For nearly 24 hours on Sept. 19, The Gazelle’s website was inaccessible. Our server malfunctioned and since this event happened late at night, our team was slow to put out a clarifying press release on the site’s status. On its face, this was a non-event. Indeed, it was only when the flood of inquiries following the initial downing came in that we became concerned.

“Has The Gazelle been blocked?” became a common question that The Gazelle’s staff recieved from students and administrators alike.

The community’s concerned response to our brief server downing illustrated just how on-edge the NYU Abu Dhabi community has become. It particularly showed that students have come to assume that any change – such as the supposed suspension of our website – is for the worse, and that changes are now made only by structures students can neither understand, nor confront. It was a disheartening reflection of NYUAD’s solidifying mix of fear and resignation, one which regularly leads to questions that are left unanswered.

As the editors of The Gazelle, we are often asked by students to question our role in this community. We receive confused and, at times, upset remarks when we inform students of the realities of press laws and norms in the country in which we operate. Now, as the editors of The Gazelle, we turn to students and question their role in this community and if they live up to it.

Are you an active member of the NYUAD community? When you see something that disturbs you – that makes you question the nature of our community – do you take a stand? Do you participate in student movements, contact your representatives in Student Government or even directly address members of the university’s administration?

The NYUAD community is constantly changing. Liberties students once took for granted are now being debated like never before. To the best of our abilities, The Gazelle will keep the NYUAD community informed so that it may act.

We ask the community too to make a commitment. Remember that empty complaints on social media do little, especially when they result in disorganization. Do not settle for passivity. Organize yourself and help determine your own NYUAD experience. Leaning in here is now more important than ever.