The now infamous 18 Take Back NYU protesters who were the final holdouts during last week’s occupation — since called the “Kimmel 18” (maybe with too great a hint of heroics) — have been offered a deal from the university which they must decide to accept or reject today. For those who do not accept, suspensions will be retained until they are tried in a judicial hearing where punishments traditionally tend to be more severe.This just invites another silver-spoon revolution over some perceived grievance. Booting these punks from school is the proper course of action, but instead they get a wrist slap and a laugh at the school's expense.
Let’s consider the damage done: an estimated financial impact of over $80,000, including the costs of heightened security, minor repairs to the Kimmel Center and disruption to dining services; an NYU security guard physically harmed; and many students inconvenienced. Next, the consequences for a few of those who caused the disruption: a week of suspension from school and a year of ineligibility for student leadership positions.
If $80,000 is a fair estimate of the financial impact of the occupation, there seems to be a large discrepancy between the damage caused and the consequences doled out. NYU cannot and should not punish these students for putting on a poorly planned protest, but the students’ disregard for the well-being of the security guards and their purposeful destruction of private property deserve more than this symbolic slap on the wrist.
For this alone they should get jail time.
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