In the fall of 1975, New York City had run out of money and was on the verge of defaulting on its debts. Many measures were taken to control spending, including increasing subway fares and cutting the budget of the City University of New York (CUNY). One proposal to reduce spending at CUNY was to merge several smaller campuses with larger ones: John Jay with Baruch and Hostos with Bronx Community College. Hostos was the newest campus in the system, founded only seven years earlier to meet the workforce and educational needs of the economically struggling, largely Puerto Rican population of the South Bronx. In this short time Hostos had become, and remains to this day, a symbol of the vitality and potential of the community. In response to the proposed merger, the South Bronx and campus community launched an ultimately successful campaign to save Hostos as an independent campus within the City University system. The newsletters, images, reports, and articles from the press describe and document the Save Hostos movement. They attest to the determination and dedication of various groups from campus administration to students and community organizations—as they successfully worked in the winter of 1975 through the spring of 1976 to keep Hostos alive.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
Professor Magda Vasillov photographed several early student demonstrations and protests. These early demonstrations laid the groundwork for the mass demonstrations of the “Save Hostos,” campaign in the immediate years that followed.
The Gerald J. Meyer Collection at Hostos contains the Save Hostos material and is available to researchers. Articles describing this movement in detail can be accessed from Academic Search Complete. You may also want to search the New York Times Historical database for many article referencing Hostos Community College. Our featured publications highlight the movement.
La Lucha: The Save Hostos Movement
The Save Hostos Movement Online Exhibit commemorates the activists who fought to create and save Hostos Community College in the South Bronx.
Fear City: New York's fiscal crisis and the rise of austerity politics by
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST
An epic, riveting history of New York City on the edge of disaster--and an anatomy of the austerity politics that continue to shape the world today.
