This letter from the Editor-in-Chief was printed in the first print issue of the 2023-24 academic year, which was also the first print issue in nearly four years.
Three years and eight months.
Almost four years have passed since The Cauldron released its last print issue on March 3, 2020. Little did anyone know just how transformed the world would become. Little did anyone know what was to become of industries such as journalism, the heart of which lies in the traditional practice of print. Hand to newspaper. The flick of the fingertips on every page turn.
As the COVID-19 pandemic offered some mercy, educational institutions, including those of higher ed, gradually opened their doors. In the wake of asynchronous coursework, mask mandates, six-foot standards and overall, a collective lack of clarity, the fate of student publications such as The Cauldron were unknown.
After all, print wasn’t slated for a swift comeback, given the reality that even prior to the pandemic, more contemporary forms of journalism began taking over the field. The pandemic only agitated the decline of print journalism, to the natural advantage of digital content.
Since the pandemic, The Cauldron became one of many, many publications to restrict its coverage to an online forum.
When I joined the publication’s staff as a freshman in fall 2022, it wasn’t shocking to find out that despite CSU having fully returned to campus for a long while, the student paper hadn’t reinvigorated its print, and instead, kept its coverage online, propelling its social media presence and expanding its multimedia content.
Indeed, there is no denying the amount of engagement a digital presence offers. Online journalism is by no means bad, rather, different.
A year later, after climbing the ladder from contributor to co-news editor in my first year, I was awarded a wildly unexpected promotion: Editor-in-Chief.
Yes, a novice journalist and second year student majoring in political science and spanish became the top dog of the student publication. Whose idea was this?
Believe me, I asked the same question. Repeatedly.
However, taking on this honor and responsibility, it wasn’t long before I realized that my job isn’t to be the best journalist. My job is not to produce the best work the publication will ever see. My job is to lead. My job is to effectively guide a team of diversely talented editors, journalists and multimedia creators in producing such work.
And what a remarkable team we have.
My gratitude and admiration for this small, though diligent staff knows no bounds. Operating with eight filled job positions as opposed to fifteen, having three editorial members as opposed to eight, I severely doubted our capacity to produce comprehensive work.
My doubts were quickly squashed. Each day, I applaud the volume of honest, competent work that we, as a team, have produced in a few short months, and the ways in which it reflects the unwavering activities, ambitions and beauties of the Cleveland State University student body.
I am honored to lead this publication in reinvigorating its print, as well as advocating on behalf of a remarkable student body. My hope is to continuously expand our presence, both digital and physical, and do justice to the passionate affairs of CSU students.
Thank you to this team. Thank you to our advisor, Dr. Richard Perloff, and our Student Media and Web Specialist, Dan Lenhart. And thank you to the CSU student body, for always being so newsworthy, one way or another! You keep journalism alive.
Mays Turabi, Editor-in-Chief
Julia Srnec 
csucauldron 
Hannah Gates