Skip to Main Content
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

Guest Essay

Whit letters that read "I.Y.S.S.E." against a red background

Guest Essay: One year into the war in Ukraine

Three things all students must know about the ongoing conflict.
Karsten Stoeber, Guest Contributor April 7, 2023

Karsten Stoeber is the president of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality chapter at NYU. The war in Ukraine is now over a year old. Already, it is the bloodiest...

Two people walk past an entrance of an building used by N.Y.U’s Tandon School of Engineering.

Guest Essay: The demise of NYU’s sustainability major

Students in the Sustainable Urban Environments major have been left in the dark by administration, while professors are hard at work fighting to keep sustainability a part of the curriculum.
Elaine Ly March 10, 2023

Elaine Ly is a mechanical engineering student at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. After almost a year of little to no communication, students in the Sustainable Urban Environments...

A group of protesters poses in front of the Washington Square Arch for a photo. In the middle is a banner that reads “Abortion Access Day of Action.”

Guest Essay: Linda Mills, we demand action on reproductive health care

In an open letter to NYU’s next president, students from the university’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America call for better access to reproductive health care on campus.
Averi Chen, Samantha Del Rio and Erin Lawson February 23, 2023

The authors of this letter are members of the NYU chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. It is addressed to Linda Mills, who, earlier this month, was appointed...

A pair of hands tightly gripping a piece of white paper.

Guest Essay: Everything we cannot say: The global protests against tyranny in China

Protests in response to China’s extreme COVID-19 prevention protocols are kept alive through courage and unity.
December 8, 2022

Editor’s Note: WSN chose to withhold the name of the author of this op-ed, a Chinese citizen, to protect them from retaliation, at their request. They are an NYU undergraduate...

A cart wrapped around by plastic bags and an opened pink suitcase with clothes lays on a sidewalk under scaffolding.

Guest Essay: Mayor Adams’ new policy for the unhoused is dangerous for New York

Mayor Eric Adams’ latest policy is the tipping point of his year-long fight to remove houseless people from subway stations against their will without meaningfully addressing the issues they face.
Leann Beard, Guest Contributor December 5, 2022

Last Tuesday, Mayor Eric Adams unveiled his new policy initiative, the crown jewel of his policies attempting to reduce visible poverty, while doing nothing to address the issue...

An illustration of Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi mounting a climbing wall. She has her black hair tied into a ponytail. She wears a white, red and green colored shirt — the colors of the Iranian flag. The back of her shirt reads “IRAN 009” and her left hand holds onto a blue boulder.

Guest Essay: The Islamic Republic’s mandatory rule limits its female athletes

Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed without a hijab, violating the Islamic Republic’s mandatory rule. What does that mean for other Iranian athletes?
Nicky Kashani, Guest Contributor November 2, 2022

On Oct. 16, Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi disobeyed the Islamic Republic’s restrictions on female athletes and competed in an international tournament in Seoul without wearing...

Protesters walk down University Place holding a large sign that reads “N.Y.U. owes adjuncts.” A police officer on a moped directs traffic in front of the marching protesters.

Guest Essay: The United Auto Workers needs reform. Here’s how we do it.

Three members of academic worker unions from three New York City colleges argue for their parent union to take on a sectoral organizing strategy.
Urmila Mohan, Tamar Samir and Paul Brown October 28, 2022

The academic sector’s union density has been growing recently — as has its opposition. NYU’s adjunct union is preparing for a strike amid unsuccessful negotiations with the...

An illustration of a stack of two textbooks on the left and a laptop on the right. The textbooks are titled “Organic Chemistry” and “Calculus” with a red X and a stack of cash next to them. The laptop displays text “OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES” in green with a green checkmark and text “FREE!” next to it.

Guest Essay: Textbooks should be free

Open educational resources can be the answer to addressing the financial burden of textbooks.
Ryan Carney October 6, 2022

A month before school starts, we are all enjoying our summer until we get that dreaded Bursar email with the bill. You pay the bill, and you think that must be everything, until...

A speaker with a red megaphone carrying a blue banner that reads “N.Y.U Adjunct Union A.C.T-U.A.W Local 7902” shouts into a crowd of union workers under the Washington Square Arch. There are people behind the speaker holding other signs.

Guest Essay: Why you should pay attention to the United Auto Workers presidential election

The union that organizes NYU’s graduate student workers and adjunct professors is up for a presidential election, and for the first time ever, they can cast their vote for a socialist autoworker.
Karsten Stoeber, Guest Contributor September 30, 2022

Since Monday, Sept. 26, part-time and adjunct instructors at NYU who are unionized in the ACT-UAW Local 7902 are voting on taking strike action. As the largest and fastest growing...

Rally attendees walk down University Place holding a large sign that reads “NYU owes adjuncts.” A police officer on a moped directs traffic in front of the marching protesters.

A letter to President Hamilton: Adjunct faculty are essential to NYU

More than a thousand members of ACT-UAW Local 7902, the union representing adjunct professors at NYU, have written a collective letter to President Andrew Hamilton emphasizing their role at the university as they bargain for a new contract.
NYU Adjunct Faculty May 17, 2022

A purple uniform patch with the logo of the NYU Department of Public Safety on the shoulder of a Public Safety Officer.

Guest Essay: Campus Safety dept. ‘a ship without a captain,’ officer says

An officer describes arrogant, disrespectful leadership and low morale among staff in NYU’s Department of Campus Safety.
an anonymous Campus Safety officer, Guest Contributor April 25, 2022

The author is an NYU Campus Safety officer. Their identity has been verified by WSN. As a longtime employee of the Department of Campus Safety, I am disheartened to see what...

A person in Washington Square Park wears a yellow shirt that reads “Ukraine” and holds a sign above their head reading “Putin get your,” then two red handprints, “off Ukraine.” In the background, people hold Ukrainian flags at the park.

Guest Essay: The despair of anti-war Russians

It is important to not conflate the actions of the Russian government with Russian people. Here at NYU, many Russian students oppose the war in Ukraine.
Alexandra Azarova, Guest Contributor April 22, 2022

Alexandra Azarova is a Russian CAS sophomore. I am writing on behalf of the community of Russians at NYU against the war in Ukraine. Pro-peace Russian students at NYU want to...