Dear Commons Community,
In anticipation of protests during tomorrow night’s meeting of the CUNY Board of Trustees, Baruch College president, Mitchel Wallerstein, has cancelled all classes that begin after 3:00 pm tomorrow, Monday, November 28th. The classes have been rescheduled for Friday, December 2nd.
These actions are being taken “to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff during the period surrounding the meeting of the CUNY Board of Trustees in the Newman Vertical Campus on Monday afternoon. For this reason, student presence in the Vertical Campus after 3:00 p.m. will be limited only to those completing a class already in progress and initial access will be granted only to those with an urgent and legitimate need to be in the building. We are determined to avoid any repetition of the regrettable events that occurred in the narrow confines of the NVC lobby during the CUNY Board’s public hearing last Monday.”
The full text of President Wallerstein’s message appears below.
Tony
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The College has decided to re-schedule all classes occurring in the Newman Vertical Campus (NVC) only that begin after 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 28, 2011. These classes will be re-scheduled for Friday, December 2nd in the same room and at the same time. Existing Friday afternoon sections will be rescheduled. Please check the college registrar web page, which will be updated by Monday morning, or the instructor’s Blackboard account, for the latest scheduling information.
All administrative staff who work in the NVC only are also being granted administrative leave, beginning at 3 p.m. on Monday. Individual unit managers and division directors are authorized, however, to move essential personnel to a different work location as they deem necessary.
These actions are being taken to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff during the period surrounding the meeting of the CUNY Board of Trustees in the Newman Vertical Campus on Monday afternoon. For this reason, student presence in the Vertical Campus after 3:00 p.m. will be limited only to those completing a class already in progress and initial access will be granted only to those with an urgent and legitimate need to be in the building. We are determined to avoid any repetition of the regrettable events that occurred in the narrow confines of the NVC lobby during the CUNY Board’s public hearing last Monday.
It is indeed fortunate that no Baruch students were arrested last week, and that none of those who were arrested was seriously injured. According to the information reaching me, all of these individuals were charged with a misdemeanor; and contrary to certain information in circulation, no one has subsequently been denied access to any Baruch College facility.
I want to restate again my commitment to the right of free expression on the Baruch College campus. Until such time as we are able to obtain an outdoor public plaza, we will work to identify other public spaces where members of the Baruch College community can gather to express their views in a peaceful and orderly fashion.
Mitchel Wallerstein
President, Baruch College
