A tradition exists in the Campus Times where the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief each author an article addressing the current state of the Campus Times at the start and end of the semester, respectively — our current objectives, and our plans to achieve our goals. This usually doesn’t mean much to the general public, but it does serve as a valuable snapshot into the current struggles and triumphs of the paper for future generations of CT staff members. So, here we are, writing the state of the CT.
The Campus Times stands today, 151 years old. The only reason the CT has survived this long is the tireless and often under-appreciated work of dedicated reporters throughout the years. Thousands of people have touched the paper in that time and each one of them has made an incalculable impact.
The CT hasn’t made it this far without its fair share of struggles. Unlike nearly every other college newspaper, whether university-subsidized or fully independent, we at the Campus Times do not get paid for our reporting. We are an outlier among our peers; even in town, we’re alone. RIT’s Reporter magazine pays their staff because it takes the effort and dedication of a part- or full-time job to make the paper function.
We are working to get our website working properly, especially the author links. We are continually striving to secure more advertisements to then reinvest every cent back into the betterment of our paper. We are growing our community engagement through new partnerships and initiatives including new distribution in College Town. We are working to ensure we remain relevant and trusted amongst students and alumni alike.
Through it all, the CT has remained resilient. We have emerged from a pandemic stronger. We still produce print newspapers — in fact, we are excelling in print. We are expanding our circulation volume and distribution locations, selling more ads than any year since the pandemic, and making progress to becoming a fully independent collegiate newspaper again. Just as CT has been a staple in the University community since its inception in 1873, we wish to see to it that the CT remains a staple of the University of Rochester and the lived experience of every single student, staff, and faculty member. That is why it is so important that I ask you to help make sure the CT is enjoyed and experienced by future generations. Please donate any amount to the Campus Times. It will make a world of difference.
As we look ahead, we have a lot on our horizon. We plan to get our newsletter, The Buzz, back up and running; send more reporters to journalism conferences; work with community journalists to create summer internships for writers and editors; build stronger relationships with university events like Commencement and Orientation; create a new subscription service to ship our print newspapers across the country; and strengthen our online social media presence. We have so much to look forward to — all you have to do is keep reading, engaging, and if you have the means, donating to keep the CT alive and better than before.
