Q!s and A's about the Take-Over of 500 Grand Concourse

1. Q. Is it against the law to enter 500 GC?

A. At the moment that 1 am writing this (4/8/78), no injunction has been
obtained by the Dormitory Authority to legally evict those presently occupying
500 GC. At such time as the Dormitory Authority produces such a document and
properly serves it, all of those present in 500 Grand Concourse will have
ample time--if they so wish--to leave, The simple fact is--thepoplice are not
interested in arresting forty to one hundred law-abiding citizens. Apparently,
the Dormitory Authority is having some difficulty in convincing therpolice
to take an interest in those occupying 500 GC. ‘The commander of the 40th
precinct inspected the premises on the day after the takeover. He found that,
contrary to the rumors generated by certain parties,’ there was no damage to
the boiler or any other faceility in 500 GC. Moreover, within a period of
vpwenty-four hours, the students had cleaned three of the five floors. These
facts, coupled with the forty-two people (forty students and two teachers)
who were willing to be arrested and a vocal demonstration of some 400 students
and a few faculty members outside of the 500 GC were enough to convince
the commander that there were more pressing )baw-enforcement problems in the
South Bronx,

The rumor-mongers in Hostos and their victims might take a cue from the
commander of the 40th procinct--instead of guessing what's goning on, why
don't they come a@cross the street and take a tour of the facility.

2. Q. What is going on in 500 GC?

A. Classes (47 on Wendesday, somewhat fewer on the preceeding and suceeding
days), a small child care facility, culural and political events (Puerto Rican
Chltural Week's events were held in 500 GC), and students sleeping and eating |
twenty-four hours a day to ensure that the building not be taken back.

3. Q. What is the condition of the building?

A. Excellent. Thh most immediate problems are: a lack of water power
past the first floor; lack of heat and hot water, The most serious long-range
problem is that the ventilation system is hazardous because it is lined with
asbestoes. Half the windows can be opened and inasmuch as we lived without
air conditioning for thousands of years, I fail to see why we can't use the

such time as a new ventilation

building minus artificial ventilatidn wntil

system is installed. With thle:most insignificant kind of investment--



around $30,000, some have estimated--the building could almost immediately
be put to use for classroom and office purposes. Note that the first floor
consists of a beautiful cafeteria; the upper four floors need partitions.
4. Q. Hasn't taking the buihding angered Mayor Koch?

A, Apparently, the Acting President and some members of the council of
chairpersons are actively searching for the key to Koch's personality so that
the right approach can be discovered to convince Koch to agree to allow Hostos
to have what is Hostos' right to have: that is, facilities equal to those of
any other unit of CUNY. Whatever may be the structure of Koch's personality
(presuming he has ong, that is), Koch is a successful politician and as such
understands ontthing--power. Hostos United/Hostos Unido is mobilizing the power
to force Koch to allow Hostoa to have 500 GC. This is how the building was
obtained in the first place, this is how Hostos was saved in '75-76, and
this is how we are Boing to keep 500 GC this year. Of course, this process
involves negotiating and lobbying; but all the negotiating and lobbying in the
world without the mobilization of the students, some faculty, and community
is meaningless. the only people who won't admit this are those who are so far
away from the entire process of fighing on behalf of Hgstos that they can
allow themselves to believe anything that is oonvenient for them to believe
or those who have a stake in falsifying reality.

5. Q. How can I help secure 500 GC?

A. The mpst important thing is tb utilize the building. "If we don't use it,
we'll lose it." ‘Teach your classes there. There may or may not be some incon-
veniece teaching in 500 GC depending on the nature of your class, its location,
the time the class is taught. For example, for the evening students at 151st
Street, any inconvenience that may obtain in 500 GC is trivial in comparison with
those in that miserable facility. There is room for counselors and financial
aid faculty to service students. librarians could set-up and supervise a study
area. Film programs, lectures, cultural events can all be effectively presented
there. Simply visit 500 GC. The sad fact is that most faculty have yet to
set foot inside the building.

We are beginning to get more media coverage. It is essential that they see
classes in session, etc, I wish you could have seen the expression on the faces

of the reporters from a radio station when they visited 500GC and saw students

cleaning chairs that had arrived from the community.

WE ARB FIGHTING AND WINING FOR YOU__JOIN US

HOSTOS UNITED/HOSTOS UNIDO



More Q's and A's About the Take-Over of 500 GG

6. Q. What effect has the Temporary President's memo of 4/10 had on the take-over?
A, Little or none. "This Wednestiay (4/12) was our busiest day--sixty

classes were held in 500 GC, Based on an average class size of 25 that means

that 1,500 students received instruction in that day in 500 GC. In fact, we

have begun to have problems of success. (ne class had to be turned away for

lack of space! Actually, when we obtain more chairs and blackboards, we will

be able to expand the areas utilized for instruction to the forth and fifth

floors,

7. Q. What kind of media coverage has the takeover engendered?

A, Med$3’f3*Been meager but not insignificant. Channel 5 devoted a four

minute slot to the take-over, WPIX ran an editorial in support of Hostos'
right to 500 GC. We secured a fifteen minute slot on WBLS (which was repeated)
plus a one minute blurb which was repeated any number of times. ABC and WINS
radio have had editorials about 500 GC. Hl Diario and the left-wing press
have had articles about Hostos, We anticipate that upcoming events will
ultimately attract the attention of the media to the take-over and hence to
the question of the 500 GC,
8. Q. If the take-over of 500 GC eases Hostos! space problems and if this
utilization attracts attention to Hostos' plight, why is the Temporary President
and some departmental chairpeople trying to convince--or more accurately,
subtly coerce-- those teachers who have been teaching there to leave 500 GC?

A. The Temporary President is an appointee of the BHE not an electee of
the faculty, students, and’ community of Hostos. He thinks and acts accordingly.
What is somewhat more difficult to understand is why many of the chairpeople--
who after all are members of tha union and elected by their collegues--are so
anxious to follow the lead of the Temporary President. Indeed, at the council of
chairpersons meeting of 4/14 one chairperson suggested the drawing up of a
list of all those teachers who are teaching at 500 GC and the head of the
library since 4/12 refused to allow amplification equipment to be used in

500 GC,



9. Q. What will be the effects of the subtle coercion of the Temporary President?

A. There are enough teachers who are committedsufficiently to Hostos that

come-what-may 500 GC will continue to be utilized for instruction. Probably,
some teachers will drift away. It is not totally inconceivable that some
teachers will step forward in support of their colleagues and begin to teach
in 500 GC,

The fear and/or the actuality that the subtle coercion of the Temporary
President (abetted by some of the Chairpeople) may destroy the take-over and
hence the assurance that Hostos will obtain the 500 GC will undoubtedly lead
many students to conclude that: 1. the Temporary President and much of the faculty
are not interested in Hostos: 2. more radical tactics must now be used. So, the
Temporary President, and some of the chairpeople are themselves creating the
conditions for the deja vu they so fear. They are, in fact , the creators of their
own nightmares.

10. Q. Why shouldn't we wait until the University submits the master plan?

A. For any number of compelling reasons: 1. god only knows when the master
plan will be presented; 2. when it is presented it will be knocked around for
a long time; 3. there is no guarantee that Hostos will be in it; 4. the master
plan Will: indicate ithat there are unutilized and underutilized facilities in
Bronx Community College and Lehman, The University has lost 60,000 students
and will most certainly continue to lose students. It should not take a genius
to figure out that there are any number of people who would love to match up
our bulging student population with somepone else's un/underutilized facilities.
The Master Plan for Constuction in the Universityvwill kill us. We must get
500 GC before the master plan is presented.
141. Q. If you--that is, the Temporary President and some of his Chairpeople--
are so anxious to end the take-over of 500 GC, what tactics and strtegy have
you developed and implemented to secure this facility for Hostos? What risks

have you taken? What information have you shared? What efforts have you made?

USE IT OR LOSE
HOSTOS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED

HOSTOS UNITED/HOSTOS UNIDO HOSTOS UNITED/HOSTOS UNIDO