This photo essay by Caleb Savage originally appeared at NYU Local and is reprinted with permission.

Students from Cooper Union had been occupying President Jamshed Bhraucha’s office all day on May 8 in protest of the administration’s plan to begin charging tuition. This was the scene inside during the excitement of a 6:00pm rally in Cooper Square that evening.

Although there was a heavy police presence at the rally, the crowd was relatively small and well-behaved.

NYU student Paul Funkhouser spoke about solidarity between students and NYU’s own administrative controversies.

A longstanding Cooper Union faculty member voiced her support for Free Cooper Union.

Students from Columbia’s delegation, along with several other schools and organizations, were also on hand to voice their solidarity.

A member of Free Cooper Union addressed the crowd in Cooper Square on Wednesday evening. Students are upset about the lack of transparency and input from students and faculty regarding Cooper Union’s finances. Due to millions of dollars in budget deficits, Cooper Union plans to start charging tuition for the first time in its history.

This excellent sax player performed transition music and sound effects and injected the somewhat somber event with a certain amount of excitement.

In addition to the black banners flying from Cooper Union’s top floor, the large windows along Lafayette street were painted in support of Free Cooper Union.

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