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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

Sam Donagi

Sam Donagi, Deputy Culture Editor

Sam Donagi is a first-year studying anthropology and data science — while dabbing obsessively in history, sociology and inorganic chemistry. He’s in a permanent love affair with the city of Philadelphia, the taste of white chocolate and the poetry of Chen Chen and Kaveh Akbar. You can email him at [email protected], find him on Instagram @samdonagi or meet him somewhere at the Whitney, where he’ll probably be excitedly talking to strangers.

All content by Sam Donagi
(Kyra Reilley for WSN)

How Campus Safety is trained to handle ICE

Administrators mandated that all Campus Safety officers complete training on how to respond to immigration agents, as federal deportations escalate.
Sam Donagi, Deputy Culture Editor May 6, 2026

Over the past month, NYU’s Campus Safety officers have received training on how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, amid mass deportation of students...

(Noor Maahin for WSN)

Celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at these 4 events

Amid national and local rollbacks on trans rights, these New York City organizations are encouraging you to cheer on trans artists and immerse yourself in queer history.
Sam Donagi and Julia Kim March 31, 2026

Over the past year, 23 anti-transgender bills have been passed across 11 states, including Utah’s ban on providing hormonal transgender treatment to minors and Wisconsin’s...

17-year-old Oliver stopped receiving gender-affirming care from NYU Langone Health in February. (Kiran Komanduri for WSN)

How NYU Langone ‘shattered’ this trans teen’s sense of safety

The medical center’s sudden termination of gender-affirming care left him with a newfound uncertainty — and a surgical implant that’s still in his arm.
Sam Donagi, Deputy Culture Editor March 4, 2026

Like any other 17-year-old, Oliver has a lot on his mind. He goes to high school near NYU. He wants to study linguistics in college. He’s a big Car Seat Headrest fan. And, until...

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

7 ways to counter ICE

As immigration enforcement rapidly escalates across the country, here’s what to know about how to support your neighbors.
Sam Donagi, Deputy Culture Editor January 29, 2026

Over the past month, the Trump administration has deployed more than 2,000 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minnesota, resulting in thousands of arrests and...

After an increase in police presence, Washington Square Park’s homeless population has drastically decreased. (Sophie Hess for WSN)

Washington Square Park’s turn from homely to hostile

Students said that scaled policing and removal of the local unhoused community marked a change in tone for the park.
Sam Donagi, Copy Editor November 26, 2025

“Where are our neighbors?” Chalk graffiti scattered across Washington Square posed this haunting question. Just days after a drug raid led to 19 arrests on the park's west...

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

‘We’ve been through this before’: Why LGBTQ+ history matters

While same-sex marriage is safe from the Supreme Court for now, the Trump administration’s push against LGBTQ+ rights makes learning queer history more important than ever.
Sam Donagi, Copy Editor November 11, 2025

It’s been 75 years since the first Mattachine Society meetings, 56 years since the Stonewall Riots and just 10 years since Obergefell v. Hodges legalized gay marriage. It’s...

(Ivy Chan for WSN)

Drag opera nights, social justice organizing and … Sunday service?

Across the street from Washington Square Park, Judson Memorial Church has stood for over a century as a community space at the intersection of arts, faith and activism.
Sam Donagi, Copy Editor October 17, 2025

55 Washington Square S represents much more than another building students pass on their way to class. Adorned with pride flags and Black Lives Matter banners, Judson Memorial...

NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. (Sam Klein for WSN)

NYU Abu Dhabi develops LED-light pill for gut examination

The ingestible technology can help experts identify digestive and metabolic disorders without performing surgery.
Sam Donagi, Copy Editor September 23, 2025

Researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi and the Tandon School of Engineering spearheaded the development of an ingestible device with LED light technology that could transform the way doctors...