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VOLUME LVII | ISSUE 11
MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2021
NYU cuts English program that served int’l students, fires staff The School of Professional Studies at NYU will shut down its Comprehensive English Program at the end of this semester — a move that faculty say will effectively eliminate the entire English Language Institute. By GABRIEL HAWTHORNE Staff Writer
JAKE CAPRIOTTI | WSN
The School of Professional Studies at NYU is shutting down the English Language Institute at the end of the semester. The closure will result in dozens of staff layoffs and the loss of English programs which serve international students.
The Comprehensive English ProThe Comprehensive English Program at NYU’s School of Professional Studies will be shut down at the end of the fall 2021 semester, according to an Oct. 1 statement from SPS dean Angie Kamath. SPS administration has described the closure of the program, which catered to international students learning English as a second language, as part of a “restructuring” of its English Language Institute. While administrators said the decision was due to low enrollment, several faculty members alleged that SPS undermined the program by restricting its availability and implementing budget cuts. As a result of the shutdown, 11 out of 12 full-time faculty will only remain employed until the end of CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Anime club members should get COVID test, NYU says By ARNAV BINAYKIA News Editor Members of Club Anime, the largest anime-related club on campus, were asked by NYU to immediately obtain a COVID-19 test in an email from the university’s COVID-19 response team on Dec. 5. The directive came days after a man who attended Anime NYC 2021, a large Japanese animation convention, was linked to the second known case of the omicron variant of the virus in the United States. “The NYU COVID-19 Prevention & Response Team (CPRT) is reaching out to all NYU students who are registered members of the NYU Anime Club,” the email, obtained by WSN, read. “Out of an abundance of caution, CPRT recommends that you get a PCR test ASAP (if you have not already tested since Nov. 26) and follow the guidance below to help protect yourself and others.” Club Anime, the student organization that received the email notification, is one of the largest organizations on campus — its official webpage on NYU
Engage lists more than 1,000 members. The club’s president, Rachael Teng, said she knew members of the club who attended the convention. “We are unaware of any positive COVID-19 test results among our club members,” Teng said. “We are aware of the situation and have encouraged the attendees to get tested, as well as general members of Club Anime.” Anime NYC took place at the Javits Center in midtown Manhattan between Nov. 19 and Nov. 21. More than 53,000 people attended, all of whom were required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination for COVID-19. On Nov. 24, three days after the convention ended, a man from Minnesota who attended the event tested positive for the omicron variant. On Dec. 2, Mayor Bill de Blasio advised convention attendees to get tested as soon as possible. CAS sophomore Anthony Portillo, a Club Anime member who attended the convention, said that he was in the process of scheduling a testing appointment. “It was a ton of people gathering, so it’s probably inevitable that one person
might have had it,” Portillo said. “I think basically everyone was wearing masks. The only thing, obviously, was that there was almost no social distancing.” The email sent to the club asked members who visited the convention to get a test, but they will not be required to submit results. It was sent three days after the city’s advisory. Portillo said that he felt that the communication should have been sent earlier. “It should have been sooner,” Portillo said. “The moment it was stated that someone at the convention came up positive, maybe send ‘members of the club, those who went to the convention: make sure you get tested.” University spokesperson John Beckman did not respond to a request for comment.
Contact Arnav Binaykia at abinaykia@nyunews.com.
PHOTO BY MARI BINSTOCK
Anime NYC was held from Nov. 19-21 at the Javits Center in New York City. An attendee from Minnesota tested positive for the omicron variant in one of the first detections of the variant in the United States.