Because CEU had everything to have a newspaper: a vibrant community, a plurality of voices, the regular practice of debating and contrasting points of view, a critical mass always willing to engage in a respectful dialogue. CEU provided the ideal structure to have a regularly issued newspaper: the only component missing was agency, and it was in that context that in the academic year 2010-2011 this project started. And it started with seven people sitting on a table discussing the need of having a regularly issued newspaper within CEU. We were meeting every week discussing how should the newspaper be: printed or online, how often should it come out, how should we fund it, how should we name it, which sections should it have, who would be responsible for what. It took us two months to figure out some answers to these questions, and finally, on April 20 of 2011 we publish the first issue.
We are doing this because we think is the right thing to do, but we are also doing this because of our interpretation of CEU: I think I speak on behalf of the team when I say that CEU is to us like a Republic, and founding and running this newspaper was and is our way of been virtuous citizens contributing to the deliberative democracy within the community to which we belong.
Rather than a personal project or initiative, we are trying to build a lasting institution. Our vision is that in 2031, The CEU Weekly will celebrate not only the 40th anniversary of the University, but also the 20th anniversary of its own being. This is a democratic project, not a job for money, and we have established in our constitution that no individual financial gain related to the editorial work is nor will be allowed. Free and respectful debate is our belief.
Up to April 2013, in our third academic year of existence, the newspaper has produced 32 issues (all available at http://issuu.com/ceuweekly), printed almost 11,000 copies, published content by students and alumni from over 40 countries, and established a network of alumni correspondents in places like Egypt, Gaza, Bosnia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The website (http://ceuweekly.blogspot.hu/) has started to receive an average of 10,000 visits per month. We have covered CEU activities from the Student Union to the CEU Sustainable Campus Initiative, the project CEU Cares for the Homeless, the Gala Dinner and the Spring Ball, the Vagina Monologues and the life in the dorm. We have interviewed personalities ranging from the President Emeritus of Stanford University or a Member of the European Parliament to a student in the Roma Access Program or Mihail, the Cloakroom Guy.
Central European University is a great laboratory: it provides an ideal setting to practice an active citizenship. It is not only a place to gain a deeper conceptual and analytical understanding of the forces moving history, but also a place where the members of the community can exercise an active participation in the matters relevant to the community. I hope many more CEU members will continue to launch well-thought and lasting initiatives, and that their stories will be also reflected in this newspaper, which is nothing but a reflection of CEU’s richness and diversity, a humble tribute to the greatness of this University.
Rodrigo Avila B., Founding Editor of The CEU Weekly
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