Student Activism at NYU: Past, Present, and Future

Positive change sometimes has its own momentum. More often, it needs a push. College campuses are hubs for the kind of energy and student activism that propel ideas into tangible movements. And NYU has a particularly rich history as an epicenter of social and political progress. Some early protests centered on deescalating the Vietnam War. And student demonstrations in the wake of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in 1968, led to changes in leadership at the then-new Afro-American Student Center. This early activism laid the groundwork for current initiatives. Now, student government committees tackle issues ranging from education about sexual consent to advocating for mental health resources. Student clubs and organizations (NYU has hundreds) create space for many identities and advocate in many areas of social justice.

Student clubs form and adapt each year to address injustices and advocate for marginalized and underrepresented communities. The Queer Union, for example, advocates for LGBTQ students. Meanwhile, STEMinist combats sexism in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and beyond. Artists in Action helps students use art to bring attention to social issues.

Alyssa Goldberg started the NYU chapter of Active Minds, a club that advocates for mental health resources and policy reform, in her first year. “Student-led initiatives are an incredibly important component of the fight for comprehensive mental health care and against stigma,” says Alyssa. She is a Global Public Health and Applied Psychology major. “Active Minds is unique in the sense that we empower students to actively advocate for change and positively shape the conversation surrounding mental health on college campuses.”

In fact, it is often student activists who lead the charge for changes on campus. EarthMatters, NYU’s oldest environmental and sustainability club, pushes for campus-wide changes. The Student Labor Action Movement successfully lobbied to increase the wages for student workers. The group Two Birds, One Stone organizes student volunteers to deliver leftover food from NYU dining halls to a local homeless shelter and soup kitchen. And the Native American and Indigenous Student Group (NAISG) led the push for a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies, which began enrollment in spring 2018. “A lot of students, including myself, come here because it seems like a place where you can change things,” Paige Cook, NAISG’s president, says.

The NYU community also keeps a critical eye on itself and its policies. It is dedicated to lowering its carbon emissions, with an ambitious commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. And it continuously evolves to further prioritize diversity, inclusion, and equity. The Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation promotes an environment where everyone—students, faculty, and staff—can feel like they belong. In addition to larger policy advising, the office also coordinates numerous annual programs. These include MLK Week and Solidarity Week. Last year, they celebrated the 25th anniversary of the NYU LGBTQ+ Center. “Navigating diversity and leveraging differences, and sometimes disruption, is part of the challenge, energy, innovation, and excitement of the city and of our NYU culture,” Dr. Lisa Coleman, the office’s senior vice president, says.

Dedicated programs further expand NYU’s impact in the local community and beyond. For example, the NYU Prison Education Program, founded in 2015, provides the opportunity for incarcerated men to earn associate’s degrees. The School of Law offers over 40 clinics in areas such as immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and environmental law. They provide students with practical experience working with clients and communities to address urgent problems and influence public policy.