Photo by Milena Penkova | Now that the “Ghastly” Bunch is a popular event that fills the Red room to its fullest almost every week, it is hard to believe that five years ago the administration of AUBG did not want to support it, sure that no students would attend. Current AUBG President David Huwiler says it has become a part of the campus culture. “I have seen few campus events which have generated the kind of enthusiasm and broad participation that we have seen with the ‘Ghastly’ Bunch.” Five years ago, Aernout van Lynden, head of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) department, and four students from his Advanced Reporting class decided to invite guest speakers to AUBG every Tuesday evening. They called themselves the “Ghastly” Bunch. The name was invented by the students. “In my second semester at AUBG,” van Lynden remembers, “I was teaching Advanced Reporting to a small class of students, who soon began picking up on my use of the English language. They would bet each other how many minutes it would take before I used the word ‘ghastly’.” Van Lynden knew Bulgaria’s political and business elite, and it was relatively easy for him to get them to visit AUBG. |
During the five years of its existence, the “Ghastly” Bunch hosted discussions with people from print media, television, radio,advertising, as well as with documentary movie makers, politicians, historians, book-writers, economists, two of the biggest businessmen in Bulgaria, and even a tennis-player. “The philosophy behind it,” van Lynden says, “is that students need to be confronted with (…) different voices, sometimes contradictory voices. And then they can make up their own minds. For me, a good Tuesday evening is when I see students leaving the Red Room, arguing with each other.” For van Lynden this means the students’ minds have been engaged by the topic. Traditionally, the guest’s speech is followed by a discussion over pizza and wine. After the meeting is over, van Lynden takes his guests and a few students for dinner at the Swing restaurant. “Going out to dinner is what many people within the administration do not understand,” van Lynden says. The dinner is where the speaker can talk to some of the students and get the feel of the university. “And that is called public relations, which is a concept few people here seem to understand,” he says. In 2004 the university paid for the expenses of the “Ghastly” Bunch; however, now the meetings survive on outside sponsorship. Philip Harmandjiev, the owner of the “Damianitza” winery, has provided wine from the start. Pizza is provided by the Napoli restaurant and ZIP Travel agency. The travel agency also sponsors the posters and the hotel expenses. Altogether the pizza, wine, and posters for one evening cost about 270 lv. The university pays 70 lv for the glasses, plates, napkins, and the sound technician. The dinner at Swing (estimated at about 300 lv per event) is paid for by van Lynden. “I think this university should pay [for the Tuesday evenings]. The university takes credit for it, while [it] does practically nothing to help,” van Lynden says. Huwiler says after van Lynden leaves, the university will find a way to keep the “Ghastly” Bunch going. As for the dinner at Swing, the president says it may remain a part of the evening in the future. However, he does not think the dinner has to be a part of every “Ghastly” Bunch. If it is decided that the dinner is essential, AUBG Trustee John Dimitri Panitza promised to support it if needed, Huwiler says. Money, however, is not the biggest issue. “The problem is to get someone who is willing to [organize the “Ghastly” Bunch], because it is very time-consuming to bring the guests here,” says senior Ivan Evstatiev, current member of the Bunch. Inviting people is not so easy, van Lynden. “We need somebody within the institution, somebody who has contacts. You need to know people in Sofia, because as there is no budget you are basically limited to inviting Bulgarians.” Huwiler is optimistic about finding new guest speakers, as there are many people with connections on campus who can help. Some of the trustees can also be involved, he says. The student body is also important. Four senior students, members of the “Ghastly” Bunch, maker the posters and deal with the logistics. Many students doubt that there is going to be someone to adequately replace van Lynden. “I cannot really imagine it without [him],” Radositna Samardjieva, another current Bunch member, says. Huwiler shares the same opinion. “Professor van Lynden contribution to the “Ghastly” Bunch cannot be neglected.” The founder’s skills of introducing the speakers and of handling the Q&A period are really admirable, he says. In the future, it's important "that the Bunch keeps the same format – students doing it together with a professor,” van Lynden says. However, the format of the “Ghastly” Bunch is probably going to change. “There can be more than one moderator for the Tuesday evenings. People will like to hear different voices,” Huwiler says. He has the idea of giving the opportunity to present the speaker to people from a particular related field (maybe even students). Huwiler says the format of the “Ghastly” Bunch is a bit too rigid. It should be decided whether it is more important to bring the speaker or keep the day and time of the meetings. Sometimes high-profile guests have their own arrangements and do not manage to come to AUBG on a specific day and time, he says. Van Lynden disagrees: “We thought carefully which day is more appropriate – and we believe we are right by doing it on Tuesday. It is the best day for the students, and at heart that is who the evening is all about.” Many people may question how the “Ghastly” Bunch will differ from the other AUBG guest-speaker events. It is difficult to imagine the “Ghastly” Bunch in Fall 2008, because it is going to have a different look. But the hope to meet again in a cozy student-filled Red Room, or elsewhere, will probably motivate members of AUBG community to do their best. See also: Ghastly's Last Birthday on April1.
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