A handful of New York University faculty members, including professors and writers like Zadie Smith, Andrew Ross, and Stephen Duncombe, are concerned about the school’s plan to take over Manhattan, but not necessarily because of what it means for the city; they’re worried about the gym. A letter was sent from a group of 23 faculty members to NYU administrators with regards to the impending demolition of the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center, which is to be replaced sometime around 2018 as part of the university’s 2031 world domination plot. Academics love their bodies, too.
“As NYU faculty and family members who frequently use Coles, we see a problem that demands your full attention,” begins the letter, obtained by campus blog NYU Local. The faculty members complain that guided tours of NYU don’t mention that the school will only have one gym (in the residence hall Palladium, named for the demolished nightclub that used to sit there) for the next six years, at least. “By making tacit promises that NYU will break,” they write, “you are involved in a deception that could harm NYU’s reputation, and make for a disgruntled student body and unhappy faculty.” Something tells us this might not be the determining factor for NYU’s local reputation.
