Way back on September 9, 1976, Michael Freeman wrote the following editorial:
“eyeopener opener:
“You’ve heard it all before.
“A newspaper of this kind is a co-operative effort, and you, being one of our numerous backers, are expected to co-operate to some extent. That is, The Eyeopener is what you make of it.
“We’ll attempt to set down some sort of guidelines — this is essentially the basis from which we work to give you information. It’s our intention to present the news of SURPI and the Institute in a manner that is neither destructive nor libellous. At the same time, you can expect us to be critical to the point of venomous — acting, in our own way, as the students’ ombudsman.
“Similarly, we’ll make an effort to cover events outside of the Institute’s immediate circumference, so long as the events have some kind of pertinence to student life in general. We’ll hit the nightclubs and discos, Queen’s Park, Cabbagetown, — anywhere something’s going down you might find informative, provocative, or entertaining.
“The Eyeopener has a number of traditions and standards to live up to — chief among them a form of political awareness blended with empathic radicalism. It may sound kind of wishy-washy, but we find output is most constructive under this type of attitude.
“Again, as we never seem to stress it enough, you should become involved. Even if you don’t want to do any work in the sense of being a writer or artist (we do need you if that strikes your fancy), give us some input, even if just to give us grief.
“Should you disagree with an Eyeopener policy, the only way it’s going to change is if you tell us. Phone, drop a line, come down in person. We do print letters, usually in this space. Make use of the paper.”
Nineteen years and four days later, what has changed? Not much. SURPI eventually succumbed to the ravages of time and is not known as RyeSAC. The Institute won a hard-fought battle to become the University. Departments have changed, programs have changed, buildings have been built and destroyed. But at the core of it all, Ryerson remains Ryerson, and at The Eyeopener, not much has changed either. We may not be “hitting the discos” as much as we once did, and there is a healthy dose of cynicism mixed into the empathic radicalism of bygone days, but our purpose is still the same.
We are still a co-operative effort between the students of Ryerson. We are as vigilant as ever in monitoring the administration and student government to ensure that you are getting the most out of your time here, and we are still doing our best to cover stories and events that encompass the breadth and richness of student life.
Most of all, we are still your voice on this campus. If you like what you see here, tell us! If you hate something about the paper, tell us, and tell us why. Better yet, come down, get involved, and help us evolve.
“The Eyeopener is what you make of it.”
Nineteen years later, there’s still nothing else that needs to be said.
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