“It came out of nowhere,” wrote Benjamin Jance IV, class of 2015, in a message to me. “I was eating a döner kebab after a long day when our President and Rector, Michael Ignatieff, sent the [Central European University] community an email notifying us of the proposed amendments to the Hungarian national legislation on education.”

Jance, currently an Erasmus Mundus Masters student of Public Policy, splits his time studying in Budapest and Barcelona. “The gravity of the situation didn't hit me until the following morning,” Jance continued, “when we had a community town hall that packed the auditorium.” CEU’s future rested upon the proposed amendments.

I was sitting by the Social Science Capstone Corner when I first heard the news. I had previously scrolled past a news article about the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán’s claim that CEU has been cheating. The graduate school issues both Hungarian and American diplomas, which according to Orbán gave it an unfair advantage over other Hungarian universities. Mere statements, I had thought at the time. It was only after Toma Pavlov, class of 2017, showed me news of the proposed legislative change, that I realized what this could mean.

The bill, in its modified form, would forbid the university from issuing U.S.-degrees, require CEU to offer programs in New York state where it is registered, eliminate its good-faith work permit waiver for its professors, require a name change and a new international agreement between Hungary and the U.S. and the state of New York.

Pavlov and I closely followed the unfolding of events. Like many of the most recent 2016 and 2017 political events, I tried to shrug it off. It’s impossible, there’s no way such law would pass, I told myself. Ay ay ay, Pavlov dejectedly said. He was right to doubt my optimism.

“[I] was quite surprised by how fast the Hungarian government (and President) passed the necessary amendments that jeopardize the future of CEU,” said Pavlov.

I was in shock too. Within less than two weeks there was a proposal, a discussion, a vote and the President’s signature. The Hungarian government had put academic freedom under threat.

CEU was one of Pavlov’s top choices for graduate studies. He had been accepted to a one-year long Public Policy masters on a full scholarship. These recent developments have made him question his choices. While CEU has repeatedly assured that prospective students should not fear the impacts of the amendments to Hungary’s Act CCIV of 2011 on national higher education, especially those beginning before Jan. 1 of next year, Pavlov is still concerned about what kind of environment he will be heading into. How can there be a smooth learning process in such a setting? This is one of the questions both he and I have been trying to answer.

CEU is surrounded by cobblestones and St. Stephen's Basilica, an area of Budapest that is great on the eyes. I used to study at the library over the weekends back in high school, amazed by its grandeur and its vast repertoire of Cold War literature. CEU was established in 1991 to educate and train leaders for a post-Communist Central Europe. Since its inception it has managed to become one of the most prestigious Central European universities for the social sciences and humanities. With a diverse student body that matches NYU Abu Dhabi and generous scholarship availability, the graduate school has proven popular with NYUAD alumni.

Oleg Pasternac, class of 2015, is currently completing the same program Pavlov had been accepted to. Tamás Csillag, class of 2014, finished his Political Science studies there. Csilla Kiss, class of 2014, is completing her masters in Economics degree. And then, of course, there is Jance, who is finishing the first year of his studies there. Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed the school 8th in the world for its international outlook. Its Political Science department ranks 40th in the world and 12th overall in Europe. Some 20 percent of the students at CEU are Hungarian nationals, while the rest come from 117 different countries. 40 percent of the faculty are Hungarian, many of which returned from abroad to teach at CEU.

One of the reasons Pasternac chose CEU’s public policy program was to fill in his gap in knowledge and experience of Europe, especially the central and eastern region where he is from. This, to him, is an area that the university specializes in. Jance throughout his studies wanted his geographic location to frame what he studied, and he says he got more than he asked for in that regard. “Public policy at CEU blends traditional Western ideology with emerging Central European and Central Asian discourse — a fascinating crossroads that I've only come to know now,” Jance explained.

Hungarian-native Csillag sees his country’s other universities already being heavily sanctioned by the government. If an institution is too critical, he claims, it could very well lose funding.

“The closure of CEU would mean even more self-censorship instituted everywhere else, as it would indicate that the government is ready to crack down on dissent to a much greater level than expected before,” cautioned Csillag. “Academic freedom must be protected as it allows the development of new ways of thinking, the exploration of new ideas, and an honest discussion about what’s taking place in our world.”

Csillag had applied to CEU for its strong emphasis on real world engagement. CEU has ties to NGOs everywhere and students’ coursework can include taking part in the development of actual public policy proposals that are written for various European governments.

Academic freedom is a powerful concept, but it can easily become a blanket term. A way to think about its real impacts it is to imagine CEU’s specializations and local expertise, its nuanced regional approach and rich history of shaping post-soviet Hungary, all of which are under threat. This is clearly a detriment to the global community at large. CEU also collaborates with other institutions for joint-degree programs like Jance’s.

Jance, not swaying from his student leadership tendencies he established in his undergraduate years, is leading the ad hoc Student Coordination Committee at CEU, which was born out of a need to unite minds and passions of the student body. They collate, facilitate and promote student-proposed ideas and initiatives, from solidarity events to performance-based activities.

“April 17th will see the launch of a global movement for academic freedom; at least six cities in Europe and the United States will feature activities on or around that day,” Jance wrote. Outside his role on the committee, he is also taking a variety of measures to express support for CEU.

“Everywhere I go in Budapest, I proudly wear a blue badge that displays the hashtags #IstandwithCEU and #aCEUvalvagyok. The badge alone has opened the door for many conversations with strangers on the street — some in solidarity, some in curiosity — that allows me to engage with the Hungarian community in ways I could never have imagined.” As an international student and guest in Hungary he has found this experience eye-opening.

Several demonstrations have taken place in the heart of Budapest. More than 100,000 people marched from landmark to landmark over the past two weeks in solidarity with CEU students. My dad, whom I have been calling more and more for updates, has been at protests twice to show his support. A drone is needed, Jance observed, to capture the enormity of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge jam-packed with passionate citizens and residents.

“A powerful message is sent to Prime Minister Orbán, President Áder, and their colleagues when some of Budapest's most iconic landmarks are overflowing with concerned citizens who are standing up for what they believe in,” Jance said.

On April 3, NYU President Andrew Hamilton wrote a Letter of Support to CEU’s Rector, citing the fellowship that he sees between the world’s urban universities.

“Great cities are made greater still by the presence of institutions of higher learning,” he wrote in an email to Dr. Ignatieff. “They add to the vibrancy, contribute to the diversity, advance the civic discourse, and catalyze the new ideas.”

Hamilton is not alone in expressing his hopes that CEU will be able to carry on its work for many years to come. Over 5,700 individuals pledged their support for CEU. From Nobel Laureates to former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to the European Commission and the U.S. Department of State, solidarity has come from everywhere around the world.

There is still hope for the repeal of the legislative changes. The European Commission is investigating whether the new amendments conflict with European Union rules. Commentators have offered possible workarounds to the new rules. Pavlov is still considering going there.