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

University Life

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Met Gala dress was seen as tone-deaf by many. The controversy raises the question of whether or not NYU students are ignorant of their own class privilege. (Illustration by Bridget Harshman)

Opinion: AOC’s Met Gala stunt and the frivolous performance of class solidarity

AOC’s Met Gala dress was tone-deaf, but what do the surrounding arguments reveal about NYU students’ own ignorance regarding class and privilege?
Srishti Bungle, Deputy Opinion Editor September 23, 2021

On the evening of Sept. 13, the Met Gala was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Among the many distinguished guests were acclaimed actors, renowned artists,...

Universities and colleges have loosened their standard testing requirement for incoming students considering the impact of the pandemic. Such a test-optional policy, in fact, successfully promotes diversity in schools. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: NYU should commit to test-optional applications

Batoul Saleh, Staff Writer September 14, 2021
NYU’s announcement that the 2021-22 admissions cycle will be test-optional is the perfect opportunity for NYU to fully commit to a more equitable practice.
NYU’s board of trustees includes an election conspiracist and a CEO who profits from immigrant detention. These people, among others on the board, contradict NYU’s self-proclaimed diversity and progressivism. (Images via Wikimedia Commons, Staff Photo and Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: NYU’s board of trustees contradicts the university’s mission of inclusivity

Election conspiracists, CEOs who profit from immigrant detention, and other proponents of inequality have no place leading NYU. These trustees should be removed from office.
WSN Editorial Board September 13, 2021

The presence of an election conspiracist and the CEO of an investment firm with massive holdings in private prison and immigration concentration camp operators proves that the...

NYU announced its plans to return to an in-person semester for the fall of 2021 however, there has been no broad action on addressing class attendance policies. With strict attendance policies along with the increasingly contagious new COVID variants like the delta variant, students worry that they will once again have to prioritize class attendance over their physical health. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: Mandatory attendance policies are irrational and ableist

Before the pandemic, some NYU professors and schools were notorious for strict attendance policies. As the pandemic continues with rising cases and dangerous new variants, though, do mandatory attendance policies make sense for NYU’s first in-person semester since the start of the pandemic?
Srishti Bungle, Deputy Opinion Editor August 25, 2021

In spring 2021, NYU announced its plans to return to an in-person semester in the fall. Along with the announcement, the university released a number of requirements to keep students...

NYU YDSA to announce tuition strike Friday. The strike comes on the heels of the graduate student union strike. (Staff Photo by Alexandra Chan, Illustration by Graciela Blandon)

Opinion: NYU Student Tuition Strike: Stronger Together

An open letter to the NYU community from Jake Colosa, NYU Young Democratic Socialists of America co-chair, on behalf of NYU YDSA.
Jake Colosa, Contributing Writer April 30, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted more than a year, and it hasn’t been easy. After being sent home suddenly, many of us spent a year alone, struggling to keep up with our coursework...

On March 12, nine NYU Shanghai students were detained in two separate drug sweeps by police officers. NYU students are just the latest victims in international tensions. (Photo by Casey Kwon)

Opinion: NYU Shanghai students’ detainment was absolutely political

NYU’s complacency and inability to protect its students from being used as political tokens is a disturbing and troubling precedent.
Jack Li, Staff Writer April 29, 2021

On March 12, nine NYU Shanghai students were detained in two separate drug sweeps by police officers. WSN reported that two students were approached at a bar, while seven others...

NYU Senior Leadership has announced mandatory vaccinations for all students returning in-person for the Fall 2021 semester. This is expected to most negatively impact international students, who may come from countries with low vaccine availability. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: Mandatory vaccine policy for Fall 2021 overlooks international students

NYU administration has announced that all students must be vaccinated — with the exception of those unable to due to health and religious reasons — before returning to campus in the fall. How will this impact NYU’s international student body in the Global South?
Srishti Bungle, Staff Writer April 26, 2021

On April 19, senior NYU administrators sent out an email notifying the student body that NYU students returning to the city must be vaccinated for the fall semester. NYU leadership...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the institutions accessible to NYU students through the recently suspended Museum Gateway program. This forced inaccessibility gives us a unique opportunity to re-evaluate our relationships with museums and their legacy. (Photo by Celia Tewey)

Opinion: The Museum Gateway Program suspension is an opportunity to scrutinize our relationship with museums

While we cannot reverse the suspension of NYU’s Museum Gateway program, we can use this time to re-evaluate our relationships with museums and which ones we, as students, receive free admission to.
Michelle Han, Contributing Writer April 22, 2021

NYU’s Museum Gateway program, which offers free museum admission for students, has remained suspended since last fall due to administration’s COVID-related concerns. The student...

Although the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine exceeds its availability at NYU, there is still a noticeable hesitancy among Americans. Due to a long history of medical misconduct at the hands of the federal government towards Black Americans, the percentage of the demographic that would immediately take the vaccine is lower. (Staff Photo by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: The CDC must grapple with its racist history

As vaccination efforts continue at NYU and across the country, the CDC must address its history in order to overcome vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans.
Sydney Barragan, UTA Deputy Editor April 21, 2021

On April 5, NYU announced that vaccine efforts would be amplified following the increase of vaccine stock. In an email sent by Dr. Carlo Ciotoli, executive lead of NYU’s COVID...

We need a spring break

We need a spring break

NYU cancelled spring break when students needed it most.
Sydney Barragan, UTA Deputy Editor April 8, 2021

On Oct. 20, President Andrew Hamilton and Provost Katherine Fleming announced that 2021’s spring break would be replaced with two three-day weekends. This academic year has...

The urgency of supporting the #StrikeOnNYU

The urgency of supporting the #StrikeOnNYU

NYU’s graduate student union will vote on strike authorization until this Thursday. A strike would be a courageous bid for justice and fair conditions on campus, and deserves full solidarity from the NYU community.
Asha Ramachandran, Deputy Opinion Editor April 5, 2021

After nine months of constant stonewalling from the university administration, NYU’s Graduate Student Organizing Committee is holding a strike authorization vote. They’re demanding...

NYU Is Neglecting Its Struggling Graduate Students

NYU Is Neglecting Its Struggling Graduate Students

NYU’s graduate student union and its fight for a fair contract have been met with complete disregard. It’s time for the administration to step up and meet the demands of its graduate student workforce for negotiations, or else risk a collective strike.
Asha Ramachandran, Deputy Opinion Editor March 12, 2021

More than 1,200 graduate students who belong to the Graduate Student Organizing Committee (GSOC) have signed a petition demanding to resume negotiations for a fair contract. After...