Weekly Sillimanian
Encyclopedia
The Weekly Sillimanian, also known as tWS, is the official weekly student paper of Silliman University
, a private university
in Dumaguete City
, Philippines
. Its origin dates back to as early as 1903. Today, the paper is one of only four campus publications in the country that publishes on a weekly basis. Its office is situated at the ground floor of Oriental Hall, SU Campus along Hibbard Avenue.
named as Silliman Truth. As the first periodical in the Province of Negros Oriental
at that time, the little magazine that it was served both the public and the campus. Copies were mailed to the Presbyterian Board and to other subscribers. Varied in terms of content, the publication was multilingual. English
, Spanish
and Cebuano
were interchangeably used. The initial copies of the magazine were printed using a small press purchased by Dr. David Hibbard but later, copies were printed using a much larger press after a $400 grant was received by the Institute from Dr. Horace Silliman.
During the early years of the Silliman Truth (1903–1918), the publication was edited primarily by American missionaries. However, on August 1918 a decision was made to assign the editing to Junior and Senior English students. This evolutionized the paper from being a missionary-edited publication to that of a student organ.
and Cebuano
, becoming at that time as the voice of the resistance movement in the province against the Japanese occupation
.
In 1958, the school paper first competed in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Contest in Columbia University
, a member of the Ivy League
, and won several First Place awards.
In 1967, the daily Sillimanian became a weekly and served primarily as a school publication. Due to lack of a regular and reliable community periodical in Dumaguete during that period, the Sillimanian continued to contain a community portion where events of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental
are published. In the 1970s, an experiment was made to hand over total control of the paper to the student body. The position of a faculty adviser was abolished and because of this administrative action, the school paper eventually fell into the hands of militant activists. When Martial Law was declared by President Ferdinand Marcos
in 1972, the office of the Sillimanian was raided by the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine National Police
) and was closed down for three years.
At present, the school paper is assigned with a faculty adviser and placed under the over-all supervision of the University's Office of Information and Publications. Due to the University's policy of free speech and expression in the campus, however, this administrative supervision is only exercised at a minimum.
Silliman University
Silliman University is a private research university located in Dumaguete, Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it was the first American private school to be founded in the country. The University is named after Dr...
, a private university
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
in Dumaguete City
Dumaguete City
The City of Dumaguete is a city in the Philippine province of Negros Oriental. It is the capital, principal seaport, and largest city of the province. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 133,470 people. A person from Dumaguete is called a "Dumagueteño"...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Its origin dates back to as early as 1903. Today, the paper is one of only four campus publications in the country that publishes on a weekly basis. Its office is situated at the ground floor of Oriental Hall, SU Campus along Hibbard Avenue.
Establishment
The Weekly Sillimanian traces its origins to the launching of the first campus publication of the then Silliman InstituteSilliman University
Silliman University is a private research university located in Dumaguete, Philippines. Established in 1901 as Silliman Institute by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, it was the first American private school to be founded in the country. The University is named after Dr...
named as Silliman Truth. As the first periodical in the Province of Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
at that time, the little magazine that it was served both the public and the campus. Copies were mailed to the Presbyterian Board and to other subscribers. Varied in terms of content, the publication was multilingual. English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
were interchangeably used. The initial copies of the magazine were printed using a small press purchased by Dr. David Hibbard but later, copies were printed using a much larger press after a $400 grant was received by the Institute from Dr. Horace Silliman.
During the early years of the Silliman Truth (1903–1918), the publication was edited primarily by American missionaries. However, on August 1918 a decision was made to assign the editing to Junior and Senior English students. This evolutionized the paper from being a missionary-edited publication to that of a student organ.
Transformation
By the year 1920, the missionary-founded Silliman Truth was foreshadowed by the emergence of an outright student periodical bearing the name Sillimanian. Published twice a week, the paper became the official student organ of Silliman University. In the absence of a regular alumni publication during that period, the Sillimanian became an effective tool in updating the alumni of events that transpire in the campus and vice-versa. The Silliman Truth on the other hand was transformed as a monthly periodical, serving as the official publication of the University's Board of Trustees. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Sillimanian became a daily newspaper and was published both in EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Cebuano
Cebuano language
Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...
, becoming at that time as the voice of the resistance movement in the province against the Japanese occupation
Japanese occupation of the Philippines
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines was the period in the history of the Philippines between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan occupied the previously American-controlled Philippines during World War II....
.
In 1958, the school paper first competed in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Contest in Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, a member of the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
, and won several First Place awards.
In 1967, the daily Sillimanian became a weekly and served primarily as a school publication. Due to lack of a regular and reliable community periodical in Dumaguete during that period, the Sillimanian continued to contain a community portion where events of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental
Negros Oriental is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. It occupies the south-eastern half of the island of Negros, with Negros Occidental comprising the north-western half. It also includes Apo Island — a popular dive site for both local and foreign tourists...
are published. In the 1970s, an experiment was made to hand over total control of the paper to the student body. The position of a faculty adviser was abolished and because of this administrative action, the school paper eventually fell into the hands of militant activists. When Martial Law was declared by President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
in 1972, the office of the Sillimanian was raided by the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine National Police
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police is the national police force of the Republic of the Philippines. It is both a national and a local police force in that it does provides all law enforcement services throughout the Philippines...
) and was closed down for three years.
Weekly Sillimanian
After school papers in the country were allowed to resume in 1974, the Sillimanian was revived as a fortnightly in 1975 and resumed as a weekly in June 1976. Since its resumption, the Sillimanian has been referred to as the Weekly Sillimanian and continues to be named as such today. At times, it is abbreviated with three letters: a small letter "t" and two capitalized letters "W" and "S" forming tWS.At present, the school paper is assigned with a faculty adviser and placed under the over-all supervision of the University's Office of Information and Publications. Due to the University's policy of free speech and expression in the campus, however, this administrative supervision is only exercised at a minimum.
External links
- Weekly Sillimanian Official website
- Weekly Sillimanian Facebook
- Silliman University Official website