February 12th was Peter Cooper's 233rd birthday

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There was the annual wreath-laying on February 11th at the Peter Cooper statue in Cooper Square, but today students protested by wearing black and carrying black helium balloons. This was in response to the school's going forward with its plan to charge tuition after over 150 years of being a free institution—through two world wars, and the Great Depression.



John Leeper, president of the Alumni Association, reiterated his vow that the school would find a way to become tuition-free again, "however long that might take."



These signs were left behind at the foot of the statue: "Rally around and protect," "Without Money + Without Price," and "Words of Warning Cannot be Spurned and Neglected without a Terrible Retribution On Us and On Our Children."



And of course, "I observed that most of the shipwrecks in life were due to debts hastily contracted and out of proportion to the means of the debtor."

This Founder's Day wasn't nearly the happy and upbeat occasion it's been in the past. However, there were many multicolored cupcakes to be had afterward.