NYU Removes Cosby Name From High School Film Workshop
NYU has removed actor Bill Cosby’s name from the title of a film program for high school students, NYU Local has learned.
Until at least August 17, an NYU webpage advertised the “William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop,” a free 12-week film program for high school students. The program was named after Bill Cosby, the actor and comedian accused of raping more than 50 women, some of whom were underage. NYU has since removed Cosby’s name from the Future Filmmakers program, and deleted the webpage containing program information.
“The workshops will continuing, but Cosby’s name has been removed,” NYU spokesperson Matt Nagel told NYU Local in an August 28 email.
It is unclear exactly when NYU decided to dissociate from Cosby.
“The decision was made in light of recent events. I am not sure on exact timing,” Nagel said.
Rape accusations against Bill Cosby date back a full decade, to a 2005 claim by former basketball player Andrea Constand, who alleged that Cosby had drugged and assaulted her while they both worked at Temple University in the mid-1980s. Since Constand’s allegations, at least 50 other women have come forward with similar accounts of sexual assault. These allegations, initially dismissed or ignored by large audiences, have received renewed attention over the past year, particularly after a July New York Magazine cover story featured 35 of Cosby’s accusers. Cosby has denied all allegations, although in a 2005 court deposition, he admitted to having given women sedatives before pursuing sex with them.
Throughout these 10 years of rape accusations, Cosby has been associated with NYU’s Future Filmmakers program. Future Filmmakers, which provides New York City-area high schoolers with free film classes, is largely funded by charitable donations. Cosby began donating to Future Filmmakers in 1994, hosting multiple benefit shows to raise money for the workshop.
NYU has yet to make any public statement on the program’s name-change.
On August 16, NYU Local contacted the university to inquire whether the program, which was still advertised online as the “William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop” would continue. On August 28, a university spokesperson responded that Cosby’s name had been removed.
Since Local’s August 16 email, the William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop webpage has been deleted from NYU’s website. Links to the Future Filmmakers page now redirect to a page for NYU Tisch’s film and television program.
A cached version of the William H. Cosby Future Filmmakers Workshop page from August 17 is available here.
[Image by author]
