September 26, 2012Vol. XLV, No. 8November 14, 2012

Elena GrissomStaff Writer

If you walked past West Hall this year, it would seem like nothing about AUB elec-tions has changed. Candidates were still attacking vulnerable and confused students, pass-ing out stress balls, pencils and bracelets and chanting rhythmic slogans. Still, a ma-jor policy change took place this term. This year, the entire election process took place in one day as AUB students elected both Student Representative Com-mittee and University Student Faculty Committee members. In previous years, AUB stu-dents elected SRC members in the general elections. Then there was a second round of voting, where the SRC

winners would elect USFC members from amongst them-selves. The change, initiated by dean of Student Affairs, Ta-lal Nizameddin, concerns the election of the USFC. This year students were able to vote directly for USFC mem-bers. “It’s now a direct election, one of the core principles of democracy,” Nizameddin said. The student body elects 109 members of the SRC. The SRC then appoints 17 del-egates to the USFC. The difference between the bodies is that while SRC members mostly address is-sues related to their specific faculty or school, USFC

Heather JaberEditor-in-Chief

Despite the rainy weather making campaigning difficult for the candidates last week, the clouds cleared up just in time for yesterday’s student representative elections. Candidates, voters and the apathetic crowded around up-per campus and their respec-tive faculties, watching cam-

paigners attempt to solidify as many undecided votes as possible. The past few days in AUB have been marked by this fa-miliar air of slight tension underneath energized cam-paigning. The candidates of the Student Representative Council (SRC) rallied to gain supporters for their individual causes. While for a moment, the ex-

citement of the elections was lost neath that of the Beirut Marathon, the candidates, de-voted to their campaigns, per-sisted throughout the week-end. The rain, hail and chill that fell over Lebanon these past few days put a damper on the usual elections’ excite-ment on campus, especially

Establishment candidates win majority of SRC and USFC seats in elections

In policy shakeup, USFC members elect-ed directly

AUB community’s enthusiasm shines despite rain in 2012 Beirut MarathonElena GrissomStaff Writer As stormy clouds gathered in the distance, a sea of red shirts flooded the streets of Beirut during the 2012 BLOM Beirut Marathon. Despite the intermittent rain during the event, around 600 AUB students, staff, and fac-

ulty members joined the other 30,000 marathon participants. Music blasted from speak-ers, volunteers offered free drinks and food along the way and an unmistakable general feeling of excitement perme-ated the air, validating Presi-dent Dorman’s claim that the Beirut Marathon is “a chance

for AUB to get together with the community, to celebrate everything that is good about Beirut and Lebanon.” Most AUB runners partici-pated in the 10 km “fun run,” which directed them from the starting line in Biel, past the RUN AUB RUN banners Continued on page 8

Photo credit: Alex Potter

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 10

September 26, 20122 · Campus News November 14, 2012

Polymorphism

From discrimination to acceptance: The Arab-Latino friendship exploredFrederic Abou JaoudeStaff Writer

Latin America has often been called the Arab America because of its large Arab population. For instance, there are approximately 10 million people of Lebanese descent in Brazil. Several fac-tors led to Latin America’s Arabesque state. Spain, which colonized many of the South American states, was historically domi-nated by the Arabs for more than seven centuries as Al-Andalus. Moreover, the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians by the Ottomans in the beginning of the nineteenth century led to the migration of many to Latin America for sanctuary. The immigration of AUB’s own Nami Jafet to Brazil was fueled by the hardships of the Ottoman empire. Tackling the subject of Arabs in Latin America, John Karam from DePaul University de-livered a lecture titled “The Arab Americas: Renegotiat-ing National and Hemispheric Orders” in Nicely Hall last week. This was organized by the Center for Behavioral Re-

search CBR. Karam described his trip to Brazil in 1991 and how his brother was discriminated against when a vendor raiseed the price for a decorated bottle artifact and claimed that he looks like a “turko.” Karam explained that Bra-zilians regarded the Arab im-migrants as Turks since the large majority of them arrived to Latin America during the rule of the Ottoman empire. As for the reason of the shop dealer’s discrimination, Karam illustrated how Arabs were marginalized as traders and only cared about making money in the market. This was not welcome in an agri-cultural nation like Brazil. Karam also said that the Arab culture in Latin America was seen as “lower.” Brazil-ians used to make fun of how Arab immigrants eat their tra-ditional food with their bare hands. The Brazilians even disparaged the Lebanese dab-ké. Soon after, however, the Brazilians in the 1970s began to appreciate the Arab culture, and the Arab-Latino friend-ship was established, Karam said.

Frederic Abou JaoudeStaff Writer

Egypt and Lebanon are both religiously and eth-nically diverse. According to Index Mundi, Egypt’s popu-lation is 90 percent Muslims and 10 percent Christians while Lebanon is 60 percent Muslim and 39 percent Chris-tian. This diversity brings about complicated legal issues. When do states permit ethnic and religious groups to have their own courts and legal systems? Should there be ju-dicial centralization or decen-tralization within the state? Addressing these questions, the department of politics and public administration hosted a lecture in West Hall titled “States and the Devolution of Judicial Power: A Compari-son of Egypt and Lebanon.” Emma Hayward, a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, was the main speaker. Egypt, according to Hay-ward, had a decentralized judiciary—a system when the state grants control of family, inheritance and other matters to religious or tribal courts—during the period of Ottoman

rule. In the 1920s, the govern-ment made early attempts to centralize its power, and in 1955, Egypt became partially centralized. Centralization expanded in the early 1980s. Hayward explained that Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat exiled Pope Shenouda III because of public disagree-ment concerning the peace treaty with Israel and persecu-tion of Christians. Sadat then changed the state constitution and declared that the shari’a will be the source of Egyptian law, which was an action he wished to complete decades earlier, but couldn’t have done before exiling the Pope of the Church of Alexandria. Today, Egypt still applies a centralized system where, as Hayward said, Christians and Muslims are governed under the shari’a law. In Lebanon, however, a more pluralistic state was es-tablished under the Ottoman Rule. Under the French Pro-tectorate, few unsuccessful attempts were made towards centralization, and these at-tempts continued till the 1990s. Hayward noted that “Lebanon remains one of the clearest examples of legal pluralism.”

Lebanon experiences plu-ral judicial courts and laws corresponding to each of its 18 sects . There is full decen-tralization accompanied by authorization of group courts where sufficiently strong re-ligious groups influence the state’s judicial systems. Many attempts are still be-ing pursued in Lebanon to achieve full state centraliza-tion, especially in the case of recognizing civil marriage and establishing civic com-munities. Regardless of these calls, the last serious attempt for centralization came in 1998 under President Elias Hrawi. Lebanon has not since at-tempted to centralize the legal system. A question as old as the Ot-tomans still hangs over Leba-non, Egypt and multiethnic states around the world: cen-tralization or decentraliza-tion?

Varak KetsemanianStaff Writer

Art: a powerful tool through which many people succeed in expressing their emotional states and thoughts. This is what Tamara Fak-houry, one of our fellows in the philosophy department did with her recent art exhibi-tion in Hamra. The name of the exhibition, “Polymorphisms,” which means multi-human forms, suits the kind of illustrations and characters the artist por-trays. Upon entering the art gallery of the “A Fish in Sea

Comparison between Egypt and Lebanon: Centralization or decentralization?

Community” in the Younes building, you will notice some bizarre drawings on the walls at first glimpse. A closer ex-amination of the pieces will

reveal a diverse, yet captivat-ing collection of paintings and drawings. Fakhoury says that she has been working on these for

Photocredit: Tamara Fakhoury

over four years. Philosophy students may be interested in the portraits of different philosophers like Immanuel Kant or Fredrich Nietzsche displayed in unique ways, re-flective of the artist’s original style. Although the artist has not named her works (except for a few), each represents some-thing deeply personal. “They represent a personal experience; something that I have been through,” said Fak-houry. She says that she can think of each piece as a result of her own spontaneously induced therapy session.

Although she has no intention of going to art school, paint-ing has been an essential part of her life since childhood, said Fakhoury. When asked whether her art embraced any of the classi-cal painting styles, Fakhoury replied that although he ac-knowledges the importance of drawing skills, she believes that her art wasn’t the result of any determinate drawing technique, but rather an ex-perimentation of personal re-flections which embodied her friends, family and herself.

September 26, 2012Campus News · 3 November 14, 2012

Frederic Abou JaoudeStaff Writer

Barack Obama will return to the White House with more than 300 electoral votes, well above the 270 mark he need for re-election. As many people grapple with what that means domestical-ly, students and community members gathered in the Lee Observatory on Wednesday for a panel discussion on the elections and what they might mean for American foreign policy. Rami Khoury, a journalist for the Daily Star, analyzed

the results via video from Boston, emphasizing on three main points. First, Khoury said that for-eign policy was rarely men-tioned throughout the cam-paigns, which focused largely on domestic issues, especially the economy. Second, Khoury underlined that both candidates were competing to demonstrate their support for Israel. Third, Khoury compared the United States with Lebanon, saying that both nations are clearly polarized and deeply divided almost 50-50. Professor Alexander S.

Lubin, the director of Cen-ter for American Studies and Research, which organized the event, said that about $6 billion was spent during the elections season—the most expensive in history. Despite influx of cash, the same man returned to White House and the change in the House of Representatives was minimal. Lubin also explained that the demographics of America have changed. Minorities have become an increasingly large part of the American elector-ate, and they gave Obama an advantage over Romney. Obama won over minorities,

women and educated white voters in convincing fash-ion, and he claimed victory in most of the critical swing states. Romney, on the other hand, won few swing states and re-lied heavily on working-class white men, who represent a smaller voting bloc than in elections past. Lisa Hajjar, a visiting pro-fessor who was on the panel, spoke about the war on ter-ror that began during George Bush’s presidency and con-tinued under Obama. She stressed that Obama has not yet closed the prison at Guan-

tanamo Bay as he had prom-ised four years ago. Hajjar also questioned the legitimacy of drone warfare, especially in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She ended her speech by calling for the integration of what she described as “smart-er voices” to help shape U.S. foreign policy instead of the same old administrative of-ficials, who have not allowed new blood to be pumped into the veins of American politics.

Up close: The US presidential elections

Election results by facultyFaculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences

Freshman Graduate Sara Takkoush (27) Muhammad Nour Kammaz (23)

Agribusiness I, II, III and IV Moussa Mazeh (120) USFC Remi Fayad (51) Graphic Design II and IV Graduate

Hani Mdeihli (25) Rami Mehio (105) Arij Yehya (50) Lama Shehade (18) Kohar Annie Kissoyan (11)Audrey Issa (24) Ayla Pasha (101) Lama Ghanem (47) USFC Graduate Hariri School of NursingAgriculture I Fouad Chalet (100) Nour Riman (47) Ameen Jaber (72) Nursing IIJoey El Mendelek (25) Tie between Ahmad Abdel

Rahman and Karim Mehanna (90)

Jeremy Arbid (45) Joseph Saad (70) Hadi Hamade (47) USFC

Hassib Safieddine (21) Sophomore Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing III

Agriculture II Hussein Ismail (241) USFC Engineering I Public Health I Monica Abi Abdallah (20)

No candidates Jawad Khalifeh (230) Joe Akiki (137) Lynn Alaeddine (34) Nursing IVAgriculture III and IV Carine Safa (222) Sleiman Braidi (132) Duaa Fahs (31) Tie between Jane-Mary Tarraf

and Sara Abu Rihan (7)Zein Khraizat (Acclamation) Majed Ismail (214) Tie between Simon Boulos, Youssif

Sandakli and Savannah Sarkis (123)Public Health II Graduate

Nutrition I Khalil Hussein (210) Elie Najem (30) Mahmoud Ghouzail (Acclamat.)Mirna Dehaini (22) Matthew Kuraya Ziyadeh

(197)Engineering II Kourken Kadehjian (29) Suliman S. Olayan School of

BusinessNutrition II Mariana Fenianos (194) Lynn Bourji (170) Public Health III SophomoreZainab Rammal (Acclamation) USFC

Ibrahim Abdallah (192) William Moujaes (157) Mohamed Homayed (23) USFC Sara Sakaya (128)

Nutrition III and IV Leen Baassiri (192) Elia Karam (152) Karim Ghabra (20) Rami Saghieh (123)Nisrine Kawa (Acclamation) Joy Abi Khalil (188) Issam Chmaitilly (149) Graduate Karim Alaeddine (115)Landscape Design I and II Souad Mohsen (187) Michel Chelala (148) Jinane Abi Ramia (28) Farid Khaddaj (92)George Debs (Acclamation) Junior Engineering III Hanadi Chaaban (23) JuniorLandscaping III and IV Ali Taleb (125) Yara El Asmar (141) Emily Field (22) USFC Wael El Assaad (102) USFCAren Deyirmenjian (20) Eliana Bassil (124) USFC Ramzi Taybah (137) USFC Faculty of Medicine Maya El Hanouni (101)Food Science I Wissam Maroun (122) Omar Abou Jaoude (133) Medicine I Karim Akiki (95) USFCReem Sayyed Ahmad (Acclamation)

Sarah Hamze Sinno (117) Anthony Tayoun (133) USFC Ramy Fakih (34) Racha Malaeb (94)

Food Science II Gideon Nyamuame (112) Engineering IV Rayan Jo Rachwan (33) Nadim Kamari (94)Nour El Haddad (Acclamation) Anna-Maria Eid (111) Mark Hannaoui (96) Medicine II Senior

Food Science III Ali Hayek (105) Bashar Abou Shakra (93) Daniel Bassil (47) Riham Abdallah (91)Rita Feghaly (Acclamation) Senior Hassan Merhi (84) Tie between Khaled Janom and Elie

Khalifee (35)Nabil Zantout (91) USFC

Graduate Moukhtar Nsouli (114) USFC Architecture I and II Medicine III Ilija Trojanovic (84)

Ali AbdelSater (Acclamation) USFC

Amin Nasar (105) Alexander Rayes (44) USFC Ralph Hachem (Acclamation) Nuhad Hamdan (82)

Maya El Mokdad (Acclamation) Joseph Elias (98) Architecture III, IV and V Mohannad Othmani (Acclamation) Graduate

George Nassif (Acclamation) Nour Jalloul (97) Rafah Farhat (33) Medicine IV Lama Hoteit (21)Faculty of Arts and Sciences Joy Arab (96) Graphic Design I and II Sara Khalife (25) Farah Matar (20)

September 26, 2012 November 14, 20124 · Campus News

during the three days of cam-paigning. While many felt that elections and campaigning were done in the same fashion they are done every year, there was a major adjustment to the rules this time around. A new policy related to the election of the USFC, which allowed students to directly vote candidates into one of those 17 seats, was imple-mented. Nabil Dajani, Media Studies Professor, advocated the new rule, saying, “It will allow for less political involvement and less maneuvering.” While the new policy has mainly received positive criti-cism, some have mixed feel-ings. Vice President of the Secular club, Naji Aoun, said that the policy is more democratic, but that there is more work to be done. “The old policy was not per-fect,” said Aoun. “The new policy is better, but it needs some modifications in some departments for the coming years.” Rayan Najdi, Order of Engi-neers supporter and against the

USFC policy change, said that politics will actually affect the USFC votes more than previ-ous years. He said that SRC members usually elect more independent candidates, but now, politics will be reflected

in the USFC members based on the community votes. “It should have stayed the same,” said Najdi, “if they want us to elect as programs, and not as politics.” When asked about the influ-

ence of the external political groups within the elections process, President Peter Dor-man posed a question to the students. “What relevance do Leba-nese politics have for the kind

of issues that are important for students, faculty, and the ad-ministration to solve togeth-er?” said Dorman. He mentioned issues like the balance of making tuition affordable while “moving on

Pushing the glass ceiling: Flexing the female muscle in student electionsKarim S. NasrContributing Writer

Shortly after Barack Obama was declared U.S. president, analysts came out of the woodwork, declaring this the ‘Year of the Woman’ in Amer-ican politics. Women cast more votes than their male counterparts (53 percent), and a record number were elected as representa-tives in both houses of Con-gress. Tuesday, students at the American University of Bei-

rut cast their votes in all seven faculties for the directly-elect-ed 109-member Student Rep-resentative Council SRC and the more influential Universi-ty Student Faculty Committee USFC. With candidates given 48 hours to campaign in front of West Hall and plaster univer-sity walls, emotions ran high. Although many members of the AUB community have criticized the factional nature of the SRC elections and how “they simply reflect Lebanese

political and sectarian affilia-tions,” as one student stated, no one can deny the existence of an important difference in the makeup of the elected representatives in the SRC and the Lebanese Parliament, especially in the number of women running and being elected. Lebanese women are greatly underrepresented in the deci-sion-making system; there are only four female members in the Lebanese Parliament out of 128 seats, representing a

mere 3 percent, despite wom-en making up 51 percent of the Lebanese population. That being the case, Leba-non ranks 137th in the globe in terms of female representa-tion in parliaments. With women first being al-lowed to register as full-time students at AUB in 1921, they now make up 50 percent of the AUB student body. Women are an active demo-graphic in all facets of AUB life, and their representation in the SRC over the years has been on equal footing with

their male counterparts. Moreover, although a rarity, some women have reached the top position of vice presi-dent in the USFC. With almost 80 female can-didates running for the SRC, the question remains whether there exists a glass ceiling in the council elections, espe-cially for the USFC, as it only had four female members last year. Female candidates from all faculties and across the politi-cal spectrum said women still

A divided campus elects ...Continued from page 1

September 26, 2012 November 14, 2012 Campus News · 5

an upward path,” improving registration, housing, advis-ing, sports and club contribu-tions and student governance within the USFC. “I’m not sure Lebanese poli-tics have the answers to these

questions,” he said. What the politically backed groups also had were more resources and a greater abil-ity to campaign for their plat-forms. Other candidates, like No Frontiers USFC candidate

and FAS graduate, Jeremy Arbid, were not able to spend as much to campaign, as their expenses came out of their own pockets. What they relied on instead was handing out their platforms and talking to

voters one-on-one. While some decided to play the political game and pub-licly run under the heading of certain political groups, others chose to go another route, or at least said so.

Business senior Waad Al Atrash, managing elections for the Active AUBites, said that this year, these campaign-ers wanted to make a state-ment by not aligning with any other group running. “No political party is better than the other,” said Al Atrash. Yara Al Asmar, third year engineering student running with Students at Work, had something else to say. She said that her decision to run with Students at Work was partly because her family pre-fers their political affiliation. She could have gone inde-pendent, but there is more of a chance of winning if a can-didate is with a group, said Al Asmar. Others, as they have in pre-vious years, still mention one of the main reasons they are running is to put it down on their CV. Nourhan Nassar, an engi-neering first year running with the Order of Engineers, said running was important for her CV and even mentioned that her grades were not too high, so it would help. “It’s an experience,” said Nassar. “There’s nothing to lose.”

face some challenges. Sara Hamieh said it is hard-er for women to be elected due to the “male-dominated macro-structure of Lebanese society which still affects the micro-structures of our insti-tutions and communities.” Jessika Nicolas, however, said the new system has made it “easier for female candi-dates to play a major part” in USFC. Browsing through the dif-ferent brochures promoting the student coalition electoral

programs, one notices a sig-nificant absence of any pro-grams or future plans target-ing female students and their particular concerns. For instance, AUB intro-duced a revised sexual ha-rassment and discrimination policy at the beginning of the academic year. However, no student coali-tion voiced its opinion on the matter. Rita Feghaly said she’s heard many stories, some from her closest female friends, of women being subject to vi-

sual harassment, for instance, and would like to increase awareness. Souad Mohsen confirmed that harassment is an impor-tant issue and felt that she was “more capable of rais-ing awareness of some prob-lems,” emphasizing the need for a “University women’s center at AUB where females can join and discuss their ma-jor problems and discuss is-sues, such as women in the Arab world, on a weekly ba-sis.”

“No one understands a fe-male except a female,” said Hanadi Chaaban. “There are lots of issues, such as harass-ment, that can be better ad-dressed by a woman.” All the female candidates interviewed for this story said they have not faced personal obstacles due to their gender, and one candidate stated that “clubs strive to nominate girls because they are much more accessible than boys some-times.” With a new system in place

of directly electing USFC can-didates, one wonders whether the make-up of this power-ful organization will more accurately reflect the gender make-up of the student body.

... a divided student government

September 26, 20126 · Faculty Profiles November 14, 2012

FHS’s SRC Candidates: For the sake of the faculty, not the confessional systemHashem OsseiranStaff Writer

With most of its candi-dates running independent-ly, the Faculty of Health Sciences is an example of impartiality. Yesterday’s election results showcased how a political affiliation was unnecessary in achiev-ing victory. Duaa Faahs, a first year medical laboratory stu-

dent and Lynn Alaeddine, a first year environmental health student were one of the FHS dynamic duos who won in yesterday’s elec-tions. “The campaigning was fun,” said Lynn in retro-spect, “we socialized a lot, talked to everyone, and we thank them for their votes.” Upon asking both winners about their affiliation, they proudly responded with

“independent.” They dis-played great joy in the fact that they could win without the catalyst of party affilia-tions. “There was a lot of ten-sion and competition with our opponents,” said Aleddine,“but we shook hands with them after we won,” showing the spirit of sportsmanship amongst competitors. Alaeddine and Fahs both

expressed their readiness to carry out a fruitful and pro-ductive term. The winning candidates of the FHS were; Duaa Fahs and Lynn Alaeddine from public health I, Elie Najem and Kourken Ka-dehjian from public health II, Karim Ghabra and Mo-hamed Homayed (USFC) from public health III, and graduates Emily Field (USFC), Hanadi Chaaban

and Jinnane Abi Ramia. The hallmark of represen-tation is approachability, availability, responsibil-ity and responsiveness. The FHS is one of the smaller faculties which gives it a certain advantage- the facil-itated ability of the winning candidates to communicate a more coherent representa-tion of the faculty.

FEA: Different groups, similar platformsFrederic Abou JaoudeStaff Writer

Students at Work, the Sec-ular club, Order of Engi-neers and the independents were among the groups of students competing over the sixteen seats in the Fac-ulty Engineering and Ar-chitecture. On the surface, all op-tions are very similar: All parties promised to reno-vate the engineering lounge and cafeteria. Every can-

didate vowed to increase the printing limit. Outlook conducted interviews with three candidates running for three different parties to learn more. Issam Chmaitilly, repre-senting Students at Work, said that he would work on increasing the opening hours for students in the SRB computer labs and the Bechtel Library. He explained that when the USFC was in the hands of Students at Work, they

managed to extend the reading period up to five days. “But when the USFC became with the other team,” he continued, “they didn’t oppose the adminis-tration’s decision to return the reading period back to three days only.” Zeina Malaeb, who is run-ning independently, said, “I personally suffer from the problems I listed in my platform....that is why I want to solve these issues as badly as my voters do.”

Malaeb will focus on aca-demic issues like increasing acceptance opportunities into work study programs and offering Chemistry 203 for civil engineers each semester instead of just spring. Lynn Bourji, representing Order of Engineers, said that university elections all are about what the vot-ers want and that it is the SRC’s job to meet their de-mands. In spite of the fact that Order of Engineers

has no platform prepared, Bourji promised that she would organize fundraising events and promote finan-cial aid benefits. “People take elections as [a] political [occasion],” Bourji said. “It’s all about the students because we represent the students and not any political party.”

FAS: Success for United Ballot as FAS split along class linesRichard Le VayStaff Writer

The roaring reached a crescendo as the results for FAS, AUB’s largest faculty were announced. This fac-ulty was an especially tight faculty race. The scenes of relief, res-ignation, and jubilation on Tuesday evening were in sharp contrast to the rain-sodden end to the cam-paigning period. By Friday afternoon, most of the candidates were re-signed to the fact that any students passing the soaked party stalls, roofs bulg-

ing with water, would not be interested in anything other than getting to class reasonably dry. As such, it had provided an excellent opportunity to gather some honest reflections on the previous days’ graft. Members of “Just Think,” had been hopeful that their particular take on the ‘in-dependent’ message, that voters should choose their candidates for “the right reason,” had sunk in. How-ever, it turned out this year was not to be theirs. Dawlat Tarfifi of “United Ballot” was also pleased with her work, remaining

“reasonably confident, if anxious” about success. “This is the first year I have remained involved,” she sad, citing the fact that this was her last chance to “make a difference” to what she considers her fac-ulty’s under-representation in the student body as a key motivational factor. Whilst Dawlat was unsuc-cessful, her party swept the faculty, with 15 winning candidates, largely due to an immense performance in the Sophomore and Ju-nior sections. Other big winners were “Students at Work” and

“Freshman Voice”. Mean-while, Secular party Cam-pus Choice obtained the bulk of the vote from the Graduates, who also voted in “No Frontiers” outspo-ken candidate Jeremy Ar-bid. Though many candidates described themselves as very happy with the elec-toral process and lack of ugly scenes, successful candidate Rami Mehio of “Active AUB” offered a different perspective. Whilst excited to be part of student politics in his freshman year, Mehio stat-ed that “it is ridiculous that

AUB politicizes results,” criticising the widespread “underhand speculation” that various candidates are affiliated with politi-cal groups, accusations he hoped his party could es-cape. AA efforts appeared to be vindicated by the two Freshman victories. Interestingly, the Graduate and Freshman classes were both noticeably more eclec-tic in their voting choices, whilst Sophomores, Ju-niors, and Seniors general-ly voted wholly within the dominant Students at Work / United Ballot dynamic.

September 26, 2012Faculty Profiles · 7 November 14, 2012

FM: Students of neutralityKanzi KamelNews Executive

Friday marked the end of this year’s SRC cam-paigning, which proved to be one of the quickest and least confrontational election periods in recent memory. Stands were erected neath West Hall, phone calls were made to voting hopefuls, and spirits were excited in a flurry of ami-able competition as the campaigns raged on. Competing for the cov-eted SRC seats in the fac-ulty of medicine this year were 15 FM hopefuls, each with an agenda for the upcoming year. Disconcertingly, Med III had only two students running for the SRC, thus allocating by default the

OSB: A dying student bodyYara ZeitounStaff Writer

Yearly fluxes in the stu-dent body naturally influ-ence the election cam-paigns. This year saw less activity from both the campaigners and their fol-lowers. Among OSB students, the general consensus points to a flagging inter-est in elections. Maya Hanouni, a junior running with the Students at Work coalition for OSB, found students year less lively and enthusias-tic this year, but claimed that her group was work-ing very hard and had a vigorous campaign. Nohad Hamdan, how-ever, of the same alliance this year’s campaigns were definitely better. Hamdan also contrasted the muted election spirit at OSB with West Hall’s

SRC seats of Med III to the two candidates, Mohan-nad Othmani and Ralph Hachem. As a result, de-spite their political pref-erences, Med III students were left unable to vote. Samer Masri, a Med III student, shared his indif-ference with the elec-tions. “Lots of things need changing,” he said, “but the USFC and SRC aren’t the people who can make things happen.” Indeed, the feeling of apa-thy within FM was felt in more than one year. Rayan Sibai, a first-year medical student, shares a similar outlook. “I’m not looking forward for anything to change,” said Sibai, “and I’m not ex-pecting anything to.” While Daniel Bassil won one of the Med II seats with

a popular 47 of 117 votes, Khaled Janom and Elie Khalifee tied with a remain-ing 35 votes each. The tie, to be broken with a second round of voting, has yet to be determined. Independents won in Med IV, with Muhammad Nour Kammaz and Sarah Kalife as representatives, with 23 and 25 votes, respectively. The five nominees for the USFC chairs from Med I to FM Graduates were tied, all of which represented Unit-ed Ballot. Remaining remarkably unpolitical in comparison to their faculty counter-parts, this year’s FM stu-dents certainly seemed more concerned with their studies than the spell of elections that struck an up-roar in so many other AUB students.

HSON election yields tie between candidatesHashem OsseiranStaff Writer

The Rafic Harriri School of Nursing’s winning can-didates are; Hadi Hamade from BSN II, Monica Abi Abdallah from BSN3, and Graduate Mahmoud Ghou-zail by acclamation. The BSN IV resulted in a tie between candidates Jane-Mary Tarraf and Sara Abu Rihan, the results of which will be announced within this week. The win-ning candidates are mostly March 8 advocates giving the coalition an apparent victory over the school of nursing. Monica Abi Abdallah, winning candidate, ex-pressed her gratitude after

a long campaign, “it was a hard campaign and there was a lot of competition” she remarked “but I won so it was worth it”. The candi-dates were very democratic in their interaction with each other, “even though there was strong competition all the candidates were friend-ly and nice” said Abdallah, showing the sportsmanship of post-elections. Abi Abdallah is focusing her agenda on what the fac-ulty needs, she displayed a readiness to cooperate with all members as well as a strong sense of responsibil-ity to the entire faculty. “I will do what they need me to,” said Abdallah when asked about her plans as a current SRC member.

lively and vehement spirit, with people from all sides trying to convince and per-suade each other. All candidates expressed discontent with the location of the stands, especially considering that business seniors have all their cours-es at OSB and don’t nor-mally walk past West. Roni Sawaya found this year’s campaigns dead and lacking vigor. “We started at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, and logistics kept lagging behind, so we only had half a day of campaigning,” he said. “On Friday, it was raining, so students ditched classes and weren’t both-ered to stand in the rain to discuss elections.” But besides the weather, Sawaya stressed that “peo-ple are just disgusted with the politics of elections, so they want nothing to do with it.” Layana Lababidi agreed

with Sawaya, saying that she personally doesn’t vote because “they’re not in it for the students, they have ulterior motives, which are heavily influenced by poli-tics.” During Election Day at OSB, Ilija Trojanovic an independent senior cam-paigner, complained that “it’s going slow and diffi-cult,” because the ratio of Students at Work to inde-pendent campaigners was very uneven. A mixture of external causes, logistics, AUB’s bureaucratic processes and politics all apparently dulled the student body’s appetite for elections. At the end of the day, the Stu-dents at Work took most of OSB’s votes. Stay tuned, for this means that iPads and laptops will be rented at Jafet, or so they promise.

FAFS: Uncontested Meer Ako AliStaff Writer

The general consent of the FAFS students who ran for elections is that they do not have to deal with competi-tion, and have won by default throughout the years. Rita Feghaly, a food science and management senior, ran for the FAFS SRC elections again after winning last year and was one of the many can-didates in FAFS who won by acclamation. George Debs, who is run-ning to represent the sopho-mores and juniors of landscape design and eco-management in the SRC, also noted that he didn’t need to campaign either. “A competitor would have been fun though,” he con-tinued. “I always like a chal-lenge.” Nonetheless, where there was competition, it proved to be tough. Tala Al Kadi, an agribusi-ness SRC candidate who did not win a seat, said, “FAFS is

a small faculty, and everybody ... knows one another. This makes the elections procedure more difficult because your competitors will have access to the same people that you have access to.” Besides a lack of competition, the candidates have something else in common: they are all enthusiastic about the whole process and joining the SRC to represent their peers. Debs noted that he is ea-gerly waiting to hear what all the other campaigners have to say once they all join to tackle their jobs as student represen-tatives. Focusing more on her cam-paign and the procedures be-hind it, Al Kadi said that she has enjoyed the details of campaigning, starting with forming her platform, talking to every potential voter about her objectives, and concluding with publishing posters in her faculty’s building and on so-cial media podiums.

September 26, 2012

AUB community’s enthusiasm shines despite rain in 2012 Blom Beirut MarathonContinued from page 1Elena GrissomStaff Writer As stormy clouds gathered in the distance, a sea of red shirts flooded the streets of Beirut during the 2012 BLOM Beirut Mara-thon. Despite the intermittent rain during the event, around 600 AUB students, staff, and faculty members joined the other 30,000 marathon par-ticipants. Music blasted from speak-ers, volunteers offered free drinks and food along the way and an unmistakable general feeling of excitement perme-ated the air, validating Presi-dent Dorman’s claim that the Beirut Marathon is “a chance for AUB to get together with the community, to celebrate everything that is good about Beirut and Lebanon.” Most AUB runners partici-pated in the 10 km “fun run,” which directed them from the starting line in Biel, past

the RUN AUB RUN banners hung on the lamp-posts of the Corniche, up Hamra street and finally to the finish line at Martyr’s Sqaure, where home made treats by the Brave Heart Fund awaited them. Other members of the AUB community, including the 24 shining members of the AUB track and field team, ran the 42 km relay, which took them all the way to Kaskas, Ashrafi-yeh, Rabiyeh and back. “Everything about this year’s race was great,” said 10 km runner Laura Fallaha, an AUB architect student who ran the race in an impressive 51 minutes. “The course was perfect, the weather prevented us from getting too hot, and the AUB cheerleaders were very encouraging.” Many more members of the AUB community volunteered to distribute water to grateful runners or to enthusiastically encourage AUB runners. The main AUB cheering stand on

the Corniche was complete with a stage and live enter-tainment. Members of the AUB Red Cross club also volunteered as they prevented runners from cheating and of-fered medical attention to the injured. This year’s Beirut Mara-thon was especially success-ful as AUB recruited more

participants that ever via a month-long campaign across campus. This included two cross-campus 6 km runs in preparation for the race. Wael Assi, a chemical en-gineering student, commented on these efforts. “The 6 km race really helped prepare me for today,” he said. “I appreci-ate all of AUB’s efforts to pro-

mote this event.” Another added benefit of this year’s race was AUB’s con-tributions to NGOs, mainly the Braveheart Fund and The Nature Conservation Center (formerly known as Ibsar). During registration, AUB stu-dents decided which organi-zation to give a percentage of their fee to.

Photo credit: Salim Kaddoura

November 14, 20128 . Campus News

Thurayya ZreikStaff Writer

Once a year, a flurry of color and activity suddenly takes over upper campus. Over-night, stands are erected, fly-ers are distributed and huge Technicolor photographs of candidates are hung up to smile down on passerby from seemingly every corner of campus. Despite the commotion of elections dominating the stu-dent body’s attention every year, a surprisingly large num-ber of students, new or other-wise, remain confused about the whole system of elections and student representation. Leah Soweid, a psychology sophomore in her first year at AUB said, “I honestly have no idea how it works. Most of my friends [also new stu-

A confused beginner’s guide to student electionsdents] don’t even know how to vote.” Nayla Mroueh, a second year economics student, said that she had learned more about the election process from other students than from the administration itself. Much of the bylaws and protocols of the student elec-tions and the student repre-sentation system in AUB re-main shrouded in darkness for many AUB students. Following the tradition of other liberal arts colleges, AUB has historically always had some form or another of student representation. “AUB is famous for hav-ing student movements,” said Dean of Student Affairs Talal Nizameddin. The organization of the stu-dent government is structured to fit the diverse interests of

realize is that hierarchy-wise, the SRC is higher [than the USFC], because a student cannot be a USFC delegate if he or she is not elected to the SRC first,” said Nizameddin. The student government has more responsibilities than simply being a liaison to the faculty and other basic orga-nizational duties. The SRC is expected to address any is-sue that is of interest to AUB students, especially one that affects many students around campus and may need exami-nation and improvement on the part of the administration. If the SRC is not satisfied with the response of the ad-ministration, it may lobby. Over the years, the SRC has been an organized forum where not only problems have been discussed, but solutions were put forth, such as the

protests against the increase in tuition fees a few years ago and the demand to lower the cafeteria prices last year. It’s no secret that some groups are politically affili-ated. In fact, that might be the only thing some know about the student elections at AUB. “AUB’s official stand is that there are no political groups, but we understand that there are bonds with external politi-cal parties,” said Nizameddin. “However, these parties don’t really interfere a lot on cam-pus.” He explained how these groups tenaciously defend their independence from ex-ternal parties who may be organizing their campaigns at AUB. “Young people should have a cause and an opinion,” he said.

the student body. Each fac-ulty, seven in total, elects a Student Representative Com-mittee (SRC). The number of students in each SRC is more or less proportional to the number of students in the re-spective faculty. Each SRC has a cabinet of a student-elected president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, as well as class rep-resentatives. Each SRC has delegates that form a central body, the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC). President Dorman, the pres-ident of the USFC, is repre-sented within the committee by Nizameddin. Student del-egates represent the interests of their faculties at the cen-tral body and take care of the primary issues of students in their faculties. “What some students don’t

September 26, 2012Spotlight · 9 November 14, 2012

Campaigns underway at West Hall

Photocredit: Haydar Al-Shakeri

AUB decides their representatives

Photo credit: Alex Potter and Mohammad Azzam

September 26, 201210 · Editorial November 14, 2012

ChairspersonTalal NizameddinEditor-in-Chief Heather JaberAssociate Editor Ali KassemArabic Editor Mada DibsArabic Associate Edi-tor:Alaa KayaliLayout Editor:Antoine Ayoub

Proofreader:Ian LarsonMember-at-largeSarah KhalilNews Executives Kanzi KamelRayane ZahreddineHrag VosgerichianFerial FakihNizar AwwadLayout TeamTania RayesNizar Aouad

Sahar KhraibaniMohammad YaghiSuhail YazajiWebmaster Jad ShamseddineBusiness Manager Luma ItaniBuisness Executive Sarah HarfouchPhotographers Mohammad AzzamHayder Al-ShakeriKaren Sertin

Staff WritersMohamad SibaiFrederic Abou JaoudeElena GrissomAssia NoureddineKarim ZahedHashem OsserianKaren SertinCarla SertinNerses ArslenianRichard Le VayAl-Zahraa MajedSarah Dirani

Rana HarbiNour ShurbajiGhida IsmailNadeem BilaniNoura HamzehSara SobhDiala AhwashYasser ZayyatZaynab JaberCartoonistsGhassan NassarJad JariMaya Ayache

S t a f f L i s t

members dedicate their time to problems pertaining to the university as a whole, such as cafeteria issues, extend-ing reading days, and dealing with club budgets. One may have noticed, for example, that under the names of certain candidates, there is a small “USFC” title, mean-ing that that person is running for USFC. In addition, two

asterisks can be found next to USFC candidates on the vot-ing ballots. According to Nizameddin, the main reason behind this change in policy is to allevi-ate any allegations of intimi-dation or threatening before USFC elections. For example, if two clubs had an equal number of SRC members, they could each

threaten or bully an indepen-dent member to vote for their “people” for the USFC. Nizameddin also wanted to decrease internal maneuver-ing and strategizing among different clubs. He recounted a time an SRC member was voted in on the pretext of be-ing an independent. When it came time for USFC elec-tions, however, he announced

he belonged to a particular group and helped them obtain a majority in the USFC. With the new policy, such maneu-vering will be prevented. It appears that most students agree with the change. “The new system gives students a greater chance to be represented,” said Fatima Alba, an FAS candidate. “It’s also a lot simpler and more

straight-forward.” Yara Dib-Hajj, an Active AUBite candidate, also wel-comed the change. “It seems much fairer,” Dib-Hajj said. “Sometimes, the SRC don’t vote for USFC members you like. This way, students will have a more di-rect say in who represents them in the USFC.”

In policy shakeup, USFC members elected directlyContinued from page 1

Outlook Editorial Board

A glint of promise shines through any electoral process, from the recent U.S. elections to Tuesday’s elections here at AUB. These pages are filled with remarks from candidates of every party, representing all faculties, conveying promises to the AUB student body ranging from the mundane (but necessary) to the wonderful and revolutionary. The tedious campaigning is over, the polls are closed and all votes are accounted for, yet the job, as it is often said, is far from over. It is now up to those we elected to the Student Representative Committee and the University Student Faculty Committee to keep their

promises. Regardless of one’s political preferences—or lack thereof—it is up to us, the AUB community, to make sure that our elected officials remain transparent and worthy of the confidence instilled in them with our votes. This is perhaps the largest issue that AUB has faced related to its student council members. New reforms to the USFC election system this year make it a direct democracy. No longer will the representatives elect members from among their own ranks, with putatively independent candidates aligning with parties for voting. That the system needed safeguards against political horse trading and nepotism is

not an encouraging sign. Campus elections have become a valuable bellwether of national political sentiment. Parties invest heavily in ensuring their on-campus affiliates show well during the elections. These and other outside influences invest the SRC and USFC contests with outsized significance far beyond what is commanded by their authority on campus. Needless to say, candidates do not fight so vigorously over competing plans to keep library printers well-stocked with paper. Successive student governments have ignored such critical issues as transparency and crippling bureaucratic slowness so long it’s questionable they will

ever be seriously addressed. In light of such shortcomings, it is easy to become disaffected with the elections, yet there are reasons to be sanguine. The fact that the University is committed to reforming the process means administrators are willing to work with elected representatives on pressing issues, no matter what the motivations of the candidates. The national affiliations of our student government parties are among the worst-kept secrets on campus. Nonetheless, those representatives who are elected from opposing parties—or independent ones—represent all students in their faculties, not just those who voted for them.

After any bitter election, opposing sides must come together to recognize the common goals and ambitions that motivated them to enter the fray. This campus is not so large that political rivalries can divide students who otherwise agree on issues and their solutions. At times, it seems all too easy to enjoy the benefits of democracy and representation without the serious obligations.

Campus problems demand parties tackle lingering issues, dim partisan visions

September 26, 2012Viewpoints · 11 November 14, 2012

Nadeem BilaniStaff Writer

In light of Barack Obama’s recent re-election, as well as the frenzy of our very own

student elections oc-curring right here on campus, I’ve been thinking a lot about politics. Many Lebanese people blame the disharmony of our

state on the waxing and wan-ing shifts of power constitut-ing our government. These people argue that political conflict is only holding Leba-non back from reaching its full

potential.

But if pol-

itics, the governance of a state’s inter-nal and external affairs, is to be diminished, does that not simply prep society for anar-chy? Where does the line lie

between passionately defend-ing our beliefs, and destruc-tively imposing ideologies? Chase Whiteside, journalist, documentary filmmaker and founder of New Left Media, published a short exposé on YouTube, in which support-ers at a Mitt Romney rally in Ohio last week were inter-

viewed about why

they stood for Romney. One over-

zealous woman attacked Obama for being a Muslim, a Christian and an atheist—all at the same time. Another elderly woman claimed that Obama had tak-en away many of their free-doms. “I don’t even feel like I can go outside anymore with-out someone watching me,” she said. A third Romney supporter was asked to elaborate fur-

ther when he said that Rom-ney could lower the deficit. Dumbstruck by the interview-er’s insistence, he could only say that Romney “had more ideas out there.” Not only were the critiques of Obama outrageously un-founded (and irrelevant, I might add), but it also ap-peared as though many sup-porters didn’t even know why they stood behind Romney. What I’d like so stress is that I’m not generalizing the Republican Party, or even taking a stance to denounce their fundamental principles. Rather, I’m questioning the intention of an individual to support a public figure when they are not adequately versed in his or her policy. How can you vote for some-one if you don’t know what that person stands for? This can be applied to our own society here in Lebanon. Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the frenzy of

politics, that the main issues become an undercurrent. Forget the colors, logos, fliers and badges, and learn about the real issues. When we do not do this, governance suddenly transforms into a game of power players—not a body united enough to fulfill its very intended function of governing. I believe that it’s every vot-er’s responsibility to make informed decisions. I don’t claim that there is any one right way of doing things. When people stubbornly hold on to their opinions, without at least trying to understand other points of view, a state of strife and disunion is created. Sometimes the mark of intel-lectual substance is not hav-ing all the answers, but pos-sessing the capacity to say: “I don’t know, but I’m willing to find out more.”

Thurayya ZreikStaff Writer Nov. 6 marked the re-elec-tion of Barack Obama to a second term as president of the United States. Obama did not only secure another four years in the White House—he maintained the throne of an empire. The night of the elections, the world, including most of the AUB student body, anx-iously watched live streams, social media updates and in-ternational as well as local news channels for any hint of the possible outcome. This only seems the natural way things should go—after all, as one of my peers put it, “Anything that happens in America affects everyone else in the world.” But one has only to stop and ponder a reversal of the roles to see the implications of

this, unfortunately true, state-ment. Do Americans plaster themselves to their televi-sion sets, watching the Leba-nese parliamentary elections with as much exhilaration as we watch theirs? The image seems so absurd. But why should it be? What makes it acceptable for one culture’s internal politics to normally dominate the media, and not another’s? One could argue that we are so invested in the U.S. elec-tions because they have re-ceived so much media cover-age over the past few months. But that again requires that Western media outlets are our main source of news and entertainment, at least in the socio-economic circle that most AUB students fall into. The Internet in particular has smothered us with so many images of President Obama that he has come to be a ce-

lebrity. The truth is much uglier than all the image macros of Obama fist-bumping Mi-chelle circulating around the Internet would have us be-lieve. Perhaps Obama’s laid-back style and internal poli-cies have made him the

more favored can-didate for Americans in this and last term’s elections. But despite be-ing an American institution, AUB, and its student body, remains in the Middle East, the region that has received most of the brunt of Obama’s appalling foreign policy. Obama’s first term was marked by his ominous si-lence regarding the Gaza massacre of 2009, which, with a series of drone strikes, most in violation of interna-tional law, resulted in hun-

dreds of civilian deaths. So why are we glued to our television screens, rooting for a man whose foreign policies do not harm this region any less than his opponent’s? This can be explained in a single term: cultural imperialism, the domination of one cul-

ture over another so wholly that its values, although out of context, become internalized within us. America is an empire. Many people have discussed this notion, and many more ulti-mately will. But we must not

forget that we consolidate its position of power every day by allowing ourselves to be-come so entranced by its in-ternal affairs as though they were our own. I only ask that inhabitants of this region and anywhere else in the world consider these elections with an open mind,

and remember that although Obama may have established himself as a well-liked celebrity among Americans, to many in the outside world he remains what British-Palestinian rap-per Lowkey has called an

U.S. presidential elec-tions: An “Obama-nation”

Speak out or stand down

September 26, 2012

Outloud: If there is something you would want to change about the cam-paign week, what would it be?

Samer SerhalComputer and Communications Engineering

“It’s not really professional. Everyone votes for who they know. It’s more like a popular-ity contest. I would make it more profes-sional and serious. Students should vote for whoever deserves it.”

Sari Kassar Physics

“I would change the way the campaign-ers approach the voters. They don’t have to stick to you and tell you ‘Please vote for me!’ If you are motivated to vote for them, you would do it.”

Hasib Safieddine Agriculture

“Maybe remove the political affiliation.”

Nour Haddad Food Sciences

“Nothing. It looks fine.”

Mariam CherriChemical Engineering

“Some campaigns have more funds than others, so they have more opportunity to win. Mostly, I’d change how the funding works and set limits.”

Rackel MezherChemical Engineering / Candidate

“First of all, I’d get the administration to limit the campaign spending or at least monitor their sources. Secondly, I’ll try to limit the negotiations that every campaign group has to go through to get their booths. I’d also monitor the platforms and promo-tions.”

Patrick Hilan Business Administration

“It’s better to have two full days than three half days.”

Salaheddine Harb Business Administration

“Either delay it or have it earlier, because it’s in the middle of the semester.”

Catherine Ramia Mechanical Engineering

“There should be a limit to how much money should be spent in campaign adver-tisement.”

Matt Mitchell Middle Eastern Studies

“More advertisement on what’s going on. I’m not sure what people are running for, and what the student government is able to change.”

Meer Ako AliContributing Writer

12 · Outloud November 14, 2012

Souraya KreidiehPublic Administration

"The organization of the elections is fine and the spirit is really good. We should change the core concept: why should we let the out-side affect our generation too?"

September 26, 2012 November 14, 2012 Columns . 13

Sany FarajallaStaff Writer

Were the advancement of so-ciety to be measured by how aware people are of technol-ogy, most of us would still be reading scrolls by candlelight in mud huts. Fortunately, this isn’t the case…yet. Assuming that you are a resi-dent of Earth, you’re aware of how much we rely on comput-ers. Still, the fact that the first thing many people say when buying a new computer is “I want a white/black/[insert col-or of choice] one” is nothing short of shameful. Thankfully, understanding what each computer part does is easy. Here is a rundown:Preliminary Information: A byte (B) is a unit of in-formation, just like a gram is a unit of mass. The metric system prefixes apply just the same way here. ‘Giga-’ is good and ‘Tera-’ is better. The Processor: Picture a hamster running on a wheel. The faster it runs, the faster the machine goes. That, in essence, is what a processor does, the hamster representing its core, or heart. This allows the computer to go through data at varying speeds depend-ing on the type. The most com-mon series of processor today is made by Intel and is split into three categories: i3, i5 and i7. i3 is a dual--core processor, which means that there are two hamsters running at the same time. i5 and i7 are both quad--core processors, four hamsters, with the i7 hamsters being a lot more powerful than the i5s. Processing power, or the speed of the hamsters, is mea-sured in Gigahertz (GHz). Given that the technology is constantly changing, a base speed is difficult to give, but anything slower than 1.83 GHz for laptops is bad. For mobiles anything below 1 GHz is subpar.

Tech column: Computer parts for the layman

Antoine AyoubStaff Writer

It’s sad to witness people try to lose weight by depriv-ing themselves of essential sustenance. We all hear many ridiculous excuses, my favorite being calorie counting. A 100 milliliter cup of full fat milk has about 64 kilocalo-ries, while the less rich in taste semi-skimmed milk has almost 46. With a calorie difference so insignificant, the taste of full fat milk takes the cake. On the other hand, exercise is not necessarily the best way to permanently lose those last ten kilos; you have to understand calorie burning. Regardless of age or weight, daily calorie needs (DCN) are 70 percent for the basal meta-bolic rate (BMR), eight per-cent for digestion and 22 per-cent for physical activity. BMR represents the physiological functions of the body like the kidney, heart, brain, lung and liver functions. Long-term weight lifting in-creases your physical activity burn and BMR; you lose more weight because you’re now burning more calories than by just doing cardio. Still, you shouldn’t be fooled by the scale, for such regimens will change a body drastically. The body adapts to the the exercises, increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat, causing more frequent hunger. Eating more supports the in-creased muscle mass and rais-es the BMR. You’ll notice you haven’t lost a pound, but muscle has re-placed the mass once occuped by fat, therefore transforming one’s body into it’s almost per-fect form. Meaning that, after following the program for a few months, one’s BMR reaches a plateau higher than the original, and the body reaches its idle state of fitness.

Health column: Lose weight without starving

Carla SertinStaff Writer

College students are known for staying up all night – whether they’re studying, writ-ing essays or checking Face-book- and still being able to function normally in the morn-ing. For the rest of us mere mortals, here are some eating habits to give you that much-needed energy boost. Have a bite to eat when you wake up. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and having a balanced one can help you wake up and maintain high energy for the rest of the day. Stop going cuckoo for coco puffs and try whole grain foods. The carbohydrates in whole grains are complex and take longer to break down, giv-ing you a steady source of en-ergy for longer. Instead of large meals three times a day, break them up and eat smaller, more frequent meals. Large meals can cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash, and digesting them takes more of your energy, making you feel sluggish. For snacks, trade in the Snick-ers bar for an apple. Fruits are a quick source of energy and are rich in vitamins, which are necessary for body functions and energy. Try to avoid excess sugar; sugary foods cause a spike in your energy, but it is quickly followed by a crash. While food is your main energy source, don’t forget to have your daily eight cups of water. Dehydration is serious, and drinking water frequently can perk you up throughout the day. Finally, there’s caffeine. Coffee and tea do the trick, but caffeine is addictive, so if you need a cup of coffee just to function, your body isn’t behaving healthily and you should try other energy sources instead.

Kanzi KamelNews Executive

Da Vinci’s inventions are once more brought to life, this time right here in Lebanon. The “Da Vinci’s Machines” exhibition was opened on Nov. 7 in the Platea center in Jouni-eh.. In cooperation with the Leonardo Da Vinci museum in Florence, Platea promises to offer one of its most unique exhibits of the year. The exhibit is host to more than 60 machines designed by Da Vinci. Though not ac-tually constructed by the Re-naissance man himself, the machines were rebuilt by Ital-ian craftsmen, who used the records of Da Vinci’s drawings and designs to recreate his in-ventions. To add to the authen-ticity, the men only used the material available at the time. Organized into five galler-ies, each of the inventions per-tains to war, flying, nautical or hydraulic machines. The fifth gallery contains reproductions of some of Da Vinci’s most famous artwork, such as Ma-donna of the Rocks, Portrait of a Musician and even the Mona Lisa. According to the exhibit’s website, the event also includes animated films and drawings to relate the inventions to modern day applications. Best yet, the exhibit promises some interactive machines, allowing guests to meddle with and dis-cover the intended purpose of the designs. The exhibit is open until Dec. 7, so be sure to visit it while it lasts. The antiquities of the galleries, while only perhaps mere replications in compari-son to their genuine counter-parts in Florence, are still fas-cinating to behold. After all, who could pass up ancient war machines?

Off the beaten track: Da Vinci’s machines in Beirut

Rayane ZahreddineNews Executive

With emissions of greenhouse gases growing-- namely due to fossil fuel consumption-- sci-entists predict a rise in Earth’s surface temperature by 2°C to 6°C, causing sea level rise, ex-treme weather and changes in ocean circulation. This was predicted by model simulations by the Intergov-ernmental Panel on Climate Change. Some models fore-casted that people will increas-ingly burn fossil fuels, others assumed carbon dioxide emis-sions will grow slowly. Since the late 1970’s, sci-entists have not been able to narrow this range down, but a recent study by scientists at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric research showed worst-case climate sensitivity as probably most accurate. Environment Minister Nazem Khoury addressed the need to acknowledge climate change and its impact in Lebanon last Thursday, in preparation for the upcoming United Nations convention on climate change in Doha. In the panel discussion, Khoury recognized that the long periods of droughts and heavy rain seasons observed in Lebanon indicate that man-aging water resources in the country is highly important. He spoke of the consequenc-es of climate change on the Arab world and on Lebanon, despite its relatively small contribution in worldwide car-bon dioxide emissions. Khoury stressed that efforts to combat climate change will not put the Lebanese economic growth at risk. He announced the launch of projects to im-prove cooperation between ministries and the introduction of new technologies to help reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.

Environmental col-umn: Lebanon talks climate change

Food column: Need an energy boost?

September 26, 201214 · Arts & Culture November 14, 2012

Hayder Al-ShakeriPhotographer

Walking on Bliss Street, you might have no-ticed a small coffee and bak-ery shop and a guy greeting you with a big smile. That would be Latté Art and Na’im is the man behind the counter. Even though Latté Art is small and does not have seat-ing, it still competes with the big chain coffee shops in Hamra because it has the per-sonal touch that customers appreciate. Na’im knows the names of his frequent custom-ers and he even greets them from across the street if he sees them, making them not only customers, but also his friends. Latté Art has a variety of coffees, fresh baked goods

and sweets. In an interview with Out-look, Na’im mentions that Latté Art has been open for around seven years now. Most of his customers are students from AUB, many of them coming to him on a daily ba-sis to get their morning cof-fees. Na’im also makes bagels every morning. Na’im works in Latté Art from seven in the morning until seven in the evening, when Abed takes his place and stays there until one in the morning. “It sells great coffee for an incredibly decent price,” said Yara Nagi, one of the fre-quent customers at Latté Art. “Na’im is such a sweet and friendly guy that genuinely gets out of his way to get to know his customers. Plus, he knew my order from the sec-ond time I went to get coffee from there.”

Hamra personality of the week: Nai’im of Latte Art

Deedee JilaniStaff Writer

The idea of time trav-el has long captivated human interest. Imagine it was pos-sible to go back in time and catch a cold-blooded murder-er to save your one true love. What would the world be like if time travel were possible? In the novel “The Map of Time,” author Felix J. Palma narrates the story of three dif-ferent men and how their lives have change because of a be-

lief in time travel. Palma sets the story in England in 1905. It’s divided into three parts, each focusing on one charac-ter. In the first, Andrew Har-rington grieves for his dead lover, the prostitute Marie Kelly, murdered by the infa-mous Jack the Ripper. After eight years of mourning, he decides to commit suicide. This is precisely is when his cousin Charles comes and tells him about a time ma-chine that can take him back in time to kill Jack the Rip-

per and save Marie Kelly. The rest of the story has the reader hoping, speculating, and in awe of a sudden turn of events that will change Harrington’s life forever. The second part focuses on the hoax of “Murray’s Time Travel Machine.” Here, one of the characters playing the role of the hero of the year 2000, is approached by a visi-tor while he is still in costume. Realizing that Murray may kill him for exposing himself to a visitor, he hides and seeks

help from the author of “The Time Machine,” H. G. Wells. Wells plays along in the cha-rade between the young man and the young lady who saw him. Ultimately, the young man would risk it all for the idea of time travel. The last part has Wells him-self witnessing unexplained murders that have been caused by a weapon of the future. Knowing that “Murray’s Time Travel Machine” is a hoax, he has a hard time believing that this could be caused by a man

of the future. However, the closer he comes to meeting the person responsible for the murders, the closer he realizes that time travel is closer than he thought imaginable. In conclusion, Palma’s art of time travel writing, added the theme: the continual time flow of the narrator. This novel will have sci-fi lovers scratching their heads and re-reading paragraphs to under-stand what is happening.

Photocredit: Haydar Al-Shakeri

Book review: The Map of Time

Carla SertinStaff Writer

There are very few bands that could withstand a history as troubled as that of Aerosmith. Their last album of original work, “Just Push Play,” was released in 2001. So this year’s “Music from Another Dimension,” re-leased on November 6, is their much-anticipated return to the stage. “Music from Another Dimen-sion” gives us a taste of the past, with its range of musical styles spanning the length of Aerosmith’s career, featur-ing a mix of ballads, Beatles-style music, some rockers and a country song thrown in for good measure. In terms of musical perfor-mance itself, Joe Perry and Brad Whitford deliver, as usu-al, with flawless riffs that keep the audience engaged. Tyler’s vocal skills are first-rate, and he switches from raspy to smooth faster than you can say “Chain Reaction.” Joe Perry also jumps out from the background, taking lead vocals in “Something” and “Freedom Fighter”, the latter of which is a personal shout-out to all the activists fighting against the infamous African warlord Joseph Kony. The background vocals in “Freedom Fighter” are taken by the band’s producer, Jack

Douglas, and actor Johnny Depp, making for a strange collaboration that somehow works. “What Could Have Been Love” takes on the role of the classic tearjerker, with vocals and music that don’t disappoint. Though the song is catchy, it has the tired, do-ne-to-death feel that is char-acteristic of the band’s later albums. They counteract the over-dose on ballads with a number of songs that have high en-ergy, such as “Freedom Fight-er”, “Oh Yeah” and “Legend-ary Child,” which hit the spot, leaving you feeling pumped up and somewhat gritty. While Aerosmith injects

more than just a trace of the good old days into their lat-est album, they do not cater solely to their old fan base. Instead, they feature Carrie Un-derwood in “Can’t Stop Lov-ing You,” a country-rock duet. Tyler and Underwood are both belters, and they work well to-gether, but I found it to be a bit too screechy for my taste. Clearly the album is not groundbreaking, and I don’t see any songs on the album becoming huge hits. How-ever, if nothing else, it proved to me that though this may be another last goodbye, we haven’t heard the last of them.

Aerosmith’s back? Dream on!

Source: http://keepingupwithnz.com

September 26, 2012Entertainment · 15 November 14, 2012

Sudoku

Source: www.websudoku.com

I was born in the 18th century yet still live on today. Appearing on TV when I have something to say. Called everything from "honest" to a dirty, rotten "crook" I

used to wear a wig but have had several looks. I've always had a party but never disturb the neighbors. I've been shot at many times - major stories for the papers. What am I?

Answer: The Office of the President of the United

Riddle

Source: www.trickyriddles.com

Photo of the week:

Even AUB cats need their morning coffee.

Photocredit: Frederic Abou Jaoude

Cartoon by Jad Jarri

September 26, 2012 14 تشرين الثاني 2012

زيتوين �أنا...جورج حاصبانيكاتب صحافي

كلما وددت اختصار مكانة اجلنوب في صدري أستحضر مشهد شجرة زيتون رابضة في كرم

ناء مفترس سفح اجلبل. تتميز احملافظات اللبنانية بسمات خاصة لكل منها. فللبقاع

الرجولة واملالحم، ولبيروت الرقي واألمل، وللشمال العنفوان

والتاريخ، وللجبل صالت الوصل الزمانية. أما للجنوب )مبا فيه

محافظة النبطية( فعطر الزيتون !

في الواقع، ما يجمع اجلنوبيني ليس صلة دماء وأصل فحسب،

بل شجرة زيتون تأبى أن تتزيا بسربال العبارات. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تلك تسرد قصة شعب غلب لعبة القدر وقايض سطوة

املوت. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية حتدث عن طاغ بلغ مشارف

القرى و اندحر. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تتبجح بدعسة رجل

مقاوم ارتضى بتسليم روحه قبل تسليم حبة تراب لبناني. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تبرز صورة امرأة محجبة حملت صليبها ودعت بانتصار الوطن. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تستهل نهارها بذكر العظماء واملفكرين اجلنوبيني.

شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تفسح أغصانها لتسمح آلمال األطفال بأن حتط وتعشش. شجرة الزيتون اجلنوبية تطلق جذورها في التراب

لتستقي من نبع ثقافة احلياة.عاد تشرين و انكفأ موسم قطاف شجر الزيتون. توحد

اجلنوبيون و أتلوا بزوغ الشمس على رطوبة حقل الزيتون. ليلة أمس، متت التحضيرات. جهزت املواشي حلمل الغالل، وتقاسم

الرجال أجزاء العمل على جبهات احلقول والبساتني. وصل الرجال

إلى أراضي الزيتون و سطحوا

مدهم حتت األشجار وباشروا بعملية “اجلول” أي بتحريك

األغصان لتنهمر حبوب الزيتون وتعلو أصوات انهمارها، حتى

يخيل لسامع بأنها انسيابات موسيقية تتأرج من فم مذياع مطروح في البستان. وبقدر ما

يبتغي املزارع من احملصول، متنحه الشجرة املزيد واملزيد من الغالل.

تلك هي عالمة كرم اجلنوب... انطالقا من هنا تنقش حكايات

الرصانة والضيافة اجلنوبية. يتبخر الوقت مع فلق خزائن

االنتاج وتستميل شمس النهار، ويبدأ احلقل باالنغماس بصورة

الظالم. حينها تلتئم أقسام الغالل وترسل إلى ورع املؤن

لبعثها بواسطة املاشية حتضيراإلى وجهة تصنيع منافعها. ، ينضب نهار اجلنوبي وأخيرا

املكافح ويعود إلى داره بارتقاب يوم العزمية التالي.

قلة من اجليل الشاب شاركوا في

عملية قطاف الزيتون. وباألحرى، قلة من مييزون بأن الزيتون يقطف

خالل اصفرار تشرين وهم من خصر اجلنوب. على العموم،

املشكلة تتلطى في انحطاط الرغبة لدى اجليل الشاب بتعلم

فن الطبيعة. ولكن، انحطاط معرفة الطبيعة يتفشى سريعا في مجتمعنا حتى أصبح يرسي

في مضيق اجلهل. فالكثير من شبابنا اللبناني والعربي، قد

يجد في عملية قطاف الزيتون مهمة مستعصية وسط ذيع احليوية التكنولوجية. لذلك،

فاجلدير بالذكر في هذه الزاوية هو أن شجرة الزيتون تلك التي لم

نزجر من التبجيل بها قادرة على معاقبتنا. فإذا استطردنا السير

بهذا املقصد، فإننا سنفتقد لطعم زيت الزيتون قريبا.

لنعترف باجحافنا بحق شجرة الزيتون. لنقر بتفريطنا بتلك

الشجرة الكنز، فنحن نزهو مبا

�ست؟! �إذ� حتت �ل�ستي وهيك، كيف لو �سمدياال أحوش

منذ ما يقارب الشهرين ”Run AUB Run“ بدأت حملةمعلنة عن مشاركة اجلامعة

األميركية في بيروت، في بيروت بلوم بنك ماراثون السنوي. األحد

في الواحد و العشرين من الشهر اجلاري كان اليوم املنتظر. اجلميع ر ألكبر حدث رياضي في يتحض

الشرق األوسط و لسوء حظ املنظمني اختارت الطبيعة أن

تطلق سلسلة عواصفها لشتاء 2012-2013 في هذا اليوم بالذات

و شهدت بيروت نهاية أسبوع عاصفة.

ألن احلدث الرياضي سبقه أشهر من التحضير و مبا أن احلدث

يتخطى حدود لبنان إذ يشارك به رياضيون من جميع أنحاء العالم،

بقي موعد املاراثون ثابتا و قررت اللجنة املنظمة إنو “حتت الشتي

نازلني” و نزلنا.و كما جرت العادة تستغل

اجلمعيات األهلية و الشركات، املاراثون لترفع الشعارات و تركض ألهداف إنسانية. في هذا السياق ركضت اجلامعة األميركية باسم

“برايف هارت” و هي جمعية معنية بأمراض القلب لألطفال

Nature Conserva- “و باسم tion Center” – مركز احملافظة

على الطبيعة. جتمع املتطوعون و املشاركون أو إذا صح القول، جتمع من بقي من املتطوعني و

املشاركني أمام نقطة االنطالق في البيال. بدأ السباق الالنتحاري،

تسلح املشاركون مبظالت تعلق بالرأس و “اتكلوا عاهلل و ركضوا”.

رافق فريق اجلامعة جهاز صوتي متحرك بث املوسيقى على لرؤية طول السباق. جتسيدا

“برايف هارت”، جر الطالب سرير مرضي رمزي، جلس عليه جاد،

طفل الثالثة أعوام، مرتديا ثوب املستشفيات ممثال األطفال

املصابني بأمراض القلب. لفت جاد أنظار املشاركني بطريقة استثنائية. غير آبه بالطقس، راح يرقص و يصفق على وقع

األنغام املوسيقية، و صفق ألطفال اجلمعية الذين أدوا رقصة

جماعية استعراضية مفتتحني االستعراضات العدة احملضرة لهذا

احلدث.يجدر اإلشارة إلى الروح املميزة التي متتع بها املشاركون باسم

جامعتنا، فعلى الرغم من املطر، و على الرغم من البرد القارس و ثيابهم التي تبللت بالكامل،

قرروا أن يكملوا السباق للنهاية و ووها كال”. تعالت في الواقع “ركض

هتفاتهم و هيصاتهم و صار اجلميع يهتف “يال AUB يال”.

جنهل... ماذا ننتظر؟ ال يثري أن نزرع الزيتون لتلطيف مظهر

البيئة. ال يكفي أن نزرع شجرة زيتون على مداخل منازلنا

لنلتقط الصور الفاتنة بالقرب منها. لنهب صوب قطاف الزيتون

لتكمل فينا جبلة النخوة. لنقبض العصا ولنتسلق أشجار

الزيتون ولننتشل حبا يتأهب خللق أشطر الفوائد. ما زال موسم القطاف جار على قدم وساق

في اجلنوب وفي كل مرابع لبنان، وما زالت أغصان األشجار تتعند

بوجه الرياح لكثرة محصول حملها. فلنتجمهر ولنجسر نحو

معترك القطاف ولنشعر فعال بانتمائنا الزيتوني.

�جتماعيات . 16

باإلضافة للرقصة االستعراضية، Vocal Voice“ قدمت مجموعة

Point” عرض غنائي/موسيقي، و شارك الطالب بجلسة “يوغا للضحك” قدمتها األخصائية:

دت منصة سابني جيزي. كما وجتشجيعية ثابتة باسم اجلامعة. شهدت املنصة عدة عروض فنية

متنوعة مع اشتراك مجموعة

من الطالب املتطوعني. لن أغوص بتقييم جناح أو فشل

املاراثون لهذا العام، ففي النهاية التحكم بحالة الطقس ليس

بيد اللجنة املنظمة أو اجلامعة. و لكن لو كنت أنا املنظم، ملا

وضعت ثقتي في طقس شهر تشرين الثاني البيروتي في أول

املطاف. و أوجه توصياتي لكل من

شارك في املاراثون، “اشربوا سخن و خذوا فيتامني” لكي ال يكون

احلدث الرياضي الهادف للتوعية الصحية سبب مكوثكم في

الفراش ألسابيع.

26ترشين األول، 2012

مربوك.. وعقبال �لعايزين !

14 تشرين الثاني، 2012

حتضرهم وتقبلهم لآلخر؟ وإلى أي مدى سوف ننجح في تطبيق

هكذا نهج في لبنان يساهم في إرساء قواعد احلياة الكرمية

التي حتترم اإلنسان، امرأة كانت أم رجال “ رجال كان أو امرأة”،

وتطلعاته وتضمن حقوقه و واجباته. إننا نتطلع للعيش في مجتمع معافى، حائز على ممثلني

للشعب ضامنني لتلك املبادئ. و السؤال األهم هل سنتعلم من الغرب التقاليد السليمة

ملواجهة خصمنا السياسي، أم

نورة حمزةمراسلة صحافية

أود أن أبدأ بتقدمي أحر التهاني للرئيس األميركي

املنتخب لواليته الثانية “باراك اوباما”. ألف مبروك... حقا.. و أمتنى له و جلميع األميركيني العيش بثبات مع بعضهم

واالستمرار في “السيطرة على .” العالم كافة

أهنئ الشعب األميركي على دميقراطيته وردة فعله احلضارية

في تقبل اخلسارة والرأي اآلخر. ها هو مت رومني ورغم خسارته

املدوية يقدم التهنئة خلصمه السياسي. كذلك أوباما في املقابل ميد يده للجمهوريني

للتعاون في مواجهة التحديات التي تهدد االقتصاد األميركي.2012 سنة “انتخابية” بامتياز

بدأت في الربيع املاضي مع اجلمهورية الفرنسية حيث فاز

االشتراكي فرنسوا هوالند ، وتكتمل اآلن مع انتصار أوباما في الواليات املتحدة. في ظل

هذين احلدثني، كان اللبنانيون يتابعون باهتمام وشغف،

يحللون املناظرات بني املرشحني، ويتبادلون التوقعات مترقبني

النتائج بحماس. فكل التهنئة لشعبي احلبيب على اهتمامه باألمور اخلارجية، تغيير جو عن

مشاكل بلدنا الالمتناهية. ولكن، إلى أين سيوصلنا هذا االهتمام

الفائق ؟ هل سنخضع للعبة اإلعالم األميركي؟ أم سوف

نستفيد ونتعلم من إيجابيات اجملتمعات املتقدمة ، من بعض

أننا غير مستعدين للتخلي عن حرق الدواليب وأعمال الشغب و تسكير الطرقات؟ أم سنكتفي

ببساطة بتقليد ثيابهم، وبرامجهم ومأكوالتهم وحتى

سخافاتهم؟ طريقنا طويل، وأمامنا حتد يتمثل في إقرار قانون عصري لالنتخابات النيابية يشكل خطوة إصالحية

في نظامنا السياسي املترهل.

17 . آراء حرة

سارة أحمد الديراني كاتبة صحفية

لكل منا وجهة نظره اخلاصة فيما يتعلق مبسألة الطعام أو بتحديد الوجبة

التي سيتناولها قبل خضوعه لالمتحان. فالبعض يرى أن نوع الطعام غير مهم ولكن املهم هو أن يتناول أي وجبة إن كانت

صحية أم ال لكي ال يشعر باجلوع وهو يجري امتحانه.أما البعض اآلخر فيرى أنه من األفضل عدم

تناول أي وجبه مهما كانت صغيرة أم كبيرة لكي يتجنب أي

إحتمال ألم قد يتعرض له وهو يجري امتحانه، ومن خالل جتنبه

للطعام يرى نفسه في اجلانب السليم من املسألة.

ولكن احلقيقة تختلف عن هذا كله فالطعام الذي نتناوله

قبل االمتحان يؤثر ولو جزئيا على قدرتنا في التركيز. وما أعنيه هنا

هو أنه من الضروري أن نتناول وجبة صغيرة قبل االمتحان،

بفترة ساعة أو ساعتني، وليس قبل االمتحان مباشرة. ولكن

هذه الوجبة ال يجب أن تكون أية وجبة بل على العكس يجب أن

تكون وجبة صحية مفيدة جتنبنا الشعور باجلوع أثناء االمتحان

ومتنح جسدنا الطاقة الالزمة له. وأهم األمثلة على

هذه الوجبات هي السلطات على اختالف أنواعها )سلطة اخلضروات، سلطة التونة، ...(

وذلك بسبب احتوائها على أنواع مختلفة من اخلضروات التي

تعتبر مصدر أساسي للمعادن، وهي وجبة صحية خفيفة

جتنبك الشعور باجلوع لفترة. كما وأن العديد من األبحاث أكدت على أن اخلضروات تزيد القدرة

الذهنية واإلدراكية للطالب، بسبب احتوائها على مواد

مضادة لألكسدة تعزز توريد الدم بشكل صحي إلى املادة الرمادية في الدماغ املسؤولة عن املهارات

الذهنية. بالنسبة لألطعمة التي

أو النسكافيه منذالصباح الباكر وحتى وقت االمتحان. وذلك ظنا منهم أن املنبهات املوجودة في

هذه األكواب ستساعدهم على التركيز وستجنبهم الشعور

بالنعاس. وذلك بسبب النتائج الفورية ملادة الكافيني التي متد

اجلسم بالنشاط والقوة الذهنية الالزمني. إال أن هذا الشعور اإليجابي ال يدوم طويال، وهو

مصحوب بالعديد من املضاعفات اخلطيرة التي قد تظهر في

يجب جتنبها أو اإلقالل منها فهي : األطعمة التي حتتوي علي

الدهون املشبعة كاللحوم احلمراء ومنتجات األلبان كاملة الدسم ،

واملقليات والسكريات واملعجنات. ألنها أطعمة ثقيلة على املعدة

وقد تشعرنا بتلبكات معوية ، نفضل جتنبها قبل اإلمتحان.

وأما بالنسبة ألشخاص الذين ما زالوا يفضلون عدم

تناول أي وجبة قبل االمتحان فأنصحهم بأن يشربوا عصير

إلى البرتقال. وذللك استنادادراسة أسترالية حديثة أكدت

على أهمية تناول كوب من عصير البرتقال يوميا وذلك

ألن البرتقال يحتوي على املاء والسكر والفيتامينات واألمالح التي تساعد على زيادة النشاط

واحليوية كما وتساعد في تخفيف التوتر والضغط

العصبي املصاحب لالمتحانات. ومن األخطاء الشائعة

التي يقوم بها العديد من الطالب هي تناول عدة أكوابا من القهوة

االمتحان. وبعض هذه املضاعفات هي: انخفاض في درجة الدقة

والتركيز والشعور باإلحباط واالكتئاب مبجرد انخفاض

مستوى مادة الكافيني، والشعور بالدوخة والصداع، وزيادة معدل ضربات القلب، .... لذلك ال يجب

اإلفراط من شرب املواد املنبهة خالل يوم االمتحان لتجنب هذه

املضاعفات.

ن�سائح غذ�ئية يجب �إتباعها قبل كل �إمتحان

26ترشين األول، 2012

هيا األتاسيمراسلة صحافية

9 كانون األول 1917.. أدموند أللنبي في القدس..

دخل قائد القوات البريطانية، اجلنرال أدموند أللنبي، مدينة

القدس و أدخل معه قضية فلسطني إلى كتب التاريخ و صفحاته، إلى قلوب العالم و

أفئدته، و لكن أيضا إلى أجندات الدول و مخططاتها..

لقد علمنا منذ نعومة أظافرنا أن لنا أرضا مغتصبة اسمها

فلسطني.. ترعرعنا على أنغام و كتابات محمود درويش و غيره ..

ففلسطني هي األم و األب لدروس الصمود و التضحية و البطوالت.

لم يبدأ احتالل فلسطني باستيطان يهودي، بل بدأ

بانتداب بريطاني حيث أتت الدول االستعمارية بعد احلرب العاملية

األولى و قسمت بالد الشام فيما بينها. فكانتا سوريا و لبنان من

نصيب فرنسا، و األردن و العراق و فلسطني من نصيب بريطانيا.

كان االنتداب البريطاني على لقدوم أرض فلسطني متهيدا

املستوطنيني اإلسرائيليني الذين كان عددهم يزداد أكثر فأكثر مع تسهيل قدومهم و استيطانهم.

عندما بدأت املقاومة على أرض فلسطني، جاءت كرد فعل على

االنتداب البريطاني، ولم يكن آنذاك ما يعرف بكيان صهيوني

معتد. كان قائد فصائل املقاومة عز الدين القسام، و كان نضاله

عبارة عن الدفاع عن أرض فلسطني، مهد احلضارات و

األديان. كان نضاال فلسطينيا بحتا، بخالف ما هو عليه اآلن.

باختصار شديد، ميكن تلخيص نضال القضية الفلسطينية في ثالث مراحل. مرحلة ما بني -19481967 و التي كانت ما بني النكبة

و النكسة. و لم يكن آنذاك أيديولوجية معينة للقضية

الفلسطينية. بل كانت قضية أرض مغتصبة تعاطف معها و

آمن بها العديد من الشعوب في قارات العالم، أفريقيا و أوروبا و

آسيا. املرحلة الثانية كانت ما بني 1973-1967، أي منذ النكسة و

حتى حرب أكتوبر و التي شنتها كل من مصر و سوريا على

االحتالل اإلسرائيلي. تعتبر هذه من أهم املراحل و أكثرها أحداثا، ففيها قامت ما ميكن تسميته “

ثورة التيجان على العميان”. حيث تتالت االنقالبات العسكرية في

العديد من دول املنطقة، منها سوريا و العراق و مصر. و في هذه

االنقالبات و التي جاءت بصورة “ثورة”، قام منفذوها أو القائمون

عليها بفرض إيديوجلياتهم اخلاصة على شعوبهم، بغض

النظر عما إذا رحب الشعب بها أم ال، فكانت إيديوجلية القومية

العربية و الصراع الدائم و املستمر مع االحتالل الصهيوني

هي السائدة. و نذكر منهم جمال عبد الناصر و عبد الكرمي قاسم و عبد السالم العارف..... ر العرب و و جاءت احلرب، و خس

ضعفت صورة احلكام العرب أمام شعوبهم التي كانت ترى فيهم قادة سيحررون األرض املغتصبة،

ولكن القدر لم يشأ ذلك..بعد خسارة حرب الـ67، فقد

هؤالء احلكام مصداقيتهم و شعبيتهم. و بدأت اجلهود تتجه نحو تشكيل مقاومة

فلسطينية مستقلة. فقد كانت حركات املقاومة الفلسطينية

تابعة للجيوش العربية و لم تكن مستقلة بذاتها. و هذا ما

مي بـ”حركة فتح”. كانت سهذه خطوة مهمة للفت النظر بأن القضية الفلسطينية هي

قضية شعب أرضه مغتصبة، و ليست قضية اخلطابات و احملافل،

ليست قضية املتاجرة، ليست قضية تثبيت احلكم، و األهم

من ذلك أنها ليست القضية التي تذرع بها احلكام العرب

لإلبقاء على أنظمتهم الفاشية و الديكتاتورية. و يقول جمال

عبد الناصر في هذا السياق: “ال صوت يعلو على صوت املعركة”.

و في هذا العبارة معنى بأنه ال وقت لإلصالحات و احلرية و

التعددية، فأمامنا عدو علينا رص صفوفنا ملواجهته. لم يكن عبد

الناصر وحده كذلك، بل جميع احلكام العرب دون أي استثناء.. و املضحك املبكي في املوضوع أن الشعوب لم تنل ال حترير األرض . فكتب عليها و ال حترير العقولأن تتحمل و تتعايش مع أنظمة

ازدادت راديكالية و عنفا مع استمرار خطابات حترير األرض احملتلة و التي ال يذكر الشعب منها سوى النكسة و النكبة.

و لكن القصة لم تنته بعد، يتبع في العدد القادم..

مؤيد البني

إلى هيئة حترير جريدة آوتلوك في اجلامعة األميركية في

بيروت: كنت قد أرسلت إليكم مقاال

أحتدث فيه عن الشاعر السوري محمد املاغوط وأعماله وآرائه،

بعنوان )“سأخون وطني” – الشاعر السوري محمد املاغوط(،

وقد مت نشره في العدد السابع )8 تشرين الثاني 2012( ولكن

بشكل محرف.باإلضافة لبعض األخطاء

التحريرية والتخطيئات اللغوية، وجدت مقطعا كامال في مقالي

رف بشكل ال يقضي على حفكرته وحسب، ولكن يلصق فكرة تشوه املوضوع، عدا أن

التحريف ال ميت لكتاب “سأخون وطني” الذي أحتدث عنه بأية

صلة.املقطع يتحدث عن انتماء

املاغوط للحزب السوري القومي االجتماعي، ويقتبس نكتته الشهيرة املذكورة في

الكتاب.لم يكتف فقط بحذف االقتباس، بل مت تبديله بعبارة

مبتدعة ومناقضةللفكرة األصلية:»ينصج ]هكذا وردت[

في هذا الصدد قراءة كتاب الباحث جان دايه “محمد املاغوط وصوبيا احلزب القومي”«.التعديل

روج باسمي لكاتب لم أسمع به من قبل، فضال عن أنه زور

كالمي، ورمبا كالم املاغوط. بعد بحث بسيط، وجدت أن الكتاب

محاولة للرد على اقتباس املاغوط الالذع، من كاتب ينتمي إلى احلزب

املذكور.أضيف أيضا تغيير كلمة “الوطن العربي” إلى “العالم العربي” في

مقدمة املقال، وما يظهره من أيديولوجيا ترفض حتى فكرة

كتاب أحتدث عنه، فقد مت حذف عبارة ارتأى من حذفها أنها ال

تهم املقال وال الفكرة التي كنت أريد- أنا كاتب املقال- إيصالها.

دلت عبارات ذفت وع كما حومفردات من شأنها أن تخفف

النبرة املتمردة التي قصدت إظهارها في استعراضي لكتاب

املاغوط.قبل يومني من نشر العدد، تناقشت مع مدى الدبس،

مديرة حترير القسم العربي من

اجلريدة،حول النص، وقد اختلفت معي في عدة نقاط، ووضحت لها

وجهة نظري ومصادري، لكنها طمأنتني أن تعديال لن يطرأ على

املقال حني ينشر. لكن لألسف مت التعديل بحذف أجزاء وإضافة

أجزاء دون أي استشارة مني- مع التذكير بأن املقال لي وأنه

سينشر باسمي.ما أعلمه أن التحرير يتدخل

في اللغة والتنسيق واخلطوط العامة، فما الذي يعطي محرر اآلوتلوك احلق بتحريف ما أردت

التصريح عنه من أفكاري وآرائي؟ ألم يكن باإلمكان عدم نشر

املقال أساسا دون اإلهانة التي تعرضت لها؟ هذه ليست أول مرة

يتدخل فيها احملرر في آراء كتاب اجلريدة ويفرض سلطته عليهم.

أرجو تفهمي والتصرف بخصوص هذه التصرفات التي ال متثل

اجلريدة وال اجلامعة.مع متنياتي بغد أفضل جلريدتنا،

جريدتنا جميعا.

مدى الدبس

نعم، إن للمحرر احلق في إجراء ما يراه تصويبا لغويا.

كما أن له احلق في تعديل محدود للصياغة إذا رأى في ذلك

احتراما ملدارك القراء. وهذا ما جرى بالنسبة لالدعاء أن املاغوط

انتمى إلى حزب بسبب وجود ذف هذه مدفأة في مكتبه، فح

العبارة يحفظ كرامة شاعر بحجم املاغوط في ذهن القارئ إذ ال ميكن ملثقف يحترم نفسه وشعبه وقضيته أن ينتمي إلى

حزب بسبب املدفأة و أن ينأى عن حزب آخر بسبب افتقاره لها.

أما اإلشارة السريعة إلى كتاب الباحث املؤرخ جان دايه فترمي

إلى تبصير القارئ علميا مبصدر موثق عن املوضوع في حال أراد

الرجوع إليه. وال ينتقص من قيمة صاحب املصدر أن كاتب

املقال لم يسمع به مع أنه كاتب معروف منذ أربعني سنة وله ما

يربو على الثالثني كتابا في سوق النشر.

نحن في هيئة التحرير نتفهم متاما أن الكاتب يفضل نشر نصه

كما هو دون تعديل. لكن ليس من حقه أن يدعي “الطمأنة” املسبقة بأن املقال لن يعدل

خصوصا عندما يكون هذا اإلدعاء غير صحيح على اإلطالق. وعندما

يحصل تعديل ما على مضمون ما فليس ذلك بسبب سلطة

مفروضة بل بسبب صالحية احملرر وحقه ليس إال.

فل�سطني بني �سند�ن �لعربية و مطرقة �لعربية )1(

رد �ملحرر:ر�سالة �إىل هيئة �لتحرير:

آراء حرة . 1814 تشرين الثاني، 2012

26ترشين األول، 2012

رنا حربيمراسلة صحافية

) من يحب بغداد اخلالدة ، يعرف أن لها وجوها حضارية

عدة ، فهناك الفنون واألدب واالبداع في النمط املعيشي،

لتفاجئك بعبث مقلق أو حلو، واحلال أن أهلها عابثون بامتياز،

لكن من دون مجون أو فحش، لقد كانت هذه املدينة نواسية بامتياز قبل ان تغتصب وتخصى وتصاب

باجلهل والتخلف واخلوف( معاذ اآللوسي - من كتاب

نوتسوس حكاية شارع في بغداد مبناسبة إطالق كتابه بعنوان:”

نوستوس حكاية شارع في بغداد” ، استضافت اجلامعة

األميركية في بيروت، معاذ األلوسي، معماري وفنان

تشكيلي عراقي حاول أن يحافظ على احلضارة العراقية والتاريخ

والتراث العراقي من خالل أعماله التي وصلت للعاملية. “نوستوس”

كلمة يونانية تعني احلنني وقد اختارها األلوسي كالكلمة األولى

في عنوان كتابه ألنها تعبر عن

حنينه واشتياقه لشوارع بغداد وخاصة شارع حيفا الذي تولى

األلوسي تصميمه واإلشراف عليه.

حتدث األلوسي عن كتابه تارة وعن آرائه حيال إشكالية احلداثة

، والتراث في فن العمارة طوراولكنه سرعان ما يعود للحديث

بقسوة وغضب عن شوارع بغداد اليوم. بصوت مليء باحلسرة

والشوق، يأخذنا في رحلة يجوب فيها بني األزقة والشوارع واملناطق فيصفها كما يتذكرها

وكأنها في مخيلته كانت صغيرابغداد مدينة األحالم واجلمال .

ولكن تبقى بغداد تلك ذكريات إذ يقول األلوسي أن بغداد اليوم

فقدت تراثها وأن هذا النسيج ليس البغدادي الذي كان موجودا

فقط على املستوى املعماري ، بل أيضا في النفوس والقلوب قد تالشى وحل مكانه نسيج

مدمر. فيروي لنا حادثة حصلت معه في منطقة الشواكة وهي منطقة تراثية أصيلة في بغداد جعلته يرى التغيرات اجلذرية في

بغد�د" يف �سارع حكاية " نوت�سو�س نتيجة التصنيف الطائفي

الصاعد في العراق. فنراه يرثي بغداد مستسلما ... رافضا

فكرة العودة، خائفا من أن ما سيراه سيشوه الصورة اجلميلة لبغداد في ذاكرته . فبالرغم من

القسوة في حديثه نستطيع أن نشعر بالضعف الذي مينعه

من مواجهة الواقع األليم والذي يدفعه للبقاء في بالد الغربة.

هنا، قام أحد احلضور وهو أيضا عراقي الهوية وتساءل عن

مدى أهمية هذا الكتاب وهذا احلنني الصامت وهذه الرغبة في

احتضان التاريخ وحفظ التراث إذا لم يكن األلوسي يرغب ال في العودة إلى بغداد وال البحث عن

الهوية البغدادية الضائعة؟ “املثير في األمر أن سبب الغربة

والتغرب نتج عن محاولة التشبث باالنتماء. هنا يصبح

الوطن ذكرى وانتماء وليس بقعة جغرافية، وطن يتسرب

من تالفيف الذاكرة عساه أن ال يحتضر”

- معاذ اآللوسي

�سامي مكارم: ظهرية يف غ�سق! اجلمهورية، لكن هذا األمر لم

يتحقق! هذا الكالم يطرح السؤال عن تكرمي املبدعني في

بالدي و تسليط الضوء عليهم و حتى لو بعد موتهم على األقل

تقديرا ملساهمتهم في بناء مداميك هذا الوطن!!

لقد رحل الدكتور من اجلامعة األميركية و رحلت معه ضحكاته

الرنانة و كالمه املشجع، لكن خطواته ما زالت منقوشة في

و تتفتح معنا التراب لتنمو غدانحن األجيال الصاعدة...دكتور سامي لقد كنت: “ظهيرة في

غسقنا”

فرح البعيني حوار: أسامة خير

أخرج من رواق “نايسلي” الذي عتقه تاريخ من مر عليه.

أسترجع صورته واقفا يحدث زميله ببسمته البشوشة. أتذكر أن موعد محاضرته قد حان، أهرع

إلى الصف ألجد اجلميع إال هو. طيف بسمته حاضر، هواء صوته الدافئ يلوح في األرجاء إال هو لم

يحضر!إنه الدكتور سامي مكارم اسم

طبع في ذاكرة اجلامعة األميركية في بيروت، وساهم بصنع جزء

من تاريخ هذه الذاكرة العريقة .هو أستاذ التصوف اإلسالمي الذي قلما وجد مثيل له و هو

أستاذ العلوم القرآنية و مدرس لعدة مساقات أخرى، باختصار

هو حاوي للعلوم العربية من كل جوانبها.

في دائرة االغة العربية يبتسم اجلميع عند ذكر اسمه، ثم

يستعيدون ذكرياتهم معه . تقول إحدى املوظفات في الدائرة،

و التي رفضت اإلفصاح عن اسمها، أنه كان يعتبر املوت حق

و لو عرف أنه مات قبل “ سيموت” لرضي بذلك برحابة صدر و

بابتسامة . هذا الكالم املؤثر يذكرك بليونة و سالسة د. مكارم مع تالميذه. فبيكار محبته لهم واسع حتى أن هذه احملبة غيبت

احلواجز السلبية التي قد تتواجد بني تلميذ و معلمه. فهو كان

متفهما ألوضاع عامة التالميذ و مدركا لواقع بعضهم اخلاص .

هذا كله أدى إلى إزدياد شعبويته بني التالميذ و تدافعهم

للتسجيل في املساقات التي يعطيها . وذلك قد يعود كذلك

إلى كونه عايش ما يعلمه فمثال تدريسه ملادة الصوفية تعد مميزة كونه على حد قول الدكتور ندمي نعيمة :”أنه خرج من التحديدات التقليدية لفكرة التصوف ودخل

هو ذاته في لب التصوف و قد انعكس ذلك في بعض ما له من

شعر وفي بعض ما كتبه في هذا املوضوع” و يضيف د.نعيمة :”أنه

ال يكتب عن التصوف كنظرية بل عن شيء يحسه جليا في

أعماقه و لعل تالمذته في دروس التصوف يعلمون ذلك أكثر من

غيرهم”.

تربط د.نعيمة والراحل عالقة مودة و صداقة متينة، فالدكتور

سامي يتمتع بروح النكتة و الدعابة في مجالسه اخلاصة.

يطرق د. نعيمة التفكير و يسترجع ذكرياته معه يضحك ثم يردف:” أذكر كلمته املعروفة

متوددا “سندي” و هي اللفظة التي يتوددون بها عادة أهل اجلبل و قد ظل جبليا بكل

معنى اجلبلية” . فعلى الرغم من سكناه املدينة بقي متأصال

في جذوره اجلبلية، التي بقيت تنبض في داخله حتى آخر رمق

من حياته. و داللة على ذلك أن د. مرموقا مكارم كان يشغل مركزا

بني أبناء مجتمعه و يلعب دورا مهما في امناء هذا اجملمتع من خالل كتبه و محاضراته التي

حاكت املفاهيم اإلنسانية في اجملتمعات. يوم مأمته جتلت هذه

املكانة التي يكنها من حوله له، فأغلقت السيارات شوارع عيتات

مما جعل هذا النهار غير عادي لشخص غير عادي!

في األروقة املغلقة حكي كثيراعن إمكانية تقليده وسام األرز من رتبة معينة من قبل رئيس

القيم التي كانت سائدة هناك وخاصة بني اجليران. فيقول أنه

سمع موسيقى شعبية وعندما خرج ليكتشف مصدرها، وجد أن املوسيقى الشعبية كانت داخلة إلى الشواكة وموسيقى شعبية خارجة من الشواكة. واحدة نعش

شهيد، والثانية زواج، عرس.يعتبر األلوسي أن السبب

الرئيسي للمشاكل في بغداد اليوم هو هجرة أهالي الريف إلى

املدينة. ففي نظره إن األضرار التي خلفتها هذه الهجرة

تساوي تلك التي خلفتها احلروب. فبغداد كانت لها حضارتها

وتراثها وتقاليدها اخلاصة التي ال يفهم أهميتها إال أهاليها. فكل األنظمة السياسية التي توالت

جتاهلت األرياف وتركتها متخلفة ومنسية مما دفع بأهالي الريف

للهجرة حاملني معهم تقاليد وأفكار وطرق عيش تختلف كل اإلختالف عن احلضارة البغدادية.

لعل أكثر املواضيع املوجعة واملؤملة لدى األلوسي اليوم

هي التقسيمات املناطقية

19 . نشاطات جامعية14 تشرين الثاني، 2012

فريال فقيه مراسلة صحافية

شهدت اجلامعة انتخابيا األمريكية األمس، نهارا

حافال. فمنذ الصباح الباكر، لوحظ وجود اجليش اللبناني في شارع بليس ألن املعركة تبدأ من

بوابة “ماين”.دخلت أرض املعركة وإذ بي

أتوسط املعسكرات اخملتلفة. كان اجلميع يتسلح باجلهوزية واالنضباط...وباللوائح قبل بدء

االقتتال الساعة العاشرة. لهذه احلرب أهداف وليس هدف واحد:

كل طالب هدف و”التقنيص” على أصواتهم!

ه، عندما كان االقتتال في أوجالتقيت بصديق، وبدل أن أصبحه

باخلير، كان ال بد من االطمئنان على “صوته”. فسألته:”مارست

مواطنيتك؟”. كان الرد:”هون مش قصة مواطنيه”. جواب ال

هو بهجوم وال هو بدفاع. هو رمبا “صوت احلق”في معركة

ننسى فيها أن للحق صوت وأن “األصوات” ليست أهداف وال

ضحايا. هي انتخابات طالبية في حرم اجلامعة التي نرتادها يوميا لتصبح كاملنزل الثاني.

هي انتخابات لنختار من ميثلوننا، فذلك قد يضمن حقنا بأن “يكون

لنا حياة أفضل”. هنا علينا أن ننسى انتماءاتنا “الوطنية”،أو “السياسية” إذا صح التعبير.

لكن، أليست اجلامعة “وطن”؟ فالوطن يحضن أبناءه ويرعاهم

فيشعر املواطن باالنتماء. لذلك اجلامعة األمريكية متاما

كالوطن حتضننا وتساعدنا في تكوين هويتنا. فهنا أضحك مع اصدقائي، هنا اشرب أول قهوة

صباحية، هنا أكتسب مهاراتي الهندسية، هنا أمارس هواياتي،

هنا أختبر أول جناحاتي وأصبر أمام فشلي...هنا تتشكل جزء

من هويتي. فباتت اجلامعة وطنا . وباتت مواطنتي طالبة

هذا ما قصدته باملواطنة، وإن كانت هذه املواطنة في “وطننا

املصغر”.

ممارسة “املواطنة”

26ترشين األول، 2012إصدار 45، عدد 8

14 تشرين الثاني، 2012

إنتخابات األمريكية : منوذج في الدميقراطيةهيا األتاسي و نور الشربجي

سيطر األصفر و األحمر و ما يرمزان إليه من حتالفات سياسية

لبنانية على التنوع الذي تتميز به اجلامعة األمريكية في بيروت في

هذا النهار االنتخابي الصاخب. فيما صارعت األلوان املستقلة أو

املتدعية لالستقاللية بخجل، فأثبت هذا اليوم الطويل أن االنقسامات اللبنانية متجذرة حتى في طالب

اجلامعة األهم في الشرق األوسط و التي يفترض من طالبها أن يتمتعوا

بالوعي و النضج و الثقافة أو أن يبعثوا أمال بالتغيير. عبر املهندسون

عن املنافسة احلادة في كليتهم بنسبة مشاركة مرتفعة ، ليس

من خالل ممارسة حقهم بانتخاب مرشحيهم بحسب، بل من خالل التجمع املكتظ ملتابعة األحداث و دعم مرشحيهم بشكل متواصل.

أما طالب الفنون و العلوم الذين ميثلون أكبر كلية فكان انخفاض

نسبة املشاركة مقارنة بالسنوات املاضية ملحوظا.

هذه هي انتخابات اجلامعة األميركية في بيروت، أو على األقل

ميكن القول بأن هذا من أهم ما مييزها. االنتخابات في جامعات لبنان

عامة واجلامعة األميركية خاصة لها طابع خاص تختلف فيه عن

كل ما ميكن أن يقال عنه انتخابات جامعية طالبية. فاالنتخابات هنا

ال تأخذ منحى طالبيا تنافسيا وحسب، بل هي وبكل ما تعنيه

الكلمة سياسية بحتة. البعض يعتبر ذلك ميزة البعض اآلخر يراه

عيبا. أمام مبنى ويست هول روجت

احلمالت االنتخابية لنفسها وملرشحيها وحاولت استقطاب

أكبر عدد من املصوتني الداعمني عن طريق عرض اجنازاتها في العام

املاضي و تطلعاتها لهذا العام. للوهلة األولى، تبدو هذه احلمالت

وكأنها كغيرها من احلمالت الطالبية في أي جامعة. ولكن،

مع التعمق أكثر التمعن نلحظ شيئا ما مييزها عن مثيالتها، أال

وهو السياسة. لسنا بصدد مدح أو ذم هذا الواقع، فهذا رأي شخصي يختلف من فرد إلى آخر، و سنرى

أو حزب سياسي وهم غالبا ما يكونون من مختلف اجلنسيات

وللحديث عن هذا الوضع عامة ، أجريت مقابالت واالنتخابات خاصة

عدة لرسم صورة واضحة وصريحة عن واقع هذه االنتخابات. نبدأ مع

رئيس النادي العلماني في اجلامعة األميركية في بيروت، عصام قيسي،

الذي رفض رفضا قاطعا تسييس االنتخابات في اجلامعة وأكد على

أن حملتهم في هذه االنتخابات تتبنى مشروع AUB دون أي خالفات سياسية خارجية. كما أكد قيسي أنه ال مانع من تكوين آراء سياسية والتعاطي بالسياسة ولكن بعيداعن االنتخابات والشؤون الطالبية.

فانتخابات اجلامعة ليست “مشروعا للدولة اللبنانية”. وأضاف قيسي بأنهم يدعمون املستقلني، وأكد

على عالقة النادي العلماني بالنوادي الثقافية في اجلامعة، كالنادي

الثقافي الفلسطيني وغيره،وأنه ال تفريق لديهم بني الطالب على

أسس سياسية، مذهبية، أو عرقية.من جانب آخر، صرح وسام زين

الدين، مسؤول االنتخابات في حركة أمل )8 آذار(، بأن “طالب جامعتنا

يشكلون عينة من اجملتمع اللبناني” وبالتالي اعتبر أن انتخابات اجلامعة هي مبثابة انتخابات نيابية مصغرة.

كما قال بأن طالب جامعتنا هم مصدر قوة اجملتمع املستقبلي . كما أشار إلى االنفتاح املوجود

لدى احلركة وأنهم على استعداد للتحالف مع أي طرف ال يضر

مبصاحلهم وال ميس خطوطهم احلمراء. وأنهى كالمه بأنهم

يسعون الستقطاب الغير محزبني

تباين اآلراء الحقا. فقد وجدنا حتالفات سياسية وايديولوجية،

بعضها يتكرر كل عام و البعض اآلخر يختلف.

و من أجل التحري وفهم حيثيات املوضوع وتفاصيله، حتدثنا مع بعض

ممثلي هذه التحالفات. ولكن قبل ذلك سنعطي حملة مصغرة عن

التحالفات في احلمالت االنتخابية هذا العام. مع اإلشارة إلى أن بعض

األسماء الواردة في اللوائح قد ال تكون محزبة أو منتمية إلى أي

حتالف بشكل مباشر.Students At Work والذي •

ميثل حتالفات فريق 14 آذار )تيار املستقبل، حزب القوات اللبنانية،

الكتائب، األحرار( Order of Engineers| •

A United Ballot| The FreshmanVoice ، 3 حمالت متثل حتالفات 8 آذار )حزب اهلل، حركة أمل، التيار

الوطني احلر، احلزب السوري القومي االجتماعي، التيار الوطني احلر، حزب

طشناق األرمني(Active AUBites وميثله •

املتعاطفون مع التحالف االشتراكي Campus Choice وميثله •

النادي العلماني في اجلامعة األميركية باإلضافة إلى بعض

املرشحني املستقلني لبنانيني وغير لبنانيني

No Frontiers و ميثله •مستقلون عن التحالفات

السياسية اللبنانية في اطار تكتل تاريخي في اجلامعة ولهم روابط

خارجيةبعض املرشحني املستقلني الذين

ليسوا تابعني ألي حملة أو مجموعة

للتصويت لهم من خالل عرض اجنازات حملتهم العام املاضي

وعرض خططها للعام املقبل في حال ربحت.

أما بيرنارد دويهي، مسؤول االنتخابات في التيار الوطني احلر

)8 آذار(، فرأى أنه طاملا العملية االنتخابية دميقراطية ونزيهة، فال مانع من وجود حتالفات وتسييس.

ورأى أن هيمنة السياسة في االنتخابات حتفز الطالب وتخلق

من املنافسة اإليجابية بينهم جواللعمل أكثر من أجل إيصال

صوتهم. كما قال أنه من الطبيعي أن تؤثر التحالفات السياسية في

اخلارج على طالب اجلامعة. وحتى في ظل وجود حتالفات سياسية، فهذا

ال يوقف العمل كل عام بجهد أكبر على الـ platform من أجل تعزيز روح

العمل واملنافسة، كما أكد وشدد على أن التحزب السياسي وحده ال

يكفي النتقاء مرشحيهم، بل اجلهد و النشاط هما عامالن أساسيان في انتقاء مرشحيهم كل عام. و

أنهى احلوار بقوله أن االنتخابات هذه السنة هي األهم بسبب االنتخابات

النيابية ألنه سيتم استغاللها وتغطيتها بشكل كبير لرسم

صورة مبسطة عن شريحة من الشارع اللبناني وللتنبؤ بالرابحني

االنتخابات النيابية.وباالنتقال للفريق اآلخر، حتدثنا مع

جاد دميان، رئيس خلية القوات في اجلامعة األميركية )14 آذار(، والذي فسر تسييس االنتخابات

في اجلامعة بأن القانون اللبناني ال يسمح للمواطنني اللبنانيني بني

عمر 18 21- بخوض االنتخابات

النيابية. وبالتالي فإن انتخابات اجلامعة هي مبثابة ثقافة جامعية

وسياسية لطالب اجلامعة متكنهم من خوض هذه التجربة على أرض

اجلامعة. وأن املعيار األساس هو “القانون والتالميذ والفوائد”. وقال أن هدفهم هو حتضير كوادر فاعلة

في اجملتمع. كما أشار إلى أن 14 آذار تستقطب جمهورها عبر الـ

platform ولذلك فهم يعتبرون أن التقييم يكون على أساس العمل

والـ platform االجنازات التي مت حتقيقها، واألصوات التي يحصلونها

في النهاية ليست أصوات رفاقهم في األحزاب فقط، بل هي أصوات

كل من اقتنع بعملهم وآمن بدورهم في اجلامعة. و أكد دميان أن قيادة

اخلارج ليست األساس وأنهم مستقلون إلى حد ما في آرائهم.

كما أشار إلى أن مرشحيهم ليسوا بالضرورة من فريق 14 آذار، بل إن

حملتهم هذا العام تضم طالبا غير لبنانيني وغير متحزبني. وفي النهاية

متنى دميان أن متر هذه االنتخابات دون مشاكل واختتم احلديث بعبارة

“لندع األفضل يربح”.نادر زيدان، مسؤول تيار املستقبل

في اجلامعة األميركية )14 آذار(، من جهته قال بأنه كان يفضل لو لم تكن االنتخابات مسيسة إلى هذا احلد. ولكنه أشار بأن تقاطع

املصالح أحيانا يتطلب استخدام حتالفات سياسية محزبة. وأشار إلى

أن الهدف من هذه االنتخابات هو نشر الفكر السياسي، خلق حياة سياسية، وحتسني اجلامعة. وأكد

على أن الترويج لألحزاب و املدح بها ليس من أحد األهداف نهائيا. وأشار إلى أن االنتصار في هذه االنتخابات

هو نصر لطالب اجلامعة وليس لفريق 14 آذار.

في ما يخص النتائج:انتخابات ال USFC حصدت 8

مقاعد للتحالف املدعوم من قبل قوى 8 آذار ، 7 مقاعد للتحالف املدعوم من قبل قوى 14 آذار و

مقعدين للمستقلني. SRC تفاصيل النتائج االنتخابية لل

ترد في الصفحة الثالثة من قسم اللغة االنكليزية.

أوتــــــــــــلوك املنشــــــــــورة الطالبيــــــــة

املســـــــتقلة منذ عام 1949

Photo Credit: Alex Potter