Should NYU faculty and their dependent children receive full tuition remission?
When I read that NYU Bookstores is moving to 726 Broadway this spring, my immediate reaction was suspicion. The move had to have a motive besides creating additional space for seating areas, student discussion, a cafe and author readings in the bookstore.
NYU rarely acts when there is the impetus to do so, whether to update NYUHome, to allow greater budget transparency, or to improve the cumbersome housing process. So why now? Besides, the story said there are supposedly no plans for the bookstore's current location. But if I were going to move a building, wouldn't I plan what was going in its place?
I knew I was on to something big.
It took me a few minutes to realize I was being utterly ridiculous. Even when NYU is trying to help students by creating a more spacious and comfortable bookstore, I can only see vague, mean-spirited plans. As I came out of my reverie, I realized that the cynic in me had gone too far again. But you can't totally blame me, because NYU has lost its credibility with students.
NYU marketed its printing quota as an environmentally friendly move when it was actually a means to cut the university's budget. If NYU really wanted to save six million pages, it could have done so anytime, but it chose to act only when it needed to pinch pennies. NYU marketed its decision to add the 14th Street bus stop as a convenience to students. But if NYU really wanted to ease student transportation, it would have better incorporated students in the decision-making process in the first place. NYU marketed its security guard changes at the Kimmel Center this past school year as a safety measure, when in reality it was a poor response to the Take Back NYU occupation. If NYU really wanted to improve safety, it shouldn't have cut security guard hours in the dorms a month earlier.
These instances reveal NYU's lack of straightforwardness at best and intentional attempts at misrepresentation at worst. When the university goes behind students' backs, acts so impossibly bureaucratically that few students have input on changes, and concocts schemes behind closed doors, it contributes to the damaging aura surrounding itself.
In all likelihood, NYU President John Sexton and the administration are doing all they can to benefit students. However, due to both the university's indomitable size and past actions, all perceptions of NYU say otherwise. Despite NYU's assurances, students worry that human rights abuses will occur in the construction of Abu Dhabi and that gays will not be accepted. Despite NYU's assurances, TBNYU members worry that the university is not paying female and male professors equally. Despite NYU's assurances, students worry that crime is being underreported by the Department of Public Safety. Whether these worries are justified is secondary; the very fact that they exist attests to the aura's strength and NYU's loss of credibility.
Sexton has attempted to improve transparency by holding town hall meetings and sending out lengthy e-mails. Greater action in the same vein must be taken, not only to ensure that students are sufficiently informed of NYU's motives, but also to ensure that NYU markets its moves accurately and lives up to its word.
It's understandable if a university makes a mistake once, slips up in its marketing once, misrepresents itself to its students once. But when it reaches the point where I am led to question entirely innocent moves such as the relocation of a bookstore, that's a problem.
Marcus
Oct 06, 2009
9:28 a.m.
Just for clarification purposes, NYU did not market it's re-addition of the 14th street stop (and only off-peak hours) as a convenience for students. It made the decision to do so after many student complaints received by the transportation department since the phasing-out of the stop over the summer. It is the transportation departments goal to best serve the students, but it has to have the budget to do so. The stop was removed because the former C line was incorporated into the current E line therefore reducing the likelihood that all capacity would be able to be served if they kept the 14th street stop, which is relatively close to campus. I would be careful with your wording there...
Maura
Oct 10, 2009
10:18 p.m.
I really don't believe that NYU has a hidden agenda in regards to moving the bookstore. The reasons are obvious: right now, it's tucked away on Washington Pl., which isn't the easiest location to track down for customers unfamiliar with NYU's campus (and a large chunk of them are visiting high school students and foreigners). Broadway is more accessible, and relocating will definitely increase foot traffic. Besides that, at the moment the bookstore is split up into two levels; the new location will allow the different departments to communicate on one floor without all of the current inconveniences: ie. a cashier having to go all the way downstairs to the textbook floor every time someone wants to pay for a book that's missing a price tag, thus holding up and causing a line of impatient and disgruntled customers.
anonymous
Oct 15, 2009
6:37 p.m.
Your opinion is right on point; unfortunately if you look at the WSN editorials on the subjects that you mention, you will see that your opinion stands out from the crowd. I have yet to see one editorial that takes a stand on the cutbacks. In fact while showing some initial lament, they all seem to come around to the administration's rationale, whether it be the cutback on printing or the change to the bus routes.
Adrianna
Feb 07, 2010
12:09 a.m.
@ Maura - represent!
"Besides, the story said there are supposedly no plans for the bookstore's current location. But if I were going to move a building, wouldn't I plan what was going in its place?"
Wait, did you seriously believe there were no blueprints?
I've been working at that bookstore since Summer 2008 and I've heard about the new bookstore during my INTERVIEW. The bookstore didn't publicly announce its plans to move to Broadway because the moving date has frequently changed. Originally the top names of NYU wanted the new store to open Fall 2009 - then that got bumped to April 2010 - and now it's been moved to June 2010 [to quote the general manager]. Ironically the date was moved to June to avoid more confusion for students during Buy Back. Plus they were considering merging with Barnes & Noble Summer/Fall 2008 which impacts time and planning.
You're misinterpreting the time line based solely on publicity. If you had any real experience in business or retail you would understand that these types of things are not decided on a whim or overnight. You would also understand why the blueprints are not publicized. If they were, you would write an article complaining that the new bookstore failed to deliver what was promised.
With almost two years under my belt at that bookstore and information from the actual blueprints and managers at the store - it will be an improvement. The university outgrew the current bookstore and the layout just does not work. Tired of wrapping around random corners and aisles because the store has no space to form a proper line? Believe me, I'm tired of spending hours trying to control it. I'm sure plenty of people don't want to listen to my nasal voice yelling, "IF YOU'RE READY TO PAY, STEP DOWN THE AISLE AND FOLLOW THE ARROWS." The textbooks will be on the first floor, making shopping incredibly simpler because the layout of the current store serves little function. The logic behind placing a staircase behind half-walls in the center of the store is lost on me. If I got a dollar for every time someone asked me how to get downstairs, I wouldn’t need the part-time job.
Like Maura said, a lot of time is wasted to move between the different departments that ultimately negatively affects your shopping experience.
Adrianna continued
Feb 07, 2010
12:10 a.m.
It's easy to criticize the NYU bookstore for not directly catering to the NYU student, but you are talking about a business that operates on its sales - not your tuition - just like any other retail establishment. If the store didn't make a profit, you would be running around Manhattan to find a Barnes and Noble that carried the book you need for tomorrow's seminar. Believe me, B&N's not much better - they send customers our way from different universities.
Let's break it down:
Broadway location => more sales from the regular, non-student consumer => larger budget => larger selection = less people complaining about what we fail to carry and less trips for you to find some obscure book your professor didn't request the textbook department to carry.
For instance, I'm frequently asked about foreign-language books and used books. There is a limited used-book section because a small percentage of the trade budget is allotted for bargain books.
More sales => larger budget to carry cheaper books
These sales just won't happen in the current store, mainly because of its isolated location.
There is no big conspiracy behind the NYU Bookstore - the employees and managers aren't rolling around in your tuition money and the move to Broadway is desperately needed, not superfluous. What you fail to understand is that the bookstore operates on its sales, not your tuition. The bookstore serves both university students and the regular consumer and the move to Broadway is a logical and smart business move.
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