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NYU Student Caught Living in the LibraryA New York University sophomore was found spending nights in the subbasement of the 24-hour Bobst Library in mid-April and claimed to have lived there since September, when he could not pay a $1,000 deposit for a dorm room.Creative writing major Steven Stanzak, 20, had creative living ideas as well. He slept on chairs in a corner of the library basement for six hours a night, showered occasionally at friends’ houses, carried important belongings in his backpack, and stored the rest of his stuff in a locker. Stanzak, who works four jobs and receives both a $15,000 NYU scholarship and several student loans, had only enough money to cover the $31,000 tuition. He did not get financial help from his divorced parents and had no money for housing, which can cost from $7,700 to $16,600 per year. “I wasn’t afraid of being thrown out of the library,” Stanzak said in the April 27 New York Times. “I could have slept in the park. My worst fear was getting kicked out of NYU. I love this school.” Students on campus followed Stanzak’s adventures through his website, which he used to chronicle his daily life as “Bobst Boy,” a name he gave himself. When university officials discovered his plight they moved him to an off-campus dorm room for free for the rest of the semester. Ironically, it is the same dorm he had applied to in the fall. “When students who have needs and concerns get in touch with the university, we have ways to help,” NYU Office for Public Affairs Vice President John Beckman said in the April 26 Washington Square News campus newspaper. Stanzak’s story has been widely reported in the media. He appeared on Good Morning America on April 29. Posted April 30, 2004. |
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