GREENWICH VILLAGE — New School administrators said Tuesday that students from across the city could protest at the university all they want — as long as they don't get in the way of learning as the semester's end nears.
New School president David Van Zandt and provost Tim Marshall met Tuesday afternoon with students and professors who have been "occupying" a space at 90 Fifth Ave., north of 14th Street, since Thursday, school spokesman Sam Biederman said.
The administrators asked the protesters to move from the space, which is used as a study center, to the school's Kellen Gallery, which is a block south, at 68 Fifth Ave.
"Some student response that we've gotten has been that the semester is almost up, finals are coming and students need study space," Biederman said. "This is something the administration is really sensitive to, which is why they've offered this alternative space."
The protesters, who calling themselves All City Student Occupation, have not yet agreed to switch spaces, Biederman said. Students with IDs from any city university can access the 24-hour protest space, he added.
As many as 140 students from the New School and other city universities gathered at the school on Tuesday, the New York Daily News reported.
ACSO speaks out against income inequality and the high cost of higher education on its website.
"Today, the university is a supreme symbol of social and economic inequality. Skyrocketing tuition costs at public and private institutions deny us access to higher education and saddle us with crushing debt," the site reads. "We will reclaim this elite space and make it open to all."
The group did not return a request for comment on the suggested venue change.
ACSO issued a statement of solidarity with 15 protesters who were arrested at a tuition hike demonstration at Baruch College Monday night. The New School has not heard that any of its students were arrested there, Biederman said.
The New School has a long history of student-led protests, including in April 2009, when 19 students were charged with burglary, rioting and criminal mischief for protests at the school against the cost of tuition and the availability of scholarships.
