In an email sent at around 10:30 a.m. obtained by WSN, administrators told student admissions ambassadors to use two routes that avoid Gould Plaza, where the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” has been set up since around 6 a.m. Monday. Admissions tours usually start and end at Gould Plaza, an anonymous admissions ambassador told WSN.
The email with the suggested routes, which lead prospective students and families through the Washington Square Mews and the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute at 16 Washington Place, also included a link to “General Protest Talking Points” for admissions ambassadors.
The talking points, which were leaked in a recent NYU Students for Justice in Palestine and Shut it Down NYU Instagram post, advise admissions ambassadors to respond to inquiries regarding campus activism with the following:
- “NYU respects the right of any student to peacefully protest, but does not support violence, hate-speech, or harassment of any kind.”
- “NYU has always welcomed the free exchange of ideas, including protesting.”
- “Guests are welcome to engage with protesters and ask questions and engage in discussion on their own time, however we realize that most visitors are here to learn more about the university and student experience at NYU so the tour will be bypassing the protest so they can better focus on sharing information.”
“As you may know, NYU students have occupied the Gould Plaza, launching a chapter of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment here at NYU,” the email reads. “As a result, we made adjustments to our tour routes to ensure the comfort and safety of both our guests and the participants of the encampment.”
The university did not respond to a request for comment regarding admissions tour routes.
Contact Carmo Moniz at [email protected].
