YMCA Bates Hall, 316 Huntington Ave (Map)
The Purpose of this Summit
As students and community members, we are affected by the policies set forth by the Northeastern University Administration, and we recognize that the current direction of the university does not represent our interests. Due to the pursuit of college rankings over affordability, we personally face rising tuition costs, student debt, and overcrowding. We also see the impact of the university’s actions on the greater community, with neighborhood after neighborhood incensed at NU’s expansion. However, while it is easy to criticize the administration’s policies, we realize that our complaints are ineffectual without plans and solutions of our own. We have gathered proposals and suggestions from fellow students, student groups, and community members, which we will discuss and vote on today. These resolutions (and others that may be proposed during the summit) focus on addressing the many problems at Northeastern, from big picture issues to tinier details.
From these proposals discussed today will come a grassroots master plan for Northeastern, determining the direction that We, the People want to see this school go towards. This People’s Plan will act as an alternative to the current, undemocratic, bureaucratized master plan currently being proposed by the NU administration. Moreover, we hope that this summit and the process of creating this People’s Plan will empower students and community members, and inspire them to create a democratic society at our university, where all people have a meaningful voice.
This summit is brought to you by the Northeastern University chapter fo the Students for a Democratic Society (the NU-SDS). We are part of a national SDS organization, formed originally in the 1960’s, and recreated in 2006. The SDS fights for student rights, affordable education, and other issues affecting young people on a national level.
