weinstein Residence Hall. Instead of rewarding the students who arrive early to class, waiting in line punishes them by forcing them to stand in the cold.  Due to single file ID check by a Public Safety Officer inside and the fire hazard crowds of students either leaving their previous class or waiting to enter their next one, students must gather around the streets and wait in the cold.

Furthermore, there is an extremely strict “no food and drinks” policy inside Cantor. Instead of allowing students to be more energized and nourished during class, as well as trusting them not to make a mess, the lone PSO inside takes it upon themself to police every incoming student. Almost like a Transportation Security Administration officer, he spends nearly 10 seconds checking students’ items. The other day, I tried to bring a coffee in. The PSO stopped me and took time to explain the food and drink policy, thus holding up the line.

Not only does the inefficient security check force students to suffer, it is also has a negative impact on all other pedestrians. Passers-by who may not have any affiliation with NYU are forced to navigate around the crowded streets. It should be illegal for students to stand in line on the street. NYU should be forced to obtain a permit from New York City in order to section off the sidewalk for students.

The long line of students forced to wait in the cold, which also obstructs the sidewalk for everyone else, needs to change. If Best Buy can figure out what to do with Black Friday lines in New York City, so too can one of the country’s most prestigious universities.

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Email Yale Buchwald at [email protected].