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Living at the Library: The Bobst Library's Tenant
By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 27, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Apr 27, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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The expensive reality of living in the city is one thing, but being a student at a NYC university should enable you some ability to live here while you study. But NYU student Steve Stanzak's tale of living in the basement of Bobst Library shows what some will do to stay in the city. Stanzak, a sophomore, did not get enough financial aid to cover rooming and was already working jobs to cover costs not paid by his scholarship, so he started to live in the subbasement in NYU's biggest library, using four chairs as a bed and going unnoticed by university security. Stanzak's blog, homelessatnyu, was what first tipped NYU officials to his squatting - or studying (however you perceive it). He is now in university housing, though misses his status as "Bobst Boy." NYU's spokesman tells the Times: "N.Y.U. doesn't attract just smart students, it attracts smart, eclectic students. We had a film student who wanted to film a couple performing a live sex act in front of a class. We had students who set up a swimming pool in their dorm room. Now we have this fellow." Viva New York! And viva blogs for helping him get some housing. Steve Stanzak is our New Yorker of the week!
Students at Columbia University will probably decide to explore Butler to see if anyone is living there but will probably just come across some people having sex in the stacks. As usual.
Updated: Reader John let us know about a livejournal entry from Steve about his media whirlwind yesterday:
But, as we [Stanzak and Times reporter Karen Arenson] were leaving the library, someone just started randomly taking pictures of me. It was the evil New York Post! I had to avoid them and their questions because I was still with Karen and because the Post was crazy and mean and so we ran to the NYU eatery to grab some juice and answer some more questions. The Post surrounded both doors. When Karen had finished her interview and was left alone, I wasn't sure of what to do with the Post. Better sense told me to run away as fast as I could from them, but then again, I didn't want to be reported as being stand-offish and rude, and I was honestly afraid that they would follow me back to Lafayette, so I told them I had someplace to be and allowed them to do a real quick interview....After the interview with the Post (which they said I'll probably be front page, unless something happens in Iraq), I head over to Broadway to wait for the bus to take me back to Lafayette.
NYU's student newspaper, Washington Square News, broke the story.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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