NEW YORK— After two years of planning, 12 Cooper Union students barricaded themselves on the top floor of the foundation building to protest tuition charges. The students have been there since noon of Dec. 3, and say they have enough supplies to stay for at least three days.
The school was founded in 1859 by Peter Cooper, who believed that education should be accessible to all who qualify regardless of race, religion, gender, and social status. Admission is highly competitive.
The historically tuition-free institution decided in April that it will begin charging tuition for graduate students starting in September 2013. The school is considering charging undergraduates as well, but is still open to new ideas that will keep undergraduate tuition free.
The Students for a Free Cooper Union argue that all tuition can be avoided if the school were transparent with its finances and did not spend money prodigally on a new academic building.
“We have reclaimed this space because we believe [President Bharucha is] leading the college in the wrong direction,” the group states. “An expansionist strategy and lack of accountability have put this college in a financial deficit, and we reject the current style of governance that emulates those failures.”
The students demand that Jamshed Bharucha, the president of Cooper Union, step down from his position.
The protesters said they are not willing to negotiate. They demand the school appoint a student and faculty member from each of their three schools as voting members of the board in order to maintain transparency. They also request the school implement a process in which board members can be removed if the Cooper Union students, faculty, alumni, and administrators find it necessary.
Entrances to the foundation building are currently secured by wood and steel barricades. One of the students inside is certified in first aid and CPR. The group emphasized that the barricades are easily removable from the inside and are designed not to damage the building.
