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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

All content by Hope Pisoni
Three security guards in blue uniforms congregate in front of the Grand Staircase in the Kimmel Center for University Life. A barrier is placed both on the top and bottom of the staircase.

NYU says Kimmel stairs closed due to ‘protest activity’

Months after NYU closed the Grand Staircase in the Kimmel Center for University Life, the university said the area was closed for student safety reasons.
Graylin Lucas and Hope Pisoni February 6, 2024

NYU said the Grand Staircase in the Kimmel Center for University Life will remain closed “due to the level of protest activity” near campus, which surged last semester after...

A crowd stands and applauds a speaker during the memorial held for the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

Hundreds gather at Triangle Fire Memorial unveiling

The newly installed memorial honors the lives of over 100 workers who lost their lives in the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.
Hope Pisoni and Krish Dev October 12, 2023

Hundreds of labor organizers, students and faculty gathered outside NYU’s Brown Building Wednesday morning to see the unveiling of a memorial for the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist...

A group of protestors wearing green shirts with the words “S.O.S. SAVE OUR SUPERMARKET ” printed on them, march along a sidewalk. A woman on the right holds a sign that says “SAVE OUR SUPERMARKET”.

Village residents rally at Bobst to save local Morton Williams

The protest was the latest effort by local residents to save the supermarket, which is at risk of being demolished and replaced with a public school.
Hope Pisoni, Staff Writer September 28, 2023

A group of local residents calling for NYU to save a supermarket on university-owned land took the fight to its front door on Wednesday, the latest development in a yearslong battle...

A man stands in front of the fountain at Washington Square Park holding a sign labeled “Free Expression Not Suppression” with his other hand outstretched in a fist. A police officer dressed in uniform stands to the man’s right, facing him.

WSP artists claim uptick in law enforcement ‘intimidation’

Local artists and vendors in Washington Square Park have been protesting what they say has been an increase in law enforcement activity for several weeks.
Hope Pisoni, Staff Writer September 25, 2023

Painter Eric Cook has circled the Washington Square Park fountain every Wednesday evening for the past eight weeks, holding signs and noisemakers in protest of an uptick in law...

Colin Huggins wearing all black and playing a grand piano in the middle of a park. The piano’s paint is worn off on the edges and text “this machine kills fascists” is etched onto the paint in all caps.

‘Piano man’ of Washington Square Park faces persistent vandalism

The longtime street performer, who has been unhoused since 2021, has faced added financial difficulties in recent months due to vandalism by parkgoers.
Hope Pisoni, Staff Writer May 1, 2023
The longtime street performer, who has been unhoused since 2021, has faced added financial difficulties in recent months due to vandalism by parkgoers.
A group of game design students gathers inside a brick building facing towards a screen holding controllers.

NYU game design programs ranked No. 1

The NYU Game Center was named the best school for game design out of 150 surveyed institutions, according to The Princeton Review’s 14th annual rankings.
Hope Pisoni, Staff Writer April 5, 2023

NYU offers the highest-ranked game design program, according to new rankings from The Princeton Review. The NYU Game Center, housed within the Tisch School of the Arts, placed...

A gray car with a yellow sticker and a white sticker in the bottom right corner of its windshield. The stickers read "4" and "24" respectively. The car also has a placard that reads "New York University" displayed.

Illegally parked cars claim NYU affiliation to dodge tickets

WSN spotted several cars sporting faked parking placards claiming affiliation with Campus Safety and the security officers union parked illegally near Washington Square Park. NYU and the security workers union have denied distributing the placards.
Hope Pisoni, Contributing Writer December 8, 2022

Cars using placards indicating an affiliation with NYU and Campus Safety’s security officers union have been parked illegally near university buildings a block away from Washington...

A New York City Police Department van is parked on a public sidewalk. Pedestrians walk past the vehicle near Union Square on East 14th Street.

NYPD vehicles park on sidewalks, violating city law and impeding accessibility

New York City Police Department drivers routinely park on sidewalks illegally. Police parking violations go unenforced, obstructing pedestrians and wheelchair users.
Hope Pisoni, Contributing Writer November 7, 2022

Late last month, a Honda SUV and what appears to be a yellow cab could be seen blocking a sidewalk near the New York City Police Department 6th Precinct in Greenwich Village. The...

The emergency exit door at the entrance to a subway station. Behind the door there are security guards. The door has a sign that reads “Service Entry”.

Private security guards patrol emergency exits at West 4th subway station

The security presence, which began in early September, is unarmed and discouraged from physically confronting subway riders.
Hope Pisoni, Contributing Writer October 19, 2022

At the often-crowded West Fourth Street-Washington Square subway station, one of the closest to NYU’s campus, officers from two private security contractors now stand in front...