The New School has indefinitely suspended programming in Tishman Auditorium on the first floor of the University Center. In an email sent to faculty on Friday afternoon, the university communicated that the auditorium will be locked and scheduled events and classes will be rescheduled or relocated.
The decision comes six days after student occupation at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in the lobby and basement levels of the UC began, and two days after the university failed to anticipate and manage the inflow of visitors to a planned event that took place in Tishman auditorium on Wednesday.
The email, which was provided to the New School Free Press by an anonymous faculty member, came from Gregory Herrera, the director of auxiliary operations. The message notes that “university leadership” decided to close the auditorium, but does not detail who in the administration made the call.
The email states “the auditorium will remain locked and inaccessible” to community members for the foreseeable future, and that the decision is a result of the encampment, which poses “a fire and safety risk,” according to the university.
The university told the New School Free Press in an emailed comment that “all classes and events have been relocated for safety reasons.”
However, they did not respond to questions regarding which administrators were involved in the decision, why the auditorium was locked, what precise fire and safety risks the encampment poses, or whether the decision is intended to prevent further participation from community members. So far, reporting by the New School Free Press has not found that students at the encampment have occupied the auditorium, or that the encampment poses any risk to those attending events in the space.
Herrera, as well as the Registrar have been in contact with faculty to relocate and/or reschedule their classes or events that will be impacted by the temporary closure of Tishman Auditorium, according to the email.
The university has not yet suspended programming in the lower level spaces at the UC. However some classes have been relocated due to rooms on the floor being occupied.
The email tells faculty that there “may be a possibility of disruption” in spaces on the L1 level of the UC, and informs them to alert security if that is the case. If required, faculty are expected to contact Ad Hoc Room Requests for assistance relocating their classes.