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Abbas Atwi Everlasting Friend

peOple OpiniOn
Our President LAU Fees are Too High

year Xiii, vOl. ii, nO. i

TRIBUNE
page 3 page 5 page 6 page 9 The Official STudenT newSpaper aT The lebaneSe american univerSTy

Monday March 12, 2012

TribuneLAU@gmail.com

Students Lament Long Lines During Add-By-Force Period


By Rouba Jaafar

LAU Students Fake Medical Reports


By Zeina Shehayeb LAU Tribune staff
Investigations revealed that many LAU students provide fake medical reports to skip classes or miss exams without facing any consequences. The cost of a fake medical report ranges from 5000 to 30,000 Lebanese pounds depending on the doctor and the location of his/her clinic. Students sometimes get reports for free from physicians they are related to. I surveyed 44 students on the Beirut campus and found that 52 percent of them had submitted fake medical reports at one point. None of these students found the process unethical. Many LAU officials said they are aware of this issue, noting that it has been a problem for many years now. I decided to test the process. I visited a doctors clinic in one of Beiruts suburbs. When I explained to the physician what I was there for, he said he gives medical reports to students but not toemployees. I showed him my student ID to reassure him. He smiled and said his children are also undergraduates at LAU. I coughed while chatting with the doctor and that seemed to inspire him; he wrote in his report that I suffer from flu symptoms, fever, lung problems, and respiratory difficulties. I added that I want to absent myself from the university for the upcoming three days. The report cost me 30,000 Lebanese pounds. The next stage involved the LAU nurse, Joceline Karkour. At her office in Nicols ground floor, she looked at the report and asked for my ID. Karkour wrote down my ID number on the report, stamped and signed it. She inquired about the classes I would miss and photocopied the document in question. In a few minutes, I had the copies in my purse, ready to submit them to instructors. According to the dean of students, Raed Mohsen, the nurse has to stamp all reports but is not necessarily required to investigate them. The instructor decides whether he or she would accept a students medical report, he said. When the nurse stamps it, it means that we have a copy in our file. It does not mean that it is verified or authentic. The professor has the last say. I interviewed the LAU nurse few days after I got my fake report signed. She said that she has no way of checking the authenticity of the documents she receives. There is no solution for this issue since students are smart and I am not with them during their illness so I cant determine whether theyre really sick or not, Karkour said. She added that she has sometimes caught fake reports such as one asking for a week of rest because of diarrhea.
Photo by: Rouba Jaafar

LAU Tribune staff


She sat on the floor, a BlackBerry phone in hand, trying to waste some time before her turn came. Her friend, with a blue ribbon in her hair, chewed her gum annoyingly. A few just stood there, discussing random topics to avoid boredom; courses, professors and what to do on Friday evening. Such scenes occur regularly in many departmental corridors during the add-by-force period. Most students who wished to force in a class after the beginning of the semester waited for several hours. Some even made new friends in the process. I met Yasmine Al-Tayeh, a business student, in the afternoon. I came at 7 a.m. and I waited until 8:30 but it was no use, she said. The security guy came and told students to come back at 2 p.m.. Weve been waiting for half an hour now and are still here. The drop-and-add period this spring started on February 15 and ended on the 20th. Vahid Behmardi, chair of the humanities department, said that he forced around 150 to 200 students into courses everyday during that period. Lines at his department in Nicol Hall were the longest. In most universities where I have been studying and teaching, there was always some waiting involved in matters such as registration, he said.

Behmardi nonetheless explained that the issue could be improved through the use of technology. In some American universities, for example, students sign in their names on a waiting list when the class is full. If a registered student drops, the first person on the list is enrolled automatically. In many of the departments, numbers were given out to students based on the time when they showed up. The measure facilitated the process to a certain extent. Priority during the first days was given to graduating students who had to show their clearance to be able to forceregister. The last day of drop-and-add was open to everybody.

On that day, Hazar Masri, a freshman, came at 11 and left at 1 without adding any course. The chairman left at 1 for a lunch break and I am still waiting. Masri said. They should somehow fix the system. The difficult process made way to manipulation. A student who wished to remain anonymous reported that she talked to the person responsible for handing in numbers, telling him that she would vote for a specific political party if he gave her priority. It worked. The process also created some altercations, especially in the narrow halls of the Fine Arts building.

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CAMPUS NEWS
No Evaluation, No Grade
By Ranim Hadid LAU Tribune staff
As of this spring, online course evaluations will become mandatory. Students will not be able to view their grades without filling out their teacher evaluations at the end of the semester. The news was positively received among many students. You spend the whole semester getting to know a professor in a way that the administration will not understand, Karim Yafi, international business major, said. Without evaluations, no one will know what really goes in a classroom, Yafi continued, emphasizing the role of evaluations as communication channels between students and the administration. Salwa Kobeissi, a computer science major, agrees. Our opinion about teachers is crucial for the administration, she said. Teacher evaluations at LAU were once paper-based and obligatory. In 2009, the university announced that they had become online and optional. The response to evaluations has seen a drastic decline since then. While 90 percent of students filled out the written course evaluations, only 5 to 10 percent take part in the online process. LAU Provost Abdullah Sfeir underlined the importance of students active participation in course evaluations as teachers are never flawless and would always look to improve their performance. The point of all evaluations is for the university to improve its faculty and courses, Sfeir said. Even if there is an excellent teacher, there will always be room for improvement. Evaluations, Sfeir explained, are the main tool LAU uses to know whether its students are satisfied with the services the university provides. Yet 60 percent of LAU students do not believe that completing evaluations would have a significant outcome, a survey of 120 students showed. I dont see the use of evaluations, Nour Diab, a marketing major, said. Its not like the administration will kick out a professor due to negative evaluations. Elias Saad, a mechanical engineering major, agreed. Even if I will fill the evaluation form and say sincerely what I think, I dont believe that my opinion will be taken into consideration, he said. In response, the provost insisted that the administration follows consistently-criticized professors closely. When an evaluation shows that students are angry about a certain course, it raises a red flag and we keep a close watch, Sfeir said. Action is taken when evaluations show consistent and repetitive statistics. Sandra Kansou, architecture major, affirmed that the administration needs to pair up its decision to make the online course evaluations mandatory with a careful consideration of LAU students verdicts. I think if they want the evaluation forms to be mandatory, then the university needs to take the students opinion into consideration, or it will otherwise be a useless new law, Kansou said. While some worry that making course evaluations mandatory would mean that students may fill them out carelessly, Sfeir said that the administration can easily distinguish between the evaluations that are completed seriously and those filled out hastily. We will know that there is a problem in the course when there is consistence, Sfeir said. When reviewing evaluations, we know which ones are completed carelessly.

Tribune

March 12, 2012

Elections Are Back


By Carla Hazarian LAU Tribune staff
After their indefinite postponement last semester, student elections at LAU will be held March 30, the administration announced in a collective email. Students interested in running can submit their applications starting March 19. Students will get to experience democracy at work, Raed Mohsen, the dean of students, explained. Candidates have the chance to practice their campaigning and persuasive skills, while voters experience evaluating and deciding on the candidates agenda and platform. Elections were originally planned in January this year, but due to the political tensions on campus and the concern for the safety of LAU students, voting was postponed. Clashes between March 8 and March 14 supporters broke out both in Beirut and Byblos, leaving several students injured. They reflected the growing tensions dividing Lebanons major political clans today. All candidates who initially ran for the November 2011 elections may enter the contest now and so can new eligible contenders who meet the requirements. All students interested in running for councils must have at least 15 credit hours on their transcripts and a minimum GPA of 2.75. They also must attend the mandatory workshop on student elections and student governance. Its no secret that LAUs student elections were often influenced by the countrys politics. Lebanese politics influence any election in Lebanon, at a high school or university level, or in any union or syndicate, Mohsen said. At LAU, the vast majority of students, including some politically-oriented students, see no room for Lebanese politics in student elections. But there is a minority of politically affiliated students who would like to form alliances among political factions, to prove that they exist on college campuses. A poll on the LAU Tribune website asked students what they thought about the postponement of student elections. Around 49 percent said its a great idea because politics suck while 42.5 percent said that its wrong because elections are important and another 8.5 percent expressed their indifference.

Arab Women Fight for Their Spring


By Mayya Al Ogaily LAU Tribune staff
Held in celebration of the International Womens Day, a seminar featuring major female players in the recent Arab uprisings inspired the LAU community. Organized by the Institute for Women Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW), the meeting took place at LAUs Irwin Hall on March 5. The main guests, who played a momentous role in the Arab Spring, were Hanaa Alsayaghi from Yemen, Asmaa Mahfouz from Egypt and the well-known feminist and journalist Mona Al Tehawi. The three women talked about their personal experiences as they defied authoritarian powers in their respective countries. The slogans calling for freedom, democracy and change would be incomplete and meaningless without the womans involvement in them, Anita Nassar, IWSAWs assistant director, said in her opening speech. Joseph Jabbra, the president of LAU, also gave a speech, where he argued that womens contribution to history is not new. A lot has been accomplished, but we still have a lot to achieve, Jabbra said. Alsayaghi, Mahfouz and Al Tehawi recounted how proregime citizens tried to ruin their reputation in a bid to silence them. Because the Military Council with all its armors realized that a woman by herself is stronger than they are, stronger than their corruption, they fought her in all ways they could think of, including the dirty ways, Alsayaghi explained. Were still fighting though, and were still going to. The three women also discussed the way Social Media helped them get their messages out to the world. When I was captured and beaten up by the Egyptian police, and got the chance to use the cellphone, I tweeted what was going on and it helped me inform more people than a phone call would have, Al Tehawi said. IWSAW director Dima Dabbous-Sensenig affirmed that female participation in political events has always been there but that it was the lack of international recognition that cast a shadow on the role women played. Al Arabia channel reporter Alia Ibrahim presented a video which included a collection of interviews with women around the Arab World -most of which took part in the recent uprisings.

SPORTS
By Zahi Sahli LAU Tribune staff
Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassans performance on his competitive debut may have not been very convincing, but fans must stand behind him instead of showering him with abuse. Many fans jeered Hassan for his blunder in Lebanons 4-2 defeat against United Arab Emirates, while some players sounded their disappointment with his performance, doubting his ability to remain as manager Theo Bckers first-choice keeper. But fans seemed to forget that even the most important goalkeepers make mistakes. Respectable keepers such as Edwin van der Sar, Victor Valdes, Dida and Fabien Barthez have each and on many occasions committed game-changing gaffes. And having come from Sweden where he plays for Allsvenskan (Swedens top division) club, Norrkping, Hassan underwent tremendous pressure to put in a reliable performance between the sticks. Although the national team sealed qualification, some fans did not handle the loss well, and therefore did not celebrate with the players after the game ended. Since the national team made it through, fans should have applauded the players and given them the confidence they will need as they prepare for some difficult encounters. Influenced by LBC commentator Joseph Abi Chahines utopic comments that Lebanon would beat Brazil, a portion of Lebanese believed that their team is a favorite ahead of the clash with UAE. However, a fact that slipped their minds is that the Emiratis had scored six goals against Lebanon just before the qualifiers startednot to mention that they have been investing for decades in football. Both believing that the national team had suddenly transformed into an international giant overnight, and not having sufficient sportsmanship to applaud the players for their noble efforts at the end of the game comes to show, once again, how hopeless it is to inject life in our veins, and how we miss the point of international foot-

March 12, 2012

Tribune

Give Abbas Hassan a Break and Expect the Doable


ball: patriotism (may it rest in peace). The patriotic citizens did not care to stand behind the players of the national team when they lost nor did they care to watch them before their fantastic run of form. When the players achieved the historic feat of beating South Korea, some groundlessly and hastily concluded that the team should win on every occasion. After a defeat that changed nothing in the blissful outcome, fans pointed their fingers at their own players, at the coach, at the goalkeeper. But, shouldnt the Lebanese applaud their national team regardless of the final result? What the national team has accomplished is, by all standards, a miracle. Neither the financing nor the preparations are adequate for a team that wants to play at the World Cup. Though the players have shown their talents, there is still a wide gap between the value of Lebanese teams and that of others. Modern football needs years of preparation. We cant go to bed with the national team in terrible circumstances and believe that the next day well be the odds-favorites ahead of a game with continental heavyweights like Japan and Australia, or with oil-rich gulf countries, who have invested huge sums of money for decades. The way we have dealt with the snowstorm shows that planning is not something that we do specifically well in this country. And if the national teams goal is to improve its status, the federation should assemble a long-term plan. Only then, can we begin to demand or even expect to reach a major regional or international tournament. Beating South Korea was a great achievement, but we must not let our inconceivable dreams take us away from the following reality: we are a small footballing nation. Working for six months does not erase decades of negligence. Our stadiums lack top-notch facilities, our players are underpaid, our local coaches do not acquire any standard training before they start working with youngsters, and the youth academies are as professional as anything within the 10,542 km2. Only a madman (almost any Lebanese citizen would fit the bill) would be demanding that the national team reaches the 2014 World Cup. Although we do have a chance to compete against all sides, we should really be hoping for decent performances rather than beating more prepared teams. The ten teams who have made it to the third and final round are: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Lebanon. Put the emerging Omani team aside, all the mentioned national teams have impressive records in major international tournaments. For now, its good to see that the Lebanese were momentarily unified to watch a game of football when shortage in electricity and water and the ambiguity of the political future of the region failed to bring a Lebanese crowd together. God bless the Lebanese mentality.

Abbas Atwi Speaks to the Tribune


By Rouba Jaafar LAU Tribune staff
1-What are your impressions about the match against the United Arab Emirates? Although we qualified to the next round, I was disappointed after we failed to come back from the Emirates with a positive result even if it was a draw to please the crowd that came with us. There were a lot of mistakes but Im happy that defeat came now rather than later a lesson for us. 2-In what area did the team fall short? We should have entered the game with more concentration. I think the overall atmosphere, including the medias intensive coverage at the hotel and the presence of political figures, had a negative impact and put a lot of pressure on us. 3-Are you with those who said that goalkeeper Abbas Hassan was responsible for the defeat? No, we are a team and we should all be held responsible and we will hopefully avoid the mistakes that we made in the next round. I would have liked, though, to keep the same goal player throughout. 4-What is the difference in your opinion between Abbas Hassan and Ziad El Samad? They are both good, qualified players. The only difference between them is that Ziad had been with us from the beginning so he was more used to the overall rhythm and ambiance. 5-What do you think should improve in the national teams game? The training camps, friendly matches and the media should decrease the pressure it puts on the players. The pressure that was piled on us before the match against Emirates was wrong, in my opinion, and it had a negative effect on the team. 6-How much will Lebanon be prepared for the next round and can Lebanon qualify for the World Cup? Qualifying for the World Cup is difficult but not impossible. The problem is that the period during which the team will meet up before the 1st and 2nd games will be very short. But hopefully, we can overcome these difficulties and start the qualifiers with a win because our first game will be at home.

CAMPUS LIFE
By Aseel Baidoun LAU Tribune staff
Like many women living alone, the 65 girls who reside at the LAU dormitories are often cast into one category too liberal. It makes sense, because most girls live in tight constraints with their families and, as soon as they have the chance to live alone, they lose their self-control, and they will cross their boundaries, Tarek Kassem, a mechanical engineer student, said sarcastically. Ive lived in the dorms since 2008, and I made many friends. Except for one or two young women, none of the girls crosses the boundaries Kassem refers to. True. Minor things change when youre alone. Personally, I used to wait for my parents to go to sleep to smoke a cigarette on the balcony while here I can smoke whenever I want. But whatever I do here, I can do there. Living alone is not the determining factor behind my actions. Sabreen Zaben, a sociologist, believes the reason behind the stereotype is societys conception of women as inferior beings in constant need of a male protection (father, husband) hence the emphasis on their reputation. Ali Jammoul, LAU dorm student and human right activist, agrees. The foundation of our traditional families is based on the superiority of men, with fathers being the bread winners, he said. This structure creates a fear that, one day, women will become superior. Some of the interviews I made seemed to reflect this fear. Girls should never get complete freedom. They will certainly abuse it in a way or another, Jihad Akel, an engineering graduate, said. According to Zaben, it all depends on the values of the family in question and the gender relations within this nucleus. The sociologist believes that if such a relationship was built on respect, trust and freedom, then the girl will most probably succeed in living alone. She will make the right decisions and draw her own boundaries. I dont think that all girls in the dorms have a bad reputation, Ahmad Shehade, a business graduate, said. Only the girls who have the tendency to lose self-control will be noticed when they receive complete freedom. Mira Daher is an LAU dorm student. A typical day in her

Tribune

March 12, 2012

Dormitory Girls Portrayed As Too Liberal


Photo by Aseel Baidoun

life starts at 9 a.m. when she goes to class. During most of the week, she is done around 4 p.m. and returns to the dorms to have lunch. Refreshed, she heads to her office at a local NGO. Daher goes out with her friends twice a week to a caf or a friends house and she returns to her parents home during the weekends. I have created my own rules and lifestyle to make sure I head toward a successful future, Daher said. Girl dormitories at the American University of Beirut and at LAU are over 60 years old and yet, many are still hesitant to have their daughters live there. Research shows that the most uncharitable parties

toward independent women are women themselves. Women accuse independent females of having a bad reputation to release the rage within them, due to their oppression, Jammoul said. Even some of the young women themselves seem to accept this stereotype. I think we cannot compare males who live alone to the girls who do, Alia Al Khatib, a business student, said. Men are different from women in the eyes of this society, and we cannot change that. Razan El Ghoussaini, a public administration AUB graduate, agrees. Young girls who live alone are vulnerable to all kinds of temptations and I think girls need to be protected by their families

boundaries, she said. But Haneen Shabshoul, an LAU dorm resident, strongly disagrees. Females should have complete freedom, because it is their natural right, and only complete freedom will help them develop a sense of responsibility and maturity, she said. Shabshouls lifestyle is somehow similar to Dahers; she spends her weekdays on campus studying and sometimes goes out to a restaurant or to the movies during the weekend. It is a shame that educated students still make stereotypical generalizations, Shabshoul said. It hurts me to know that I may have a bad reputation just because I am strong enough to live alone.

Vox Pop: Thoughts About Evaluations Being Mandatory?

Layan Sherri 23-year-old graphic design student I am totally against online evaluations. I think it was better before when it was up to the students whether they want to do it or not.

Hatem Halawi 18-year-old business student I think it is a good idea that they are mandatory because this would benefit students and the university in the long run.

Mirna El Mokdad 19-year-old nutrition student I think that the online evaluations are absolutely pointless. Anyway every time I do the evaluations I do them off hand.

Jad Atoui 20-year-old industrial engineering student I think that is it better this way now that they are mandatory. It is of course better for the students to get their opinion heard.

Malak Takkoush 18-year-old banking and finance student I think that the evaluations are useless. They may not reflect the students real opinion because the latter are forced to fill them out.

Favoring Lebanese Professors Over Foreign


By Iman Soufan LAU Tribune staff
An hour before registration begins, Ahmed Itani, an accounting junior, impatiently waits in front of his laptop screen to choose his courses. He is eager to find out the prospective professors teaching the classes he intends to enroll in this semester. Of course I look at whos teaching the course, Itani said. It makes a big difference to know which teacher I will take it with. I hate TBA courses. Itani said he may reconsider taking a course if a foreign professor is teaching it. Many students at LAU tend to favor Arab or Lebanese professors over their foreign counterparts mainly because they are able to communicate with them in Arabic. I feel more comfortable with Arab teachers. When I need to speak in Arabic, I can, Mohamed Hammoud, a marketing senior, said. In some cases where students find it difficult to understand course material, professors can also resort to Arabic to explain the concepts further. I like to take courses with Arab professors because they sometimes explain in Arabic so its easier for me, Itani continued. I feel like Arab professors are more easy going. By fall 2010, the Lebanese full-time faculty at LAU made up 51.65 percent of the universitys teaching staff. Non-Lebanese, on the other hand, comprised a mere 13.58 percent. The remaining 34.77 percent were of dual nationality. For some students, foreign instructors may be more severe than their Lebanese and Arab counterparts. But Brian Prescott, an humanities and English instructor, disagrees. The only difference between foreign and Lebanese professors is that they are able speak Arabic, he said. Students have a misconception that foreign teachers are more strict than Lebanese ones. In some cases, it is merely a question of vocabulary and pronounciation. I prefer to take a class with a Lebanese professor because the way they speak is similar to mine, Nour Daher, a finance junior, said. Sometimes the foreign professor uses vocabulary that is too developed, Daher contined. A study conducted by the University of California, Davis, examines the communication-related differences among students and international professors. It demonstrates that students who misunderstand an instructors accent tend to have a lower understanding of the lesson in question and often evaluate the lecturers performance more negatively. Researchers called this phenomenon accent bias. This study suggests a more profound socio-cultural dynamic behind the so-called attachment to Lebanese and Arab teachers at LAU. Jean Marc Abcarius, design studio professor, gives one example. Many students have the tendency to satisfy wishes of their professor without questioning anything, they dont have the tradition of questioning, he said. After teaching in Berlin for years, I can say that its a question of education. They are not aware of their individuality as much as Europeans are. Exceptions, of course, do exist. Some students at LAU intentionally choose courses taught by foreign professors. I like to take classes with professors of varied nationalities, Layal Ghosn, an international business junior, said. I want to expose myself to professors with different cultures but foreigners are a minority at LAU so thats not always feasible. Ruba Abu Shanab, interior design senior, also doesnt mind taking courses with foreign professors. It all depends on the teacher, she said. Nationality doesnt affect teaching techniques. It all falls down to the teacher him- or herself, nothing else.

CAMPUS LIFE

March 12, 2012

Tribune

Who Is Your Everlasting Friend?


By Caroline Feghaly LAU Tribune staff
Sumayah and I became practically sisters eight years ago, in seventh grade. We graduated from high school together, and we got into LAU together. We were, and still are, inseparable. People who know us refer to us as a pea split into two. At school, we got into trouble together and found our way out together. We always had never-ending stories to tell to each other. Teachers placed us in different corners of the classroom so we wont engage in conversations and disrupt the class. Many people meet their best friends in college, some at work, but the friends they meet at school often remain ones lifetime companions. As people grow older, they become pickier about who their friends will be. Mazen Saad Al-Din, a 20-year-old communication arts student, meets up with his high school friends around three times a week. They are the friends that last forever, he said. Eventhough we study at different universities, and we are majoring in different fields, we still share the same views. Saad Al-Din pointed out that one spends almost 16 or 17 years with school friends but only a couple with university classmates. Sumayah and I made lots of friends at LAU. We introduced them to each other, increasing the number of our mutual aquaintances. But this only drew us closer to each other. Because we are in different majors, we try to take common elective courses. Raed Mohsen, Ph.D. in interpersonal and public communication, said that he is still in contact with both his high school and university friends. He explained that, unlike those in the United States, schools in Lebanon include all academic levels from kindergarden to high school, which means that you get into high school with the students you grew up with. Although university friends are chosen on a more mature basis, you wont get the same satisfaction you do with a person youve known for several years from school, Mohsen said. However, it doesnt mean that university friendships cannot evolve to be as strong as high school friendships, Mohsen added. I conducted a survey of 60 people including undergraduates and graduates and found that 65 percent preferred high school friends, while 35 percent found their best friends at the university. Rola Rizk, a 2009 LAU alumna, believes that friends you make at the university are the most durable. When you grow older, you become more mature, making better decisions as you choose the right friends, she said. Nancy Doueik, a 2006 alumna, disagrees. At LAU, she didnt find friends she could relate to. She said she used to leave campus right after her classes. Doueik still goes out with her high school friends. One night, I was very upset about a family issue and couldnt fall asleep. Sumayah called me at 4 a.m. because she intuitively felt that I was upset. She remained on the phone trying to solve my problem, until 7 a.m.. It was of great help. Nour Al-Hariri, 18-yearold interior design student, doesnt trust the friends she meets in college as much as her high school ones. We have been raised together, she said. I know their characters and the way to deal with them without problems. Ezzedin Ksaibati, 22-yearold marketing student, made most of his friends at LAU mostly because he moved a lot when in high school. Ksaibati trusts his friends at LAU. He says that his companions will still be around him when he graduates because he is moving to Dubai where they all live and work. What makes Sumayah and I stick together and protect one another is that we both have no siblings. We just have each other. At school, the average time I spent with Sumayah was seven hours daily. And when we both got home, we spent our time on the phone doing our homework together. Marwa Shoukair, 21-yearold education major, understands what I am talking about. I lived with my high school friends the most confusing years of my life; my adolescence. We got through it together, she said.

Our President Behind the Scenes


By Lyn Abu-Seraj LAU Tribune staff
As I waited outside his office, my hands sweated and my heart raced. It was the first time I met the LAU president in person. But before I got the chance to gather my thoughts, his door opened and he welcomed me in with delight. His office is organized, well prepared to welcome students, professors and staff members. As I sat across the table from Joseph G.Jabbra, PhD, I could not help but notice the little pastries on the table. His office was not like that of austere school principals. It features plenty of space for visitors, whether they be students or faculty, to relax. The atmosphere of the room is friendly and warm. The conversation soon started, focused on dreams, accomplishments and success. Comfortable in his suit and tie, Jabbra told me about his early life. Born and raised in Ferzol, Bicountry, the country that gave me the best gift in life, which was to be born and raised here, the LAU president said. I could see Jabbra as a patriotic man whose dream is furthering higher education in Lebanon. Jabbra always aspired to be a university professor but he was only able to teach for two years as a full-timer. Today, he offers a seminar on the Byblos campus on globalization and evolution. Jabbra is the author, co-author, and co-editor of 12 books. He has also published over 33 articles and chapters in books and scholarly journals. As the head of LAU, Jabbra doesnt underestimate the importance of every faculty, staff member and administrative officer working for this institution. He believes that making it to the top requires building a strong foundation. Without everybodys contribution, he said, you will fall apart. I am a very humble leader, power does not go through my head, Jabbra continued. His ambition as the LAU president is fostering academic excellence and a better student life. Jabbra knows that achieving such objectives requires commitment, time, effort and a sense of responsibility. He works ceaselessly to promote the university. Even at social events, I would be working because I am always representing LAU as an institution, Jabbra explained. So my work is never done. Time flew by and our conversation came to an end. Right before I left, Jabbra gave me a final advice. I encourage you to dream and try to achieve what you want in life, he said. You need to give your own meaning to life. If you dont then you will lead an empty life.
Photo courtesy of Joseph G.Jabbra

PEOPLE

Tribune

March 12, 2012

qaa, the LAU president attended French school then went to Saint Joseph University, where he completed his degree in law. When he moved to the United States to continue his studies, he didnt know a word of English. Since my family was divided between the United States and Lebanon, everyone wanted me to get a degree from the US, Jabbra explained. Jabbra has been LAUs

president since 2004. Between 1990 and 2004, he was academic vice president at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Before his tenure in California, the LAU president also served in an academic insitution; he was vice president of academics and research at St Marys University in Nova Scotia, Canada. By 2004, Jabbra was ready to come back home. I always had at the back of my mind a longing to come back to my

Miss Lebanon 2011 Studies at LAU


By Mohamad Al-Oraybi LAU Tribune staff
Walking around campus, Yara Khoury-Mikhael blushes when she hears students whispering her name. Around 1.80 meters tall but nevertheless down to earth, Khoury-Mikhael wears a casual outfit and little make-up to university. Always smiling, she spends most of her time in the studio working on videos or in the theatre working on plays. Crowned Miss Lebanon on Sunday July 10, 2011, Khoury-Michael found her life completely changed overnight. She wore a purple dress designed by Reem Acra the night she was crowned. LAU students crossed their fingers and felt their hearts racing moments before the new queen was selected. I literally closed my eyes and prayed that Yara would be crowned that night, Dima Jammal, a communication arts graduate, said. Pursuing her BA in communication arts, our 20-year-old beauty queen has her studies at the top of her priority list. No matter what a persons obligations in life are, education must always be a priority, she said. Always raising questions, Khoury-Mikhaels eyes shine with a thirst for knowledge. She is the type of person who turns a conversation into a debate, always presenting her opinion and backing it up with books she has read. I believe that knowledge is power. A person must always read and continuously educate himself, she said. Passionate about childrens charities since high school, Khoury-Mikhael was now able to help the organizations she worked for in more significant ways. My new title gave me a platform to do things, I was able to attract media attention to all the charity events I attended and that was great for the kids, she said. Becoming a public figure only one year after graduating from high school, KhouryMikhael sees it as both a blessing and a curse. Its not easy being a public figure, she said. I dont enjoy the attention it brings me but I love being able to approach people, charity organizations and evolve on a personal level. Hoping that most people dont recognize her, Khoury-Mikhael enjoys herself around friends at LAU, laughing out loud. The young beauty queen represented Lebanon in the Miss World and Miss Universe 2011 pageants. She had goose bumps when she wore her Lebanon sash backstage. When I looked in the mirror and found myself representing my country, tears came to my eyes, she said. I felt like an ambassador for my country and Lebanese women which was an honor I will always cherish. She did not bring home the title, but she worked on leaving an impression of what Lebanon is really like, especially among other contestants. My mission in Miss World was not to win but to explain to the girls and show the world that Lebanon is a country of beautiful people, culture and lifestyle, KhouryMikhael said. A well-travelled young woman, the beauty queen speaks basic Spanish and is fluent in Arabic, French and English. She spends most of her summers in Europe and the United States, enjoys learning about new cultures and visiting historical monuments around the world. Every travel is an adventure for me, she said. Ever since I was a child, I was eager to learn about different cultures and lifestyles. I wanted to take what is best out of it and bring it back with me to my country, Lebanon.

ARTS & CULTURE


Lebanese Designs Straight to Your Doorstep
By Natalia Elmani LAU Tribune staff
Just a click away resides one of Lebanons newest additions to promote the booming fashion industry here and abroad. Beirutdesigners. com serves as a median between designers and buyers, a concept that allows anyone to order various pieces from Lebanese designers, without having to dig through racks of clothes to find a special outfit. The managers of Beirutdesigners.com have sought all possible routes to ensure that their idea reaches as many people as possible. Their marketing strategy has allowed the websites popularity to grow rapidly and steadily. Cylia Dorra and Noor Chehabeddine are the people behind the idea, which they say came from their conversations about overpriced items in a number of boutiques in Beirut. Shops take a big share of the revenue the designers items The approach of Beirutdesigners.com offers Lebanese designers the necessary publicity to market their products internationally. However, the website makes sure that the products are not overpriced and retrieves just 30 percent from the original price of items. A clothing line present on the website is NC, which was designed by the websites cocreator Noor Chehabeddine. It consists of clutches and bags. Chehabeddine is one of the eight designers presenting their collections of varied pieces on the website. With designer names from House of Paisley to Missak HajiAvedikian, from Flowered Capes to Skull Necklaces, beirutdesigners.com serves as an outlet for those who desire unique pieces. The website is divided into easy-to-use tabs, splitting up the categories from clothing to fine jewelry, and clearly classifying the different designers. Sarah Osseiran, a management major, is making the best out of shopping through Beirutdesigners. com. I recently found out about the website from friends and I love the idea, Osseiran said. I can order funky Lebanese items and have them delivered to me and I get to know about new designers that havent come out in the boutiques here yet. The idea gives a boost to new designers as they attempt to make their mark on the market. We also work as agents, Dorra said. We have this woman who has a store in Africa who buys in big quantities. She called us, we proposed to her the designers we have online and she picked what she wanted. With cases such as these, customers in a number of different countries can configure their order and decipher the pricing of their area with
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March 12 , 2012

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generate. For this reason, establishing Beirutdesigners. com helps small designers grow, according to Dorra. For small designers, its pretty hard to be known outside of Lebanon and some shops are taking a big percentage 60 percent of everything they sell, Dorra said. Doing this will be helpful for them. Dorra, who was born in Paris and raised in Riyadh, has witnessed first-hand the popularity of Lebanese designs abroad.

a zone table that also spreads out the cost of shipping. Our aim is not to sell the designer but to make everyone around the world notice how talented and inspired Lebanese people can be, the website says. We truly believe in all of these creators/designers and also think that they need and deserve the chance to become internationallyknown and this can now happen, thanks to our website. The pieces truly symbolize what some may classify as traditional Lebanese designs. Items include MashAllah cuffs, personalized Arabic name necklaces and Kaff chains. Beirutdesigners.com ships to 106 countries and grants free delivery service within Lebanon. Hence, almost all around the world, people can gain access to up-and-coming local designers. I hope Lebanese designers become known, Dorra said. I hope all of them do.

Beirut Hotel Sparks Controversy


By Assaad Hawa LAU Tribune staff
Dont forget... Im Lebanese! If you cheat on me, I kill you, the female lead says in one of her scenes in Beirut Hotel. People did not get the chance to watch Danielle Arbids third movie, Beirut Hotel, in Lebanese theatres for the film was banned by Lebanese authorities. Beirut Hotel has been proscribed because it mentions the assassination of exPrime Minister Rafik Hariri, a General Security source told The Daily Star. Arbids screenplay was initially approved but the final outcome did not match her original script. I want Beirut Hotel in Beirut cinemas! And Ill battle for it, Danielle Arbid Films posted on Facebook. Protests on- and offline called for the release of the movie apparently with success. For reasons undeclared by authorities, the film is now on the showing soon list and should be released shortly in Lebanese theaters. The plot of Beirut Hotel revolves around a married singer, Zoha, and a French lawyer, Mathieu, who meet at a night club in Beirut. The French man becomes a socalled spy, while the lovestruck young woman tries to flee her husband. Beirut Hotel, a 99-minute film, is written and directed by Danielle Arbid. The cinematography is by Pierric Gantelmi dIlle. The movie was filmed in Lebanon. The main cast includes Darine Hamze as Zoha, Rodney El Haddad as Hicham, Charles Berling as Mathieu, Karl Sarafidis as Rabih and Fadi Abi Samra as Abbas.Although the movie was banned in Lebanon, it saw the light in film festivals abroad. No way! How can they ban a great movie such as Beirut Hotel, just because the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri? Fayez AbouKhater, a film senior at the Acadmie Libanaise des Beaux Arts, said. Rumors spread online charging that the film was banned for the sexually explicit scenes it features. For older people, sex scenes are such a taboo, but for us, its a normal thing, Elie Aramouni, a business management senior at the American University of Science and Technology, said.
Photo via Facebook

Presenting the Science Page The Origins of Happiness


Mirvat El-Sibai LAU Tribune editor
I still remember reading into biology books and getting very enticed and challenged whenever I would reach the end of a section describing an unknown function of a protein or a gene. I remember the way I used to eat up pathways and go through them in my head like reciting poetry. I remember walking to the lab everyday going through the hospital, passing by hopeful faces on little shaved heads and I remember the vow we took to keep working and to make a difference. Science was our salt and bread. It was what we lived for, our passion. Personally, I believed in funding for humans sake. I cared about science for human well-being. Building on that ideology, I will always advocate, at least in this little space, for knowledge relevant to the well-being of humanity. In this space, we will update you on stem cell research and cloning and therapeutics for cancer and other diseases. We will do our best to relay the information with novelty of topics and integrity of sources. Dear readers, I give you the LAU Tribune science page. Mirvat El-Sibai, PhD, is an assistant professor of biology at LAU.

MEDIA & SCIENCE


By Anita Nasrallah LAU Tribune contributor
People searching for happiness may be surprised to know that, from a biological perspective, this muchsought state is nothing but a gene the happiness gene, also known as the 5-HTT gene. It is responsible for the movement of serotonin, or 5-HT, in the brain. Throughout the ages, many intellectuals, including psychologists, physiologists and sociologists investigated this mysterious mechanism. The renowned psychologist and author of The Pursuit of Happiness, David Myers, found through research that happiness is not affected by gender or age. He also

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March 12, 2012

showed that, above a certain level of poverty, happiness becomes independent of an individuals economic status. So money doesnt buy happiness, after all. Many hypotheses about happiness were presented before researchers from the London School of Economics reported in the Journal of Human Genetics a direct link between an individuals happiness and serotonin levels. The chemical is a living energy molecule that delays gratification. When serotonin levels are low, it leads to failure and difficulty controlling impulses, which then creates feelings of pessimism, low

self esteem, excessive worry, obsession, chronic pain, etc. Some of the ways that help boost serotonin levels in our body are sunlight, massages, remembering happy events, exercise and a healthy diet. The 5-HTT gene codes for serotonin transporters within our neurons. It has an allele, which can be found as either short or long. In brief, the long allele is the better copy of the gene. Of course, one must always keep in mind that our wellbeing is not just determined by this one gene. Other genes as well as our environment and life experience play a major role in our well-being.

Bobolink: Social Media to the Stars


By Yasmine Sarhi LAU Tribune staff
We were seated on the balcony of his office, a quaint boutique-style studio located right above Chilis on the main Gemmayzeh Street. It was about 5:15 p.m., the weather was pleasantly cool and the sun was taking its leave for the day. Labib Choufani, founder of Bobolink and an LAU communication arts graduate, had just been in England the day before I interviewed him. I was at Bobolinks London office, he said. According to the companys web site, Bobolink personalize[s] a four-phase Digital Marketing plan (planning, creating, actualizing, evaluating) to guarantee the attainment of your list of corporate goals, at the top of which are excellent reputation and profit. What makes it different from other Social Media companies? According to Choufani, it works on a more personal level with its clients because, at Bobolink, people attend to and advise clients in ways that fit their personal criteria. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Blogger are some of the Social Media channels that the company employs. This manner of online marketing is just one of the companys services. I could hardly contain my admiration for Choufani, who also happens to be an old friend I met earlier at LAU. Regardless of the success he had achieved as the founder of Bobolink, he is still the down-to-earth and wildly humorous individual I always knew. I dont like titles. I prefer to give credit for what people do, not the title they have, Choufani explained. The idea of online Social Media and public relations was suggested to Choufani by make-up artist (and friend) Hala Ajam. We met at Haifas music video shoot for her song Hassa Ma Bena Fi Haga. She was the makeup artist on set and I was working in the art department, Choufani recalled. One thing led to another, and soon after, Bobolink came to life. Today, Mona Abou Hamze, Bassam Fattouh, Fady Kataya, Hala Ajam and Haifa Wehbe are only some of the major clients that the company successfully represents. Working with Bobolink is very rewarding, Al Murr TV presenter Mona Abou Hamze said. In addition to being very professional, Labib Choufani manages a company that is devoted to what it does and to the people it deals with. As further clarified on the site, online marketing is Bobolinks most customizable service because it varies depending on the level of visibility desired, and the amount of dynamic content to be updated. Todays trend of public relations, marketing and social networking is quickly changing from word-of-mouth to word-ofsite that is to say, online communication via Social Media websites. Working people are constantly on-the-go and this generations career men and women are depending on the Internet for their latest feeds and updates on the news, their favorite media figures, magazines, singers, artists, designers and so on. This is where a company like Bobolink is useful. My dearest Labib and the Bobolink team are professionals, and its good to work with people who understand Social Media and its important role for celebrity business, Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe said. The second stage in the companys services is website creation which Bobolink refers to as establishing and maintaining an online identity for your business. Third, the expertise of graphic design enters the package whereby the company merges the unique talents, creative imaginations of the staff to produce a modern and personalized design that serves the clients objective. Last but not least, clients are given the opportunity to build professional portfolios whereby photo shoot concepts and themes are provided according to their personal preferences. Among the clients that use Bobolink are Lebanese makeup artists Bassam Fattouh, Fady Kataya and Hala Ajam. Bobolink combined their unique talents of makeup artistry to come up with an online campaign that promotes the art of natural beauty in the makeup industry. The online campaign, Together for Natural Beauty, took the Social Media world by storm and is currently being promoted on Facebook, Twitter and other similar online venues. We always need people like Labib and his professional team of workers at Bobolink; young, ambitious and creative, Ajam said. He came up with an amazing idea like Together for Natural Beauty that brought us together to give back to society.

March 12, 2012

OPINION
When I look at my country Lebanon and find that the population below the poverty line is nearly 30 percent, and the unemployment rate is high, I realize that Lebanese peoples basic needs are neglected, I ask myself, when are we ever going to wake up? When I say basic needs I am talking about shelters that are collapsing, poisonous food and our well-being that is jeopardized due to air, water and sound pollution. Not to mention the abundance of other problems that endanger the rights and integrity of the Lebanese such as bribery, nepotism, favoritism, embezzlement, patronage, and vote-buying. Basically, lives are at stake here. Unfortunately, these complaints are very common. You can rarely pass a day without hearing the same symphony of people giving up on the countrys corrupted system. But the symphony suddenly mutes when political leaders call for a new demonstration to prove their massive existence. At that moment, Lebanese people brace themselves and become ready to raise their voice against opposing groups of the same corrupted system. From this point, I would like to compare Lebanese peoples mentality to that of children.. A very young child cannot understand anyones perspective except his or her own. This is what Jean Piaget, Swiss child psychologist and philosopher, explained when talking about the egocentrism of young children. Children believe that everybody around them must have emotions, thoughts and experiences similar to their own. The childish notion that ones own perspective is objective and absolute is similar to the viewpoint of a large amount of politically-fanatic Lebanese. Those people who advocate

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Note: The LAU Tribune is not responsible for the opinions expressed on this page.

Lebanese People: Grow Up!


By Layan Doueik LAU Tribune staff
specific parties believe that their point-of-view is absolute. They cannot tolerate anybody who does not share their emotions and thoughts. Supporters of both major opposing groups in Lebanon seem to have their own perspective of the countrys welfare. They both speak what they see through their own subjective lens and disregard other perspectives. Thus, radical views is dragging Lebanon in two opposite directions, leading to a further corrupted system. Joseph El-Khoury, a consultant psychiatrist, explained the psychoanalytical theory of child development which hypothesizes that very young children cannot conceive good and bad co-existing in one entity or person. In childrens eyes, the external world is clearly split between good and bad. So what is good for the child cannot in other circumstances be bad for him or her, ElKhoury said, explaining that young children think their parents will always be good to them and are incapable of harm. Thus, parents are trusted without question. Maturing politically, ElKhoury continued, is also about distinguishing the good and the bad in political leaders and making choices independently of the party supporting the person. Lebanese voters sanctify their leaders and place them on a pedestal beyond the reach of rational questioning, El-Khoury said. Just like infants view their parents. When children dislike a person, they form a bad image and metaphorically call him or her a beast. Eventually, they do not accept any good action or idea coming from that particular person. Similarly, Lebanese followers have formed a distorted image of the opposing leaders and do not accept any plan from them, no matter how good and effective it may be. Fortunately, kids do grow mentally through time and gradually identify that a person or an entity may succumb to both bad and good behavior, depending on the situation. They slowly minimize their egocentrism and ask countless questions regarding their surroundings to acquire a clearer image. This progress does not seem to apply to the Lebanese as the same mentality is passed on through generations. Moreover, when children sense a danger to their basic needs such as food, shelter and well-being, they immediately protest in their own way. They cry and shout until their needs are met. Unfortunately, danger is knocking on Lebanese peoples door but no one is ready to answer. I believe it is time to wake up and eradicate our egocentrism. It is time to widen our lens and seek what is better, if not for us, then at least for the upcoming generations.

Dont Let Technology Fool You


By Francesco Laurenzi LAU Tribune staff
Technology constantly undergoes rapid and ongoing development, that the mobile phones, laptops and gadgets we purchase for our personal and professional needs are soon replaced by the newer and updated versions. Such changes sometimes occur in just a few months. The nature of technology we are subject to becomes quite annoying when you find our current pieces of technology soon replaced on the market by newer models advertised as better, faster and more appealing. I believe we should be asking ourselves a few questions: How much am I personally gaining and benefiting? Am I ready to buy the newer one when it will eventually come out? Are the changes affecting me directly? Are there real qualitative improvements? Of course, the improvements in most newly-released models are real and tangible, leaving no doubt to argue. If the looks and designs are better, if they are faster, if they have more features or if they are lighter and smaller, we cannot deny that theyre better. However, do we really need the new features that the iPad3, or any other newly released piece of tech, offers? Will we benefit from the improvements found in the new model? Of course, if you are a graphic designer or a gamer or any other hardcore professional, you will want to be as updated as possible and make full use of upgrades. For us, this could mean better work, better results and better gaming. However, if we are just simple users who enjoy surfing the web, reading our emails and checking videos on YouTube then, chances are we will not be aware of the changes nor pay much attention to them. Sometimes this advancement is undoubtedly worth our money; but most of the time this is hardly the case. We ought to pay attention to what we buy and ask ourselves how much we will benefit. Sometimes we may gain just by asking this simple question, before making a purchase that could turn out to be unnecessary.

LAU Fees are Too High


By Farah Al Saati LAU Tribune staff
I really cannot believe that what is supposed to be everyones given right is being paid for by so much sweat and blood. Education is a right for all. LAU is one of the top educational institutions in Lebanon, and unfortunately the second most expensive in the country as well. Why do I have to pay these huge sums to get my degree? I love LAU more than other students do. Why, you wonder? Well, I graduated from another university where students are the last thing the administration cares about. I used to sit in classrooms of 200, 300 and sometimes 400 students. Professors never knew our names nor did they care about our standings. At LAU, this is not the case. I finally got this instructorstudent interaction I wanted which ironically is the same quality that some spoiled LAU students hate. Ill be graduating this spring and my experience at LAU was, and will always be, the best of my life. The only disappointment is, however, that tuitions were too high. A sum of 6,800 dollars per semester for a communication arts major is just too much! One would think that, with such high fees, the administration could at least provide us with better equipment in the studio and at the library. Again, I have to stress the fact that I love LAU but the amount of money we are paying is just unacceptable even for a top institution.

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Students Lament Add-By-Force


According to Mona Knio, communication arts chair, says there were around 200 students standing in the hall outside her office during the first days. Watch out! Cant you see that youre pushing me? an angry girl told the student standing right behind her. An instructor tried to move past the crowd but she couldnt. Leave one passage so we can pass please! someone shouted. Nobody listened. Elise Salem, the vice president for student development and enrollment management, said that the administration is aware of the problems related to the add-by-force period. We are not pleased that students still have to wait in line and sometimes delay graduation due to closed sections, she explained. Chairs are only able to add a limited number of students to each class. For example, a class of 40 could take in 4 or 5 more students at best while a class of 20 could only absorb 2 extra students. At the same time, opening new sections is not easy, according to Knio. We cant always find teachers at the last minute and, even if we do, we cant find the time that suits these teachers, she said. Zahi Sahli, a senior journalism student, pointed out the problem. The number of students is increasing every semester and the number of given classes is the same, he said. Of this, the administration is also aware. We know we are still falling short due to a number of factors including inability to locate qualified lecturers in time and scarcity of classrooms and time slots, Salem said. She noted, however, that students should plan ahead, taking the difficult situation into consideration. We want to urge our students to plan their course sequence carefully and in succession so as not to discover surprises in their final semester, Salem said. She stressed the importance of consulting with academic advisors prior to registration to ensure that course selections make sense. Behmardi explained that the majority of those waiting outside his office on the last day were not there to add new courses by force. Instead, they wanted to change sections because they did not like their instructors or did not want to wake up early. But even for these students, the situation was not easy. I came to the Fine Arts Building to switch a class and Ive been waiting for two days, Adam Simon, a senior management student, said. I sent LAU an email telling them what can be done to solve this problem, because the same thing happens each semester.

Fake Medical Reports


Continued from page 1
Many students who admitted they submitted fake medical reports said the deceit went unnoticed. A professor wanted me to drop my course because I exceeded the limit of absences but a fake medical report made him change his mind, a business marketing student who preferred to remain anonymous said. An MIS senior student who refused to give her name explained that she usually gets fake medical reports when she is unable to study well for her exams. I am a last-minute person, she smiled.

Souk El-Ahad
Continued from page 11
well-off people do pass by Souk El-Ahad. They do not generally enter the souk to shop for their basic needs but are still interested in shopping for antiques or old books in the flea market, according to Nabeel, a stand owner. A well-dressed man, who was buying an old stove, explained how he did not intend to use it for its original purpose. I am buying it because I want it as part of my living room decoration, he said. Culture, arts and music also have their fair share in Souk El-Ahad. Stacks of used books are found on different stands. One can find all sorts of records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes by artists from starkly diverse backgrounds such as Fareed El-Atrash, Adamo, Elton Jones, the Beatles, Ragheb Alameh, Haifa Wehbe, and Umm Kulthoum. Used musical instruments such as violins, guitars, and flutes are on sale next to make-up tools and accessories for women. Agricultural products, such as olives and cherries, are also available in the souk. Coffee shops and sandwich stands welcome the passersby, offering popular food from the Lebanese and Arab cuisine, like Falafel and Manakeesh. The owners sit cross-legged on old chairs or on stools in the corners of their stands, or stand at the entrance to welcome customers as they enter. Any piece at a thousand! a stand owner called out, in an effort to draw the customers attention.

The Team
Adviser: Yasmine Dabbous Editors-in-Chief: Farah Al Saati, Iman Soufan, Zahi Sahli Staff: Ranim Hadid, Carla Hazarian, Lyn Abu-Seraj, Layan Doueik, Omar El Tani, Zeina Shehayeb, Mohamed Al-Oraybi, Mayya AlOgaily, Natalia Elmani, Assaad Hawwa,Caroline Feghaly, Rouba Jaafar, Aseel Baidoun, Samia Buhulaiyem, Yasmine Sarhi, Francesco Laurenti

According to the Health Services at LAU, the average number of medical reports signed per semester is approximately 270. LAU professors have varying points-of-view about this issue. Rached Bohsali, fine arts chairman, said that he has been aware of this issue since he started teaching in 1983. He charged that fake medical reports are legalized through the guidance office. I do blame the guidance office because they can hire a consultant to check the facts the way insurance companies do, Bohsali said. Bohsali added that he is able to uncover fake medical reports based on two factors; the performance record of the student and the credibility of the doctor. I tend to accept it because I have to be in solidarity with the guidance, he said. Reine Azzi, English and moral reasoning instructor, believes that a professor cant tell in all cases whether the report is fake or not. In my moral reasoning class, I usually send them to the nurse then I set a date for the make-up exam, she said. But the number does not exceed three to four students. It is not an epidemic. The ways through which students have access to these reports vary. I dont pay anything because the doctor is my relative, a senior management student said. Another senior marketing student admitted that the physician who gives him a fake medical report is his friends relative. I tell the doctor that his relative sent me here so he immediately writes me a report without going into discussion, he said. An LAU graduate has a different approach. He gets any old report, deletes the name and date and then fills the required information on top. After this editing, he photocopies the corrected version so the changes wont show. Many doctors know the reason why students ask for medical reports but try to disregard it. I always ask why they need it, just out of curiosity, a physician who wished to remain anonymous said. I want to help them and I dont care much why they want it.

OFF CAMPUS
By Farah Al Saati LAU Tribune staff
As the police screams, beats and drenches demonstrators with hot water and pepper spray, only one face stays rigid with a motionless expression, a coy smile and a weird moustache the face of Guy Fawkes. A chalk-white mask pops up in every protest against corrupt authorities around the globe. Fawkes face became a popular part of demonstrations worldwide during the past two years, in WikiLeaks demonstrations, the Arab uprisings and the Occupy Wall Street movement. In the London riots and the actions of famous hacker group the Anonymous, the Guy Fawkes mask has shown up regularly to challenge the system. Its an icon thats already there so its easy to copy and paste, Mona Knio, communication arts chair, said. Guy Fawkes was involved in the Gunpowder Plot, whose aim was to assassinate the British King, James I, and re-establish a Catholic regime in England. Authorities arrested him in Westminster Palace during the early hours of November 5, 1605. He was executed few months later. But Fawkes face did not acquire popularity before the 1980s, V for Vendetta, a comic book series, was created by Alan Moore. The series was set in a future Britain where an anonymous masked figure, V, plots to tear down the dictatorial government. He wore a Guy Fawkes mask to hide his mulled face and as a tribute to the legendary rebel of the 17th century. In 2005, Warner Bros. released V for Vendetta, the film adaptation. The most astonishing adaptation of the mask came during the mass uprisings that led to the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Not only did activists and demonstrators put it on during protests; it was also featured in caricatures on Facebook, Egyptian publications and on the streets. One of such illustrations featured the King Tut legendary golden mask with Guy Fawkes features. Knio finds that the Egyptians might relate to Guy Fawkes mask because they suffered from British occupation once and they had to work in the darkness to free

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Guy Fawkes: The Revolutionary Mask


On his Facebook page, you will see the image of a huge man wearing the mask. Im the one with the V mask giving the Lebanese government the middle finger in the profile picture, Bazzi told me. This parade of Guy Fawkes masks resembles to a certain extent the famous image of Ernesto Guevara, commonly known as Che Guevara, which is used as a symbol for revolution more than 40 years after his death. From the 1960s and until today, Ches image has been printed on shirts, bags, shoes, necklaces and other items. Most people who wear such items do not even know who the Cuban revolutionary was or what kind of political views he advocated. The same thing applies to his mask that is worn by protesters just as a symbol of rebellion; most protestors have no knowledge of the mans story. But according to Knio, the mask can be a two-edged sword since its possible for spies to wear it during demonstrations to hurt people. How can I know whos the person next to me if they are wearing a mask? she wondered.
Photo via Creative Commons

their country. Closely related to this is the video, Khaled for Vendetta, uploaded on YouTube by Mohamad Alm Elhoda on June 2010. To date, the video has only 20,000 views despite its importance. It tells the story of Khaled Said, the Egyptian young man who was arrested and tortured till death during interrogations. Like the Guy Fawkes story, the killing of Said set a chain of unstoppable events on a national scale. Julian Assange, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, wore a Fawkes mask when he arrived at the Occupy London Stock Exchange protest to de-

liver a speech, but the police insisted he takes it off. V quotes like Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof became popular sentences on banners during demonstrations. Back in the Middle East and more specifically in Lebanon; the mask has rarely been used in demonstrations here but it is becoming a symbol online. Many activists today use photos of the mask as their profile pictures. Imad Bazzi, one of Lebanons chief bloggers and political activists, succeeded in acquiring the mask from abroad.

Have You Ever Visited Souk El Ahad?


By Samia Buhulaiyem LAU Tribune staff
A woman in ragged clothes was dragging her five-yearold daughter behind her, shopping in Souk El-Ahad, when I entered the place. She is a regular visitor of the flea market. In this market I can find most of my wants at prices that are much lower than those at regular stores, the woman said. Souk El-Ahad, situated in a kilometer-long and hundred-meter-wide rectangular region between Sin ElFil and Jisr El-Wati, attracts a mlange of approximately 35,000 customers every Sunday. The main entrance reads Welcome to the Grand Public Market. Inside the marketplace, nearly 400 stands, carts and tents are managed by more than two hundred families. All sorts of fauna and flora surround local customers and tourists. Images of religious icons, Jesus Christ, saints, politicians and party leaders are found everywhere. The stands, carts and tents offer different useful commodities. Shoes, bags, shampoos, deodorants, sunglasses, roses, plants, lighters, household appliances, electric equipment and fireworks are just examples of the wide selection of items on display at the huge souk. And the visitors of Souk ElAhad are as varied as the commodities on offer; Lebanese, Sudanese, Indians, Sri Lankans, Ethiopians and Russians from different social and economic backgrounds shop here on a regular basis. Owners of stands are also of different nationalities. Most of them, however, are either Lebanese or Syrians. Souk El-Ahad offers sellers a chance to live a proper life. Gabi Reehan, an English literature student at the Lebanese University, works at Souk El-Ahad. He says that the marketplace gave him an opportunity to continue his education. Another vendor, Ibrahim El-Souki, a family man, said that the money he generates at Souk El-Ahad allows him to pay his daughters university tuition fee. Many stand owners recounted similar stories. If I hadnt rented this stand, where I sell ladies bags, we would have starved because my father is dead and there is no one to aid us, another teenage vendor said. Juice containers, ashtrays, pets, used wedding dresses, gramophones, electronic accessories and old Lebanese currency and stamps abound. And while some items are used, others are brand new. Although prices are relatively low, they always decrease if one knows how to bargain.. For low-income youth, who cannot afford to buy genuine versions of the trendy brands, there are various imitations of international trademarks. Imitations of Ray Ban sunglasses, for example, dominate the stands dedicated to glasses. A cheaper version of toys is also available, with Barbie and her daughter on sale for 6,000 Lebanese pounds only. And while most of the souks customers come from humble financial conditions,

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OFF CAMPUS
High Destinations
By Omar El-Tani LAU Tribune staff
F.B., an education major who spoke on condition of anonymity, has often visited Amsterdam. The capital of the Netherlands and one of Europes major economic centers, the city is known for its historic canals and numerous museums including that of Dutch native Vincent Van Gogh. But F. B. was not there to stroll along the streets of the beautiful city. He visited Amsterdam to buy drugs at the capitals well-known cannabis coffee shops. F. B. purchased LSD, mushrooms and cannabis. He also visited museums dedicated to marijuana. During one of his trips, F. B. and his friends almost got beaten up in an alley trying to buy cocaine illegally. Despite the many hazards of drug intake and/or addiction, narco tourism is well and booming. Few countries are renowned for such a brand of travel. The most famous is the Netherlands but other destinations in South America and East Asia also provide possibilities of easy access to drugs. There were many starting points, of course. A couple of such [hippie] trails went using the magic bus in the 60s and early 70s which set out from Victoria Station in London and ran all the way to Marrakesh on one line and to Katmandu on another line, Brian Prescott-Decie, a cultural studies and English instructor at LAU, explained. It wasnt as such a drug line, but inevitably it was sometimes used by those sorts of people looking for those experiences, he continued. The National Drug Policy of the Netherlands states that the maximum amount of cannabis that can be sold to a given individual is 5 grams and that a person can cultivate no more than 5 plants. But even though cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, the Dutch simply dont enforce their laws against the shops, according to Time Magazine. Amsterdam, a city well-known for its tolerance of marijuana,

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March 12, 2012

Photo via Creative Commons

is a dream for some that is going up in smoke. According to The Huffington Post, visitors who go to coffee shops in Amsterdam constitute 23 percent of the countrys overall visitor count but, as of January 2013, these tourists will not be able to purchase cannabis. A ban has been put forth and is already effective in some parts of the Netherlands. As reported by Dutch News, Dutch nationals would still have the right to enter coffee shops and buy cannabis if they are registered members and provide their weed pass, only given to people ages 18 and up. Tourists, on the other hand would not be able to do so a governmental measure to cut back on crime and public nuisance. R.A., an LAU student who wished to remain anonymous, plans to go to Amsterdam this summer before the ban is implemented. I want to experience new things, like crystal, the student said. I am also thinking of soaking

the mushrooms in my medication so I can inject them. The ill effects of heavy drugs such as cocaine and heroin are well-known. They range from hallucinations to death. Some people have the misconception that cannabis is a benign drug. According to Time Magazine, studies reveal that a persons ability to develop schizophrenia is augmented by 40 percent when he or she consumes marijuana for the first time. Drugs may cause symptoms that are similar to those that lead to a psychiatric diagnosis, the website www.mind. org.uk reveals. In the worst cases, drug use may trigger serious conditions such as schizophrenia or long-term depression. According to The Guardian, in the Bolivian capital of La Paz, Route 36 is not just an afterhours bar but a cocaine bar, where you can order drinks and cocaine handed on a platter. Because the drug in question is illegal, the bar changes locations all the time.

The Amazon and neighboring countries like Colombia and Peru are also destinations for some tourists who travel there to indulge in an intoxicating and hallucinogenic concoction called ayahuasca, made from tree bark. Many shamanic workshops and spiritual retreats provide it. Ceremonies are led by shamans who perform a series of chants and aid the subjects through their mental journey. A medicine man is one kind of shaman.. Medicine men, witch doctors. They come under a variety of labels but generally they are religious leaders who relate more to the spirit world than to God, Prescott-Decie said. Further east, Asia hosts a variety of religions including Hinduism. In Nepal, you can smoke in a cab, you can even smoke in shiva temples, Tarek. K., an interior design student, said. He recently went to Nepal. [Hashish] is part of their culture, the Hindu culture,

he said. But Prescott-Decie cautioned against such overgeneralizations. He explained that all religions feature fringe cults. If some of those involve drug use, that does not in any way make them mainstream, he added. A political science student who wants to go by the alias of Louise finds narco tourism overrated. You dont need to go too far from home to find the drugs you want any drug, she said.

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