Argumentative Essay on why NYU Should Reinstate the Museum Getaway Program

One of the most popular and beloved perks of being an NYU student is having free access to New York City’s most iconic museums. This is possible because of NYU’s Museum Getaway program, where students can get a free ticket to a museum just by showing off their NYU ID. The program was used by students to visit their favorite cultural institutions for years. However, in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, NYU decided to pause this program indefinitely. Today, it has been more than a year since the university announced the suspension of the program, and there are still no official updates about the program despite changing circumstances. As a result, there is a lot of confusion and concern over what this means for the future of the program and being an NYU student. The program used to be something that many students, including me, find comfort and joy in, but now it is gone. As an NYU student, I urge that the administration must reinstate the Museum Getaway program as soon as possible. 

The first reason why NYU should reinstate this program because it will alleviate some of the financial struggles that many students go through. Before deciding to come to NYU, I thought that everything had fit my future goals and aspirations perfectly, except for one thing – the huge price tag. Like many of my other peers, I was only able to make my tuition a little more affordable due to financial aid and scholarships. Even with the help, however, the cost is still high. However, some perks outweigh the price tag – the best being the Museum Getaway program. Although this won’t necessarily match up to the high cost, giving students this benefit will decrease the financial burden that comes with the high tuition and provide access to places that some students may not be able to afford. Josh Khrister Magpantay, an NYU alum interviewed by the Washington Square News, said that he “was at NYU on scholarship, and work-study, and four jobs to be able to feed [him]self”, so he “wouldn’t have able to sacrifice the time to pay $15 to get to a museum if it wasn’t free.” 

During the pandemic, things took a turn for the worse: the tuition was raised along with the temporary hold on the program. I expected this hold to last for only a few months, in the summertime. Yet this “temporary” hold was then stretched out for 6 months, then 10 months, and now, it’s been over a year. The program was a way for many students to justify the high tuition cost, and now, it has been unavailable for nearly 3 semesters of school. The benefits NYU students get by paying tuition are extremely unclear now since many expected that the tuition’s miscellaneous fees would at least be lowered. Washington Square News also interviewed CAS student Sarah Ahmad, and she agreed that many students were under the impression that the “tuition helps pay for the many amenities in the city that we’re are granted free access to.” People of all socioeconomic backgrounds were once able to access the city’s museums equally – but now this isn’t the case at all. NYU needs to quickly take action and respect lower-income students by reinstating the program.

Another reason that the program should be reinstated as soon as possible is that it will benefit the student academically. Most students need to take some form of a history class or may just need some inspiration for things like writings, performances, artworks, and other projects. The museums are a perfect resource to research artwork. Professors even assign museum visits or integrate museum field trips as part of their curriculum. These costs of frequent visits can build up and become another financial burden with the suspension of the Museum Getaway program. NYU needs to consider the fact that the admission costs for museums can be highly prohibitive in one’s academic and learning goals.

Furthermore, the program not only acts as an academic resource but also acts as a way for students to relieve their stress and have some fun. With free admission to the city’s most famous museums, students can hang out with their friends or plan a fun, low-cost day. NYU has always prided itself in being in the heart of New York City and promises a full experience of the city. However, this promise is being violated with the pause of the program. Students can’t freely enjoy the city if they need to pay for something that was originally free and an iconic part of being an NYU student. The suspension of the Museum Getaway program means that there is a lack of support from NYU to allow students to fully immerse themselves in the city.

Additionally, NYU is the only NYC university that still has the program on pause. Many other universities are continuing to provide students with free access to museums. The Museum of Modern Art’s website provides a list of colleges where undergraduate and graduate students could get free admission. Almost every college in New York City is listed, including Columbia, The New School, CUNY, and many others- except for New York University. Why is this the case? 

The reasoning behind this is unclear because of the lack of transparency on the school’s part. We have no idea if NYU just didn’t renew a contract with the museum, or wanted to save some money due to covid, or both. NYU didn’t release a proper, official public statement on why their program isn’t available anymore. The Facebook page for the program got deleted, and the official school website only has a vague, one-line statement on its closing. Yet when I navigated to other colleges’ websites, like Columbia and The New School, there’s a clear breakdown of what museums are still available for students to have free access to and which ones aren’t free anymore. In contrast, NYU just simply states that the program is gone, with no updated list. This lack of transparency compared to other universities just makes matters worse. If other universities are fine with free admission, why isn’t NYU?

When the outbreak of the pandemic first occurred, it made total sense to suspend the program for safety reasons. Even the museums were shut down. However, as 2021 came around, schools and museums started to reopen to the public again. It is May 2021 now, and it has been over a year since the outbreak of the pandemic and the suspension of the program. Today, visiting larger museums is labeled as “low-risk”. Recent research shows that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in museums is far lower than any other indoor activity. Furthermore, New York City’s website even designates museums that follow proper COVID-19 guidelines as a “low-risk indoor activity." The Metropolitan Museum of Art lays out its procedures very clearly, stating that face coverings are required and entry to the museum needs reservation since the capacity is limited. With this data in mind, using the excuse of the Coronavirus pandemic as the sole reason for the suspension of the program does not make sense. There should be more of a proper explanation beyond the COVID-19 safety reasons that should be made transparent. If there isn’t a clear explanation, then the least NYU could do is reinstate the program, just like the other universities have done.

Additionally, most students, including me, have been vaccinated, or are starting to get vaccinated at this time. This minimizes the safety concern a little more. The NYU administration should take this into consideration and reinstate the program.

With these reasons being presented, I hope that NYU will please take action to reinstate the Museum Getaway program. The program can the alleviate financial burden, make students succeed academically, and provide a fun experience to relieve stress. Many universities have already recognized these reasons and continue to provide a free admission experience for their students. Why not us? It has been proven to be perfectly safe to visit such institutions right now. After waiting for over a year, I hope that NYU can act quickly to reinstate the program for the benefit of the student body.