I 26, V 42

Outlook The American University of Beirut

Vol. XLII, No. 26

| Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010 | The Independent Student Publication Since 1949

Commencement Ceremony 2010

Dorman praises the experiment that is AUB, Ghanem urges Board of Trustees to help financially and Khalidi reveals AUB’s historical influence in Lebanon and the region

Graduates and their families during commencement.

Foaud Badaoui Senior Staff Writer

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INSIDE

n Saturday June 26 AUB President Peter Dorman addressed the graduating class, saying AUB was “the greatest educational experiment ever undertaken in the Middle East” and that they were about to embark on a “personal fulfillment quest.” University Student Faulty Committee (USFC) VP Elias Ghanem reminded his fellow students of the reasons for the class

Editorial Opinion Campus News

www.aub.edu.lb/outlook

Photo courtesy of AUB

boycott and expressed emotion over the loss of a friend.

Finally, keynote speaker and Professor Emeritus at Harvard University Walid Khalidi clarified the region’s confusing history in a way that only his acquired skills can and revealed the challenging nature of the task ahead for the new generation.

In the clear skied afternoon, the area surrounding the Green Field and the Charles Hostler Student Center (CHSC) saw the commotion of graduating students bus-

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tling about and of early comers attempting to get a good seat for the distribution of degrees. Some like Olayan School of Business (OSB) graduate Amr El Mais, rushed to put their robes on as others, like Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences (FAFS) graduate Abir Hashem, waited anxiously for a spare pair of shoes in order to alleviate the damages of a last minute wardrobe malfunction. The vast expanse of the Green Field was covered by white plastic chairs in or-

der to accommodate around 2700 guests, excluding the graduating class itself. As a cool breeze carried the sound of the AUB choir rehearsing, the 60 or so ushers awaited the time when they would have to organize the throng of impatient guests and families into separate faculties.

In his speech, AUB President Peter Dorman welcomed the students, their families and the present political figures and representatives. His first few sentences were in Arabic and were received with

Op-Ed

You should work at a newspaper!

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Bliss Street, West Hall 208 tel: 01 350 000 ext.3193

Campus News

Classes of ‘75 & ‘85 graduate

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warm applause. He congratulated the 1860 new graduates of the 141st Commencement since the founding of AUB. Dorman praised the university as being extremely diverse and full of controversies and passionate individuals, but emphasized that “we are fundamentally one” when it came to such things as aspirations, freedom of speech and the pursuit of excellence. He told students they were now in a “turning

continued on page 6 Campus News

The struggle for independence

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Editorial

Outlook

Aug 10, 2010

Ain’t cha ever comin’ back? No, I’ve got my memories

MohamadYahia Hamade Editor-in-Chief

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’ve been trying my best over these past few months to avoid cliché through avoidance. I even avoided any emotional sincerity with my hombres. I gave a little hint of earnestness in musing over the plethora of poorly written documents and officialesque invoices in the archives, but there were spots of dishonesty through my attempt at satire. I couldn’t keep up with my sardonic social commentary. I tried to be funny and I tried to project wit, but I felt an unsettling blankness in the few moments when the weight of the sentiments I left unwritten didn’t always instantly dissolve.

To be honest, my relationship with Outlook has been a long one and one that I am only just beginning to recognize as incomparably significant and unforgettable.

It took me sometime to consciously decide to head down to campus this week.

I walked past Main Gate.

On my way to West Hall, I greeted the guy at the newspaper stand – I’ve done for the past four years and I still don’t know his name.

As I waded through the empty newsroom, I scanned the room slowly and tried – but to no avail – to blink. Everything was still the same since the last time we had

a full house attending the Monday staff meetings.

The notes and blueprints I had prepared for the last issue were long gone, but the tallies of passive-aggressive and offensive remarks were still up on the dry board.

The clenched fist sticker we put up on the board was still there, along with AUB’s anthem and our favorite restaurants takeout menus for the long nights we would spend in the newsroom.

I eventually sat down and started working on the issue to meet the deadline. At that moment I got bored and called the information desk after their working hours to realize that all student clubs were evicted from West Hall, except for the Red Cross, Campus Yearbook, the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC), and Outlook. However, an AUB official who preferred I don’t mention their name told me that things might change in fall and everyone would get the boot - and maybe Outlook.

AUB now is denying students a chance to stay at this place, and it was unsettling to know that a building that the student body and Outlook called home for decades is going to turn into an unused and wasted building.

West Hall will officially be a stranger’s spot on campus, just like the cafeteria and last year’s tuition fees. The club signs are long gone and now pieces of paper with strange names hang in their places, like a conquered fort raising the invaders flag.

Now, since I’m me, I can only talk about my experiences and not the ones you’ve had at AUB and all the clubs of West Hall. I wanted to write for Outlook since I first visited the AUB campus during my tenth grade orientation. I still remember the first time I ever stepped foot in the newsroom during my freshman

year. I was awestruck. Soon after that I had attended my first meeting in an overpacked room full of new writers, and when I first left with my first assignment to cover a conference by a political figurehead. The day before, I’d been exploring the campus and ransacking the cafeteria with my friends (who also joined Outlook). It was only a matter of hours before I would meet and rub elbows with the movers and shakers of the country and my first conference was canceled due to car bomb that targeted a Lebanese politician and echoed through the streets of Beirut. Despite that unfortunate incident, I still fired my questions at everyone still attending while sweating through the roof and without any idea of what to say next.

And after four years and climbing to the highest rank in AUB’s independent student newspaper, Outlook and I casually parted ways with a French goodbye. After a year-long and 12-houra-night, seven-day-a-week commitment this past year I was burned out and too tired to stick around and train the new team it is someone’s job to do the rest now. I had exposed the faulty ambulance system AUB uses, exposed the inept USFC working behind the students-body, and received a smattering of angry emails and IMs for joking that MUNers can’t write proper English. I had paid my dues and that was that.

As I’m about to start working in a newspaper and a television station, I have come to realize that nothing since my time at Outlook and the soon to be abandoned edifice across Marquand House, has ever taught me so much.

For all the faults – and believe you me there are plenty in each issue – Outlook is wholly representative of an inimitable relationship

with writing and identity that I can truly say I never had before and will never have again. Each success was collective and each failure was shared. The solidarity in making something with other passionate and talented people without a single shred of tact or oversight was an experience that can never be recreated. From our makeshift beds on the tables to secret meetings and interviews inside (and around) West Hall, and the occasional breaks we’d take and head out to socialize with buddies in the nowabandoned smoking area.

Going from staff writer to editor and considering to stay on board is not the typical route previous editors have taken. I admit I had some reservations this past spring in establishing a new board in front of a totally new staff after having been separated for so long. I know – and so do you from all the gossip that’s been going around – is that the paper has suffered hardships over the past three years – financial, content-related and otherwise – the students who are still here and who still sacrifice their sleep and sanity are doing their best to keep themselves and this institution alive. Never pity them or decide against criticizie a poor story or misspelled headline, because this is, as a student body, our single link to a sense of tradition in journalism and to college as an institution.

Say what you will about its redundancy or triviality, but if Outlook ever falters or falls apart, all we would be left with at AUB is shameless self-promotion and the stuff the politically overcharged USFC will shove down your throat.

This is probably the last editorial I will ever have in this newspaper. It’s bizarre to know after four years of going here, and as stirring and

moving as this sense of finality is to me, it is something that will never be understood to someone who has not experienced a semester of work at Outlook. However, as I knowingly take these few steps beyond the comforts of wearing sandals and shorts to work, having dinner on the conference table, and dancing to the Macaerna, I never expected in a million years that this place would ever be the hardest thing to leave and, at the same time, be the steadiest and most powerful launching pad I could have ever had in my undergrad years.

The newsroom has change a lot since I joined Outlook.

Under my editorship, our one computer was thrown out and thanks to a hefty donation we now enjoy six brand-new computers at our disposal. It seems that all the passive-aggressiveness and obscenities shouted out are now a dime-a-dozen. I can’t say that I always catch the glimpses of myself and my history here, it’s all unhidden, as I did at the place at which my journey began.

But now it’s not my office or newsroom anymore, and this is certainly no longer my newspaper. Once I leave this campus, and if I leave this city, Outlook will evolve into something miles away and generations apart. I can’t say for sure if I know what will become of it or who will take over or stick around and what programs they’ll be using.

I do, however, have this desperate, uncompromising hope that my editorship and experience here is indicative of those still unshaped, because I only ever truly understood myself as an element of this environment whether I was here or somewhere else.

Ultimately, Outlook is still going to the place where kids play house and publish newspapers.

Aug 10, 2010

Outlook

opinion

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Dear students: Even if you don’t read a newspaper, you should still work at one

Michael Koretzky Adviser, Florida Atlantic University Press

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or the past 12 years, I’ve advised the student newspaper at a large Florida university. But only a handful of my students have ever become newspaper reporters. And I like it that way. So do they. Newspapers aren’t what you’d call a growth industry. These days, it’s easier to land a job on the Deepwater Horizon than in a newsroom. So I tell every student I meet at Florida Atlantic University: Work hard at the University Press and I promise you a job in almost any other industry. I’ve alienated my fellow advisers in FAU’s Student Government because I boast loudly and proudly, “No other extracurricular activity on cam-

pus is better for your career -no matter what that is -- than the newspaper.” That’s because nothing else in SG is as complex and deadline-driven. A Homecoming Committee chairwoman once protested to me, “We host a whole week of awesome and fun activities!” “Yeah, but you have a whole year to organize it,” I replied. “The newspaper staff publishes a paper every week and updates a website every day -- which is much more impressive to a potential employer than taking 11 months to organize a parade and a dance.” Even getting elected student body president isn’t as compelling to an employer as being editor-in-chief. Honestly, what’s an SBP do? Mostly, they endure long meetings and give long speeches about “serving the students.” Their tangible accomplishments are few. At most schools, the EIC actually hires more people and sets more policy. The SBP is often locked in, forced to manage a staff that’s either elected separately or appointed by others. And the SBP’s budget, while much bigger than the EIC’s, is already spent before he even has a chance to redecorate his office -- consumed by pre-allocated items like campus rec and program board and the

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Moussa Chalah Staff Writer

Student Union. His discretionary budget is typically a mere few thousand dollars.

Meanwhile, the EIC has to contend with replacing the writers, photographers, and designers who just graduated and training the newcomers while publishing a paper at the same time. In addition, the EIC decides what gets covered and what doesn’t, writes stories and columns, placates irate readers, and soothes heated staff conflicts that inevitably arise on deadline. Who’s going to impress more during a job interview?

Indeed, who will handle the pressure of the job interview more skillfully? And let’s explode a myth right now: You don’t need to be a journalism major to be editor-in-chief of most college newspapers.

Right now, our EIC is a Spanish Studies major. She’ll be able to brag about her managing and multitasking skills to employers who have nothing to do with media. Here are some of the professions our newspaper alumni have sought over the past 12 years -- and landed with the help of the University Press... LAWYERS Getting into law school is tough enough. Distinguishing yourself once you’re there is damn near impossible. You have only two routes: land an internship with a prestigious

law firm or a high-ranking judge, or become editor of the school’s law review. Those top internships are all about who you know. No connections? No joy. But working at your college paper as an undergrad means you’ll be light years ahead of your competition for law review positions.

TEACHERS If you become an editor -- news, feature, entertainment, photo, design, web -- and recruit and manage a staff of your fellow students, then you’ve already taught. Three of our alums advise high-school newspapers. PUBLIC RELATIONS PR people work with the media. You’ll have a better shot securing a PR job right out of school if you’ve already worked in the media. Every year, I’ve gotten more calls from PR firms looking for interns than I have from media outlets. BUSINESS Our newspaper has had a budget ranging from $80,000 to $100,000, and our business manager doesn’t just collect time sheets. He’s responsible for everything that isn’t journalistic -- from distribution to high-tech equipment purchases. It’s a big job. Maybe that’s why one of our business managers is an investment banker in New York City and another graduated right into an

elite Bank of America management training program.

One of our best is in dental school -- he wants to run his own dental practice, and he says he’ll have no problem navigating complicated insurance claims because he’s already dealt with the byzantine bureaucracy of FAU’s finance department. UNIQUE & UNUSUAL One former editor works for a Christian nonprofit and travels to places like Haiti and Ethiopia to write about the health clinics there. Others have landed full-time jobs in Washington, D.C., writing press releases for PETA and organizing protests for Greenpeace. Right out of school, our sports editor managed a minor-league baseball team in New Mexico. Our entertainment editor managed a nationally renowned rock band in New York City. But my favorite was the business manager who volunteered to teach jail inmates in her spare time because she wanted to become an FBI profiler. She applied to a prestigious program, and her application cited how she deftly handled the dysfunctional personalities in both the jail and the newsroom -and that the latter was harder. She got in.

for the future that I want, and to achieve higher dreams day after day. AUB not only gave me the equipments for this promising domain, but also provided me with the best manual to use them. It is the bridge between the adolescent me and the maturity I gained each time I crossed the chemistry stairs down to the biology department. It is the path from the ambitious past to the towering future.

Indeed, I would like to dedicate my success for one genuine loyal friend that never let me down, one friend that was

there for me all those vigorous days; Outlook, the amazing magazine that made me always strong enough to rise upon the climbs. Since 1949, its eternal mission has started, and stills the main source of spreading the students’ thoughts.

Few days later, twenty six June will come. Caps will be flying all around the Green Field; smiles will be filling the faces of my family, my friends, and my colleagues.

The more I perceive this, the more I notice how much I will miss this beloved land…

My last words

ast night I woke up, and things had different aspects. The sky was so dark; the wind was so strong, that they stole my eyes and took them far away, to a place where everyone is planning to be.

Since September 23, 2007, and over the last three years, time has passed like magic in this institution. Though my passion to gain more experience and knowledge only grew over the days, I really did not think that I would be ready to fly that fast, and I wanted to leave everything

behind my back.

It is kind of crazy how simple things now matter to me, simple things that I will remember for the rest of my life; like daily waking up in the early morning, driving all the way to the campus, attending classes, practicing some sports in Hostler, meeting some friends, having coffee brakes near West Hall, and spending over-nights in Jafet during the finals period…

Now, since I am officially back on my own, it is the time to make new decisions, to plan

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Outlook

Opinion Seasons change

Deedee Jilani Cartoonist

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h, spring! The flowers bloom, the birds are making nests, the cats are all lazy, and people are beginning to fall in love all over again. Except this year, spring was on and off from March till beginning of May! So this whole love business, Does it come and go like the seasons?

I noticed that at every turn, there is a couple or a “wouldbe” couple sitting next side by side. Love, where did that thought come from? Isn’t it all just hormones flying out of control? Is it nothing but chemical reactions in the brain? Does the spring season stimulate the feelings of happiness and want and need in our minds and make us grow attached to people we have known for a while now?

But spring changes and summer comes. Summers are hot and stuffy. It is impossible to even hug your friends from the sticky heat! Is this why problems arise? Is it all just the season? Then summer turns to august, and it brings a feeling of nostalgia where you no longer know what it is you really want. It seems as if, like the leaves, you are falling out of love…

Finally winter. Its cold out like your heart, you just want to sit at home watching TV drinking your coffee or hot cocoa. You’re happier this way, it’s soothing and relaxing.

But New Year’s makes you want to meet someone soon just to go to that club with your friends on New Year’s.

So you meet someone, you start talking, spring comes, and the cycle repeats itself.

Is it all just the season? Some of you may not go by this pattern. Some of you may see winter as the season you want someone to keep you warm at heart, and summer the season where you want to be left alone to tan on the beach, or have ice cream under the air conditioning. There seems to be a pattern.

If all our emotions are affected by the seasons; If love, hate, joy, and depression are brought about by the whim of the weather… does it mean that none of them really last?

Can we grow out of love? Can we forget to hate? Can we become pessimistic? Or miraculously become cheerful and optimistic once again? If it is, then all our emotions are just an illusion. They are just our hormones and bodily chemicals reacting to the weather o Our horoscopes are based on the orientation of the planets and other space features billions of light-years away, why can’t our emotions be based on something not even a hair’s breadth away from our physical self?

It’s all around us! The feelings that we get are superficial. It is an illusion, a game our young minds are playing with the weather. Let’s hope that global warming will improve us and not make us worse, but from the looks of things, it’s going to be too hot this summer for you to want to speak with anyone, and it’s going to be a messed up winter again which will throw people’s mood swings in every direction!

So next time you think you’re in love and you’re suddenly caught in a twisted love relationship and messed up triangle, just remember this: Let us put all the blame on the Weather Man!

Aug 10, 2010

AUB’s lessons and problems

Mohamad El Jabi Staff Writer

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irst and foremost, this is actually my first and

last op-ed (sniff) so bear with me. Since the editor was wise enough to put in place almost no restrictions on what we could write, and since I am finished with AUB forever (hopefully), I would like to use this opportunity to just give my impression of my time here and to offer some advice to those planning to continue their studies here.

Advice number one: Be grateful! Yes although we all love to bitch and complain (I plan to do plenty of that here), remember how fortunate we all are in being able to study in this university. Also, to those of you who still think otherwise, try saying that in the face of someone who’s studying in the Lebanese or the Beirut Arab University.

That being said, I think that there are plenty of problems

which plague AUB, many of which can be resolved by the students themselves. One such problem is that of political interference in the USFC elections. Yes, I know you’ve all heard that for the umpteenth time, but since the message has yet sink in, I’m going to repeat it here: Seeing the brilliant job our political elite has done in running our country, do you really want them to extend their enlightened rule over AUB? Another major problem here in AUB is that of the registration process, because the fact is, the software currently in use is abysmal: it can’t handle large amounts of users causing it to crash often during registration hours, it needs a manual for it to be operated and it’s easily hack-able. Yes, there are programs out there that allow you to register 5 courses at once. Moreover, I believe that with a little pressure from students, the administration would be forced to get the higher-quality registration programs that are out there, while an intermediate step would involve the IT team patching the system’s numerous bugs.

This brings me to my next point, that of the reason behind the massive pressure that comes with registration.

Registration can be extremely stressful owing to the huge variation in the quality of AUB’s professors. This leads to a massive competition between students over the signing up with the good ones. To

be perfectly clear, I am not saying that all of AUB’s professors are terrible, what I am saying is that while there many brilliant, even inspirational people teaching at AUB, there are others who balance things out. This fortunately can be easily remedied; even more, the means for doing so are at our fingertips. What I am referring to is teacher evaluations.

My main beef with the current system is that we have no idea how the evaluations are being used. I have received completely different answers, which is never a good sign. A first step AUB could take is to clarify exactly how it uses the surveys. An ever better move would be for it to publish the surveys, comments and all, in order to increase transparency which would lead to both, the enabling of students of making better choices and to force underwhelming professors to clean up their act.

In conclusion, I make these remarks not because I feel my entire experience here was an utter waste, but rather to make it even a better one for those who wish to study here. One last note, while grades are extremely important, what gives students the extra edge is their co-curricular activities. What I mean is that while building up your social life or actually doing some studying, find some time to join a club (or write for Outlook!), it really is that important.

Join the ever-growing team of student journalists at AUB now! readoutlook@gmail.com +961-1-350000 ext. 3193

Aug 10, 2010

Outlook

Opinion AUB: engraved in my heart

Maya Terro Staff Writer

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o, this is like my final Op-ed, like ever. Why? Well, because I graduated! Yes, I got my Masters in Public Health, thank you very much. Given the word limit I have, on a par with the limitless things I have to say, I chose to sum up my amazing AUB-ish journey by sharing with you the things that I have learned throughout the years that I have spent in this university... which I just love!

Indeed, over the years, I have sought to embrace AUB-ish life in all its facets—between writing for Outlook, taking pictures for Yearbook, stamping people’s hands for Outdoors, selling Lemonade for Red Cross, collecting donations for UNESCO, planting trees with CCECS, selling ‘seeds of hope’ with IBSAR, and chanting with AUB’s awesome choir –and there’s a lot more where all of this came from- I have learned a thing or two. OK, maybe a bit more. One, and most importantly, I have learned that in whatever you do, never crave for recognition. Indeed, when you do something, do it

because you wholeheartedly want to and not because you have to. Even when you study for your quiz, keep in mind that you’re here for the learning and not just gradeyearning purpose. Don’t kill yourself in striving for other people’s recognition because at the end of the day, when it comes to me, ‘everything I do/ did, was so because I simply love to ‘stand out’ and ‘help out’ in every way I can. Another advice from yours truly here would be to never procrastinate. People, do not waste your time wondering whether you should or should not go on doing something. By all means, and as Nike would have it, just ‘‘Do it’’! Thirdly, never regret— I have learned it the hard way that ‘you can never plan enough because you can never anticipate all future happenings’. And while sitting back and worrying over what has been seems to be what the majority will wind up doing, believe me, it will get you nowhere. I mean ‘why cry over spilt milk’, eh?

And lastly, do not bite more than you can chew. Only when you know your limitations can you then transcend these and turn any obstacle that might come your way into a vantage point. In the end, never forget that there is more to college than what lies in the classrooms.

Every day of our lives is a day of learning and as Daniel J. Boorstin would have it ‘‘the greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance—it is the illusion of knowledge.’’

Cherish every moment you still have left in AUB and embrace it so that it would be imprinted forever in your mind ad forever more in your heart— Amen to that.

Ramadan Kareem from the Outlook team!

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My time at AUB

Rita Obeid Staff Writer

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really don’t know what to

write, I have been in denial since the start of this semester that I am actually graduating. I have had great experiences at AUB and met a lot of interesting and nice people. On our way home after the last day of classes I was reminiscing with my friend about our days spent at AUB and how much we are going to miss some of our professors who have always been awfully kind and have been there for us and have always lent a helping

hand; such professors have touched our lives in great ways, they have taught us things that we would have never learned in academics without them and even things that we can carry out into our daily lives and find useful. Additionally, Psychology as a whole has taught me interesting and helpful things that I can apply to daily life, such as how to put people’s habits to extinction, and it has taught me a new critical way of perceiving the world and people around me, and this is just the beginning.

I must say that I am really glad that I had the chance to be part of Outlook in my senior year, even though I didn’t attend many of the meetings but Outlook has helped me meet a lot of interesting and nice people and has given me the chance to write about a topic that is very dear to my heart; a psychology column called Psyched Out. Let me tell you about my last day at AUB, after nagging about having to attend an extra session (which was supposed to be a day off, the

Evil Sudoku

first day into the reading period) , I went to AUB with friends and decided to hang out there for a while to say goodbye to our undergraduate days. Little did we know that the weather was going to be terrible and spent the entire day at the Outlook Newsroom taking silly pictures. I am also compelled to tell you about other memorable days after the newsroom day (during finals), but then I’d go on forever about those wonderful memories. I couldn’t ask for anything better than those final memorable days at AUB that have carved memories that would last a lifetime.

Let me stop there, at my last day and not get into all the memories that I have had at AUB and all the fun moments because if I start telling such stories from how I met my friends to the silly moments we have had then believe me I might end up writing a book and not the graduation op-ed of this outlook issue. Basically, AUB was a great experience and I enjoyed every moment with the most special people ever!

Weather Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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Outlook

Aug 10, 2010

Campus news continued from page 1 point” in their lives, destined to improve their communities and to “add luster to their alma matter,” without ever feeling detached from AUB: “this campus will always be your home.” Dorman also hinted at the inevitability of the implementation of the 15 credit policy by stating that education must remain affordable; the cheering in response to this statement was loud from the family section, but noticeably dimmer from the graduates. Finally, Dorman asked Dean of Student Affairs Marun Kisirwani and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (FEA) Ibrahim Hajj to stand, as both are leaving AUB. Dorman said Hajj’s contributions to the FEA resulted in higher standards, improved research and international recognition. Kisirwani was, according to Dorman, the “master at advocating issues” relating to both students and administration. Dorman commented that whoever ignored his advice did it at their own peril and that his loss will be deeply felt.

VP of the USFC Elias Ghanem saluted the “first graduating class of the second decade of the twenty first century” and spoke with nostalgia about “cherishing every moment we lived on campus.”

Ghanem spoke with admiration of the AUB bureaucracy and administration, stating that if “AUB made us better individuals,” it’s because “we have indeed learnt by example.” He praised the administration and specifically the Office of Student Affairs for making sure that “every student’s voice is heard and every issue addressed.” But his speech wasn’t purely complimentary as he did criticize the 15 credit policy set to be established in one year and urged the Board of Trustees (BOT) to help stop its implementation. Ghanem admitted the sad state of the economy and told the BOT that students counted on them to make sure AUB wouldn’t have to resort to the 15 cred-

it policy (this time, the applause came from the students). Ghanem also listed a few of the USFC’s accomplishments, namely the reinstitution of the class rings and speakers’ corner, and saluted Hajj for his work on the FEA. He also called Kisirwani the embodiment of wisdom, the students’ guide, and the “figure that single handedly made AUB better.” Ghanem also said a few words in memory of Karim Habr and stopped suddenly, in mid sentence, unable to continue with a steady voice. Encouraging applause resonated and he reminded everyone to drive safely “tonight and every day.” Finally, Ghanem turned an eye to the parents: “this is your day […] we love you.”

Keynote speaker Walid Khalidi’s speech was enlightening to both academics and laymen and gave a concise yet revealing account of how intertwined AUB was with the Arab world’s development. Declaring that the “arrow of time does indeed start in the past” before continuing into the future, Khalidi recounted the main events of the 20th century that affect us to this day, from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to the supremacy of Israeli military activities and the extinguishment of PanArabism and secularism in the region. Khalidi talked about how the close relationship Howard Bliss (son of AUB founder Daniel Bliss) had with US President Wilson resulted in the US sending advisors to Lebanon to evaluate just how dissatisfied locals were with the French and British systems in the 1920’s. He stated that, although under Wilson’s presidency, AUB was a “reservoir of goodwill” to the US, after the unhealed wounds of the civil war, the sacrifices of AUB presidents Dodge and Kurr and the “decapitation of College Hall,” the US are now seen as the antagonist.

Khalidi denounced the “right wing American evangelism” that pushes Congress into “automatic endorsement” of Israeli decisions and criticized the US for disguising

President Dorman giving his speech.

its Peace Process as a charity. He praised the independence of the South of Lebanon from Israeli occupation as the “triumph of man over machine.” Yet he also blamed the Arab countries’ lack of unity for the “fratricidal Palestinian discord.”

Khalidi said that he still believes the only respite from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the Two State Solution, which wasn’t very popular when he proposed it long ago. But Khalidi does not claim that this solution brings any justice: “There is no justice this side of the grave.” On a lighter note, Khalidi said that nowhere else in the Middle East has he seen the same concentration of “indigenous talent” as in AUB and that “this campus is second to none in the Arab World.” In conclusion, Khalidi told the graduating students they should make their children proud and stay as the hope of the coun-

try and the region, instead of abandoning Lebanon.

Earlier, as the procession of professors waited to take the stage, Provost Ahmad Dallal, with a large smile on his face, used the term “festive” to describe their mood. Dean of Student Affairs Marun Kisirwani, in the same spirit, said the Commencement Ceremony is the “happiest moment for students and professors.”

The Call Center, a kind of temporary headquarters in the Hostler complex destined to oversee the event and manage emergencies, comprised of elements of both the Visitor’s Bureau and the Office of Communications. Director of Information Hikmat Beaini felt reassured that the ushers were well trained and ready for the task ahead.

He praised the operation as smooth and effectively coordinated. Although there was an age limit (no child under 8 was to be admitted unless their parent is graduating),

Photo courtesy of AUB

security was inconvenienced by the number of infants present, in particular 2 loud ones whose mothers tried to gain access to closed areas in order to change their diapers. There was also the incident of some allegedly forged tickets that kept ushers baffled until the Call Center got involved. The 3 day class boycott was not yet forgotten as pamphlets were distributed among students and parents with slogans such as “AUB is a family not a corporation” and “AUB survived the civil war and will not be destroyed by high-handed and short-sighted policies of the current administration.” The authors of the pamphlets remain anonymous.

Gnôthi seautón

Aug 10, 2010

Outlook

7

campus news Career and Placement Services presents $200,000 to FAID Rami Diab Staff Writer

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n Monday, June 5, the Career and Placement Services office headed by Dr. Maryam Ghandour present-

ed a check worth $200,000 to AUB’s financial aid budget, to be distributed to qualified applicants as best seen fit.

This generous contribution was made possible by AUB’s annual Job Fair, an assemblage of dozens of incoming firms, companies, employment groups, and businesses which flock to AUB campus each year equally distributing themselves between West Hall the Green Oval. As is the custom with every year, the greater percentage of revenue which annually nourishes the financial aid budget is raised from membership fees paid by these certified institutions as a contingency to their enrollment in the Job Affair. Ghandour began her career at AUB in the early year of 1990 after graduating with a PhD in Counseling for College Students in Higher Education from Columbia University with a minor in Student Personal Administration. Since she was hired

President Dorman presented with the check.

as a university counselor in 1990 and up until she took office as founder and leading specialist of the Office of Career and Placement Services at AUB in 2003, Ghandour, in parallel to her scholarly responsibilities as Assistant Professor of Psychology, has lavishly contributed some significant changes to the AUB community within her comfortable twenty years operational stay at AUB. Ghan-

dour has founded a multitude of initiatives varying from personal, academic, and career counseling AUB programs to the Freshman Orientation Program (FROP) and the Sophomore Orientation Program (TOP not SOP) which both serve to better affiliate and familiarize newly enrolled students with life on AUB campus. Yet another program recently founded under the Career and Place-

Photo: Salim Batlouni/Outlook

ment Service Office is the October Special Employment Day which also seems to have gained some momentum in its two years of inception currently serving as a mini Job Fair further introducing students to diverse job opportunities. In celebration of this years 15th anniversary for the Office of Career and Placement Services at AUB, Ghandour and her associates have managed to in-

crease the financial aid support from a measly $25,000 to a staggering $200,000 over the years – no light hearted feat to say the least. All in all, the AUB community is surely grateful for the Office of Career and Placement Service’s success and endorses its mission in granting qualified students the much needed university education and career cruising opportunities they so richly deserve.

Nostalgia takes its toll: Classes of ‘75 and ‘85 recieve their diplomas in July 2010 Fouad Badaoui Senior Staff Writer

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ostalgia takes its toll: Classes of ‘75 and ‘85 get their diplomas in July 2010 Fouad Badaoui 100 AUB alumni from the classes of 1975 and 1985 attended their long overdue Commencement Ceremony on July 2, 2010 at the Assembly Hall. The event, organized by the World Alumni Association of AUB (WAAAUB) and the Alumni Relations, has been on the drawing board for the past 6 months, and was originally proposed by one of the alumni.

1975 and 1985 were both difficult years in Lebanon and the violence was so extreme that the Distribution of Diplomas was cancelled both times. Decades later, on July 2 2010, at around 6:00pm, Assembly Hall was filled with the families of the graduating alumni. In contrast to the attendees of the Commencement Ceremony of the class of 2010, they were mostly the graduates’ children and spouses rather than their parents. With nostalgia, several organizers working with WAAAUB chapters around the world like Ginane Maalouf explained that final-

ly receiving their degrees was like “a dream come true.”

1975 Valedictorian Flare Majali welcomed back her fellow graduates and reminded them of the good old days.

“Let’s pretend yesterday we sat at the milkbar” she said, as she recollected the final days of her life as an AUB student. To many, the ceremony represented a much needed closure. Majali regrets not having any transcripts or parties because of their symbolic meaning, which would have been much better than that of a silent goodbye: “we left in a haze, in the middle of the night, sometimes literal-

ly, sometimes figuratively.”

Looking at the campus now, she notices that “some names have changed, but the vision remains.” 1985 keynnote speaker Dr. Kamel Abdallah spoke of the “emotional attachment” he will always have for the campus and of an unofficial graduation ceremony he tried to have with his classmates. Abdallah reminded his old classmates of the pledge they had made at that ceremony, to change the world and not compromise their dream. He then asked them: “did we change the world, or did the world change us?”

AUB President Peter Dorman said the event was “unique by any measure” as he congratulated the alumni on the same “outstanding achievement” as he had the class of 2010 less than a week before. But, according to him, the classes of ‘75 and ‘85 had the added pride of going through those difficult years and making it back for a “long overdue” ceremony in order to finally “close the chapter.” Dorman hoped they had found the things he had wished for the 2010 class to find throughout their careers.

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Outlook

Aug 10, 2010

campus news

The struggle for independence of the generation of defeats Izzat Husrieh Staff Writer & Zeid Hreish Contributing Writer

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ver two months have passed after the student revolution and the raging fire of the movement has faded away, leaving no more than a washedout memory in the minds of the AUB community. But is this event an isolated incident or is it a recurring pattern that keeps repeating itself over and over again. Not only did the students enrolled in the movement separate over differences which in turn have slowed down the movement and paralyzed their efforts, but also wasted the university’s resources by boycotting classes. A tragic unnoticed loss of over $50 for every student who missed a class, that’s not counting the lost attendance grade. That is, if every student had about three classes a day, two days of missed classes with about 400 students participating in the movement meant losing over $60,000. That number would have been much larger if the boycott continued in the following week.

The past has shown us that other causes that Arabs lobbied for in our region similarly failed, with the lack of effort and right means used being the reason. Words are the only weapon that we Arabs have shown to be competitive at using over the years.

Yes words, is what we Arabs know how to produce perfectly.

The struggle for Palestine and the liberty of its people to live freely in the lands of their ancestors, the right of the students to a decent cafeteria services, the Lebanese march towards independence and real democracy, the struggle of Egyptians to earn democracy after over three decades of repression. Countless causes in which we failed to have our true demands fulfilled because of our reluctant laziness when it comes to the

AUBites barricading OSB during the protest last May.

real work.

AUB community is nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which includes Lebanon and Middle Eastern community at large. While Lebanese students have done nothing but echo the actions of their fathers who protested in Down Town Beirut, none Lebanese members of the student body saw this as a rare opportunity to practice their right to “freedom of speech” which they have been denied in their countries of origin. We are not arguing against the cause and movement but the way of thought and implementation.

A series of useless marches and countless thoughtless protests is what the generation of Arabs, who grew at the time of the defeat of the Arabs in the 1967 war with

Israel, had to offer. This has brought the Arab world nothing but despair and countless disappointments, which have caused and encouraged extremism in the region.

Few of the students, who joined the march against the increase in tuition fees, know the real facts behind the decision of the administration.

A well-informed audience is central to fulfilling the aims of any movement pursuing a genuine noble cause. Marching behind the protesters just because one wants to show his support for his/her friends or to brag about how he/she got to skip class and appear “cool” is neither a sufficient reason, nor a genuine motivation. While the words of late president Bliss along with AUB slogan which have been overused by protesters

Photo: Michel Saab/Outlook

might guarantee them the right to express their discontent with the unforeseen increase in tuition, it also guarantees other students the abundance to attend classes without being forced violently to boycott.

What the USFC didn’t realize is that our needs don’t stop here but extend to many abandoned areas that no one of the student representatives care for. Those needs include but are not bound to, the stinking AUB registration-related advisory services, the long awaited rehabilitation of food services, and the unfair online registration system… What we are trying to say is that if the USFC leaders really cared about this noble demand of keeping AUB accessible to all class-

es of people, they would have worked more than handed out meaningless speeches, defined an exact plan with sufficient alternatives, and lead a well informed and motivated audience who would have been able to defend the cause they believed in.

Trying to find a love supreme

Aug 10, 2010

Outlook

9

campus news

Debate Club and Insight Club host debate on the rationality of atheism Edrees Elrachidi Staff Writer

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n Monday, May 10, the American University of Beirut’s own Debate Club and Insight Club, in collaboration with Adam Deen’s Lectures and Debates, hosted a debate under the title, “Is Atheism Rational?” The event was open to anyone, including professors and students from other universities.

The event was scheduled to begin at 5:00pm, in West Hall’s Auditorium A, but luckily someone suggested changing the room to Bathish Auditorium. It was clear that due to such a debatable topic, the event was highly anticipated because by 5:10pm nearly all the seats were filled, and by the time that the event started at 5:15pm, the room was fully occupied. The title of the event had lived up to its contentious name and lured nu-

merous attendees.

The debate was between Dr. Chris Johns, a Professor of Philosophy at AUB, who was “pro”-atheism, and Adam Deen, an International Lecturer on Muslim Apologetics, who was “con”-atheism. It began with a 20-minute opening speech by each debater.

Deen began by defining what an atheist is and pointed out that “according to the Encyclopedia of Philosophy an atheist is ‘someone who maintains that God does not exist’ i.e. one who maintains evidence of [God’s] inexistence”. So “[his] job was to prove that God exists” and therefore atheists maintain no evidence to believe otherwise, which makes their argument illogical. One argument was that the “fine tuning of the universe is [either due to] natural law, chance, or design. It is neither natural law nor chance.

Therefore it is design”. It cannot be chance because of the infinitesimal probabili-

ty of occurrence. Often in science and math, when there is infinitesimal probability of an occurrence, it can be neglected due to the high probability of other occurrences.

Similarly natural law cannot have a relationship with the universe though it can explain some phenomena within the universe.

In his 20-minute speech, Dr. Johns began by saying that the point of the debate “is to [seek] out the grounds and truth of a problem” and that it would be difficult to “inquire into a problem by getting a 20 minute barrage of vastly complex arguments. [We] have to slow down examine the details very carefully”. Furthermore, Dr. Johns claimed that he wasn’t really “here to win a debate”, and claimed that “nobody can prove that God doesn’t exist…I’m just going to argue that there isn’t sufficient evidence to believe he exists”. He argued that Deen’s points were all “controversial” and that just be-

cause we don’t have a natural explanation to a phenomena, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we simply use a supernatural one to explain it. He made a comparison to the Ancient Greeks who would use supernatural explanations to everyday events like thunderstorms, but now there are natural (i.e. scientific) explanations of these events.

The 20-minute speeches were then followed by a 10-minute rebuttal by each debater, which were then followed by a five-minute closing statement. After the five-minute closing statement, there was a one hour question and answer session where the audience members had the chance to ask the debaters questions to clarify their arguments.

After this, the event was formally finished, but there was an informal question and answer session between the audience members and the debaters present there.

Most of the audience members left with high regards

to the event. First Year Civil Engineering Student Taher Farshoukh thought that it was “very interesting to hear what others think” and “hopes that our politicians will someday debate in a similar manner”. Business Sophomore Ahmad Sukkar left with the conception that “atheism was refuted, and theism was left on logical grounds. It was one of a kind”.

Computer Science Graduate Ramie Sarieddine thought “it was a good debate, but the debaters were arguing on different frequencies: one was AM the other was FM, but overall it was good”. Dr. Johns said that it was “constructive and should be done again”. Deen remarked that “[the event] raised some interesting questions about the tenability of atheism. If anything we’ve gotten people to rethink their questions on the matter.”

Alejandro?

Biology Student Society volleyball tournament Rami Diab Staff Writer

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ast month, the Biology Student Society (BSS) held an interesting sportive event. Current BSS junior representative and Junior Biology Major, Ali Haidar contacted Dr. Jad Melki, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at FAS, AUB, in hopes of arranging a friendly volleyball match that would unite students and professors alike in a stirring spectacle of sportive festivity. The game took place at the rightmost Charles Hostler Student Center Basketball arena, transformed into a volleyball court and was launched at about 8:30 carrying through until 10 pm.

Ironically enough, the team players divided themselves such that the game was es-

sentially a match between professors and students, almost as if the students were planning their defeat right from the very beginning! The team of Biology juniors and seniors comprised Amjad Kanj, Omar Nawfal, Elias Saidy, Mohammad Ali Rida, Elie Najjar, and Roy Khalifee. As for the team of professors, players shuffled between several members including Jad Melki (Media Studies/SBS), Eveline Hitti (AUH), Youssef Mouneimne (CRS Lab), Walid Safar (Business), and Houssam El-Rassy (Chemistry). Other professors who normally play along with the latter aforementioned bunch and are thus liable to participate in future volleyball matches vs. students, include Krzysztof Fleszar (Business), Nadine Darwish (Biology), Faek Jamali (AUH), Ali Yassine

(Engineering), Kassem Kassak (FHS), and Samer el Dika (AUH), Noel Ghanem (Biology), Wasim Masri (Engineering), Rola Khatib (FHS), Mariette Awad (Engineering), Ibrahim Farah (Library), Fadi Karameh (Engineering), Barbara Liermann (Engineering), Tarek Ghaddar (Chemistry), Arne Dietrich (Psychology/SBS), and of course Bilal Kaafarani (Chemistry).

This episode of manic volleyball (professors vs. students) was a smashing success, leaving the professor victorious and the students, well, smashed! However, it would be rather unjust not to mention the cohesive and united strategic plays of our fellow students which seemed only to escalate in intensity as they advanced into the game. In fact, with the league of pro-

fessors confidently winning two of three rounds at scores of twenty five (professors) to sixteen and nineteen (students) respectively, their roll of victories was met by an abrupt and unexpected blow of defeat - twenty five (students) to twenty three (professors), ouch! But did the professorial team let that tarnish their fine reputation? “The game was fun and both the students and the faculty showed great athletic spirit, but the students will need a lot of practice before they can dream of posing any serious threat to us. Maybe next year!” stated Professor Jad Melki.

Despite the loss of the Biology students, Biology Major Amjad Kanj was not willing to give in modestly declaring, “they may have won the battle, but they have not yet won the war!” The

team of professors however seem once more to have a different opinion of the match, “one more thing,” said Dr. Melki, “our faculty are ready to defeat any student team that can muster up the courage to face our fury. We will make their defeat so painful, that students will give up sports all together and confine themselves to the library - where they belong. Now go back to your books and tests and leave sports to us - the real athletes - and stop crowding the gym!” All in all the volleyball match was successful at uniting students and professors and paved the way for future sportive encounters between the two teams in hopes that student-teacher relationships may expand far outside classrooms and into the sportive battle fields!

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Outlook

Arts & culture

Aug 10, 2010

Absolace launches Resolve[d]; their first official debut album Press Release

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temming out with a new style of progressive metal music; Absolace marks the coming together of individuals hailing from very diverse musical backgrounds, and is the brainchild of drummer Greg Cargopoulos. For the first time after 3 years of writing, they have finally joined together to release their first official debut album Resolve[d]; a move which will thrill their wide fan base across the Middle East.

What brought this band together was their mutual passion for music and their converging tastes in Progressive metal. Their shared love for some of the most prolific acts in rock and metal cemented the bond, and their diverging musical training backgrounds made this union even more remarkable.

What makes this band live lineup so unique is its diverse mix, bringing stars from various cultural backgrounds together. The band is comprised of: Nadim Jamal (Vocals) from Lebanon, Ben Harris (Bass) from Australia, Greg Cargopoulos from Greece (Drums), Jack Skinner (Guitars) from UK, and Kyle Roberts (Keys, Synths, Samples) from UK. Absolace do not hand out a

Absolace

simple regurgitation of the same old sound. They have managed to infuse the energy, life experience, and cultural awareness of their time into a musical genre already steeped in a history of social relevance.

“This will be the first time Absolace comes together as a band to perform, and we are really looking forward to it, we have worked very hard for this and just hope people enjoy the final product.”Nadim Jamal (Vocals) A general pursuit of instinct, rather than a conventional rock band dynamic is one

Photo: Courtesty of Absolace

of the strongest distinctiveness of Absolace. The creative method utilized by the members of Absolace espouses a holistic manner of thought, rather than placing a narrowminded emphasis on individual parts.

The result – Resolve[d] – is the product of a long process that took place at several different locations between September 2008, and June 2009, mainly in the band’s home studio in Dubai. From the outset, the core of the album’s musical configuration has revolved around rhythm, notably because of the drummer’s

strong grasp of rhythm. The lyrical content of the record is at times cathartic, and is based on the vocalist’s experiences that have affected him in a profound way.

“Through being involved in several bands of various genres over the years, my style has developed and I’ve incorporated other sounds and musical approaches which have all made their way into Resolve[d].” says Nadim Jamal “We are all really excited about starting to play live. We have been rehearsing a lot, putting in hours and hours in

the studio to make us sound as tight as possible. Everybody in the band has really put in so much effort to learn their parts as fluently as possible.”

Greg Cargopoulos (drums) Resolve[d] will mark a new approach to Progressive metal and offer a fresh new look at the tantalizing and promising future that awaits Absolace. Their extensive music talent and knowledge has been learned throughout years of determination and incredible breakthrough work, and now it’s their time to share the richness of their cultural and musical flavor with the world.

AUB Choir Spring concert — a concert to be remembered Lojy Kamel & Maya Terro Staff Writers

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aving been with the AUB choir for 10

years now, AUB professor and choral director Paul Meers is taking his final bow. On Monday May 10, the AUB choir and choral society, along with the National Chamber Orchestra of Lebanon, performed a Bach ensemble at Assembly Hall, with familiar and not-so familiar pieces interwoven throughout the evening. For this year’s spring

concert, the music pieces featured Cantatas 50, 140 and excerpts from major works of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Bach, a German baroque organist and contrapuntist who composed mostly keyboard music and, till this very day, is still regarded as one of the greatest creators of the Western music.

Throughout the whole evening during the event, one could not but notice the audience’s exuberance with the choir’s heartfelt performance.

Beginning with the choir’s powerful rendition of Bach’s

Cantata 50, till the final performance of Dona Nobis, the AUB choir delivered a performance that was by all means grandeur and is sure to leave a lasting legacy as Mr. Meer’s final, triumphant farewell. The night also featured performance by three soloists. Guest tenor soloist Ziad Nehme, Mezzo Soprano singer Yara Abu Er Rubb, and Bass soloist Hadi Fakhreddine literally mesmerized the audience with their graceful performance. The ensemble also featured a riveting duet with soprano Yasmina Sab-

bagh and bass Hadi Fakhreddine.

Paul Meers always believed that for you to sing that you should ‘‘Sing as if your whole life depends on it’’, and indeed, on this particular night, that was exactly what the AUB choir did. Following the concert, a celebration in honor of Meer’s 10 years of continuous dedication to AUB choir took place in Cello. It has been an exceptional decade for the AUB choir and choral society, and the loss of Paul Meers will leave a resounding final note in AUB. His dedication, encouragement, and teaching

ability have only propelled the choir to perform at their best, which they certainly did Monday night. Paul Meers praised the choir for its final concert, stating “I was really pleased with the performance from everyone: orchestra, soloists, and especially the choir. They did a truly magnificent job. And the tributes from choir and audience were really moving too. It has been a real pleasure and privilege to lead the AUB Choir and Choral Society for the past ten years, and I know they will do even greater things offered in the future.”

Aug 10, 2010

Outlook

11

Out of the box Local market foreclosed but relocates to supply AUBites’ constant demand Edrees Elrachidi Staff Writer

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he name “Abu Naji” may ring countless bells for many members of the AUB community and the reasons are not surprising.

Outlook conducted an interview with Mahmud ElMeel (also known as Abu Naji), proprietor of Bliss Street’s ‘minimarket’ “Epidor”. The market has recently relocated which has led many students to join a Facebook group called “EPIDOR - ABU NAJI BLISS street the past and the future... we SUPPORT you.” The group has over 650 members.

Outlook: Can you explain why your market was relocated?

Abu Naji: The shop was moved because the landlord intends to demolish the building [that contained the previous shop] and it’s ultimately his right to do so. This transition phase was probably a larger burden on our customers than it was for us.

They had to get accustomed to the new location. The previous location (across AUB’s main gate) served as a meeting place and departure site for many customers. Thankfully we’re still doing well as we didn’t move too far away; we’re still on Bliss Street.

O: How long have you been here?

“ Abu Naji ever ready to serve AUBites.

and staff. When the university’s closed, this street is of little value. The street’s life comes solely from the university, so our customers haven’t changed.

O: How did you publicize your new location?

AN: I’ve been on Bliss Street since 1987. The shop actually existed since the early 70s, but it wasn’t until 1987 that I assumed responsibility.

AN: Initially we started spreading the word that we would move and that we were searching for a place on this street. And thank God we found this place.

O: Were your old customers the same ones that you’re getting today or was there a change in customers?

O: How would you compare the level of commerce that existed in your old shop with that of your new shop?

AN: Generally speaking our reliance is mostly on the university’s students, faculty,

AN: To be honest, it would be difficult to make a comparison because when we moved

there weren’t any classes (due to the reading period and inter-semester break), and the summer term has just started. It seems that, so far, there hasn’t been much of a difference though. Hopefully as time passes things will improve and people will get used to the new location.

O: Are there any competitors that sell the same products that you do?

AN: Without too much pride, the products we offer aren’t what lure our customers. It’s our love and brotherhood that ties us to AUB’s community; that’s what makes them come to us. We also know what they want, so we offer those products, and make everything easy to find. You probably re-

Photo: Salim Batlouni/Outlook

alize that when anyone enters the shop, we make sure they feel at home and take their time. Finally we have an honest reputation. Suppose a student paid for his purchases with a hundred dollar bill and I gave him back the change.

The guy wouldn’t ensure if he received the right change and if I tell him to count his change he would say something like, “There’s no need for that, Abu Naji. Do I not trust you? If I don’t trust you then I shouldn’t come here in the first place.” [The AUB community] are our family.

O: Anything else you’d like to add?

AN: Honestly, I never realized that the AUB community had such a high regard of us. Ap-

parently, it’s not just at AUB, but other places in the Middle East. We’ve received frequent phone calls from alumni working in various countries inquiring about how we’re doing. I’d like to thank them all, be they students, employees, faculty, staff, or alumni [of AUB]. They sympathized with us, supported us, and stood with us. All we wish is the best for them.

Be on the lookout with Outlook!

12

Out of the box News in pictures

The Outlook team

Chairperson

Maroun Kisrwani

Faculty Advisor

Cleo Cacoulidis

Responsible Director

Antonios Francis

Editor-in-Chief

Mohamad Yahia Hamade

Associate Editor

Marwan Ali Jaafar

Arabic Editor

Mariam El Ali

News Executives

Tala Kardas Rasha Salem

Layout Director

John Hajjar

Member at Large

Simon Barakat

Senior Staff Writers

Fouad Badaoui Elie El Khoury Wajiha Jurdi Kheir Tarek Tutunji Moussa Chalah

Staff Writers

Rawan Abu Salman Fatima Buhilaigah Rami Diab Mohammad El-Jabi Edrees Elrachidi Yasmine Fansa Nadine Ghaith Abraham Daniel Hajjar Maryam Hoballah Mhd Izzat Husrieh Lynn Itani Heather Jaber Lojy Kamel Sherif Maktabi Timmy Malkoun Rita Obeid Roupen Ohannessian Yasmine Saab Wally Saad Joseph Saba Sandra Sawaya Maya Terro Ilija Trojanovic Emile Zankoul

Photography Editor

Salim Batlouni

UB’s Post Office employee Loutfi Hage-Hassan found a sixteen kilogram radish in his Bekaa farm of Haoush En-Nabi. Hage-Hassan told outlook his radish entered Guinness World Records as the biggest radish in the entire world.

Photographers

Mohamad Al-Medwar Tariq Buhilaigah Dima Hajj Qater Al Nada Mohsen Michel Saab

“I’m telling you, my radish is pure and natural,” Hage-Hassan assured Outlook. He hopes to break the world record that he set yet another time during this year’s radish season. Outlook will be on the lookout!

Cartoonist

Deedee Jilani

“Man, I was just miscalling you... why did you answer!”

World’s biggest radish

AUBite drowns butterflies.

The prize-winning radish.

A

Go to class, or else.

This epic layout is courtesy of Yahia, the best EIC ever!