JSex Answers All Of Your Burning Questions in Town Hall

By Paul Pastore

Yesterday, our Ol’ Uncle JSex gave another fireside chat (Town Hall meeting). Members of the student body and faculty were invited to come and pose questions directly to the captain at the helm of NYU. A lot of awesome stuff happened. He accused me of running the fake John Sexton Facebook, shamelessly promoted his book, did a jig while discussing financial aide and fielded a question about whether we should have a study away site in the forest (like Ewoks). Serious stuff happened too: There was actual discourse on issues affecting us as a student body.

Many of the questions (unsurprisingly) were focused around the University’s program of expansion and student debt. One of the first questions in this vein was if the University has become similar to a corporation in its endless appetite for growth to the end of achieving profit. Sexton’s response was that the “corporate baggage” that the word “globalization” carries does not mean that the university has lost its “strictly academic vision” in its growth.

A question was posed on whether or not the University had lost its charter vision of being an institution of and for the common man. What followed was a lengthy explanation of the ways in which Sexton says he advocates for financial aid money, and how the university works to take in poor students.

Sexton said that, at the end of the day, meaningful change will come from ajustments in public policy. The idea that he put forth was for “income contingent repayment” of student loans, meaning that, after a certain period, the government would forgive your entire debt or a portion of it, depending on your income level. Sexton said “Cuomo could make himself a hero” by realizing this proposal, and that it would be a “tremendous talent draw for New York State”.

Later in the discussion, a student asked him why those with “poverty majors” are allowed to rack up massive debt. Sexton said that all he can do is emphasize to students that this is an there is a financial hazard to attending NYU, and continue to advocate for financial aid money. Basically, Sexton is saying that it is the self-determination of the student that decides how heavy the burden of their debt will be in later life. In his words, “How can you go to Stern and not be boring? How can you go to Tisch and not be poor?”

Another point touched on was the devastating damage done to the medical school facilities during Hurricane Sandy. He emphasized that though the number of students in the medical school is small, the contribution that they make in the form of research is invaluable. He said that, through his representative to the medical school, he is working closely with their administration to return things to normal.

Sexton said that the extent of the damage is “devastating” and that it will take “hundreds of millions of dollars and time” to recover. He said that the administration is “very concerned that student life gets back to as normal as possible.” He said that Tisch hospital will be back online in a matter of “weeks not months,” with the exception of its first and second floors. Bellevue Hospital, where many students do their residency, is projected to be fully functioning again in February. He said that students will be moved to partner hospitals. Though he recognized that this would be disruptive, he said the University “cannot put patients in a hospital that’s not ready for them.”

As the end of the semester looms, JSex ended with warm words of comfort for NYU’s sleep-deprived, stress-ridden, masses. “You’ll get through your exams fine,” he said. “I give you the Sextonian guarantee.”