The Insider, Issue 11

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SHERIEN SHATTA:
AUC STUDENT,
PHOTOGRAPHER, AND
ENTREPRENEUR AT 18
THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2017 The Independent American University in Cairo Student Newspaper - Founded by Shaheer Shaheen ISSUE NO 11
Q. How will you create
and implement a digital
transformation at AUC?
Transformation is the key
word. Transformation is
leveraging and we called it a
digital transformation because
we leverage in technology.
We are using technological
advancements to redefine the
AUC experience from all
aspects, such as providing
services to all stakeholders.
The stakeholders are students,
faculty, administration and
visitors that are coming from
outside. Another major aspect
is providing a new type of
engagement in education
inside and outside of the
classroom, be it online or
blended. It’s a total change of
experience.
Q. How do you think
stakeholders will react to such
a transformation?
I think because the students use
these digitals tools as a second
nature, they’ll enjoy very much
the new upgraded experience.
They’ll find it extremely
seamless and totally integrated
in the consumer services that
they use day in and day out.
Q. How do you plan on
achieving the transformation
to a digital education?
We have three pillars. The first
pillar is called: The Paperless.
We want to go paperless in
all aspects. Very soon, we are
launching an ‘AUC coin’ so
you can pay with your ID and
eventually upgrade it to be a
wallet. Whatever we can do to
get rid of paper and make all the
engagement seamless, we will
do that.
The second pillar is: Open Data.
There’s a lot of discussion on
campus. Sometimes, we disagree
on how things are defined and
we disagree on how we look at
the data. We invested heavily
into building repositories of
business intelligence and a lot of
data. We are thinking of how we
can avail that to all the bodies
of students, of faculty and of
administration. This is so that
they can do their job and engage
in a better way.
The third pillar is beyond the
campus which is: Online and
Blended Education. There
are tons of things happening
on campus. It needs to invite
engagement from outside of the
campus and it needs to invite
engagement whenever you can
sit and enjoy these events or
maybe review the knowledge
that was captured in this event.
All of these initiatives happen
in bits and pieces. We need
to consolidate them to create
the impact and leverage all the
knowledge that exists in the
campus to move beyond the
campus.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HANAN ABDEL MEGUID
“
”
Transformation
is leveraging and
we call it a digital
transformation
because we
leverage in
technology.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
SALMA SHERIF
» p4 » p9-10
Vice President for Digital Innovation Hanan Abdel Meguid:
“We are launching an ‘AUC coin’ so you can pay with
your ID and eventually upgrade it to be a wallet”
The Insider Student
2 EDITORIAL Newspaper 14.12.17
The pencil lied on the ceramic
floor. It was broken in half with
an eraser that was seemingly
bitten off. Its edges and sides
were all punctured; whether
by a high school geometry set
or simply by a metal ruler. The
pencil stared at me. It tried to
tell me a story about how it
once had a burning passion
to write. That desire had been
destroyed. At first glance, one
may think that the broken
pencil was run over by a truck.
This was not the story. Instead,
it had been run over by people.
It had been pushed so far in
thought, that it could no longer
think. Writing was once its
only outlet to breath, but it
had evolved into its killer. The
desire to write was one thing.
The requirement to please
readers was another. Perhaps,
the audience that once
applauded the pencil’s opinion,
led to its destruction. Too
much applause can backfire
too.
“Applause means you did well,”
said the pencil. “Too much
applause means expectations,”
he said.
One ‘error’ in what you say
is not forgivable. The pencil’s
chewed off eraser stayed silent.
What was said verbally was
relatively fixable, but once
anything was written, it could
not be taken back. Erasing it
was an option that had limits.
The eraser’s diplomacy and
ability to withstand criticism
had a lifespan too. With every
comment, it got smaller and
weaker, until it was no more.
There was no room for fixing
what people saw as a mistake.
There was one part of the
broken pencil that shone. The
tip of the pencil; the piece
of lead that created words,
sparkled on the floor giving
off a contrast between the
white tiles and grey edges of
its own body. “I can come
back when I want to. I can
live inside another,” said the
lead. The power was not in the
pencil itself, but in its ability to
write words that could change
worlds. If the body was dead,
its ideology was immortal.
Previous words touched others
and inspired them to write too.
The story of a pencil doesn’t
die with the pencil. You can
sharpen it and give it a new
eraser. You can simply scribble
over the words that aren’t
satisfying. If all else fails, “live
inside another,” repeated the
lead. There is no reason to sit
by a broken pencil in tears
when you can pick up another.
Having written this in my
RHET: 3150 Poetry Writing
class with Dr. Melanie Carter
at the very beginning of the
semester, I never believed
there was a limit to writing and
creative thought until finding
myself drained. When every
assignment and task is just
to write in all kind of forms.
Creative takes have their limits
sometimes.
Dania Akkawi
From One Pencil to Another
Editor-in-Chief
TEAM
President and Editor-in-Chief: DANIA AKKAWI Vice President and OC Head: MOHAMED ZAKARIA Journalism
Committee: FARAH EL-REFAI (MANAGING EDITOR), SHAZA KHALED (JOURNALISM ENGLISH HEAD), MAHY SHOUKRY
(JOURNALISM ENGLISH HEAD), MARIAM EL-PRINCE (JOURNALISM ARABIC HEAD), EMAN KHAROSHAH, NOUR ANWAR, FAYROUZ
ELSEROGY, MAYSOON ELHUSSEINY,SONDOS OSAMA, MOHAMED BADRAN, FARAH ABDELGHANI, YASMINA YASSER,SAHAR A.
FARID, SEIF NAZIR, SALMA SHERIF, AHMED AYMAN, YASMIN RAAFAT, YOMNA MOHAMED, OLA KASSEM, SALMA AFIFI, NADA
MEDHAT, MALAK USAMA, MIRNA ALAA, HAYA ZYATY, ZIAD ABDEEN, HANNIA KHATTAB, HABIBA KHALED, MENNA MOHAMMED,
MIRAL OMAR, MARAM ZEITOUN, SUZANNA HANAFY, AND LAILA ELBEHERI Multimedia Committee: BEDOUR HAFEZ (HEAD),
ABDELSALAM EL TAMAWY (CONTENT MANAGER), ABDULLA SHAKER, AHMED ELSAYED, ALAA MAHMOUD, DAREEN HUSSEIN,
FARAH EMAD, FARAH MAHGOUB, HANA MOAMEN, KARIM OMRAN, LEILAH EL HANBALY, MOHAMED HASSAN, MONICA BOSHRA,
NOURAN FATHY, RAWAN MOHAMED, SALMA NOMEIR, SOHAILA ANAS, YOUMNA RASHAD, ZIAD ABDEEN Marketing Head:
LAILA ELBEHERI Graphic Design Head: JOMANA ABOU EL ELLA HR Director: LEENA ROWAN Logistics Head: MAHMOUD
YASSER Financial Coordinator: SARA ASHOUR
The Insider neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, piece of advice, or statement
made in the Opinion pages. The ideas expressed are solely the opinions of their respective author(s) and do not necessarily
represent the official position of The Insider newspaper or AUC administration.
THIS PUBLICATION WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IF IT WASN’T FOR...
BEDOUR
HAFEZ
JOMANA
ABOU EL ELLA
SHAHEER
SHAHEEN
MOHAMED
ALAA
AHMED
KHALIFA
MOHAMED
YASSER
DANIA
AKKAWI
MOHAMED
ZAKARIA
FARAH
EL-REFAI
SHAZA
KHALED
MAHY
SHOUKRY
MARIAM
EL-PRINCE
LAILA
ELBEHERI
MICHAEL
GIBSON
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 INTERVIEW 3
Q. How long would it take
for the actual succession and
implementation of these goals?
It’s a journey. There is no
ultimate success, but it’s an
ultimate change in philosophy,
how we approach new projects,
and how we approach new types
of engagement. It will take time
for the community to feel the
total impact of a transformation.
Often we can be met with
resistance, but if you want to
do things differently, there will
always be resistance.
There is also the infrastructure
that needs to be addressed
so that we can witness this
revolution and the effect of
going digital. I have to say that
AUC is already at a totally
different place compared to
other universities. It’s already
more advanced than any of its
peers. We are just transforming
to make it even more leveraging
and more redefining for the
digital innovation that exists.
Q. If such implementation
succeeds in AUC, what’s the
next goal? Will you expand
such transformation in other
universities, including public
universities?
I am very indifferent about
this matter. Let me tell you
something: one of my core
motivators as Hanan in my
position is that I totally foresee
that if we implement all these
initiatives and all these
transformations in
AUC, the market will
follow and people will
learn a lot. Even when
students get used to
such digital experiences
on the campus and in
their daily life, they will
demand it and whenever
they are engaged in a
new kind of business or
they establish their own
businesses, it will have
a ripple effect on the
business community and
communities in Egypt.
We are fixing a lot of the
core things and taking
baby steps towards this
digital transformation.
In every aspect, we
are engaging with the
students to make it
happen and to learn
because it’s a learning
experience. Nobody
can really do such
transformations without
all the stakeholders.
Hence, we are engaging
with the students
in order to plan the
marketing and in order to study
what works and what does not
work. At any point of time, if
there is any feedback, any kind
of engagement or any student
that would like to be part of this
transformation process, we are
very open to that.
Q. How would you approach
stakeholders with ‘baby steps?’
We have several advantages
from my standpoint. We are
approaching them through
the Student Union, through all
leaderships, groups of marketing
teams that exist or through any
active community member
that becomes part of the
conversation by default.
Amongst the very exciting
projects is that we will create the
“Holistic Student Application”.
This is so that we can engage in
a direct manner with all kinds
of services. I believe that this
will increase the engagement of
students. In this day and age,
I’m sure that engaging in real
time chats and conversation
will make it much easier for
students to engage and much
better than emails for the sake
of accessibility. We will have all
these venues to communicate.
Definitely anything that we
launch, we launch with the
students’ support.
Q. Do you think that
the “Holistic Student
Application” could potentially
annoy whomever the students
communicated with? Could it
break barriers to the extreme
if they are always engaging
and active?
It’s getting the university and
all the experiences closer than
the regular experience that
students have with all the
platforms that they use. It’s not
extreme. Instead it’s making
it closer, normal and more
engaged with the millennium
and the generation that we are
serving. Especially that AUC
is always ahead of the curve
because they are exposed to
and use the latest technology.
Definitely they deserve to claim
and consume the experience of
AUC in all aspects, whether it’s
the learning or the student’s life
in a digital format.
It will take
time for the
community to
feel the total
impact of a
transformation.
Often we can
be met with
resistance, but
if you want
to do things
differently,
there will
always be
resistance.
“
”
AUC is
always ahead
of the curve
because they
are exposed
to and use
the latest
technology.
“
”
PHOTO BY ALAA MAHMOUD
The Insider Student
4 APP Newspaper 14.12.17
Insider App Launch
insidermasr.com/app
Ever wondered why you always
seem to get stuck with the worst
professors in the worst courses?
You spent hours planning how
your registration night with
banner would go, only to end
up registering one course with a
professor you do not even like.
Not to mention that this was not
even on the list of courses you
intended to enroll in. Oh and
brace yourself, it’s an 8:30 class
too.
Registration always does seem
like a nightmare. Most students
stay awake until midnight
high on red bull or coffee with
a bunch of potential class
schedules and CRN numbers
scattered everywhere. God
knows whether 21334 is your
priority calculus class or the
philosophical thinking course
you’ve been avoiding for the past
three semesters.
Well, The Insider’s App got
you covered for the incoming
semester and for the rest of
the red bull-infused college
experience. This app is a
community-based platform for
students to socialize through
student-initiated debatable and
controversial discussions and
follow up with campus news.
Since you have the option of
being anonymous, feel free
to hide behind the unknown
nickname your mom uses or
even an emoji that represents
you. Be free. Rant all you want.
Gawasees el professor can’t find
you here!
There is an entire rating
professors section on the app
dedicated solely for trying to
ensure you register for the
right courses, with the right
professors, for the right reasons.
Hopefully, this might save the
GPA that got hit by bus and
never seemed to recover.
All you have to do is download
the app, be it on your iPhone
or Samsung, make an account
and start searching for the
names of your professors. Their
ratings will instantly pop up!
You can also participate in
rating professors you personally
took courses with. It’s a given
duty to warn those who come
after you that certain courses
are workload-infused and
borderline abusive. (Yes, I am
talking to the SSE students
crying in a corner over their
midterm grades). Instead of
crying, download the app and
rant. Just vent out all your
feelings in an anonymous post
about how the department
screwed you over and how you
were unfairly graded. The next
step is to rate that professor so
future students do not end up
in the same state that you are
currently in. But don’t forget to
start gathering names to petition
against that professor because
odds are, you are not the only
one who is crying under a
blanket thinking that you will
never make it to graduate
school.
We wish you a happy
registration and hope you end
up in bearable classes!
DANIA AKKAWI
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 INTERVIEW 5
According to the Animal
Rights Association, AUC’s
administration is planning on
banning cats from campus,
which would deprive animal
enthusiasts of essential daily cat-petting-
and-feeding-sessions.
Anxious to learn more about
how and why this ban could
happen, The Insider AUC spoke
to Salma Seyam, head of the
‘Cats on Campus project’ in the
ARA right here at our very own
campus.
Seyam explained that the
‘Cats on Campus project’ was
one of four carried out by the
ARA, “aiming to establish a
healthy, sustainable and safe
environment for both the cats
and the student body by making
sure that the basic needs of
each cat are met. These include
vaccinations, being fed daily,
and weekly checkups on their
health.”
Seyam adds that, “we
immediately react to all
reasonable concerns of both
the student body and staff,
and have drafted a policy to
manage, regulate and control
the population of campus
cats, their health and safety
through veterinary care,
feeding, neutering, fostering and
adoption.”
One thing that was surprising to
hear was that AUC’S New Cairo
campus isn’t the first to have
taken in these cats, as the Tahrir
campus did too. The question is:
why kick them out after all these
years?
Seyam replied “it has been
an ongoing discussion that
stemmed from various
complaints that the university
has received concerning
both security and health. The
previous workers used to feed
these cats and had a special
bond with them. However, the
new staff have not been given
the task of putting out food
for the cats. The university
stopped feeding the cats in
hopes that they would leave
campus. However, this isn’t
in the nature of these cats
anymore, as they’ve become
entirely dependent on humans.”
It’s evident that this influx of
change and predicament has
increased problems, resulting
in even more issues than what
the campus was initially dealing
with.
When asked if there would be
further severe consequences
and implications that both cats
and the students would face
because of the potential ban,
Seyam shared heartbreaking
realities. “The amount of kittens
we have been finding on campus
has increased greatly and two
of them have already died. We
have been noticing an increase
in injuries in cats due to them
fighting over food and territory.
It is normal that during the
summer, the cat population
on campus shifts and new cats
enter and make AUC their
home. When this happens,
these cats should be vaccinated
immediately. However, since
they are not being vaccinated
anymore, this not only harms
other cats on campus but also
harms students who gets bitten
by unvaccinated cats.”
Realizing that the issue has
evolved and is concerned with
a larger audience and the safety
of students, the ARA set a plan
to tackle this problem. Seyam
suggested, “a strict policy that
puts health and safety as a
priority,” as the club’s starting
point.
Among the many positive
things ARA has done to help
the situation is that “we have
taken all the kittens instantly to
the vet and put them all up for
adoption. We have managed to
find homes for most of these
kittens. We have also reached
out to other campuses such
as The American University
in Beirut (who have a website
for cats on campus and an
established policy for their
300+ cats) and Cairo American
College, who have food stations
and constant care for their cats.”
Seyam further explains that
through this, the ARA has
drafted a policy consisting
of guidelines regarding the
interaction between the students
on campus and the cats (in
terms of not feeding them near
the food court, recognizing
vaccinated cats from those who
aren’t, etc).
ARA is trying to come up with
solutions to reduce, mitigate
or even eliminate the severe
consequences this could have on
the cute fur balls. It’s possible for
each and every student to make
a difference. Seyam explained
how the AUC community can
help and that is by reporting any
case of an injured cat so that
the Cats on Campus committee
can provide immediate care.
“Another way they can help
us is through finding forever
homes for the kittens and by
fostering any injured cat until
they are healthy enough to be
released back on campus. Cats
also stay in places where they are
provided with food so students
can simply always make sure to
close food court doors behind
them and feed them away from
the food court.”
Of course, it gets a little
frustrating sometimes when a
cat hops onto the table while
we’re enjoying some food but
deep down, we secretly love
them. Isn’t it crazy that some of
us can tell them apart too? From
the ones that hang by Catering
to the ones by the bus gate. It
tells you a great deal about the
relationship and bond we’ve
quickly created with them. Our
full AUC experience cannot
be complete without these cats
that have always been there in
the background. So, let’s put the
effort in keeping them here.
Keeping Up With The Cats On
Campus:
YOMNA MARZOUK
“The previous workers used to feed these cats and had a special bond with them.
However, the new staff have not been given the task of putting out food for the cats,”
said Salma Seyam, Head of ARA’s Cats on Campus project.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALMA SEYAM
PHOTO BY ABDELSALAM TAMAWY
The Insider Student
6 INTERVIEW Newspaper 14.12.17
As students, our GPA is our
main priority, followed by the
quality of our education. These
two things are largely dependent
on who teaches us. A good
professor and a hard course
can mean a respectable grade,
and vice versa. Most of our
pre-registration time involves
frantically posting on Rate AUC
Professors trying to find out if
we should take the risk with a
new professor because it has
the time slot you want, or if
we should beg the department
the next day to let you into the
section in the negatives. Despite
the reputation of new professors
being too risky, many of them
end up being some of the best
professors you will ever have.
This semester, a new professor
surfaced in the Philosophy
department. Marina Marren
was nowhere to be found on
the group pre-registration and
stunk of participation and acting
during add and drop week.
However, the vast majority of
her students are now completely
enamoured with her fun and
uplifting teaching style, witty
and humorous comments, and
forgiving nature (important for
an 8:30 class). The first thing you
notice about Professor Marren
is her accent that is neither
American nor British. When we
asked about her background,
Marren explained that she was
born in Estonia to a Russian
family and grew up trilingual,
doing her studies in English.
After achieving her Bachelor’s
and Master’s degrees from
Chicago, she enrolled in the
PhD program in Boston
College, Massachusetts. Marren
explains her love of teaching as
a career by pointing towards her
strongest relationships in life all
being with teachers, and how it
seemed a natural path for her.
A groundbreaking moment in
her career was during her first
year as a professor in Boston. “At
Boston College during my first
semester teaching, everything
was stifled. Students were afraid,
I was afraid. There was this
crazy situation where no one
knew what to do. I decided to
bring in these active learning
assignments where students
would act things out. We went
from a stiff and rigid classroom
to an exciting learning
experience and I thought, ‘oh
gosh, if I can do that, if I can
bring things together in this
way, it would be a lifetime of
adventure!’” Marren exclaimed.
When asked what differences
she noticed having taught AUC
students and Boston College
Coffee Talks:
Old and New Professors
LAILA ELBEHERI
&
HABIBA HAMDY
PHOTO BY MR. ANDREAS AYRE
Most of
our pre-registration
time
involves
frantically
posting on
Rate AUC
Professors
“
”
PHOTO COURTSEY OF MARINA MARREN
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 INTERVIEW 7
students, she said that students
here had a tenacity to, “hold
onto the material and not let go
until it is very clear what it is
that we’re doing. This is beautiful
for all intents and purposes in
Philosophical thinking.” Marren
also noticed a distinct richness
of experience brought to the
analysis of philosophical texts.
Marren complimented AUC
students’ honesty and openness.
She explained that there was
frankness. Instead of covering
things up and putting them
aside, they are dealt with head
on. One example of this was
the way students were honest if
they hadn’t done the readings.
“I don’t have to guess who read
or who hasn’t read. People just
say well, no, not today, and that
opens the door for me to speak
with that student and think
about how the course is going
for them. On the other hand,
this bravado or sometimes
defensive attitude I may take as a
sign that maybe a person needs
help, maybe something’s going
on there that we need to sit and
talk through.”
However, Marren highlighted
a big issue in our next question
when we asked her what she
didn’t appreciate about AUC
students. “So Egyptian time
is actually a real thing?”, she
laughed. “I thought everyone
was joking!” Marren explained
that because her class is mostly
student run, students coming
in late can be daunting. “When
there are students coming in
10, 15, even 20 minutes late,
and there’s nothing I can do, it’s
frustrating. They’re missing out
on important things that happen
in the first 20 minutes. On the
other hand, I kind of have to
walk this fairly sensitive line
where I don’t come across as a
hardass.”
Fikry Boutros, known for
generations as the best and
most sought after professor
for Rhet 1020 (the universally
disliked mandatory research
course) is probably the most
loved professor on campus. You
will often find students going to
great lengths to deduce which
section he will be teaching prior
to registration.
Professor Boutros was born
into a half-Egyptian, half-
Italian family and speaks five
languages English, Arabic,
Italian, French, and Spanish.
He completed his Masters in
Teaching English as a Second
Language in AUC. Upon
completion, he started his
own business in training and
language consultancy. In 2011,
three years after applying, he
was called and hired on the
spot with the Rhetoric and
Composition Department to
teach writing. Today, he teaches
Critical Writing, Argument
Writing and Research Writing,
as well as everyone’s favorite,
Public Speaking. “Public
Speaking is an Upper Division
course, where I put all my
efforts to enhance the course
and make it both relevant and
popular to our students. I was
happy to see it catching fire and
becoming a course that AUC
students line up to enroll in,”
Boutros explained.
When asked what brought him
to AUC, Boutros claimed it
was his “passion for languages
and passion for teaching which
brought (him) to the field.
Coming to AUC was pure
coincidence.” Teaching at AUC
was his first time teaching
younger students. “From
my first semester, I quickly
connected with my students.
I knew what it took. They
have got to respect you. They
have got to be convinced that
you are on their side, and not
against them, in their journey of
academic exploration.”
Boutros is known campus-wide
for his stress-free take
on research writing, focusing
on the skills and techniques
necessary instead of tight word
counts and invasive deadlines.
When asked about his unique
and well-liked teaching style,
Boutros replied, “I believe that
what influences my teaching
the most is my love for my
students and my passion for the
subjects I choose to teach. When
you pour your heart into what
you do, it pays off!” Boutros
believes that his educational
background has helped him
connect with his students more
effectively. Having initially
been a Science major as an
undergrad in Cairo University,
“what I think I manage to do
is teach the skills required for
research for academic writing in
a more ‘to the point’ approach.
This helps me connect with a
lot of students from different
[academic] backgrounds.”
When asked what Boutros
likes about AUC students, he
celebrated their diversity and
aptitude. “There’s no doubt that
the foundation they receive
through their diverse curricular
tracks, as well as non-curricular
activities, such as clubs and
associations, turns them into
well-rounded, critical thinkers
that can make a change in the
future of the country.”
Boutros’ final comment was to
offer advice to AUC students.
“As a student body, you need
to realize that despite what you
may think now, you’re living
the best portion of your lives.
You need to take this chance of
a safe environment with all the
benefits it has to offer to enjoy
the experience.” Above all, don’t
waste your years after a GPA!
Take it from someone who’s
been there. There’s much more
to life than grades.” Finally, to
the students who wish to pursue
a career in teaching as he did,
Boutros advised that the most
important thing is to, “have
passion for what you do and to
love your students.”
PHOTO BY RAWAN MOHAMED
So Egyptian
time is
actually a
real thing? “
”
You need
to realize
that despite
what you
may think
now, you’re
living the
best portion
of your
lives.
“
”
The Insider Student
8 FEATURE Newspaper 14.12.17
As talk arises amongst the
students at The American
University in Cairo (AUC)
regarding the quality, variety
and pricing of the food services
on campus, The Insider AUC
interviewed students and Ms.
Noel Knille, the Associate Vice
President for Campus Services,
which includes food services on
campus.
A survey presented to AUC
students on the ‘Rate AUC
Professors’ FaceBook page
indicates that The Bakery Shop
(TBS) is the most favored
by students amongst other
food outlets. Malak Fawzy, a
freshman intending to major
in Architecture, said that TBS
is her favorite food outlet on
campus because of its, “tasty
flavor and reasonable prices.”
Regardless of its relatively
expensive price tag, Butcher’s
Burger is the second most
favored food outlet on campus.
Mariam Al Wardany, a freshman
intending to major in Business,
says that she favors Butcher’s
Burger because of its wide
variety and appropriate portions.
In deciding what food vendors
are brought on campus, the food
service committee takes charge.
This committee consists of
students, faculty and staff.Aware
of the proposals received, they’re
invited to visit the sites from the
different proposals, and they
construct recommendations
based on their experience.
Most of us could argue that
Shawarma Garage is not
performing as well as other
vendors in terms of sales and
popularity. Ms. Knille explains
that the reason behind this is
that, “they are on a yearlong
contract and are still in non-full
service mode.”
As for the food vendors that
are no longer operating on
campus such as McDonald’s
and Auntie Anne’s, Ms. Knille
explains the complications
behind that by saying, “it
is generally a hygiene issue
because of repeated hygiene
violations. In other instances,
they choose to end their
contract because their sales
are insufficient. Other times,
the issue is also contractual
if they don’t live up to their
contracted requirements.”
Alongside the interview held
with Ms. Knille, Mahmoud
Yasser, a sophomore majoring
in Business explains that he
is dissatisfied with the food
services on campus because
of the lack of variety and
unexciting taste.
When asked about the quality
of the food brought on campus,
Ms. Knille explains that, “the
original quality is assessed when
we do the request for proposals
to companies when a venue
is available.” Once proposals
are submitted, “there is a very
detailed investigation that our
food service staff, as well as
people from the food services
committee do. They go visit the
kitchen, they go visit the chef,
they talk to the companies to
make sure that the hygiene levels
meet the requirements at the
kitchens and that all the workers
are certified with health and
food service certifications.”
To ensure that the quality of
food and services remain at
their level once they are brought
on campus, food service staff
check deliveries that come in
everyday. They make sure they
are delivered in the correct
containers, that they are sealed
and at the right temperature.
“It is generally a hygiene issue because of repeated hygiene violations,”
said Ms. Noel Knile, the AVP for Campus Services when asked why certain food vendors shut.
Food Services at AUC:
There is a very detailed
investigation that our
food service staff, as well
as people from the food
services committee do.
“
”
HABIBA SALLAM
PHOTO BY ABDELSALAM EL TAMAWY
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 INTERVIEW 9
In today’s world, we have a
handful of inspiring teenagers
doing things such as running
their own business, winning
world tournaments and running
after their dreams until they
catch onto the first strands of
success.
Sherien Shatta is the CEO of her
own company, called “Sherry’s,”
which was inspired by her
love for photography. She has
reached many extraordinary
milestones at such a young age.
Which include going on live
TV, with one of Egypt’s most
famous TV hosts. The Insider
AUC interviewed Shatta to get
an insight on her packed, busy
life and understand how she
became the superwoman/boss
she is today!
Q. Where did the idea of
starting up your own business
come from?
My dad inspired me because
he started his own company
when he was in his second
year of university. I wanted to
do the same thing and follow
in his steps because we are so
close. I always aspired to be
like him. He always tells me
“work now, so you can rest in
the future.” I don’t want to be in
my late 20s or 30s still trying to
balance having a family and just
beginning to start up my career
life.
Q. Were you concerned with
the amount of workload
that you would have from
university and being the CEO
of your own company?
Honestly sometimes I’m at work
and the amount of things I don’t
know and still need to learn
overwhelms me. I sometimes
used to feel so intimidated
by the people at work that I
would go to the office and cry. I
wouldn’t show them this, yet I’d
talk to my dad about it and he
always reassured me. I was the
youngest one in the company!
He always told me to stay strong
and optimistic.
Q. How do you manage time?
For the first semester, the 8:30
classes saved my life! I was
able to finish university and
head to work early so I could
have sufficient time at my
work. Basically I would finish
my classes, then work, then I
would manage my social life and
friends. I didn’t want my life to
solely be from university to work
and from work to university. I
still wanted to enjoy going out
with my friends. Now I’m even
balancing between these three
things and my fitness life.
Q. What is your take about
being your own boss and would
you have rather started out as
just an employee like everyone
else?
It has its pros and cons. One of
the things that could be both
a pro and a con is the fact that
I work whenever I want. It
could be an obvious advantage;
however, some people view me
as being spoiled. For people with
me in the company who have
been working from 8:30 am
and they see me walk in at 2pm,
sometimes I worry that they
perceive me in that, “spoiled
girl” way. However, a big pro
is that I gained endless respect
from people all around me. They
look up to me even though I’m
the youngest one. Due to their
respect for what I do, they’re
always coming up to me to teach
me new things because they
know this is something I feel
very passionate about. All in all,
I like being my own boss!
Q. Were your parents fully on
board with this idea of starting
up your own business or where
they concerned with how you
would balance everything out?
No one forced me into this. I
chose this route. They supported
me because they see no one my
age stepping up like this.
Sherien Shatta:
AUC Student, Photographer & Entrepreneur at 18
HAYA EL ZAYAT
PHOTOS COURTSEY OF SHERIEN SHATTA
I don’t
want to be
in my late
20s or 30s
still trying
to balance
having a
family and
just starting
up my
career.
“
”
The Insider Student
10 INTERVIEW Newspaper 14.12.17
They take pride that their
own daughter is doing this.
Education wise, they were never
really concerned. They never ask
about my grades, or exams. I do
everything on my own; I wake
up, study and finish all my work.
They know and understand that.
They are sure that I take care of
my own grades and education.
Q. You went on an interview,
with one of Egypt’s most
famous TV figures, Sherif
Madkour, on live TV. Can you
tell me about this experience?
As ironic as it sounds, a lot of
people told me that I was very
confident in the interview. Little
did they know that I was crying
one whole week before it. I was
literally crying non-stop and I
didn’t want to do it because I
didn’t know what to talk about
and I didn’t want to say the
wrong thing or embarrass him
or myself on air. It turned out
really well because he made
me feel like it was a friendly
conversation. Everyone told me
about the introduction he gave
about me and how great it was
(which I didn’t get to hear live
because I was stuck in traffic).
When I found out he did this,
I was sure he would look out
for me during the interview.
Hence, I felt proud of myself
and successful as I was going in
which made everything much
better. It was a great feeling!
Q. Was photography the main
drive for starting up your
business?
Firstly, my business sprang from
two things: Photography and
my Dad’s company. I wanted to
be a daughter company to my
dad’s major company. We utilize
my dad’s factory, and I use it to
produce finished products that
I sell. My dad doesn’t produce
finished products. He furnishes
people’s apartments. Hence,
people go and buy his fabrics in
bulk. We didn’t have the chance
to sell ready-finished products
and this was my exact aim. At
the beginning, I started with
just two products which had
digital prints on them. At first,
I saw them printing very poor
quality pictures that weren’t
aesthetically pleasing at all.
This really upset me. I mean,
they could use any of my own
photos and even if they wanted
external sources they could’ve
picked much better ones. So,
I joined the business and I
developed this area thoroughly
with the image use of my own
photography. It began with me
printing some of my photos
on simple things and giving it
to my friends as gifts. All my
friends loved them. I thought
why not make “Sherry’s” a gift
shop? But then I thought that a
gift shop is very limited from the
development lens. So, I decided
to join my dad’s company. I
became one of his distributors,
and I distribute my own finished
products (anything that could be
printed on fabric); but under my
own brand. So in conclusion I’m
using my dad’s company and my
talent in photography to create
finished products.
Q. Would you like to tell us
where we could find all these
amazing products to purchase?
I am available in all my dad’s
branches, officially two shops in
Mohandesen and Obour City
Mall. The Facebook page will
have all the products and the
numbers anyone will need!
After finishing up the interview
with Sherien, I felt rather
inspired by her work ethic and
motivation to do this. As she
mentioned to me, she wasn’t
forced into this and most
people viewed it as something
unnecessary or extra of her.
However, she still gave it her
all and treated it as if it was a
priority. Sherien Shatta and
others like her need to be
supported for stepping outside
of their comfort zone and the
“spoilt-lazy” teenage stereotype.
It began
with me
printing
some of
my photos
on simple
things and
giving it to
my friends.
“
”
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 OPINION 11
As per Dr. Noha El Nahas,
Senior Counselor in the Adjunct
faculty of the Psychology
department, women and
men express their emotions
differently. Naturally, since
men and women are different
in many aspects, they deal
and adapt differently to their
problems.
Girls and women, regardless of
the individual differences, “tend
to internalize their problems,”
said El Nahas. They tend to
keep their emotions, especially
when it involves weakness or
vulnerability, to themselves.
As per Dr. Noha, girls resort to
crying when subjected to most
life problems.
As Dr. Noha El Nahas said, the
stress heals considerably as the
problem is washed away through
crying it out; “they could
even open up and talk with
close people (friends, family
members) they trust for help
in any kind, whether offering
a solution or merely seeking
advice,” shared El Nahas.
The complete opposite is the
case for men because, “men
externalize their problems by
being aggressive in general, or
direct their anger to the specific
action of fighting with the ones
that caused them the trouble.
They could even resort to doing
activities in order to vent their
stress out, such as playing
sports,” stated El Nahas. It was
implied from the interview, that
it is a rare occasion to have sight
of a man or even a male teenager
crying openly.
It is an undeniable fact that
culture plays a massively
significant role in shaping
everyone’s behavior. In this
case, the Egyptian culture puts
men under so much pressure to
avoid expressing their emotions.
Societal values embedded in
families teach their boys to
toughen up. By this, family and
society reinforce the belief or
the custom that men shouldn’t
cry. Hence, most males develop
the cognitive mental schema
that crying or the show of and
free-open emotional expression
is a weakness, and that such
emotional vulnerability is a side
of their personality that no one
should be allowed to see.
Societal pressure normalized
them to wear an unbreakable
mask in public so as to not
reflect what they really feel.
What if they decide to break this
mask and reflect themselves and
their emotions as they are? They
are often ridiculed by others, as
it is socially unacceptable for a
man to cry in public.
As previously emphasized, the
gender differences in emotional
expression are deeply rooted
and engraved in the society.
The controversial debate is
whether there is possibly a real
solution that ensures, or at least
empowers, honest emotional
expression or is it a failed case,
no matter how much awareness
is raised.
“Trying to change an entire
culture, with its embedded and
intensively/widely acknowledged
cognitive schema and traditions
going on for years and years,
is extremely problematic and
unrealistic,” said El Nahas.
As per Dr. Noha El Nahas,
“there is no such thing as an
intensive or comprehensive
awareness campaign for the
entire culture to cause change
overnight. However, there
is still some light and hope,
as gradual change could be
eventually possible if it starts
from each family’s own choice.
Within one’s immediate family,
the decision to raise children
with the ability to express
their emotions and reinforce
them to acquire this emotional
intelligence ability will allow for
a more psychologically healthy
society.”
Gender Differences in Emotional Expression
SAHAR A. FARID
PHOTO VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
“Culture plays
a massively
significant role. “
“Societal
pressure. “
The Insider Student
12 STUDENT LIFE Newspaper 14.12.17
Ever wondered what makes you
get up every morning excited to
start working? Okay, maybe not
every morning, but don’t we all
have these days where we feel
motivated to ‘better ourselves?’
What makes us have days of
excitement and productiveness
while other days seem to drag
on?
Making ART?
“Personally, it’s art or anything I
love in general. It always makes
me want to experiment and
challenge myself and gives me
genuine joy when I accomplish
something. I think that applies
to everything people are
passionate about in general- be
it music or sports.” said Nada
Mohamed, a sophomore at
AUC.
As you let your feelings out
on paper, either by drawing,
or writing, you rid yourself of
all the toxins and negativity.
This is how you feel ready and
motivated to work and challenge
yourself.
Getting Rewarded?
Merna Khalid, a Political
Science sophomore said, “If I
am going to get rewarded by
something, such as money, I
feel motivated to work more.
After I am done, I will use this
money to buy myself something
that makes me happy or to do
something that excites me.”
Of course, getting something in
return as a token of appreciation
for your hard work and
dedication is always something
to cherish. On a side note, who
doesn’t want to make money so
they can pay for the things they
always wanted to do? Maybe
use it to travel? To buy that new
X-box, or that Ellie Saab dress?
Looking up to someone
Having someone as an idol
is very inducing. The feeling
creates a guided route of action
to our desired goal; a route that
is somewhat guaranteed because
someone has tried ahead of us
and proved it to be worthwhile.
Parents are the first human
beings we idolize. Their actions,
attitude and approach towards
life are a fascination to us and
we tend to inherit these qualities
as we grow up. Thus, becoming
like them often becomes an
objective.
For instance, Raghda Usama,
a 27 year old CEO and owner
of LimeBlend Branding
Hub, said that she had
always dreamt of owning her
own business because she
watched her mother become a
successful businesswoman as
she was growing up. She was
fascinated by the idea of being
independent, able to balance
work and take care of her
household. Thus, when Raghda
became a mother, she decided
to take up the challenge starting
her own business. She is now
very content about her career
and personal life.
Even though parents play
a big role in shaping our
personalities and our life
choices, instructors can also be a
source of inspiration. Professors,
teachers, guidance counselors
play a big role in carving our
character. Mariam Montasser, a
junior, at AUC was influenced
by her English professor’s
ability to help her students
with passion because she was
doing something she loves. As a
result, Montasser became a high
achieving student in most of
her courses, developed the same
approach to life and is working
hard on achieving her dreams as
well.
Academic achievements
Sometimes, cautionary tales
make the best motivators.
Nourhan Tarek, a freshman
intending to major in Business,
achieved getting an A in all of
her courses in High School. She
has witnessed the unfortunate
event of her friend failing her
classes in her last year of high
school.
Nourhan was determined not to
go through the same experience
and to put all her efforts into
studying. This resulted in
her biggest achievement yet.
This achievement inspired
her to continue this success
streak during her college years
especially right now to declare
Business (we all know how
much of a challenge that is
nowadays!)
Wanting to make Your parents
and loved ones proud?
You can’t deny that the feeling
of wanting to make your family
and loved ones proud of you
is one of the biggest sources
of inspiration. “They always
encourage me to be the best and
to believe that whenever I feel
stuck in life and disappointed,
there will be an open door to
a better future no matter how
hard the situation is right now,”
said Mariam Montasser.
Salma Hegazi, a third year
medical student, says that
having her family support her
decisions and talk her through
her ‘down moments’ always
motivates her to look forward
to the future with a brighter
perspective.
Trying New Things?
We all have this desire to try
new things. Esraa Sabry always
wanted to workout regularly
and live a healthy lifestyle. What
inspired her was watching
YouTube videos of people
getting
their whole lives transformed
by working out and living a
healthier lifestyle.Working out
led to making new friends and
to living a lifestyle she’s happier
with.
“I inspire myself. I believe
that the motivation to become
a better person comes from
within” says Maram Adel, a
freshmen intending to major
in Psychology. There are a
countless number of things
that inspire us to become better
people. Yet, at the end of the day,
you have to be your own source
of inspiration. Keep looking for
that one thing that makes you
feel inspired.
What Inspires You To Be Better?
MALAK USAMA
SONDOS ALLAM
---------
“They always
encourage me
to be the best. “
“I believe that
the motivation
to become a
better person
comes from
within. “
PHOTO BY ABDELSALAM EL TAMAWY
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 STUDENT LIFE 13
Engineering is known
worldwide for its prestige,
difficulty, and need for
intelligence. In Egypt,
Engineering is known for being
the only acceptable career
choice (other than Medicine or
Dentistry, of course). There are
lots of reasons why engineering
is so popular, namely the status
associated with it, the hefty
paycheck that comes along every
month, and for a few of them,
the fact that you’re contributing
to society in a pretty awesome
sense - you’re building it.
Literally.
Engineering at AUC is arguably
one of the toughest things to
major in. A lot of people drop
out, give up, starve, or fall
asleep in a dark corner of the
SSE building to be found by
the security guard at 4 in the
morning because they’ve been
asleep for 18 hours and they
were thought to be dead (only
slightly exaggerated).
Engineering students can most
often be found either panicking
in the library while trying to
copy assignments, finishing
submissions or sitting on the
steps in front of the SSE building
laughing hysterically five
minutes before their midterm
(which they have long since
given up on).
We interviewed some
Engineering seniors to give you
the most seasoned, tried and
tested tips on how to survive, as
well as the truth about what it’s
like to spend five years studying
engineering at AUC.
Our seniors were first asked
how they dealt with the stress.
Shahd Sherif, a Computer
Engineering Senior, says a good
tip is to start everything before
it starts getting crazy. “Don’t
leave everything until the last
minute. Nothing happens at
the beginning of the semester,
so get everything you can out
of the way.” Omar Abdelsattar,
also a Computer Engineering
Senior, recommends avoiding
cramming. “Start things early.
Start a week ahead or else
you’ll get zero sleep and screw
everything up in the exam
because you started memorizing
8 hours earlier.”
Time management is one of
the most important things for
any major, but even more so for
engineering. When you’re taking
a particularly heavy semester,
it’s totally possible for you to
have three projects and two
assignments due on the same
day, as well as three midterms
the day after.
Having that amount of stress
put on you raises the question
of how Engineering majors deal
with it. Abdelsattar finds that
staying at university for long
hours to try and finish projects
is considered a must at some
point. “Accept the inevitability
that you’ll stay on campus
beyond midnight sometimes.
You might as well make the most
of it and order food from cool
places in Tagamoa to soothe
you.”
Projects are either an
engineering student’s worst
nightmare or easiest “A” grade.
Who you pick for a group can
either pass you or fail you. Sherif
insists, “find a good group. Find
a good group. This is the most
important thing I can say. See
who asks smart questions, find
people who are serious, seek
compatibility. Don’t be shy.
These are your grades on the
line.”
One of the only things more
stressful than the workload
is the threat of graduating
late. Because the majority
of engineering courses have
prerequisites, if you drop or
retake a course or fail to register
on time, you could fall behind.
Also, the idea of staying at
university for five years isn’t
exactly appealing. This is what
drives some engineering majors
to overload. Samuel Ishak, a
Senior Mechanical Engineering
student, is taking 21 credits this
semester. Our interview time
was limited to the 15 minutes
he could offer between when his
11:15 class ended and assembly.
When asked about whether
the stress was worth it, Ishak
agreed easily. “Engineering has
one of the highest workloads in
the university. We do projects,
submissions, midterms, finals,
quizzes, and presentations. It’s
worth it because you learn how
to deal with stress and work
under pressure. You get really
good at problem solving. You
learn how to work the system.
You know how to deal with
people and how to work your
way around things”.
The Complete Engineering Survival Guide
LAILA ELBEHERI
PHOTO VIA THE INTERNET
The Insider Student
14 STUDENT LIFE Newspaper 14.12.17
One thing that can be noted
is how the engineering
students were skewed based on
gender. Unsurprisingly, all the
interviewees agreed that there
were extremely few female
engineering majors.
Ishak claimed that there weren’t
any at all in his mechanical
engineering graduating year.
I asked Sherif what it was like
being a female engineering
major .She opened up about
how she felt her experience as a
woman was different to others.
“As a woman in engineering,
it does depend on how you
carry yourself to an extent, but
be prepared for people to keep
asking ‘howa enty fahma?’ and
‘mot2akeda en enty fahma?’ you
will often be met with disbelief
when you get the best grades in
your class.
Ishak also noticed many
differences between men and
women studying engineering,
especially in the workforce.
“There aren’t many women
at all doing engineering. We
usually only have a couple in
every class, and sometimes
companies prefer men especially
when it comes to working in
factories or doing field work. In
some offices, there are only two
women in the entire company.
Some professors love the girls
and prefer them, but because
they’re so few, they usually suffer
when it comes to projects and
getting notes for exams.
It depends on the doctor, one
professor won’t let girls into his
office. Some professors go much
easier on them.”
The engineering majors were
asked to provide one piece
of advice to newly declared
engineering students or
freshmen facing engineering
for the first time. Ishak wisely
reminded them to focus on their
grades. “Study hard for your
introductory courses, you’ll find
that it’ll help you later on. It’ll
be really hard the first year, but
it gets easier if you’re focused in
your classes. You’ll be fine. Take
notes.”
Shahd reminded people not to
stress over graduation and on
overloading by saying “don’t
overload too often. If you really
need to, try to put all your easy
courses together and overload
them. I did that and it was such
an easy semester. If you’re good
at something, like calculus and
physics, put them together in
one semester. Whatever you
do, don’t overload an entire
semester of engineering courses
together.”
Finally, Shahd reminded
everyone not to stress over
graduating late. “Why the hell
does it matter if we graduate
late? Take your time. It doesn’t
matter. Work will be there
whether you’re 22 or 23.”
Why the hell
does it matter
if we graduate
late? Take your
time. It doesn’t
matter. Work will
be there
whether you’re
22 or 23.
“
”
PHOTO BY FARAH EMAD PHOTO BY DAREEN HUSSEIN
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 INTERVIEW 15
Cairo was declared one of
the most dangerous cities for
women. We hear of different
harassment cases around us
everyday. Each case suffered in a
different way. Women in Egypt
fight a different battle everyday.
Imagine not being able to leave
your house at night out of fear of
being harassed or being unsafe
around other men. Imagine
walking down the street and
feeling terrified when you hear
footsteps behind you. They
might think that they don’t hurt
us with their words and stares,
but they often leave invisible
scars. Yet, society taught us to
shut up and to let our harasser
go. They tell us that if you want
to get married, you can’t cause a
scandal like this.
Two girls decided to show the
world the ugly truth that was
hidden for years. Nadine El
Hadidy and Laila Attallah
captured the struggles of women
in a video and they are here to
talk about it.
Q. Tell me more about
yourselves
Nadine: I’m Nadine el Hadidy
and we are sophomores. I am a
double major in design and film.
We really love arts!
Laila: I’m Laila and I am a CMA
major and film minor. I’ve
always been into editing.
Q. How did the video’s idea
come up?
Nadine: We found the MeToo
campaign and we wanted to
contribute to the campaign
because we really care about
women’s rights. We decided to
contribute by making a film
because that is what we do best.
Laila: It is not just what we do,
it is what we love doing.We used
it to talk about something that
matters.
Q. What was your experience
shooting the video?
Laila: I want to clarify that the
experience was much worse
than what is showed on tape
because it is very hard to capture
everything that happens on the
street, such as the catcalling.
Nadine: The video didn’t have
any sound except mine, but
while we were filming we got
catcalled a lot.
Laila: It is kind of terrifying that
you walk down the street in a
very crowded area and you feel
unsafe.
Nadine: For Laila, it was the first
time for her to focus on what is
happening around her. I told her
that this happens all the time.
We were very scared that anyone
might notice us filming. Hence,
we used our phones, because if
we hold cameras, guys would
focus on the camera and they
would be interested in why we
are taking pictures. We wanted
all the looks to be genuine
harassment, not curiosity.
Laila: Before we started
shooting the video, I used to
block everything. I used to not
notice, to not get terrified. When
I actually focused, I thought
‘oh my God’. What I have been
blocking out is unbelievable and
that was just catcalling.
#METOO:
“They are all victims. They all suffer in a different way.”
SHAZA KHALED
PHOTOS TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIAL VIDEO MADE BY NADINE ELHADIDY & LAILA ATTALLAH
The Insider Student
16 INTERVIEW Newspaper 14.12.17
Q. Did you learn anything
new or did you face anything
that might change your lives
forever?
Nadine: I feel that we are more
exposed. To an extent, we’re not
like the rest of the population.
We don’t go out everyday or ride
a metro. We go to university
and go back home. We are very
sheltered. It was an eye opening
experience.
Laila: Because we actually
worked on the problem, it is on
the top of our heads now. We
noticed that it is happening
in our daily lives, in front of
university or in front of Point 90.
Sexual harassment is not just
in urban areas, like downtown.
It’s everywhere. It made us pay
attention to what is happening
everyday.
Q. How did you feel when your
video became popular?
Nadine: We were surprised
because we did not expect to
reach all those people. We were
really happy because our point
was to reach out to girls and tell
them that you are not alone;
to stay strong. We’re glad we
reached all those people.
Q. What was your biggest fear
before shooting the video?
Nadine: Mainly, the harassment
itself. We are not used to
walking in the streets. So, we
were scared that someone
might see that we’re shooting
and that we would end up in
trouble. We passed by a lot of
places that are full of police
and we were scared that they
might notice.
Laila: You can’t shoot
without a permit; one of the
harassers may point it out or
come and argue with us.
Q. Have you passed through
any situation that caused
you to say #MeToo before
the video?
Nadine: Of course, any time
we go out, we get sexually
harassed. We face it all the time.
I once got sexually harassed on
campus. It is something we feel
and live for a really long time no
matter what we wear.
Laila: We always need to think
whether it is appropriate to go
out wearing this thing or not.
We think twice and ask each
other what are we going to
dress if we are going somewhere
different. We always have to
think whether a certain outfit
will be ‘too revealing’ or not.
Nadine: This shouldn’t be the
case.
Q. What is your advice for girls
who watched your video?
Nadine: Our advice is that you
are not alone and don’t ever feel
like it is your fault, because it is
never your fault.
Laila: When we posted the
video we got a lot of comments.
We want people to say what they
feel and to think through this
video. Make the video, shoot a
film and stand up for yourself.
Neither of us could imagine that
we would reach so many people,
and we did.
Nadine: If you can do
something small that can make a
big change, then go for it.
The experience
was much worse
than what is
shown on tape.
“
”
Sexual
harassment
is not just
in urban
areas, it’s
everywhere.
“
”
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 OPINION 17
One of the struggles we face
today as millennials is the
identity crisis. This is known to
be one of the most prevailing
issues young adults encounter.
AUCians face difficulties with
identifying their roles outside
and inside the university
campus. In a sense, AUC is like
a ‘bubble’; it is a safe space for
experimenting oneself. Whether
positive or negative, students at
AUC can generally agree that
being in AUC gives us a different
experience.
Most of you have come across
some judgemental contexts that
evolve around the epitome of
what an AUCian’s personality,
lifestyle and mindset look like.
These judgements include the
idea of AUCians being filthy
rich, spoiled students, ‘lucky’
Egyptians and even the very
belief that most of them are
celebrities. An exemplary
example of such outrageous
claims comprises an uber driver
once mentioning that AUCians
are, in his perspective, the
“spoiled rich party elite kids” of
our society, just as portrayed in
the movie Saadi fil Gamaa Al
Amrikiya.
Numerous AUCians have
experienced a feeling of shame
for attending this university at
some point. This is due to the
stereotypes associated with
being a student at AUC. Nadine
Ahmed explains that her current
friends did not want to engage
with her at first because they
assumed she was a “snob” due to
her being an AUC student.
Norhan Mohammed, a student
studying marketing, stated
that she, “feels anxious” when
telling people she is an AUCian
because they start to make “false
assumptions” about who you are
as a person.
On the other hand, being
in AUC has proven to be a
secure safe space for numerous
students to express their
‘unusual’ ideas (in terms of
the Egyptian society), ways of
being, and even their dressing
styles. Being in AUC allows us
to tackle many issues deeply
ingrained and embedded in
our Egyptian culture more
freely and openly (as agreed by
most students). Controversial
topics such as westernization,
female oppression, cultural
crisis in a globalized world and
the labyrinth of social class
struggles can be tackled without
reservation and distress.
Andre Andrawes, an
architecture major, believes that,
“AUC is always a more open
community.” Nadine, on the
other hand, disagrees saying that
AUC is not necessarily more
open to deviant ways of thinking
as, “there are a variety of people
(with both conservative and
contemporary ways of thinking)
like in other places.”
However, the majority agrees
that on campus, they feel
more open to discussing their
opinions and showing their true
colours. “There is always room
for peaceful discussions despite
having different perspectives,
unlike outside, where you may
be beaten for saying an opinion
that differs from the generally
accepted one,” according to
Neveen El Mallah, a junior
studying finance. AUC does, to
an extent, allow the flourishing
of contemporary unorthodox
ideologies. This university is an
entity all on its own, distinct and
disconnected from the rest of
Egypt.
The AUC Bubble
OLA KASSEM
MALAK USAMA
PHOTO BY HANA MOAMEN
The Insider Student
18 Newspaper 14.12.17
Shaden Elsheikh, a newly ad-mitted
freshman, has imme-diately
noticed the difference
of being in AUC. She believes
that, “the community and
atmosphere makes it easier
for people to be themselves
because, sadly, one of the bad
habits most Egyptians have is
that we usually tend to criti-cise
what is different from our
culture.”
Elsheikh added on to say
that the stereotypes she has
encountered as an AUCian
are that, “they [AUCians]
know nothing. They’re na-ive
or they live in a different
Egypt.” The constant criti-cism
along with the students’
“overall positive” experience
at AUC is often what causes
some students to feel the con-stant
need to westernise and
isolate from the rest of the
Egyptian culture. This inter-nal
struggle of being an AUC
student versus being an Egyp-tian
can often times results in
an identity crisis .
There are different opinions
and views, but it all comes
back to what AUC as an
entity stands for. As a liberal
arts education school, AUC’s
main aim is to develop lead-er-
like personalities among
its student body. Students are
encouraged to pursue most
of their interests, whether it’s
through their majors, minors,
general electives, core cur-riculum
and student-run
clubs.
Elsheikh stated that, “in
just the three weeks, I’ve
managed to learn different
things-from the content of
the courses that are related
to my major or not related
to my major, from the pro-fessors
themselves, from
their experiences, from
their knowledge, from the
people I’ve met in or out
of clubs, their experiences,
and all interactions in gener-al.”
This diverse education ex-posure
motivates students to
unleash and discover their
true identity and personality
through the four of five years
of college. “I like university. I
think the professors are more
passionate here. I do think
people are not friendly and
obviously it’s a certain class
that comes here,” said Fatima
ElDousoky, a junior studying
Film and Political Science.
While salma, an outsider
attending El-Mansoura Uni-versity,
stated that she believes
that, “in every student body
comes the good , the bad , the
crazy and the different. This
makes it wrong for people to
put one educational entity
in one specific category just
because the fees are expensive
for most locals.”
The harsh exclusions of reality
may also be counter-argued
by considering the attempts of
AUC, as an entity, to integrate
itself within the larger Egyp-tian
community. Examples
of the such include students
volunteering in charity orga-nizations
or cross-university
competitions in sports and
conferences. This shows the
rest of the nation that AUC
students are not as unap-proachable
as they think we
are.
AUCians are
perceived as,
the “spoiled
rich party elite
kids” of our
society
“
” PHOTO BY YOUMNA RASHAD
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 FEATURE 19
3alRaseef is a community
development organisation that
began at AUC in 2012. Its aim
is to change the lives of street
children by giving them a
proper education and the life
skills they need. Their main
goal is to eliminate illiteracy in
street children, as they believe
proper education guarantees a
prosperous life. We interviewed
Hania Gazar, the Public
Relations Head of 3alRaseef,
to get the facts about what
3alRaseef really is and what
they’re accomplishing.
According to the PR Head,
3alRaseef ’s shining glory is
the sessions they run. “Weekly
academic and non-academic
sessions are given to kids in Al
Zelzal area. Academic sessions
include subjects such as English,
Arabic, and Math to compensate
for school. Non-academic
sessions include life skills, such
as leadership and teamwork.
These sessions are entirely given
by students who volunteer for
3alRaseef ’s activities,” shared
Gazar.
The Sessions Entertainment
head, Mai Algheity, gave The
Insider AUC a brief description
of those who attend the
workshops and what happens.
“In sessions, we are aware
that every detail in the way
we teach our curriculum, will
leave an impact on the children
somehow. Our members are
constantly exploring interesting
methods in teaching and
preparing the right curriculum
that will help the children
develop intellectually, mentally
and on a person level,” explained
Algheity.
She went on to explain what the
sessions themselves entail. “Our
subjects are academic, such as
English, Arabic, Mathematics
and sciences, as well as non-academic
subjects like research
and debate which are designated
to allow the children to think
critically and scientifically. We
aspire to offer a curriculum
that would allow the children
to experience several topics
that would help them in their
personality development, social
skills and achievement of future
goals.” Farag went on to explain
that, “the sessions team believe
that our children are the future
of tomorrow and we couldn’t
be more honored to aid in their
education experience.”
One of 3alRaseef ’s most
successful events this semester
was the annual Children’s Day
held on the Oct. 22, 2017 in the
gardens area. “The theme for
this year’s day was, ‘Passion,
Exploration, Journey’. The kids
were introduced to an array of
diverse fields ranging from arts
to science so that each child
would have tried all the careers
by the end of the day. This
gives them the sense of real life
and effective career planning,”
explained Gazar. Although, stay
tuned because, “that’s not it, we
have a surprise coming up!” she
said.
Gazar was asked what the most
important accomplishment
they had made this semester
was and what was in store for
3alRaseef. “We are expanding!”
said Gazar excitedly. “We now
have 3alRaseef in the British
University in Egypt (BUE).
We’re trying to expand to as
many universities as possible all
over Egypt. We’re hoping that
this will be achieved by about
60 percent this year. Moreover,
we now have soft skills sessions.
We began trips for the kids
this semester, which is another
great accomplishment. We used
to have a fun day where they
just came to play, but they now
learn things and participate
in purposeful activities. It’s
much more systematic and
professional,” expressed Gazar.
“Our main aim is promote the culture of giving among AUC students by making a
difference in children’s lives. We look up to a new generation of educated children who
would make Egypt a better place,” said Farah Kandil, 3alRaseef President.
3alRaseef: Drawing Smiles
Every detail
in the way
we teach our
curriculum, will
leave an impact
on the children
somehow.
“
”
LAILA ELBEHERI
PHOTOS COURTESY OF 3ALRASEEF MEDIA TEAM
The Insider Student
20 FEATURE Newspaper 14.12.17
In terms of dealing with
children and educating them,
“It’s not something that’s easy to
accomplish. It’s not common to
find in Egypt. This is what makes
us unique, not just in AUC, but
also in Egypt as a whole. We
have an amazing purpose, and
the consequences of what we do
are life changing. We’re building
entire generations of kids who
are educated and who have
sufficient life skills that they
need. This makes us special and
very effective in Egypt.”
The most important thing about
a community service club is
the bond between the members
and the desire to actually make
a change in people’s lives.
“What makes it a good club
is our spirit. We have a very
strong and unique spirit; It’s
very uncommon to find, such
cooperation, how much people
love what they do and how they
see their work paying off and
changing lives,” Gazar claimed.
“I think our cause makes people
bond together and they feel like
they’re really accomplishing
something meaningful.
Gazar explained that the most
important thing is for members
to attend more sessions. “We
encourage members to go to
sessions, but I think if by the
end of this year, each member
has attended a session at least
once or twice, it would improve
3alRaseef greatly. Our aim is
to develop our kids but also
to develop our members to be
future leaders.”
The
consequences
of what we
do are life
changing.
“
”
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 FEATURE 21
(Disclaimer: this article contains
spoilers for the first season of
Riverdale, and minor spoilers
from the second season, up to
the fourth episode: “The Town
That Dreaded Sundown”)
This article is about a town,
or better yet, this article is
about the story of a town, once
wholesome and innocent, and,
well, if you’re reading this, you
probably know how this goes.
But for those of you who don’t,
Riverdale is an American TV
series based on Archie comics,
which premiered on January
2017. The characters however
have certainly undergone a
transformation on their trip
from the pages of a comic book
to the silver screen.
Growing up, I remember poring
over an issue of Betty and
Veronica back when I was barely
capable of comprehending
English, only managing to read
the word “ZAP” in a Sabrina the
Teenage Witch story, and getting
a Jughead issue for my tenth
birthday. Upon hearing that it
would be getting the live action
treatment, I was both enthused,
and amused. How would a
series whose main character’s
sole role is regularly ricocheting
between two girls survive in the
cutthroat world of American
TV? In an age where people are
growing more and more aware
of social justice issues such as
women’s rights, diversity and
representation, they needed to
be bold and take a leap of faith,
in the hopes of finding the holy
grail that would lead them to the
precious ratings they covet, and
they sure did.
In the very first shot of the
series, the camera pans to the
town’s sign, ironically declaring
Riverdale to be “the town with
pep,” minutes before flashing
to a grotesque sight: A pale
and bloody corpse, washed
up on the ranks of Sweetwater
river, commencing the season-long
mystery of the murder of
Jason Blossom. Even before
the title card rolled in for
the very first time, the stark
difference between the TV
show and the comic books
was made abundantly clear.
In essence, Riverdale is about
the loss of innocence, a fact
which executive producer
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa stressed
on, while the media and the
audience were wrapped up with
finding the perpetrator of the
Blossom murder.
The series’ sophomore season,
however, which premiered on
the eleventh of October 2017,
is so far doing a better job
expressing that theme. Literally
kicking things off with Archie
drenched in his father’s blood,
who had been shot in the final
minutes of the first season’s
finale. Up until this point,
Archie had stuck out from the
rest of the gang. While Jughead
was facing homelessness, Betty
was struggling with her mental
health, and Veronica discovering
that the father she once idolized
was far from an upstanding
citizen, Archie agonized over
choosing between music and
football; a dilemma that was
previously exhausted back when
High School Musical first came
out.
Nothing served to drive the
producer’s message home, or
steer the audience’s attention
away from the whodunit
element of the Jason Blossom
mystery. Not incest (between
first cousins, though), not the
rivalry between the northside
and the southside, and not even
the scandalous act of a parent
killing a child. Nothing but
the sight of Riverdale’s golden
boy, standing in the middle
of a growing puddle of blood,
his signature letterman jacket
stained beyond recognition.
As hinted on in the season 1
finale, tensions are growing
high between the north side,
whose picturesque façade was
shattered with the revelations
of underlying corruption, and
the southside; the town’s less
fortunate sector, overrun by
gangs. Fanning the flames is
none other than Riverdale’s
very own serial killer, the Black
Hood, whose string of violent
attacks serves as the final nail
in the coffin of Riverdale’s
innocence.
It is unclear what exactly made
Riverdale strike gold with the
audience. Be it the witty one
liners, the delightfully over
dramatic characters, or Cole
Sprouse’s (of Suite Life fame)
return to the silver screen as
Jughead Jones, a brooding
loner with a penchant for true
crime. Maybe it was the splash
of nostalgia, and the novelty of
actions such as prim and proper
Veronica Lodge breaking into
a trailer searching for evidence.
Here’s to hoping Riverdale
survives the dreaded second
season slump, capable of taking
down the best of shows, and if
the first four episodes are an
indication, Riverdale might just
make it out alive, although its
citizens might not.
Riverdale:
On Milkshakes and Murder
MARAM ZEITOUN
PHOTO VIA PIXABAY
The Insider Student
22 COVERAGE Newspaper 14.12.17
MCM Mawlana Screening
PHOTOS BY ABDELSALAM TAMAWY
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 COVERAGE 23
SU Packs Fiesta PHOTOS BY ABDELSALAM TAMAWY
The Insider Student
24 FEATURE Newspaper 14.12.17
We often have those times when
we feel down because we are
stressed to the extent that we
want to leave everything behind;
just drop everything and run
away. Midterms every two
weeks, assignments every two
days and quizzes every day! All
these things can make you say
“I wish I could drop out!” It’s
not even just midterm season
that make us go crazy and feel
stressed as hell, but there are
other reasons for why we lose
our focus on the material we are
studying or the courses we are
taking.
From these reasons, we can
find “personal problems”
interfering within our course
of studying. As Mayo Clinic
puts it, “depression is a mood
disorder that causes a persistent
feeling of sadness and loss of
interest. College depression
isn’t a clinical diagnosis.
Instead, college depression is
depression that begins during
college.” Depression makes
us feel lost, tired, incapable of
either thinking or even making
the right decisions. We start
experiencing insomnia, loss of
appetite, tiredness, emptiness
and hopelessness. We often
go through cycles of anger,
irritability and frustration over
the tiniest and silliest things.
Depression deprives us of such
a huge amount of energy and
instead fuels us with anxiety and
restlessness.
Having personal problems adds
a lot of pressure to the existing
ones that are initially invoked
by our instructors and by the
courses we are taking. Personal
issues have such a negative
impact on one’s performance,
they can make one procrastinate
on the job until it’s too late.
Some students put off tasks
such as doing assignments or
studying for a test by doing
something else in its place. They
make excuses for not working.
Delaying work and putting
off tasks eventually results in
ones’ possible failure. In the
courses and, as a result, they feel
depressed for their incapability
of producing results. Despite
the circumstance, one should
not ‘give up’, ‘stop’ or ‘give
in’ to whatever fight they are
confronting.
Here is what some students had
to say about their own ways of
confronting depression in the
“study season”:
Mohamed Abd-ElAziz,
a sophomore Mechanical
Engineering student, said,
“there are so many techniques
to dispose yourself of stress or
depression. One of which is
that, whenever you feel down,
you can have a ten-minute walk
down the street. Talking to a
close friend of yours can also
make things ease up a bit. At
least you will feel that you’ve
rid yourself of negative feelings
or emotions by talking to
someone about them, or about
a certain problem you’re having.
Additionally, you can do some
workouts or exercises to loosen
up a bit of all the stress you are
facing.”
Habiba Ali, a sophomore
Psychology student, explained
that most of the time when
she experiences depression,
it’s usually because of grades,
midterms, and the tons of
assignments she gets per week.
However, to break away from
stress mode, she makes time to
hang out with her friends and
spend quality time with the ones
she loves being around. She adds
on to say that managing time is
one of the most effective ways
to reduce stress. “Having a time
schedule is very important and
it helps a lot with accomplishing
assignments. It even helps with
scoring better grades on quizzes
and midterms.”
We’re all vulnerable to stress
and can easily fall victims to
depression. However, this is
never the end. Depression is a
war with many battles to fight.
This war is yours. Hence, never
give in to whatever struggle
you are facing. There are many
techniques that you can use
in your fight with depression;
one of which is to believe in
yourself. Believing in oneself is
the main key to success! Do not
let midterms, quizzes, grades,
or even the personal issues you
might be having influence who
you are and shake the belief
in yourself. There is never a
need to stress yourself out over
the temporary problems of
university.
Depression during the Study Season at University:
“I need a break”
CHRISTINE R. MOUNIR
PHOTO BY DAREEN HUSSEIN
One of which is
that, whenever
you feel down,
you can have a
ten-minute walk
down the street.
“
”
The Insider Student
Newspaper 14.12.17 LITERATURE 25
Suzanna Hanafy
Book Corner
1984 by George Orwell
1984 is a mind-blowing piece of literature that warns future societies of the sadistic and
abusive nature of authoritarian governments. The novel features a futuristic dystopian
society set in Oceania 35 years into the future. It is set at an age where advanced
technology was controlling people. Orwell exposes the ways in which manipulations of
language and history could be mechanisms of control. The reader survives a tough battle
against oppression through the protagonist’s journey (Winston Smith). Challenging the
totalitarian government, Winston Smith kept a personal diary and pursued a relationship
with Julia. The struggles he faces reflect the government’s suppression of individuality,
sex, and free thought. 1984 is a must read thrilling novel.
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
A Streetcar Named Desire is a beautifully written play that has continued to have the same
staggering effect on its audience as it first had in 1947. Blanche Dubois, the protagonist,
comes to live with her sister, Stella, and her animalistic brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski
in their small one-bedroom apartment. Blanche mentions that she took a streetcar named
desire and then one named cemetery to come here. Tennessee Williams chooses the title
of the play to cunningly make the implication that desire leads to death. This exhilarating
play tells the zealous story of the desperate, fragile, and suppressed Blanche Dubois.
Conflicts arise between Blanche and Stanley as his raw, over empowering, savage, and
sadistic nature becomes more and more discernable. (Spoiler Alert!) Stanley’s inability to
control Blanche causes him to brutally and savagely rape her. Stella does not believe the
rape story and is convinced that her sister is crazy. They end up forcefully sending her to a
mental institution. This ironic and shocking ending is what makes this play such a classic.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson
This novel makes for very interesting commentary on the savage instincts of humanity.
Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde is a classic novel that very well discusses the thin line that separates
good and evil. Dr.Jekyll, a well presented and respected doctor, experiments with a drug
that separates his personality into two, giving him the option to transform into the corrupt
Mr.Hyde. Stevenson makes the link between civilization and savagery, as reflected in the
characters of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Soon enough, Dr.Jekyll begins to realize how hard it
is to return back to being the good doctor he once was. The novel becomes even more
thrilling and insightful when Dr.Jekyll recognizes that Mr Hyde might actually break free
from his control, posing a threat for the citizens of London.
The Insider Student
26 LITERATURE Newspaper 14.12.17
POETRY
The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz
The Cairo Trilogy written by Naguib Mahfouz is a magnificent and epic trilogy about
colonial Egypt. More specifically, it zones in on the enthralling story of a Muslim family in
Cairo at the time of the British occupation. The trilogy tracks three different generations
of the family lead by the patriarchal al Sayyid Ahmad Abd Al Jawad. It consists of Palace
Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street. Palace Walk introduces the reader to the
family-- the patriarchal dictator al Sayyid Abd Al Jawad and his abused and suppressed
wife, Amina and their five children. The second book, Palace of Desire, explores the
political, social, and economic turmoil that was brought to Egypt at the times of the
British occupation. Sugar Street is the most significant and influential, foreshadowing
Cairo’s future. The patriarch watches one of his grandsons become a communist, while
another becomes the lover of a politician and another becomes a Muslim fundamentalist.
Reading the trilogy, one would find that the family’s sufferings and hard times are actually
a symbolism of turbulent Cairo at the time.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a magnificent, bold and philosophical piece of work that
revolves around the beautiful and “innocent” Dorian Gray. The novel starts off with
Dorian complaining about his portrait, as it reflects too much of his inner personality.
Discovering the power of his outer beauty, Dorian Gray becomes deeply buried into a
luxurious life not limited to drugs, alcohol, and debauchery. Throughout the novel his
good looks and unaffected age protect him, while the portrait locked in his attic is of a
completely different person.
لقيتك شايله همي زي ما تكوني أمي
سامحيني أنت حبك بيجري يف دمي
كانوا عاوزين يفرقوا بينا يا أم الدنيا
لكن مستحيل أصدق منهم أي حاجة تانية
والعشم كان موجود ملا غنّا لك منير
وقالك إزاي تظلمينا وحبك جوانا كبير
ياما حاولوا يفرقوا بينا كتير وعمرهم ما
توفقوا
علشان حبك يف قلبي كبير وترابك أنا
بعشقه
أنتِ الأمل يف عنيا والخير اللي جاي
أنتِ يا مصر يف عنيا ومش هقولك تاني
إزاي
ويف آخر كلامي ببعت لك التحية وسلامي
يابلدي ياللي عشت فيكي ذكرياتي وأيامي
وأعدائك يا مصر هم أعدائي
وعشانك يكتبوا يف بطاقتي الفدائي
مهما وقعوا بينك وبيني
مش هتكوني ليهم ضحية
شايلك يا مصر دائما يف عيني
واتأكدت من حبك ليا
وحياة جدودي اللي اتسموا الفراعنة
أنا وإنتِ يا مصر اتخدعنا
وحياة العلم اللي اترفع يف سماكي عالي
قالوا ثمنك أدفع، لكن حبك يف قلبي غالي
قالوا إنهم باعوكي وإن أنتِ بيعاني
لكن طلعتي زيي مجروحة وبتعاني
حاولوا يفرقوا بينا الحرامية اللصوص
أعدائك وأعدائي اللي نهبوا الفلوس
حاولوا بظلمهم يكرهوني فيكي
أنا قلت اتغيرتِ علي ودي حاجة مش فيكي
زعلت وقتها منك بس ماكنتش مصدق
سامحيني يا بلدي لقيت حبك لي مبدأ
قالوا أن أنتِ بيعاني يا مصر يا عمري
قالوا أن أنت بيعاني وماهمكيش أمري
محمود حلاوة
مهما وقعوا بينك وبيني
PHOTOS BY YOUMNA RASHAD The Insider Student
Newspaper ٦ رأي 14.12.17
نُحاول جمعه حتى نكتمِل؛ لأن قلوبنا
أُجهَدَت مِن السيرِ حاملةً فتات؛ فُتات لا
يَزِن شيئاً ولكنّه يشغل مساحةَ لا بأس بها
داخلنا، لكنه مهما طال الوقت فهو فتات، لا
يفعل شيئاً سوى املكوث مكانه.
لذا، لا ينبغي أن نتوقع شيئاً مِن الغد؛ لا
سعادةً ولا شقاء، لأنه حتماً سيُفاجئُنا.
سنُفاجأ بالواقع إن توقعنا غدا مشرقا،
لنجده واقع مؤلم يسلب مِنّا أحلامنا
ويحطمنا. وسنُفاجأ أيضاً إن توقعناهُ مظلم،
لنجده يهدينا ما لم نتوقعه مِن سعادة ويَهِبُنا
روحنا التي سلبها اليأس.
التوقع قد يكون مؤلم وعواقبه كثيرة، تكاد
تكون لا تُتَمَل، تكاد تكون قاتلة. وقد يكون
كمصباح النور يف وسطِ طريق مظلم، لينير
لنا باقي الطريق ويُهدهِد روحنا.
فالاكتفتاء والرضا هما الحلان ملواجهة ما
هو قادم؛
الاكتفاء مِن التوقع والتنبؤ، والرضا بِا
قسَمهُ اهل لنا أياً كانت عواقبه.
كفانا ترقُّباً ورسم خِطط لا تضيف لنا
شيء، كل ما تفعله هو سلب روحَنا وراحة
بالِنا. كل ما علينا فِعله هو ترك أنفسنا
للغد، أياً كان ما يحمله، ونُحاول بكل ما
أوتينا مِن قوة مواجهته بشموخ.
لَن نجعله يكسرنا ثانيةً، ولن نتوقّع منه
جبرَنا..
نحن لا نعلمُ شيئاً، أبسطُ الأشياء التي
يُخيّل إلينا أننا على كاملِ الدراية بها، هي
يف الغالبِ ليستْ يف صورتها الكاملة، ليست
سوى نِصف الحقيقة. نحن نجهلُ حتى
خفايا أنفسنا، لا نعلم ما الذي يسعِدُنا حقاً
وما الذي يُشقينا حدَّ البكاء. لا نعلمُ ما
الأحلام التي ينبغي علينا حتقيقها وما التي
لا بد علينا إلقاؤها خلفنا.
قد نشعر أن طاقَتَنا على وشكِ النفاد ثُمَّ
نُفاجأ بِها تُدّد دون علمنا، وقد نجد قوة
حتمُّلنا تكاد تكون غير متواجدة ويُهييء إلينا
أننا انتهينا، فنجد أنفُسنا بعد ذلك مازلنا
نُحاول ونثابر، وكأنّ طاقَتُنا أيضاً تُشحَن و
تُدَد رغماً عنّا.
كلما توقعنا شيئاً نجد الواقع يضرِبَهُ عرض
الحائط.
كُلّما توقعنا أنَّ أمراً ما يسعدُنا، نراهُ يحدث
أمامنا لنجد أنفُسنا غير عابئين به، كلما
ظننا أن شغفنا مُوجّه نحو حلم ما، وجدناه
ينحرف عن طريقهِ ليبحث عن حلم آخر..
نحن لا نعلم ما الذي يَحمِلَهُ الغد القاسي،
لا نعلم إن كان سيسعدنا أم يشقينا، لا نعلم
إن كُنا سنُمزَّق مرةً أُخرى أم لم يتبق شيء
آخر فينا قابل للتمزيق، لم يتبق سوى فتات؛
فُتات نُحاوِلُ كل يومٍ جاهدين جمعه،
التوقُع
إيمان خَروشة
PHOTO VIA PIXABAY
The Insider Student
رأي ٥ Newspaper 14.12.17
وخير دليل على هذا الأمر هو الأديب
الراحل الدكتور طه حسين الذي جذب انتباه
العالم بفكره وآرائه الفلسفية التي آثرت
اللغة العربية والعقلية البشرية. فكان يجلس
لساعات يتأمل يف الكون ويسعى إلى متييز
الأصوات وغيرها وينتهي بهِ املطاف عند
صورة من خياله يَظهر فيها الإبداع يف صغر
سنه.
ولا داعى أن يكون هناك حذر يف معاملة
الكفيف والاحتياط حتى لا نشعره بالإشفاق
والضعف ، فما لا يعرفه املبصر أن الكفيف
غالباً يكون أكثر علماً وصاحب بصيرة
أكثر من املبصر، كما أنه قد يكون صاحب
مواهب مختلفة بل ويتقنها أيضاً، حيث
يمكنه توقع أمور ومعرفتها باستخدام
مشاعره لأن كل مبصر يعتمد على بصره
فى تقييم الأمور واتخاذ القرارات. بينما
الكفيف يستند إلى سمعه ومشاعره وعقله،
فيبدأ الأمر بالسمع مرورا إلى قلبه وعقله
فيدرك الوضع ويتخذ القرار. وهذه آلية
واحدة، قد يكون هناك آليات أخرى
تساعده، ولكن - كما نرى من وجهة نظرنا-
هذا ما ينقص املبصرين؛ أن يضيفوا العقل
إلى القلب والقلب إلى العقل حتى يحدث
التوازن يف اتخاذ القرارات.
إن عاهة العقل أعتى وأكثر ضررا من عاهة
الجسد، والخطر كل الخطر أن يتعالى
شخص على آخرٍ ملجرد حاسة. فرمبا يبصر
أحدهم والعقل مُظلمٌ، يف ضلال. ورمبا
تُغمض عينك وعقلك مُضيء فتنجو، وهذا
ما يفرق بين مُبصر وكفيف، ومتعلم وجاهل،
ولذلك يجب أن نطلق اسم الكفيف على
الجاهل املتغطرس. فليس كل مبصر بصير
وليس كل كفيف أعمى.
هل حاول أحد منا أن يغمض عينيه
للحظات دون أن يتحرك من مكانه أو يدخل
إلى غرفة مظلمة ليس بها أية مصابيح؟!
البعض سيصاب بالدوار، والبعض سيفتح
عينه مبجرد إغماضها خوفاً من الاصطدام
بشيء. فكونك مبصراً تتمتع بجمال
الدنيا صعبٌ عليك أن تتحمل لحظة من
اللحظات التي يقاوم فيها الكفيف جيشاً من
الظلمات.
فبينما املبصر يبصر الحقائق التي يراها
دون شكوك، يجب أن يكون على يقين أن
الكفيف يرى ويعلم ما لا يعلمه املبصر
ويدرك خبايا تخفى على املبصرين. وما
زاد على ذلك أن كل خطوة يتخذها الكفيف
تبنى على حسابات سابقة وأعداد رقمية
تنظم خطواته أكثر من املبصر الذي يمشي
يف أغلب الأحيان بعشوائية ورمبا مترفعاً.
بالإضافة إلى ذلك فإن الكفيف يمشي يف
هدوء وسكينة لأنه إذا صادفته ضوضاء أو
أصوات غير منتظمة، رمبا تضرب خطواته
أو تشتت أفكاره، وهذا دليل على أن الكفيف
يُعمِلُ عقله طوال الوقت ويفسر الكون وما
يحيطه من مواقف، وهنا التفكير والتفسير
يمثلان له زورق يسبح فيه يف الظلمة حتى
يتأمل يف الكون ويرسم صورته الخاصة
التي يرى بها الكون من منظوره الخاص دون
إجباره على أن يرى منظومة واحدة غير
قابلة للتغيير.
الكفيف أبصرُنا
سيف نظير
PHOTO VIA AL AHRAM
The Insider Student ٤ صور
Newspaper 14.12.17
تصوير: بدور حافظ و نوران فتحي
PAL’s لا تطفيء الشمس
The Insider Student
رأي ٣ Newspaper 14.12.17
يف مدرسة حب النبي
محمد علاء
يف حب الجماد والحيوان ضرب لنا سيدنا
النبي املثل حينما احتضن جذع النخلة ليهدأ
حينما تركه النبي ووقف على املنبر الذي
صنعه له الصحابة. هذا النبي الذي أخبرنا
أن هناك من سيدخل الجنة لأنه سقى كلب
وهناك من ستدخل النار لأنها حبست قطة.
فما حالك مع مخلوقات اهل؟
وُلد النبي -صلي اهلل عليه وسلم- وجاء إلى
هذه الدنيا ومعه الحب. فأشرقت شمس
الأنوار ومعها شمس الحب ليكون موعد
ميلاد سيدنا محمد الأمين.
مدرسة حب النبي مدرسة لم ينته أثرها
بل إنها ممتدة مع ورثته -صلى اهلل عليه
وسلم- من العلماء. فإنك لا تدرك املعنى
الحقيقي لهذه املدرسة إلا يف مجالس
العلماء العظام الذين يورثوا لك هذا الحب.
مدرسة حب النبي التي تعلمت منها ألا أكره
أحد حتى أعدائي. علمتني حب الوطن حتى
لو كان قاسيا. علمتني الصبرعلى البلاء
وعلمتني الأخلاق وعلمتني العلم.
يف مولده الشريف -صلى اهل عليه و
سلم- نتعلم معنى الرحمة والحرص "لَقَدْ
جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا
عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالُْؤْمِنِيَن رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
- سورة التوبة، الآية ١٢٨ ". نتعلم الأخلاق
"إنما بعثت لأمتم مكارم الأخلاق". فلنمش
على دربه؛ بحبه يف قلوبنا وأخلاقه يف
معاملتنا.
وأما عن الأعداء فلننظر إلى فتح مكة
عندما عزل النبي أحد قواده فقط لأنه قال
"اليوم يوم امللحمة" بل صحح النبي املفاهيم
وقال "اليوم يوم املرحمة" ذلك اليوم الذي
عاد فيه النبي منتصرا بعد أن طرد من بلده
بل حينما وقف أمامهم وسألهم "ما تظنون
أني فاعل بكم؟" فقال النبي كلمته الشهيرة
"اذهبوا فأنتم الطلقاء" فعفا عن من قتلوا
أصحابه وأقاربه، فما حالك مع من ظلموك
عند املقدرة؟
وأما عن البلد، فلا يستطيع التاريخ أن
يذكر رجلا أحب بلده مثل النبي. فهو الذي
وقف أمام جبال مكة حزينا ليخاطب أحب
البلاد إلى قلبه وقال "واهلل لولا أن أهلك
قد أخرجوني منك ما خرجت" فكيف حالك
مع بلدك اليوم؟ أحتبها وتبكي لفراقها
حتى وإن قست عليك أم أنك تفرح لخرابها
وخسارتها؟
حتى من اختلف يف العقيدة معه -صلي اهل
عليه و سلم- وقف له عند مرور جنازته
حتى يضرب لنا املثل أن هناك دائرتان يف
الحياة. دائرة العقيدة ودائرة التعايش. فما
حالك مع من اختلف معك يف العقيدة؟
ومدرسة حب النبي تبدأ من محطة سابقة
ألا وهي محبة اهل لرسوله. يف هذه املحطة
نستطيع أن نتعلم معنى الحب الحقيقي.
فمن خلال هذا الحب نستطيع أن نتعلم
كيف نحب من حولنا بل كيف نعبر عن
هذا الحب بشكل صحيح. من مظاهر
حب اهل لنبيه أنه قارن بين إحباط أعمال
املسلمين مقابل فقط أن يرفعوا أصواتهم
فوق صوت النبي محمد "يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
لَ تَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ وَلَ
تَْهَرُوا لَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن
تَْبَطَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَ تَشْعُرُونَ - سورة
." الحجرات، الآية ٢
بل إن اهلل عز وجل كان يؤذيه انصراف
الناس عن النبي من أجل التجارة فقال
"وَإِذَا رَأَوْا تَِارَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا انفَضُّوا إِلَيْهَا
وَتَرَكُوكَ قَائِمًا قُلْ مَا عِندَ الَِّل خَيْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهْوِ
وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِ وَالَّلُ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِيَن - سورة
الجمعة، الآية ١١ ". ولم يقل اهلل "وتركوا
الصلاة" لأن النبي ببساطة هو أحب
مخلوقات اهل إليه.
يتمنى الكثير من الناس أن يعيش معاني
الحب يف حياته. وحلم من أحلام الكثير أن
يعيش يف قصص حب مختلفة مع كل من
حوله من أصدقاء وأقارب وأسرة. ولكن يف
حقيقة الأمر كل هذه القصص تفتقد املعنى
الحقيقي للحب. فاملعنى الحقيقي للحب
لا يظهر إلا من خلال بوابة حب اهل وحب
سيدنا النبي صلى اهل عليه وسلم.
لقد ضرب النبي لنا املثل يف حب كل شيء
مما حولنا. فإذا دققنا يف كل قصص الحب
يف الدنيا وعبر التاريخ لم نجد أقوى وأجمل
من قصة حب محمد وخديجة عليهما
السلام. قصة الحب التي جعلت الزوج
الحنون يف فتح مكة حينما سمع صوت
صديقة خديجة، جلس ووضع لها عباءته
وجلس يتذكر معها أيام خديجة فما حال
حبك لزوجتك بعد الزواج؟
PHOTO VIA PIXABAY
The Insider Student
Newspaper ٢ الأدب 14.12.17
إيمان خروشة
Book Corner
صولو - نور عبد المجيد
"جميع مَن أحببناهُم وأحبّونا إما أن نرحَل يوماً عنهم أو هُم عنّا حتماً يرحلون"
أن تقرأ رواية لِتَجِد نفسك قابعاً تُشاهد شخصياتها يَعبرون أمامك واحداً تِلو الآخر، أن جتد نفسك مشدوها بَا يحدث،
وكأنك واحد ضمنهم. كعادة نور عبد املجيد جتبرُ القارئ أن يخوض معها رحلة طويلة مليئة بالألم والبكاء والصدق
والحكمة، ويا لها مِن رحلة. ألسنا نحيا بسبب مَن نُحِب وقد نعتزِل حياتنا بسببهم!
حتكي عن العلاقات الإنسانية يف مُجتمعنا مُبختلف طبقاته، حتكي عن التعلُق والفُقدان وعن سجن أنفُسنا. كلٌ لهُ سِجنه
الخاص وهو الذي وضع نفسه بِه. فهُناك مَن يتخلَص مِن سجنَهُ وهناك مَن يتعايش مَعهُ وكأنه جزءاً منه.
هي رواية كُتِبَت بقلم مِن نور، مُتفردة مِن نوعها وتأسرك بسحرها ومعانيها.
في قلبي أنثى عبرية - خولة حمدي
"أخاف إن نَحن ذُقنا حياة الاستقرار والفراغ أن نفقِدُ هدفنا ونصبح أشخاصاً عاديين، أن نستسلم
لنمط الحياة السهلة"
أجمل ما وجدت هُنا هو تشابك الأحداث وبلاغة اللغة وترابط الشخصيات. هي رواية مِن أرض الواقع. كان من ضِمن
الأفكار التي راودتني أثناء القراءة أن بالفعل يف وطننا العربي ومجتمعنا بالأخص، نجد بعض الناس أفعالهم لا متت
لدينهم بصلة، مسلمين كانوا أو مسيحيّين، نجد املسلم مسلم بالوراثة واملسيحي مسيحي أيضاً بالوراثة. على عكس ما
حدث يف الرواية، أبطال الرواية أسلموا عن اقتناع تام دون ضغط أو ما شابه. لِا لا نشعُر باللذة التي شعرت بها "ندى"
مع بداية إسلامها؟ أنحن أيضا مسلمون بالوراثة؟
تركت تلك الرواية يف نفسي أثراً عميقاً تساؤلات لا حصر لها.
قواعد العِشق الأربعون - إليف شافاق
"لا حتاول أن تقاوم التغييرات التي تعترض سبيلك، بل دع الحياة تعيش فيك. ولا تقلق إذا قلبت
حياتك رأساً على عقب.
فكيف يُكنك أن تعرف أن الجانب الذي اعتدت عليه أفضل من الجانب الذي سيأتي"
تستحق الرواية ما أحدثته مِن صخب خلال الفترة الأخيرة، بل تستحق أكثر مِن ذلك. لَم أقرأ عن الصوفية
مِن قبل ولكن هذه الرواية جذبتني إلى ذلك الاجتاه. هي رواية تدور بين فترتين مِن الزمان؛ القرن الثالث عشر
امليلادي، حيث توضح لنا شخصية "شمس التبريزي" ونمو علاقته مع "جلال الدين الرومي" يف أسلوب مُتع
ورائع.
والأخرى خلال عاميّ ٢٠٠٨ و ٢٠٠٩ حيثُ سيدة تُدعى "إيلا" تقرأُ رواية لشخص يُدعى "عزيز" وتدور روايته
عن تلك الفترة الزمنية الأولى.
تتكون الرواية مِن خمسة فصول؛ الأرض واملاء والريح والنار والعدم.
هي رواية لا ينقصُها شيء، سيمِسُّك قلم الكاتبة، سيطال قلبك ويعتصره، ونحن لا نبحث عن أكثر مِن ذلك يف
عالَمِ القراءة.
سيقرأها كلٌ مَنا مِن منظورهِ الخاص وسيجد كلٌ مِنّا شيئاً مِنه هُنا.
في مدرسة حب النبي
تابعنا
facebook.com/InsiderAUC
insidermasr.com/auc
الخميس ١٤ ديسمرب ٢٠١٧ جريدة مـسـتـقـلة يصدرها طلاب الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة - أسسها شـاهير شـاهين العدد رقم 11
الكفيف أبصرُنا
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تصوير: دانيا عكاوي