The discontent cumulated, when the institution’s
provost was dismissed abruptly in late December – the popular Joseph W. Westphal only served three months. The president of The New School, Bob Kerrey thereupon anounced that he would fill the office on a temporary basis himself.

Students of the The New School in New York City were so outraged that they occupied a faculty building in 12th street in Greenwich Village for 30 hours to give their opinion a voice: “Our ability to do the very thing we came here to do — receive a quality education — is at risk,” is written on the protest homepage The New School in Exile. Target of their unconvinience are president Bob Kerrey and James Murtha, his executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Students demand the resignation of both for the following reasons (taken from the online petition):

- It is unacceptable for President Kerrey to appoint himself interim Provost.
- Students face a serious lack of resources, both technological and academic directly due to Kerrey’s leadership.
- Bob Kerrey has attempted to make the New School a profit making venture. Mr. President: Where is the money?
- There is a fundamental lack of democratic transparency concerning both the activities of Bob Kerrey and the board of trustees.

Students stand for reforms of The New School: they want a change towards a critical education and a social responsibility:

As students we have an obligation, because of our privilege, to push the envelope and construct a new vision of how the world could be. Formerly our school was driven by calls for open deliberation, anti-authoritarianism and critical and direct engagement with social problems. Now—under the present leadership—decision-making is secretive and closed. Power is consolidated, abused and wielded as a weapon against academic inquiry and critical skepticism. Our “brand” is now more important than our ethics, and students have been reduced to economic units—like cogs in a corporate machine.

The students announced 1 April as deadline for Kerrey and Murtha to resign. ROGER wishes the students good luck for getting the chance to actively reform their university and design their own and upcoming generations’ educational future.