The faculty members of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) oppose the proposed NYU 2031 development, which we believe will have a negative impact on the academic mission and morale of the university and on NYU's standing in the Greenwich Village community, for the following reasons:

There has not been adequate or genuine consultation with the faculty regarding the rationale for the plan, the logic of expansion, its location and design, and the health and environmental consequences of an anticipated twenty years of construction.

There has been no transparency regarding the budgeting for an extremely costly building campaign in a time of longstanding fiscal uncertainty. NYU students, already among the most indebted in the nation and subject to high tuition costs, are likely to have to absorb the costs of expansion in the form of higher tuition and other fees. Offsetting the expense of expansion by increased student enrollment and larger class sizes would have a negative impact on the quality of education. The disruption caused by construction in Washington Square Village or Silver Towers will have serious adverse effects on the retention and recruitment of high quality faculty, which is at the heart of our academic mission.

The execution of the 2031 plan will damage the university's relations with our community neighbors. The plan goes against existing zoning regulations that limit commercial development, will increase urban density, and will reduce open space in this historic residential area.