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New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Identity & Equity

(Rishi Gala for WSN)

¡Saca tu bandera! 5 ways the Latine community celebrates our month

Cooking, music and more — this is how to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month right.
Alessa Alluin, Copy Editor September 17, 2025

Lots of things don’t translate well from Spanish to English. For example, “Saca tu bandera” literally means “take out your flag,” but that isn’t what people really...

The site of the block-wide Manhattan jail project in Chinatown.

A precarious promise: What the tallest jail in the world means for those who live next to it

As New York City finally closes Rikers Island, its plan to build four new jails — two of which are within minutes of NYU dorms — has not been without criticism.
Julia Kim, Culture Editor September 17, 2025

(Maryam Lootah for WSN)

NYU’s first and last ‘first days’

First-years and seniors on their first or final chapters at NYU.
Noor Maahin, Identity & Equity Editor September 9, 2025

For Tisch first-year Bo Ebeling, NYU has always been the plan. As a student hailing from Los Angeles and studying recorded music at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music,...

Making an Exoneree students from NYU, Georgetown University and Princeton University at a conference in Princeton (Courtesy of Sullivan Gaudreault)

These NYU students are getting the wrongly incarcerated out of prison

In Making an Exoneree, students produce documentaries on victims of wrongful conviction.
Lauren Ng, Culture Editor May 7, 2025

As exam season approaches, the 15 NYU students taking Making an Exoneree have a different type of final: working to get victims of wrongful conviction out of prison. The class,...

(Allina Xiao for WSN)

Who gets to be represented during AAPI Month?

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is hailed as a time to celebrate, but not all cultures are represented equally.
Sherry Chen, Staff Writer May 6, 2025

During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, you can catch a cultural heritage parade, food festivals and many other community events happening throughout New York...

(Courtesy of the ROSES study)

Students confront youth incarceration through community-focused advocacy

NYU ROSES challenges the punitive approach of criminal legal reform, working directly with at-risk or involved girls to meet their self-determined goals.
Paige Ablon, Contributing Writer May 5, 2025

Although young girls are arrested at a lower rate than to their male counterparts, they not only make up a growing proportion of teen arrests in the United States but are also...

(Kyra Reilley for WSN)

20 years in, this CAS department combines analysis and activism

A look into how students in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis get much more out of their education than a diploma.
Mia Shou, Staff Writer May 2, 2025

Many people associate the disciplines of history, literature and politics with analyzing old laws and lengthy manuscripts. However, after meeting the people behind NYU’s Department...

The Steinhardt Undergraduate Student Government food pantry in Pless Hall. (Julia Smerling for WSN)

The fight for food security at NYU

A look into how student-led efforts to create food pantries and donate meal swipes can help students struggling to afford standard meal plans.
Kyra Mehta, Contributing Writer April 28, 2025

For more than 1.2 million New Yorkers, food insecurity is a daily struggle. Facing a rising cost of living, heightened grocery prices and inadequate access to fresh, nutritious...

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Why are there huge inflatable rats in NYC?

Named “Scabby” by protesters, the rat represents a decades-long hunger for labor justice in the city and beyond.
Paige Ablon, Contributing Writer April 23, 2025

If you’ve walked on Prince Street or strolled down Fifth Avenue recently, you may have come across a giant inflatable rat. With bloodshot red eyes, claws stretched outwards and...

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

4 LGBTQ+ organizations to join outside of NYU

Amid an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ federal policy, these organizations provide much-needed support to local communities.
Dylan Henschen, Staff Writer April 18, 2025

It’s a running joke that LGBTQ+ students outnumber straight students at NYU. While it may be a joke, it's hard not to believe it — especially since NYU has eight student-run...

(Ivy Chan for WSN)

‘A vile complicity’: Members of the Rwandan community recount 1994 genocide

Through powerful testimonies, NYU’s first Kwibuka memorialized the 31st anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Julia Kim, Deputy Culture Editor April 17, 2025

Content warning: This article contains mentions of violence and sexual harassment.  Over 60 NYU community members and New York City residents gathered for the university’s...

(Kiran Komanduri for WSN)

Where did all the gays go?

Over the past 50 years, the gay bar — facing rising rent prices and evolving expectations of queer nightlife — has dramatically changed.
Dylan Henschen, Staff Writer April 10, 2025

Strobe lights flashing on the dance floor, heavy pours of liquor gushing from glass to glass and the aroma of poppers wafting through a sea of men. It’s far from a typical night...