Cuomo Blasts NYU For Letting Students Party In Washington Sq Park

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Governor Andrew Cuomo is not a fan of partying New York City college students nor the New York University security team.

Videos surfaced on social media this week of hundreds of dancing college students flouting social distancing rules at a Washington Square Park party on Saturday.

PARTY FOUL: NYU is investigating whether students at the school had violated coronavirus guidelines during a large party held in Washington Square Park in Manhattan on Saturday, September 5. More than 20 NYU students have been suspended so far. https://t.co/DccPsP23xk pic.twitter.com/kjTAHwT0AB
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) September 8, 2020

In a news conference on Tuesday, Cuomo ripped NYU and the city for allowing the student bash to take place. NYU's East Village campus is only minutes away from Washington Square Park.

"Frankly, NYU security didn't do anything about it. The local police didn't do anything about it," Cuomo said during the news conference. "We're New York tough, that is not tough. That is not tough by the NYU administrators, who as soon as they heard about it, should've stopped it.

"It's not tough by the New York City enforcement. They saw the large gathering, the violation of social distancing, and it wasn't smart," Cuomo added.

NYU sent out a statement on Twitter Tuesday night, emphasizing that it wasn't clear that the event was organized by anyone affiliated with NYU and how many NYU students were actually there.

"The overall NYU student reaction to the gathering in the park was not supportive but rather highly disapproving — many students reached out to the City hotlines to complain about the event and the unsafe practices they observed," NYU said on Twitter.

The Lower Manhattan school also noted that NYU security officers are not law enforcement officers and have no jurisdiction outside of school property.

A statement in response to Governor Cuomo's press conference: NYU shares the Governor's concerns. The event in Washington Square Park was inconsistent with recommendations about combating the spread of COVID-19, which NYU has been regularly communicating to students. That said:
— New York University (@nyuniversity) September 8, 2020

NYU announced on Saturday night that more than 20 students had been suspended for not maintaining proper coronavirus safety standards.

Coronavirus testing at NYU has been going on since August, and the school has taken a variety of steps to best aid in student's health.

You can read more about the school's safety protocols for the 2020-21 school year on its website.