Technician
thursday january
12 2012
Raleigh, North Carolina
technicianonline.com
Students provide a fresh perspective on revolution A trip to Egypt and Tunisia offers a new view of revolution to poets and a photographer. Elise Heglar News Editor
It is almost impossible to get an accurate picture of what goes on during a revolution, but the project Poetic Portraits of a Revolution aims to do just that. The group, which consisted of two poets, a photographer and a translator, spent almost two months traveling through Egypt and Tunisia doing interviews, writing, recording and taking photographs of everything they saw. Sameer Abdel-khalek, a recent graduate from N.C. State and the photographer for the project, said the experience was an emotional one. “It’s a lot to take in at once. To this day I’m still reflecting on everything that happened during the trip. We witnessed a lot of violence and at times we put ourselves in danger,” Abdelkhalek said. In addition to the gallery project the group currently has hanging in the Crafts Center, they also completed a series for National Public Radio. They submitted three-minute segments for the show that included poems, interviews and real-time recordings taken while abroad. Mohammad Moussa, senior in electric and computer engineering, acted as the translator during the trip. While it was challenging to communicate in some places, Moussa said that overall the experience was a good one. “It was definitely hard, especially in Tunisia where the dialect is completely different. It’s tough and scary but at the same time you want to get the story,” Moussa said. Kane Smego, one of the poets on the trip and a 2010 graduate of University at North Carolina Chapel Hill, found that the connections he made with people made a large impact on
Callie Martin/Technician
Sameer Abdel-khalek a recent graduated senior from NCSU works on setting up a presentation of his photos from Egypt in the Crafts Center on Wednesday, 2012. The photos were taken as part of a project to show the lives of everyday people in Egypt, done my Abdel-khalek and three of his close friends over this summer.
the way he viewed the revolution and all the events surrounding it. “It humanized it for us. We could connect to events with people’s names and faces that we met. It was a roller coaster of emotions; cynical, optimistic, hopeful,” Smego said. Abdel-khalek said he found the trip both inspiring and enlightening. The photographs on display are divided into two sections; one side depicts protesting and active moments in the revolution while the other side shows every day life in the community. Abdel-khalek said he did this because he wanted to oshow the humanity of those involved in the revolution. By showing that these people who were fighting and protesting lived normal lives, he offers viewers a chance to see the revolution differently. “Experiencing the energy, this inspiring energy that these people displayed. It’s almost this anarchist type of energy. For [the protesters] to really believe what they are protesting for, it’s inspiring,” Abdel-khalek said. One of the main things they took out of this experience is that social
revolutions are extremely intricate and must be looked at from varied angles. “One thing we always repeat is that you can’t capture a revolution in a sound bite. There are a bunch of different ideas and thoughts in your head,” Moussa said. The trip was paid for entirely through community fundraising efforts. In a matter of three months, the group was able to raise a total of $18,000. The group completed 65 interviews during their trip. One of the more difficult aspects of interviews, according to Moussa, was a lack of knowledge about the area. “It’s especially different because you don’t know the area. It adds more roadblocks to learning,” Moussa said. Despite any roadblocks, the group was able to come back with a new point of view about the revolutions. Smego said one of best things he took from the experience was the ability to contact people who are still living abroad today. “It’s nice to think that I don’t have to just watch the news and believe what
Simple cooking classes teach students how to be healthy chefs University Dining has created new classes and programs for students.
that focus on specific types of cuisine. “The basic cooking class will just be knife skills, using a crock pot--just simple things. Then we are also going Sarah Dashow to have the specialty cooking classes Staff Writer that focus on Italian, Asian, MediterMany students can be skeptical ranean and Mexican cuisine,” Beitzel about the options for eating healthy said. There are also classes that teach stuwhen living in the dorms, and some may have never ventured into cook- dents how to find the healthiest options in the C-stores and dining halls. ing at all. “A lot of students have told me that However, since last semester’s success with the Cook Smart, Eat Smart they have a hard time navigating the program, University Dining, with C-stores, and...finding healthy food the help of nutritionist Lisa Eberhart, in the C-store...but [this class is] to have scheduled a series of cooking and let them know what they can buy, nutrition classes targeted toward stu- how they can buy some things to put dents living on campus. Graduate as- together in your room for a meal... ,” sistants teach the classes, which run Eberhart said. Lastly, there will be a Nutrition 101 throughout the semester. “It focuses on healthy cooking for class that will be required prior to any students. We want them to better un- student meeting with Eberhart for derstand their needs. They’re often in nutrition counseling. She hopes this a hurry and don’t have full kitchens class will answer any basic questions sometimes to work with, or they are so those with more specific concerns can have more time on a budget, so that to speak with her is really what these one-on-one. classes will focus Students can sign on,” Sarah Beitzel, up for the classes via cooking class teacher the University Dinand graduate student ing website. They in extension educaare offered multiple tion. times per month One of the classes Lisa Eberhart, nutritionist and each class has offered provides studifferent meeting dents with ideas of what utensils to use in the dorm kitch- times, assuring that any student can en areas. These classes will be held in fit at least one of the classes offered into their schedule. The classes are the University Honors’ kitchen. “One of the reasons they are in a free with the exception of the specialty dorm kitchen is that we really want to cooking class, which costs $5 to cover focus on the kids who live on campus the food used. Alex Osborne, senior in parks and and who only have limited cooking recreation, participated in Cook areas,” Eberhart said. There will also be classes available Smart, Eat Smart last semester and is
“It’s just a life skill learning to cook. It’s something you need to know.”
currently enrolled in some of the classes offered this spring. As an intermediate cook, he said his motivation for taking the classes was that he could always learn more, and he enjoys cooking. “My favorite part of the first session was cooking the turkey chili in a crock pot. I’ve made that four times now, and it’s delicious every time...and just coming back, Sarah [is a great teacher],” Osborne said. While there are no plans to implement classes like this into the core curriculum, Eberhart was interested in possibly pursuing this in the future. “It’s just a life skill learning to cook. It’s something you need to know,” Eberhart said. “Our whole goal is to make students eat healthier everywhere, and definitely make better choices in the C-store, in the dining halls and when they are cooking on their own.”
Available Classes • • • • • •
Fresh Start Basic Cooking Classe Fresh Start Specialty Cooking Classes ($5 fee) Nutrition 101 C-Store Nutrition 101 Dig in to the Dining Halls To sign up visit this website: go.ncsu.edu/springintohealth
To sign up visit this website: go.ncsu. edu/springintohealth
Save 25% on cost of your textbooks by buying used books at:
NC State Bookstores Located in Harrelson on theTextbooks. Brickyard! "The Official Store forHall NC State "
Source: University dining web site
Callie Martin/Technician
Kane Smego, a spoken-word poet and youth educator helps set up a display of Egyptian and Tunisian items from his recent travels as a part of a project set up in the Crafts Center on Wednesday. Smego wrote many poems about his experiences in Egypt and Tunisia to accompany the photos and further enhance the overall impact of the project.
I’m seeing. I can contact people we met on Facebook or something and ask them what is really going on and what it’s really like,” Smego said. Photos from Poetic Portraits of a Revolution are currently on display in
Students reveal spirit of the Libraries A video contest gives students to chance to showcase talent and advertise for the University Libraries.
the Craft Center and the group will be giving a talk about their experiences on Jan. 31.
insidetechnician
Holmes’ second adventure full of action, lacks any mystery
Robert Downey Jr. is back the obsessive, ecentric and occasionaly intoxicated detective. See page 6.
Emily Collis Staff Writer
The University Libraries are holding a video competition that offers students the chance to show off talent and help promote the Libraries. The video contest, which is currently open for submissions, will serve as an advertisement for the Libraries. The faculty of the library believes students are the best people to fully showcase the essence of the libraries. “Every day we see great video work done in our Digital MedialLab by N.C. State students--and students know better than anyone else how and why the Libraries are important to their success, why they chose to gather here in such huge numbers,” David Hiscoe, director of communication strategies at the University Libraries, said. The webpage for the contest encourages students to use any range of emotion, whether serious or humorous, to convey the spirit
library continued page 2
Basketball sheds the pounds
Two N.C. State basketball players lose weight in preparation for conference play. See page 8.
Cheering all season long
Large and small coed prepare for basketball season and Nationals. See page 8.
viewpoint features classifieds sports
SPECIAL BACK TO SCHOOL HOURS: Monday - January 10 - 8am to 8pm
Monday Thursday, 8am 8pm Tuesday -- January 11 - 8am to to 8pm Wednesday - January Friday, 8am12to- 8am 6pmto 8pm Thursday - January 13 - 8am to 8pm Saturday, toto4pm Friday - January10am 14 - 8am 6pm
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