To Whom It May Concern, 2/1/2009

For more than 200 years, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey has stood as a model of higher learning and academic achievement, not just for New Jerseyians, not just for Americans, but for the world at large. The stellar reputation enjoyed by Rutgers is wholly deserved. Access to state of the art research facilities and high living standards, high rankings and affordability in education, for instance, are just a few of the factors that represent longstanding traditions of excellence on the banks, and these have certainly contributed to Rutgers’ international acclaim. Yet for all the perks associated with a Rutgers education, it is inevitably from the strength of its community, its people, that the University derives its great strength, to which it owes its great reputation. No matter the University’s cosmetic, architectural or institutional merits, the course of history—our history—will always be determined by the character of our faculty and student community.

The Rutgers community is like no other in this world. It is a massive population, boasting an annual enrollment of more than 30,000 students on its main campuses alone. Add to that several thousand more faculty and staff, two adjunct campuses at Newark and Camden, and an alumni population numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and you have one of the largest college communities in the world. What is more, owing largely perhaps to its central location in New Jersey (one of America’s most diverse states) diversity at Rutgers is a fact of life, not merely in any ethnic or racial sense, but intellectually and culturally. It is a diversity not only reflective of the University itself, but of the greater New Brunswick community to which it contributes. As such, Rutgers stands as one of the nation’s most prominent flag bearers of an inherently American principle: that it is from our differences, rather than our similarities, which we derive our collective strength. Accepting this, the Rutgers community constitutes one of the world’s strongest college communities…at least in theory.

One thing is necessary for any population to realize the true nature of its own potential: the expression of its collective voice. That voice must be heard. In the past, it found expression in the many student organizations and groups for which Rutgers is famous, notably its Student Government, the Daily Targum (one of the nation’s oldest college newspapers), and several other alternative publications. Recently, that voice has faltered, has failed to sound loudly enough—failed to fully actualize its potential.

We have lived and come of age here in New Brunswick as members of both the University and greater neighborhood communities. In that time, we have met many interesting students, professors, administrators, alumni, politicians, and neighbors, all of whom have had unique experiences in this environment. We have come to know and love our school and its city through the diverse voices of the people who call them home. It is out of that love that the Johnsonville Press was born.

The term Johnsonville derives from William S. Burroughs’ novel, The Place of Dead Roads. To quote Burroughs, “In this world of shabby rooming houses, furtive gray figures in dark suits, hop joints and chili parlors the Johnson Family took shape as a code of conduct. To say someone is a Johnson means he keeps his word and honors his obligations. He’s a good man to have on your team. He is not a malicious, snooping, interfering self-righteous trouble making person.” Members of the New Brunswick community might also note the added irony that the Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters is also prominently located on the banks of the Raritan River. The Johnsonville Press is meant to inform and give voice to all of those with ties to New Brunswick or Rutgers University. We invite everyone to honor their obligation by contributing to this rich community.

Our fundamental goal is to provide our Johnson Family with the means of making their voices heard. By providing a space for publication and discussion, discourse and debate, we hope to reassert the voice of the University and city populations, and in so doing, restore that voice to its proper prominence. By collecting the thoughts and opinions of individual experience, and by archiving those narrative voices, we will strive to provide an indispensible source for understanding and interacting with the Johnsonville zeitgeist.

Our Mission Statement: The Johnsonville Press was conceived as an alternative source of news and opinions pertaining to the operations of the City of New Brunswick and Rutgers University, as well as to politics, art and culture at large. In recognition of the fact that all reporting is inherently biased, our writers will place an emphasis on their direct subjective experience with issues of concern to them, rather than attempt to constrain themselves to the arbitrary, and often opaque, code of conduct that is meant to define “objective reporting.” It is our aim to use this style of gonzo reporting to shed a new light on some of the more controversial issues of our time. We hope to provide our readers as well as our writers with a forum of discussion that will further promote the free exchange of ideas.

Everyone is different, and so no one means of expression will suffice. Therefore, we will make available to the community a space as diverse as the modes of expression it chooses to engage. While some will prefer expression through journalistic articles, others will prefer essays, and still others opinions letters. Still more will prefer artistic expression to literary, and still more music. Those interested in contributing to the discussion on a regular basis will be offered a columnist position, complete with a personalized space for publication. Community members seeking a less scheduled approach will be offered the opportunity to contribute to any number of separate sub-sections. Whatever—and however—the Johnsonville community chooses to make its voice heard, it will be found at the Johnsonville Press.

Sincerely,

the Johnsonville Press