Bobst Boy

Who is Bobst Boy?

Bobst Boy is the nickname of Steven Stanzak, a New York University student who spent eight months living in the basement of the school's Bobst Library from September 2003 to April 2004.

Before living in the Bobst Library, Stanzak was an ordinary student living on loans and part-time jobs, without financial assistance from his parents. In September 2003, he found that his NYU scholarship, four jobs, and private loans would cover his tuition costs, but he could not get enough loans to cover housing. He refused to drop out or transfer to a cheaper university, choosing instead to live in the library. Stanzak quickly tired of answering peoples' questions about life in the library, and posted a Q&A online, which eventually grew into the blog and web site, and Stanzak developed an underground fan following on NYU's campus.

The Washington Square News, NYU's student paper, was told of Stanzak's situation and asked to do a profile on him. At first Stanzak refused, fearing how NYU would react to the situation. However, once Stanzak was told that the article would only be printed with his consent, he agreed to an interview.