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SYRIAN CIVIL WAR
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STUDENT HOPES FOR PEACE IN SYRIA
Daniel Avalos • The Collegian
Fresno State international student Fares Al Malham speaks to a reporter May 5, 2017 about his experience with the uprising against the Syrian government and what it was like living in Syria.
By Cresencio RodriguezDelgado @Cres_Guez
The uprising against the Syrian government began on social media, and Fresno State international student Fares Al Malham found himself in the middle of it all.
“From the beginning, our revolution [was] to take [Bashar Al-Assad] away from the rule,” Al Malham said. “I used to write about it.” Since the violent conflicts in Syria began approximately seven years ago, about 200 people known to Al Malham have died,
including about 25 cousins and close friends. They were not killed by ISIS, Al Malham said. Instead, cries for freedom were met with deadly force by the Syrian government, led by Assad. “There is no freedom of speech, no freedom [for] journalists or media. Everything is controlled by the government,” Al Malham
said. “So, people don’t even think about it. They don’t think to say any words against the government.” As a young adult, Al Malham’s efforts to “take down the government” began with joining others in using fake social media accounts that helped inform those within Syria and those outside of
the country. He said he had about 5,000 fans online who followed him as he wrote about the civil war. Al Malham, a junior political science student, threw himself into one of the major geopolitical crises of the 21st century. Syria is
See SYRIAN CIVIL WAR, Page 3
HENRY MADDEN LIBRARY
The passion of poetry lives on through Levine By Razmik Cañas @Raz_Canas
The Philip Levine Reading Room opened on May 5 in honor of the late poet laureate who died in 2015. “It was a journey of exploration, a journey of discovery, a journey of poetic imagination that brought us to this room,” said Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The idea that started more than three years ago finally became a reality. The room will offer a space for students to excel in their crafts as young writers. “This room is going to be that sacred space in which students reflect on the meaning of life,”
Jiménez-Sandoval said. The reading room, located on the second floor of the Henry Madden Library, overlooks the Peace Garden. Fresno State President Dr. Joseph Castro said that the room has potential to influence the student’s reflection on the future. “This space was waiting for this purpose,” Castro said. “Our students, faculty and staff can come read, reflect and write.” Castro said that the knowledge obtained at Fresno State can help students make an impact in society. “I’m confident we will continue to produce extraordinary leaders here at Fresno State because of the incredible faculty we’ve had,
See HENRY MADDEN LIBRARY, Page 3
Daniel Avalos • The Collegian
Frances J. Artley, Philip Levine’s wife, applauds along with Fresno State President, Dr. Joseph Castro after a poem written by Levine is read by a student in the opening ceremony of the Philip Levine Reading Room on the second floor of the Henry Madden Library on May 5, 2017.