We, The Free University of NYC, openly support the Cooper Union student occupation. We believe that Cooper Union and all education should be free!
We recognize the occupation of the Peter Cooper Suite by The Students for a Free Cooper Union as a vital effort to defend access to a free education for future generations. Their occupation serves as an inspirational, positive, and productive example of resistance in the broader struggle for affordable education in NYC and around the world.
We see clear connections between the struggles students at Cooper Union face and the those of students across New York City. The lines between private and public education in this city have separated us for too long. We will not be divided by institutions, claims to prestige, or profit margins. Public schools are becoming clandestinely privatized, while private schools are increasingly run and financed by our collective student debt. Our grievances are connected and our struggle is necessarily collective. Continue reading
