tribune issue 5

8/3/2019 Tribune Issue 5

1/12

RIBUNEThe Official STudenT newSpaperaTThe lebaneSe americanuniverSTyyear Xiii, vOl. i, nO. v Monday, Jan.16, 2012T [email protected]

campuS life peOple

page 3 page 4

Fine Arts Building: A Hazard For StudentsBy Omar El Tani

LAU Tribune staff

Photoby:AhmadYassine

Messi, Again Crowded Cafeteria

Discrimination Based on Social StatusBy Layan DoueikLAU Tribune staff

LAU does not provide re

extinguishers on every

oor of the Fine Arts build-

ing but, to put it simply, it isnot enough to have re ex-

tinguishers in case of a re.

There also needs to be an

emergency exit which the

six-storey building does not

provide.

These shortcomings are

the most serious among the

many problems that the

Fine Arts building at LAU

faces.

The rst basement oor

could do with a tune-up.

Electric wires stick out

from the ceiling and water

pipes also protrude. The ce-

ment ceiling seems to be rot-ting while mold grows on

the walls, tainting the white

SpOrTS

page 6

Theatre Veteran

continued on page 10

surfaces with blackness.

Of course it is exaggerated

and very unlikely to happen

but death by asphyxiationseems like a possible future

headline in the Tribune. No

matter whom you ask at the

Fine Arts building, people

will tell you that the venti-

lation in the basement is ka-

put.

The photography lab, where

lms are processed, reeks of

chemicals, due to poor venti-

lation and small space. One

of the chemicals used to pro-

cess photos is called ILFORD

ELFOTEK DD-X, a level-

three carcinogen. According

to the ILFORD PHOTO Ma-

terial Safety Data Sheet, thechemical must not be han-

dled in conned space with-

OpiniOn

page 9

Gold Prices


out ventilation.

The developing room needs

new cabinets and a new sink

and the walls have to be

bright, according to photog-

raphy lab supervisor George

Andrea. The lab requires ahigher ceiling for the ash

and more space to accommo-

date computers. After a re

at the lab in 2003, the staff

were told that the air condi-

tioning ducts would be ren-

ovated but that didnt hap-

pen.

Briey, the Fine Arts build-ing, as it is today, does not

cater to the demands of the

ne arts and communica

tion arts curricula. Vatch

Kalforian, a part-time mu

sic instructor, explains thproblems he faces at room

B21. We always have prob

lem with the ventilation

but also problems with th

equipment for class, h

said. The nishing is no

in a good condition and w

have too much echo. Even

if you talk, it reverberates

lot as if you are in a cathe

dral.

On the of rst basemen

oor in B212, when the

turn on the central heating

you cant breathe, Rim

Khcheich, a music instruc

tor, said. You cant contro

I entered the dorms kitchen

and found them. They were

there making kafta sand-

wiches and dipping bits of

bread in the hummus plate

they had prepared. On the

same table lied a couple ofbrand-new laptops.

We dont have time to

waste. We are here on a mis-

sion; to graduate with high

grades, Suzan Faraj, USAP

nutrition student from Obe-

dieh, said.

Faraj is one of the 52 under-

graduate students who were

recently accepted into the

University Student Assis-

tance Program, a USAID-

funded initiative that pro-

vides full scholarships to

public school graduates with

high nancial need from all

around Lebanon.

For her and all US aid stu-

dents, its a dream come

true.Majdoleen Chmouri, a com-

munication arts student

from West Bekaa, is eager

to demonstrate her capabil-

ities and excited to live this

new experience. Living in

the capital is going to be an

open door for a whole new

world, she said.

But despite the many doors

this program opens, it still

proves difcult for US aid

students and other nancial

aid students as it thrusts

them into a culture that is

not their own.

I used to live in West Bekaa,

with a small society where

all people are caring and

united, Chmouri continued this time with a different

tone. Here, its a big society

with a lot of people but it is

as if no one is around.

There is a great difference.

People here dont say hi,

Faraj said, interrupting her

colleague.

Arzak Mohammed, a

23-year-old MEPI student

from Yemen, shares Farajs

complaint. People here are

the crme of Lebanon. They

have the money and the

cars, she said. I couldnt t

in such a society.

Mohammed is one of the 100

undergraduate students

who were accepted into the

MEPI (The Middle EastPartnership Initiative) pro-

gram which is initially an

intensive 5- to 6-week ex-

change program to the Unit-

ed States from the Middle

East and North Africa and

which was recently adapted

to LAU, Lebanon.

I am in my junior year and

still cant enter any group,

Mohammed added. In the

US, we made friends much

faster than here. Of all the

USAP and MEPI students

interviewed, none had eve

thought he or she would on

day study at such an expen

sive university and get

500-dollar monthly stipend

Sarah Bou Ajram, coordintor of Leadership and Civ

Engagement and a coordina

tor of the USAP program a

LAU, pointed out that mo

of the accepted studen

had no other opportunitie

to attend such a universit

Even if merit scholarshi

was offered to them, the

cant afford living here, sh

said.


2/12

CAMPUS NEWS2 Tribune Jan.16, 2012

LAU Christmas ChoirBy MariaFellasLAU Tribune staff By Carla Hazarian

LAU Tribune staff

Sahar Moukaddem, a jour-nalism student, and Alexan-

dra Shrayteh, an LAU alum-

na, sat down with Arabic

lecturer Rachid Al-Daif late

December to discuss their re-

cently published novels with

an audience of literary en-

thusiasts.

Students from Daifs creative

writing class attended the

gathering along with human-

ities chair Vahid Bahmardi,

vice president for student de-

velopment and enrollment

management Elise Salem

and English professor Sami-

ra Aghacy.Shraytehs book Deyman

Coca-Cola was the center of

most of the debates for its

sensitive topic. The young

writer explained that her

novel reected the situation

of many girls in Lebanon.

Its about girls discovering

their bodies and their sexual-

ity in the midst of a judgmen-

tal society, she said.

The statement seemed to ap-ply in the case of the two nov-

els. I addressed the issue of

teenage pregnancy and how

the girls social class affects

her decisions in this situa-

tion, Moukaddem said, re-

ferring to her novel Ana w-

Karim wal-Sushi (Me, Karim

and Sushi).

Many taboos were addressed

in the audiences questions.

One of the issues raised was

how the topic addressed in

both stories affected the rep-

utation of both young ladies,

who insisted that the stories

didnt come from their im-mediate entourage but were

rather common in Lebanon

as a whole.

I come from a very conserva-

tive family, so Im not neces-

sarily faced with issues like

this in my everyday life,

Moukaddem said. But the

fact that my grandfather is a

religious gure and the sta-

tus of my family didnt affect

their critique of the story Iwrote.

The young writer added that

her family, and especially

her grandfather, were sup-

portive and offered her con-

structive criticism instead of

harsh judgment.

Both young authors acknowl-

edged the role of Daif for his

assistance during the writ-

ing process. Both said they

couldnt have done it without

him.

During the event, Bahmar-

di announced the start of a

creative writing program

to give students a chance toachieve what the two young

women have. With this plan

put to action, many students

will have the opportunity to

shine and bring out their in-

ner writer or poet, Daif com-

mented.

We are very proud of both

young ladies and only hope

the best is yet to come, Sa-

lem concurred.

On Love and War

LAU held its annual Christ-

mas carol concert in Irwin

Hall Auditorium on Decem-

ber 21.

Children and their par-

ents came together to cele-

brate the season and listen to

many festive classics direct-

ed by Leila Dabaghi.

No expense was spared as the

auditorium was lled with

warm colors, decorations and

a large Christmas tree right

next to the choir on stage.

Families huddled together,

singing traditional Christ-

mas songs such as And th

Glory of the Lord and W

Three Kings of Orient, a

played beautifully by Fad

Kallab on the piano.

The choir and the crowd o

ten interacted, as audienc

members were given pro

grams so they could sin

along to popular classics lik

Joy to the World, Deck th

Halls, Jingle Bells and man

more favorites.

The concert was a succes

and there was not a seat t

spare.

ByAssaad Hawwa

LAU Tribune staff

LAU students switched from

the old webmail system to a

new one as of December 7,

2011. An email was sent to

the entire LAU community

asking them to switch their

own accounts.

The request was also pub-

lished on the LAU website

several weeks before the day

appointed.

According to the website, you

will no longer have access

to your old email but in-

coming messages will be for-

warded to your new account.

I do not feel particularly

thrilled about the move to a

bigger inbox or a better in-

terface. As long as it keeps

forwarding my emails, its

enough for me, Jad Baz, a

computer science student,

said.

The main advantage in the

switch remains quite signi-

cant. The old webmail had

a storage capacity of only 20

megabytes, however the new

webmail has a capacity of 10

gigabytes, Camille Abou-

Nasr, assistant vice presi-

dent for information technol-

ogy, said. Many welcomed

this difference.

I like the new one much

more, its capacity is much

bigger than the old one, and

its design as well , Nadine

Daouk, a graphic design stu-

dent, said.

According to Abou-Nasr,

most of LAU students have

already switched to the new

webmail. Six out of almost

eight thousand users have by

now transferred to the new

one, he said.

The webmail is the mai

means of communicatio

that allows students to co

laborate online with the

professors and fellow stu

dents.

In the near future, student

will notice new features i

the new webmail, which the

will like and make their co

responding process muc

easier, Abou-Nasr said

LAU Webmail Takes on New Look

PhotoviaCreativeCommons


3/12

SPORTSJan 16, 2012

By Mohamad Al-OraibyLAU Tribune staff

Quote of the Issue

Sports Mania

Ten-year-old Samir Bsat

wakes up in his football-

shaped bed every morn-

ing. Gazing at the posters of

the famous Kaka around his

room, Samir tunes in to nd

his remote and opens the

sports channel.

Samirs seventeen-year-

old sister and worst enemy

Sarah is not a fan of her lit-

tle brothers interest and fo-

cuses all her time on fashion.

But these siblings interests

have more in common than

they think.

Sports, just like any otherbusiness, are made up of in-

vestors, sports agencies, me-

dia and sponsors. The indus-

try as a whole is worth over

600 billion dollars today ac-

cording to a study by busi-

ness expert A.T. Kearney.

This includes infrastructure

construction, sporting goods,

licensed products and live

sports events.

All football clubs are owned

by businessmen who aim es-

sentially for prot and mar-

ket their clubs to make maxi-

mum revenue.

Even though Im a bigsports fan, I have never re-

ally thought about who owns

the clubs, but I am sure its a

good investment, Rami Oth-

man, a business senior at

LAU, said.

Manchester United is owned

by businessman Malcolm

Glazer who owns the First

Allied Corporation, a bil-

lion-dollar company owning

shopping malls across the

US. Real Madrid, owned by

a wealthy board, generates

hundreds of million euros a

No matter the honour I get, I feel

its recognition for the 25 years of

Manchester United. They always

shared my vision and passion. Ive

been a very lucky manager. That

makes Manchester United such a

special club, Sir Alex Fergu-

son, manager Of Manchester

United, said upon winning

the presidential award from

Fifa.

3Tribune

Upcoming gamesSerie A

21/01

AS Roma V Cesena

Atalanta V Juventus

22/01

Novara V AC Milan

Siena V Napoli

Upcoming gamesLa Liga22/01

Real Madrid V Ath Bilbao

Malaga V Barcelona

Osasuna V Valencia

year 438.6m at the end of

last season. It is also fundedby the Spanish king.

Famous football clubs fea-

ture all kinds of related com-

mercial goods, from lunch

boxes to clothes and accesso-

ries.

I love wearing Real Madrid

hats and jumpers, Othman

said.

I am a big supporter and

I feel Im part of the team

when I wear them.

Fans may also purchase lux-

ury sport commodities like

a 2.5 million dollar football

made of gold and diamonds

the most expensive ball inthe world.

Just like the fashion and mu-

sic industries, the sports in-

dustry has its celebrities,

brands and followers.

From a business perspec-

tive, every sports club can be

considered as a commercial

brand name, John McGill,

marketing professor at LAU,

explained.

I absolutely love Beckham,

he is an excellent player

and let us not forget how hot

he looks on the eld, Tala

Jabri, an international busi-

ness junior at LAU, said.David and Victoria Beckham

are among the worlds most

famous couples; they are fol-

lowed by paparazzi and ce-

lebrity gossip magazines

around the clock.

The merging of these two ce-

lebrity tycoons gave them

enough power and money to

be inuential names both in

the fashion and sports indus-

tries.

Although it did not win

any trophies during the

2008/2009 season, Real Ma-

drid became then the highest

earning sports club in histo-ry as it made up to 541 mil-

lion dollars according to Ya-

hoo! Sports.

Im not sure how much Real

Madrid makes every time the

team plays a game, Othman

said. Im guessing a million

dollars or two, maximum.

Jerome Valcke, the gener-

al secretary of the Fdra-

tion Internationale de Foot-

ball Association (FIFA),

announced that the team

that wins the World Cup tro-

phy receives 30 million dol-

Upcoming gamesPremier League21/01

Norwich City V Chelsea

Bolton V Liverpool

22/01

Man City V Tottenham

Arsenal V Man Utd

Upcoming gamesSerie A

22/01

Udinese V Catania

Inter V Lazio

lars. The runner-up gets 24

million dollars; the teamplaced third gets 20 million

dollars as for the fourth place

the team gets an estimated

18 million dollars.

All participating teams re-

ceive 1 million dollars each

from FIFA for preparation

costs.

Sports are categorized un-

der entertainment, even

though it is a sport and a

game, it is considered to be

just like the music industry;

for entertainment McGill

explained.

Viewers from all around the

world gather to entertainthemselves with football, un-

aware of the huge prot these

teams make in every game.

Samir and his sister Sar-

ah are both fans of brands

and are great supporters

of two comparable billion-

dollar industries. Whether

they buy a football-shaped

bed or a Christian Dior fur

coat, Samir and Sarah are

both spending their mon-

ey on commercialized goods

that brands transform from a

want into a need.

Messi, Again

For the third time in a row

Barcelonas Lionel Mes

earned the title of the world

best player of the year, win

ning the FIFA Ballon dOr a

an awards ceremony in Zu

rich, Switzerland, on Janu

ary 9.

The Ballon dOr annual

honors the European footba

player of the year based o

his past performance.

The Ballon dOr is the world

most prestigious award

player can receive; Mes

successfully got 48 percent

the votes from national teacoaches, captains and medi

He dedicated the award t

this team and to Xavi, a team

mate.

Xavi, this Ballon dOr

yours as well, Messi said.

Messi also won the Prim

era Division, Spanish Supe

Copa, UEFA Super Cup an

Club World Cup last year. H

told reporters that his tea

is looking forward for the up

coming year with a great dea

of hunger to more award

and success.

Other players such as J

han Cruyff, Michel Platinand Marco Van Basten hav

also won this award thre

times each. Ronaldo becam

the rst Brazilian player t

win this award in 1997. Ita

ian clubs such as Milan an

Juventus have amassed th

largest number of Ballon

dOr.

The rst player to win th

Ballon dOr in 1956 was Stan

ley Mathews from Blackpo

Football Club. He scored 4

points, equaling the recor

set by Platini.

PhotoviaFacebook

By Lyn Abu-SerajLAU Tribune staff


4/12

4

CAMPUS LIFE

By Mayya al Ogaily

LAU Tribune Staff

Tribune Jan. 16, 2012

You know the names, you

know the places but you may

not know the story hidden

behind every name or place.

The Lebanese American Uni-

versity was rst established

as a college for women in

Downtown Beirut in 1924.

Its founder, the American

School for Girls, was the rst

missionary school for women

in the region.

The college became known,

as of 1927, as the American

Junior College for Women

(AJCW). Since then, the cam-pus has changed and slowly

developed into the facilities

we know today.

LAUs Beirut campus now

comprises seven buildings.

Although most students here

must have attended at least

one class in each building,

many admitted they have

no idea what each buildings

name stands for.

Ive been at LAU for al-

most two years now and it

never occurred to me to ask

about what the name of these

buildings represent, or what

they stand for, if they actual-

ly do, Safwat Al Jabi, nutri-

tion sophomore at LAU, said.

Nicol, Shannon, Irwin,

Orme-Gray, and Riyad Nas-

sars Library are all names

of former LAU presidents

who played a major role in

the establishment and de-

velopment of the university

through the years.

The origin of Sage Halls

name, on the other hand, isobscure. We found no sourc-

es on the subject.

Meanwhile, Al Safadi Fine

Arts Building is not named

after a former president, but

after Mohammed A. Safadi,

member of Lebanese Parlia-

ment and a major contribu-

tor to LAU.

Erected in 1933, Sage Hall

is the rst building on cam-

pus. It was nanced through

gifts from the womens Orga-

nizations of the Presbyterian

Church (USA).

The second building on cam-

pus was established in 1943.

James H. Nicol, president of

LAU between 1941 and 1943,

was the executive secretary of

the mission that started the

constructions; he had much to

do securing the campus and

its early development, thats

why Nicol Hall was named in

honor of his efforts.

Irwin Hall came next in 1950,

on the 25th anniversary of

the founding of the college. Itis named in honor of Frances

Pryor Irwin, the rst female

principal of the American Ju-

nior College for Women, at

the time. Irwin was described

as a great mentor. She suf-

fered from a terminal illness

that took her life when she

was only 44.

After Irwins death, Winifred

Shannon lled her place and

became the acting principal

in 1935. She was the found-

er of the nursery school and

a leader in social welfare.

Shannon was also a professor

of home economics, an impor-tant course back when LAU

was still women-only college.

In 1954, Shannon Hall was

completed thanks to The Ford

Foundation. It was initially

a daycare for the children of

the universitys professors.

In 1965, almost ten years lat-

er, the Orme-Gray Hall was

built. It is not only dedicated

to one president, but two. The

rst is Rhoda Orme, 1954-

1955, and the second Frances

M. Gray, 1959-1965.

The building was split in tw

halves in order to accom

modate ofces and facultrooms on one side, and th

women dorms on the other.

Before current president Jo

seph G. Jabbra took over, R

yad F. Nassar was LAU

president. He served for 3

years in different capacitie

22 of which he was presiden

The new library was thu

named in honor of his a

complishments. The librar

is part of the business build

ing which is one of the newes

buildings on campus.

Students Buy Photography ProjectsBy Iman SoufanLAU Tribune staff

At a time when LAU is con-

sidering a photography mi-

nor or major, some students

taking photography class-

es at LAU buy their projects

from professional photogra-

phers.

Taking the pictures and

then developing them takes

too long. This is time-ef-

cient and easier, a market-

ing student who is taking

photography as his free elec-

tive said. Who has the ener-

gy to take photos? If I buy my

projects, I get a B without do-

ing anything.A communication arts senior

agreed. Im taking photogra-

phy as an elective and I want

to raise my GPA so to make

sure Im getting a good grade

Id rather get it done profes-

sionally than to do it myself,

the student said.

To investigate the issue, I

went to a nearby photogra-

phy studio myself. I had seen

the employee on campus tak-

ing pictures a few days earli-

er. I asked about buying pho-

tos shot on the LAU campus.

For sure, Ill take the pic-

tures for you, he said.

The employee explained that

he told the guards at the gate

he was a potential student

and wanted to go to the ad-

missions ofce.

Once on campus, he would

meet me so I can give him my

camera as he cant get in with

his.

A 36-photo lm, printed onnegatives and on a contact

sheet, costs 159,000 Leba-

nese pounds, the employee

also told me.

Photography instructors

are aware that students

cheat and have been trying

to prevent it. Every stu-

dent should present a paper

signed by the lab supervisor,

Bassam Lahoud said. I asked

ex-photography students

how they found a way around

this. Id go sit in the dark

room and listen to music and

around an hour, a market-

ing senior said. I later walk

out and make the dude sign

my slip for me.

A business junior had a sim-

ilar strategy. Well, I would

go in put my stuff down in the

dark room and then go see

my friends on campus and

come back around an hour or

two later pick up my bag and

get the slip signed, the stu-dent said. I was lucky the

men at the studio wouldnt

notice that I had left.

Wassim Karkour, the pho-

to lab supervisor, found out

about this and now asks stu-

dents to develop photos while

hes in the dark room.

But a crack in the system still

exists. If the students are

new, I dont recognize them,

Karkour said. As the semes-

ter goes by I become more fa-

miliar with the students lev-

el and so does the professor.

Moreover, the new rule only

applies to PHO210 since it

is lm-based. PHO211 and

photojournalism are digital-

based courses. Pictures stu-

dents present dont need to

be developed in a dark room.

Rached Bohsali, the chair

of the ne arts department,

said that the lack of facilities

makes it easier for students

to get away with cheating.The fact that there are no

facilities means that we are

encouraging plagiarism, he

said.

Bohsali revealed that LAU

plans to build new labs to ac-

commodate students.

With the new labs and fa-

cilities, nobody would be al-

lowed to do any work outside

the lab, he said.

All the work will be done un

der supervision.

Bohsali however cautione

that only a minority is actu

ally cheating. He explaine

that, when caught, student

suffer dearly.

This doesnt go buy unpun

ished, Bohsali afrmed.

A design student who g

caught several years ago wa

forced to fail his entire year.

Faculty were then not

ed and kept an open ey

throughout the student

tenure at the university.This, for now, does not kee

some students from chea

ing. I took photography

four semesters ago and I go

an A on all my projects.

didnt do any of them myself

a marketing senior laughed

I dont know how to use

lm camera and I dont wan

to know.

Do You Know Who Shannon and Nicol Are?


5/12

Rashid Mokaddam

20-year-old marketing student

I went to Attaybeh. My village in the

south of Lebanon

5

CAMPUS LIFETribuneJan. 16, 2012

Vox Pop: How Did You Spend Your Christmas Vacation?

Lara Khaddaj

19-year-old interior design st

dent

I spent some time with my family.

Karim Kanaan

18-year-old architecture stu-

dent

I traveled to London with my friends.

Mahdi Yahfou

22-year-old business student

I relaxed, slept and spent time with

my friends.

Tala Khansa

20-year-old education student

I went shopping, clubbing and spent

time with friends and family.

Cafeteria Grows Too SmallBy Ranim Hadid

LAU Tribune staff

Iman Soufan only had 30

minutes before class when

she rushed into the cafete-

ria. She patiently stood at

the cashier for 10 minutes.

Soufan then ran to the hot

sandwich counter and stood

in the back of the 15-person

line. Twenty minutes later,

she grabbed her sandwich

and ate it on her way to class.

Please dont let me be late,

she gasped.

Soufans experience reects

what LAU Beirut studentsgo through on a daily basis in

order to eat.

The LAU Beirut cafeteria

consists of six separate sec-

tions; salad, daily dish, hot/

cold sandwiches, saj, drinks

and dessert.

One waiter at each counter

stands and, inside the kitch-

en, two extra waiters wait to

be called when needed out-

side.

According to Abdalrazak

Sameh, cafeteria manager,

most areas of the cafeteria

only get crowded between 11

a.m. and 1 p.m. since hot foodis not served earlier.

In the morning, its differ-

ent, he said. The saj coun-

ter is most crowded because

it is the only thing available.

We always have unoccupied

seats in the morning.

Rim, a pharmacy student,

complained about this specif-

ic issue. It takes me 15 min-

utes to nd seats, she said.

Its always really crowded

and I end up standing with

my tray almost every time I

go.

I decided to investigate the

problem. Between 12 and 1

p.m., over 137 students en-

tered the cafeteria to grab a

bite.

After standing in different

lines several times a day, I

noticed that, before 11:30

a.m., getting food is easier

as standing in the line takes

less than 10 minutes.

This problem is during rush

hour. Around 10 to 15 stu-dents stand in the line after

12 and it takes over 15 min-

utes to get food.

The problem escalated re-

cently due to the change of ca-

terers from Faqra to Socrate.

I didnt even know what

the cafeteria in LAU looked

like till this semester, I nev-

er used to go there, Ramzi

Khaled, a business ma-

jor, said. Now that we have

Socrate, I visit two to three

times a week.

Nehmat Aoun, director of the

hospitality ofce at LAU, is

aware of the problem. Af-

ter doing a survey, we dis-

covered that students feel

there is a shortage of staff in

the sandwich section, Aoun

said.

At the beginning of each se-mester, a contract is signed

between the university and

the caterers. This contract

stipulates that 18 people

work in the cafeteria to ac-

commodate students.

Even if we hired four or ve

extra people the hot sand-

wiches take time to prepare,

Aoun said.

Aoun revealed work on a

new bigger cafeteria under

the LRC will begin in March.

We told the contractors to

take into consideration the

growth of students in Bei-

rut, she said.

The current cafeteria accom-

modates 250 seats indoor

and 250 seats outdoor.

Since 2010, the number stu-

dents at both the Byblos and

Beirut campuses increasedto over 8,000 students.

Self-service will also be in-

cluded in the new cafeteria in

sections such as dessert and

drinks to decrease the length

of the cues. It is not man-

ageable to have self-service

in the current Beirut cafete-

ria, Aoun said. It wouldn

work.

Aoun believes that studen

prefer food court style cafe

teria, such Costa Coffee an

Starbucks. Unfortunatel

even if we renovate, not a

the sections will be self-se

vice, she said. We will hav

pre-packed salads and sand

wiches, which will help con

trol crowds in most sections

Soufan prefers the cafeteri

over the restaurants and ca

fs around campus. She judoes not want to be late t

class.

Its such a shame that

takes me so long to eat, its e

sential for us as students t

nd available and fast servi

es in university cafeterias

she said.


6/12

6

PEOPLEHabib Battah: The Adventures of an Arab Journalist

I was told I would be eating

Campbells soup for 10 years,

Habib Battah, a journalism

instructor at LAU, said, voic-

ing the common predicament

many journalists who enter

the workforce face.

Battah hesitated when he

rst began his undergradu-

ate studies but he moved for-

ward, eventually earning his

BA in journalism from the

University of Texas.

The idea of eating soup out of

a can for a long time seemedless dampening then the am-

bience hovering over the

United States on a lot of Ar-

ab-Americans post 9/11.

I felt like the atmosphere

was very overbearing, he

said, a feeling that some may

nd hard to shake off, espe-

cially when covering current

news topics.

It was very difcult for an

Arab American who lived in

Ziad Abu Absi: A Theatre Veteran

By Natalia Elmani

LAU Tribune staff

Tribune Jan. 16, 2012

By Rouba JaafarLAU Tribune staff

Ziad Abu Absi is a man who

made so many people laugh

although in reality hes quite

a serious person. He has a

decent sense of humor but

hates mockery.

A former drama instructor

at LAU, he is a veteran actor

and director and an icon in

the Lebanese theatre scene.

Abu Absi was born on Au-

gust 10, 1956 in Rashaya Al-

Fukhar.

He started his acting careeras a young member of the

Lebanese Scout. He soon fell

in love with theatre and took

external degree classes in

communication arts, drama

emphasis, at the Beirut Uni-

versity College LAU today.

The drama veteran has

worked with Ziad Rahbani in

all his plays since 1978; Ben-

nesbi la Bukra Shu? (1978),

Film Ameriki Tawil (1980),

Shi Feshil (1983), Bikh-

Lebanon to be critical. Any

kind of contrary point of view

to the Bush foreign policy

leading up to the war in Iraq

was really viewed as almost

traitorous.

The fear rose for Middle East-

ern Americans and Battah

felt the pressure as a number

of them were being harassed

or even killed in Texas.

I remember having a Pak-

istani neighbor who put an

American ag on his front

door, he recalled.It was a tough time.

In this context, Battah felt it

was best to head back to the

receiving end of the issue: the

Middle East. By 2002, he was

back to Lebanon, greeted by

a number of journalism op-

portunities.

Jumping from different jobs

across the country, Battah

eventually ended up report-

ing from Doha, Qatar, set-

ting up the rst English web-

site for Al Jazeera.

After pushing past the feel-

ing that his Americanism

was under scrutiny, Battah

allowed Al Jazeera to give

him that spark most journal-

ists try to pursue.

Al Jazeera was this phe-

nomenon, he said.

Americans were fascinat-

ed and disgusted with Al

Jazeera at the same time.

But the doors kept opening

and the jobs continued to ndhim.

He eventually became a

managing editor for Middle

East Broadcast Journalists

for two years.

Battah then explored free-

lance journalism. He worked

with Variety, a magazine

based in Los Angeles circu-

lating around the media in-

dustry, and with some of the

most well-known news orga-

nizations such as CNN and

BBC.

Packed with experience, Bat-

tah headed back to the Unit-

ed States and attended New

York University, where he

received his masters in jour-

nalism in 2010.

Around that time, Battah

published an article,

Return to the Valley of the

Jews, in Al Jazeera Eng-

lish, describing the Jew-

ish quarters in Beirut and

the remainder of its formerglimmering existence. Au-

thorities detained Battah,

Solidere requested public

apologies from him and he

got to experience in-depth

one of the countrys contro-

versial topics.

But the investigative piece

led him to win the Samir Kas-

sirs Freedom of the Press

Award in 2011.

During this period, Bat-

tah also got the chance to b

up close and personal wit

Snoop Dogg.

Originally planning to in

terview him for his own do

umentary, he ended up cov

ering the American hip-ho

rappers event in Beirut fo

CNNs series, Inside th

Middle East.

I was very surprised by h

abilities, Battah said.

With articles across some

the biggest news organiz

tions, documentary involvment and his blog which l

in the gaps to his publishe

pieces, Battah passes on in

spiring motivation to his stu

dents today.

You need to work hard to d

good journalism, he sai

The more we have journa

ists taking journalism ser

ously in Lebanon, the mor

accountability we will hav

from our public gures.

sous el Karami wel Shaab el

Aanid (1993) and Lawla Fos-

hat al-Amal (1994).

Abu Absi describes his expe-

rience with Rahbani as quite

fruitful and enjoyable.

Ziad has his own style,

which I could capture from

the rst play I did with him,

he said.

I dont adopt his style my-

self; my vision in theatre is

different.

Abu Absi also worked withother directors like Yaaqub

Al-Shidrawi in Jubran wal

Kaida (1981), Faysal Far-

hat in Soukout Oubes Agha

(1981), Rabih Mroueh in

Al-Mafatih (1996). He also

worked in television with Raf-

ic Hajjar.

Abu Absi is the kind of per-

son who never observes him-

self and always stresses on

the respect of humanity.

I respect humanity and I get

angry when this respect is

abused in any way, he said.

For Abu Absi, theatre is the

place to see more of human-

ity and examine how people

behave in specic situations.

He explains that theatre pos-

its problems of behavior in

the sense that characters

face, and need to surpass, im-

pediments.

These are what we call dra-

matic moments, he said.

In these moments, the view-ers partake in the dilemma.

Abu Absi became a theatre

professor at LAU in 1986 af-

ter receiving a masters de-

gree in philosophy and the-

atre from the University of

Houston.

In 1992, Abu Absi returned

to the United States where

he specialized in Shake-

spearean theatre.

He directed several plays

by Shakespeare after he re-

turned to LAU, including

Macbeth, Richard the Third,

The Twelfth Night, The Mer-

ry Wives of Windsor and As

You Like It.

I introduced masterpieces

from European drama like

Shakespeare, he said.

I selected plays written by

pioneers and brought them

to perform on stage.

Abu Absi believes that the-

atre gave him pleasure but

also tired him.Theatre gave me fatigue

and this is why I think of go-

ing back but keep standing

on cold feet, he said.

Recently, Abu Absi acted

in the movie Where Do We

Go Now by Nadine Labaki,

where he played the role of

the sheikh who tries to help

save the village from sectar-

ianism.

It was his rst encounter in

the world of lm. Its a good

movie but I didnt like m

voice, he said.

The Waltz of the Toreadors,

play written by Jean Anouil

and directed by Norman L

and is Abu Absis favorit

work.

Norman Loand was m

mentor at that time, I didn

adopt his style either but

tried it, he said.

I tried many methods an

styles in acting until I settle

on the no-style approach.Abu Absi wrote several book

about theatre such as Ka

lam aan al Masrah. No doub

that the 56-year-old bearde

man has done so much in h

long-term relationship wit

Lebanese theatre, yet he con

serves his typical modest

when he speaks about him

self.

I feel satised although

havent done anything sp

cial in my life, he said.


7/12

7

CULTURE & FASHIONTribuneJan. 16, 2012

DnB: MisunderstoodBy Nora KamareddineLAU Tribune contributor

Rola Hamadeh Living Her DreamBy Caroline FeghalyLAU Tribune staff

I sat in the backstage of the

Gulbenkian theatre in the

Fine Arts building with the

cast members of this falls

major production.

They were waiting for her to

arrive. Around 30 minutes

later, the backstage door

opened and a tall woman

with a slim gure entered, a

wide smile drawn on her face

trying to catch her breath.

Yes, its her. The famous Leb -

anese actress, Rola Hama-

deh, who performed in Lina

Khourys rst major produc-tion at LAU, Occupant. Like

a loving and graceful diva,

she greeted everybody. How

are you all? I missed you!,

she said joyfully, as if ad-

dressing her own family.

Hamadeh already wanted to

become an actress when she

was eight years old. But, like

many in Lebanon, her par-

ents rejected the idea.

They thought that I was a

child and that, when I grew

older, I would change my

mind, she told me. They

didnt take me seriously.

Hamadeh and her parents

ultimately reached a compro-

mise; Once she got a degreein another major, she would

be permitted to give acting a

shot. Hamadeh pursued her

studies at Saint Joseph Uni-

versity and earned a mas-

ters in business administra-

tion.

To fulll her dream, she

studied acting with profes-

sors from the Lebanese Uni-

versity without earning a de-

gree in the major.

She also attended numer-

ous workshops and acted in

several of her friends plays

abroad.

Hamadehs rst experienceon television was with Leba-

nese actor Ibrahim Meraach-

li; a television program

called Aghani wa Maani (or

Songs and Lyrics). It was her

rst encounter with fame.

This was my rst time on

television. I was still fresh,

not an expert in acting,

she said. I acted on televi-

sion the same way I act in

theatre. But people start-

ed knowing who I was with-

out any effort on my behalf.

It was spontaneous.

The role Hamadeh related to

most is that of a mother she

played in the Tele Liban se-

ries Familia.The actress and her charac-

ter were both women of rea-

son, morality, and shared

similar values. Family was

their priority a priority

which meant that Hamadeh

temporarily stopped acting

when she got her rst new-

born.

Family comes rst, she

said.

Hamadeh believes that an

actor is a person who sums

up all kinds of arts. To be

good actors, drama students

should educate themselves

in music, drawing, writing,dancing, etc.

An actor doesnt have only

one hobby, she said. He is

open to all creative endeav-

ours and is very cautious

and observant of peoples ac-

tions, especially when he is

asked to impersonate a cer-

tain character.

For her, ability comes with

training. Actors should

keep practicing. They should

learn that their voice and

body are their tools, Hama-

deh said.

Actors should also believe

the character theyre play-

ing. They should live the

character.Hamadeh believes that act-

ing gave her happiness and

excitement. It made her feel

fullled and satised.

But, aside from acting,

Hamadeh particularly likes

dancing.

If I had the oppurtunity to

learn dancing, I might have

pursued it, she said, smil-

ing. I dont know why but I

really love dancing. Maybe I

danced in another life.

Hamadeh advises drama

students not to rely on acting

in Lebanon because its nar-

row.

Walking on the sidewalk be-

neath the Broadway Cen-

ter in Hamra, you see some

familiar faces among small

groups of people. Inside the

elevator, you begin the swift

ascend to the 10th oor.As you go up, you slowly start

to hear the familiar loud

beats. And, when you enter

the room, you nd the bar to

your left and the DJ set to-

ward the back of the dance

oor.

How is 1991 England related

to 2011 Lebanon?

Drums and Bass (DnB),

a music genre with sever-

al subgenres, ranging from

Techno to Jazz, has come to

ourish in Lebanon.

DnB was inuenced by vari-

ous genres starting with Reg-

gae (in the early 60s), Hip

Hop, Breakbeat, Rave, and

Jungle. In 1994, it rst car-

ried the name Drums andBass.

The genre is characterized

by Breakbeat and hardcore

music that ranges from 185

to 190bpm. In terms of texts

and lyrics, what started out

as those of Soul went through

Hip Hop type of lyrics into

electronically altered voices

or mostly none at all.

I like it because its an inter-

esting form of music, musical

expression, lots of creativi-

ty, it gives you an adrenaline

rush, Julian Tohme, a fan

of the genre, said. For the

same reason I like heavy

metal.

In the world of turntables,

bands like Pendulum themost famous in the genre

still perform live acts with

real drums and bass play-

ers and a mix of rock-like lyr-

ics to go along. DJs like Ur-

ban Hype, and Grooverider

shaped the beginnings of the

scene.

Very little is known about

them since DnB is not a

mainstream type of music. In

England in the early 1990s,

parties were often held in

warehouses that organizers

illegally broke into.

Since the early beginnings,

DnB was rarely played by

DJs in overly popular clubs.

The rst DnB parties were

only accessible to a limitednumber of people informal-

ly invited through word-of-

mouth.

In Lebanon, ve or six years

ago it was spread in the same

way, George, a frequent in

the scene, said.

In 2012, the scene is slightly

different.

Flyers litter the streets of

Hamra to attract people to

the parties. For up to 30 dol-

lars, people go to dance the

In a consumer-based worl

where our purpose is to bu

possess and consume, the fu

ture although always un

certain looks gloomy.

Hasan Salemeh, a studen

director at LAU, has his ow

vision of what shall come. H

play, Daily Bread, revolve

around a set of character

in a post apocalyptic worl

forced into the sewers whe

all the resources of the uppe

world were spent.

Lost and crushed by the co

lapse of the system that d

nes them, the characterstill struggle to adapt to th

new world, each in his or he

own way.

They still live in a social hie

archy they built on their fo

mer lives.

We dene ourselves by th

cars that we drive or th

clothes that we wear or th

house that we own, so whe

these things are taken awa

who are we ultimately? S

lemeh asks.

We have lost our individu

ality, lost it under layers

cell phones and fast food. It

time to wake up and reclaiourselves for who we reall

are not what we own.

night away in various loca

tions. Few DJs, like Kapush

ka and Screwheadz aka Rip

norter, Tavarish, Spets, an

Villiam, are already famou

among insiders.

Among the most popular lcations is the Broadway Cen

ter in Hamra.

At DnB parties, a colorf

mix of Hippies, Trance Junk

ies, Rastafaris, Metal head

and Hip Hoppers meets th

eye.

I think DnB music her

should be more accepted b

the general public, Sagge

Khraishi, a fan of the genr

said. Its listeners should n

be negatively labeled.

Daily BreadBy Sari ShraytehLAU Tribune contributor


PhotoviaFacebook


8/12

8

MEDIA & LITERATURETribune Jan. 16 , 2011

Book Review: Zahras ParadiseBy Chris MellonLAU Tribune contributor

Online Proles Could Affect Your CareerBy Lama Al-Haqhaq

LAU Tribune Contributer

calling for the Imam to rid usof all these unclean creatures

once and for all.

This jarring opening scene

sets the tone for the remain-

der of the novel and is meant

to be a symbol of the Iranian

regimes attempts to squash

protests during the 2009 elec-

tions that saw President Ah-

madinejad reelected.

Zahras Paradise reects the

writers experience with the

tensions of daily life under the

Iranian regime. Zahra, on her

way to the coroners ofce, lis-

tens to the complaints of her

taxi driver caught in Tehranscongested highways while

sipping watermelon juice.

A nervous black market trad-

er working as a copy center

manager dodges the police

while publishing contraband

books for huge prots. A

group of young computer

hackers scouers the Internet

for any signs of Zahras son in

the Iranian regimes paper-

Zahras Paradise is a graph-ic, cartoon-based novel pub-

lished by Amir and Khalil,

who have chosen to omit

their family names.

In the novel, Zahra is a wom-

en searching for her son Me-

hdi who was arrested dur-

ing the protests following the

2009 Iranian elections.

Zahras search for her son

transforms into a journey

through modern life under

the Iranian regime and the

hospitals, courts, morgues,

Revolutionary Guard, and

State Bureaucracy as well as

ordinary teenagers and taxidrivers. Although ctional,

the novel attempts to depict

life in Modern Iran and the

hardships during and after

the 2009 elections.

Zahras Paradise opens in the

Darakeh Valley north of Teh-

ran with a man killing a sack

full of puppies with a shov-

el and dumping their blood-

ied remains into a river while

I use Facebook to keep in

touch with friends and up-

load pictures, Farah Kom-

ati, a business student at

the American University of

Beirut, said. Little does she

know that the popular site

is now being used for much

more then connecting with

family and friends.

Social networking platforms

have been around from

as early as 2003, ranging

from sites such as Hi5 and

Myspace, to the now wide-

ly popular Facebook andGoogle+. Most people use

them for recreational pur-

poses, such as socializing

and sharing personal infor-

mation.

Today, however, employers

use these online proles to

check up on applicants and

search for prospective em-

ployees.

According to an article

which ran on December

1 in the Daily Mail, some

work while being on the look

out for the police.

But Zahras journey also re-

veals more dramatic hard-

ships. Part of her journey

leads to hospitals where

young bleeding protestors

are taken from their beds by

the militia for prison interro-

gations. Vivid scenes of beat-

ings, food and sleep depriva-

tion and rape are described.

job applications now have

a section demanding that

Facebook passwords be dis-

closed.

A number of students are

aware of this phenomenon,

and have adjusted their on-

line proles accordingly.

Amer Ryan Bechnak, a pre-

med student who has ac-

counts on Facebook, Twit-

ter, and Google+, has placed

high privacy settings on his

proles. I also make sure

that I have a decent prole

picture up, he said.Badr Qaddah, business

marketing student at LAU,

has taken the same priva-

cy precautions. I make sure

that access to my prole is

limited, he stated. Not ev-

erything can be seen by just

anyone.

Other students, like Koma-

ti, are not aware of this new

system some companies

have adopted. Hind Abdul

Khalek, an English litera-

ture student at LAU, was

surprised when she found

out about it. They do? she

asked. I didnt know that!

Still, the young woman

does not feel the need to al-

ter anything to her existing

Facebook prole.

Im ne with the informa-

tion I have, she said. Even

if they look at my prole, I

wouldnt change anything.

Tala El-Riz, who graduat-

ed with a degree in journal-

ism from LAU, was also sur-

prised. Its the rst timeI hear that employers do

this, she said.

El-Riz is active on sever-

al networking platforms,

such as Facebook, Twitter,

LinkedIn and FourSquare,

and was already careful

about information she post-

ed online.

She said she would not

change anything about her

Facebook prole. Face-

book is the fun aspect of my

character, she said. I keep

that separate from the work

eld.

Online experts explain that

the problem with social net-

works is that they give an

impression of privacy

when, in fact, they are not

really private. When you

write to your friend on Face-

book, you do so using the

same language you would

use if you were talking face-

to-face in private.

In reality, youre talking

to your friend possibly infront of hundreds of people,

depending on your priva-

cy settings and the number

of friends you have. Youre

also doing that in front of

potential employers.

Students agree that brows-

ing social networks is not

the most efcient way of

checking up on future em-

ployees.

Abdul Khalek explained

that employers would not

be able to get informa

tion about how the perso

would perform in a work

environment, as thes

networks are more socia

Unless the work involve

being social, of course, sh

laughed.

El-Riz agreed. She sai

that Facebook does no

show how cooperative an

hard working an employe

may or may not be. Face

book and Twitter are

means of expressing one

self in an entertaininway, and that has nothin

to do with ones work, sh

said.

Bechnak feels that a per

sonal interview is what re

ally matters when it come

to hiring employees. It

the best way to judge fu

ture employees, he said

Everyone goes crazy onc

in a while, so these net

works arent a good way t

check on people.

After Persepolis, ZahParadise is an attempt b

Iranian storytellers and ar

ists to describe life in Mod

ern Iran through images an

words. The greatest contr

bution of Zahras Paradise

its depiction of everyday lif

in Iran today. Too often, th

complexities of Iran are ex

amined from a regional an

international perspective.

Zahras Paradise focuses o

the lives of ordinary Iran

ans at the center of Iran

modern history. Althoug

the characters are ction

al, their voices are realistand anyone seeking to unde

stand Modern Iran will ben

t from listening.

For more information, yo

may check the publisher

website at http://www.zah

rasparadise.com/ wher

samples of the graphic nov

el are available in thirtee

languages including Arabi

English, French and Persian

PhotoviaFacebook


9/12

Jan.16 , 2012

and a full-load back-up pow

er planet (Generator) are

must in todays life.

6. Value for money: Befor

buying an apartment, th

consumer should alway

make sure he is buying wit

a fair market price. Consum

ers should check recent salein the same area and take th

opinion of qualied and ind

pendent real estate agents.

7. Technical part: Fortunat

ly, the technical part is th

easiest part of the whole th

process. Buyers should tak

the opinion of a consultan

which is usually an enginee

or a person with a great exp

rience in the eld who woul

check up on every technica

issue.

OPINION9Tribune

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

By Mahmoud ArayssiSpecial to the LAU Tribune

Being a part of LAU alumni

community and working as

sales/marking manager at a

family-owned real estate de-

velopment, investment and

management company, I feel

pleasured to share my expe-

rience with fellow LAU stu-

dents by writing about theSeven Tips of Investing in

Real-Estate Properties.

Following the same symbolic

pattern of attractive worlds

sevens such as Seven hills

of Rome, Seven Sages of

Greece, Seven Wonders of

The World; the Seven Tips

of Investing in Real-Estate

Properties will widen your

horizon in what to consider

while renting/buying a at

and help you take a better de-

cision in making right invest-

ments. Simply youll not be

investing in an apartment no

more; youll be investing in a

home.

The top seven tips you should

consider before renting or a

buying a home are:

1. Legal issues: Investorsshould always make sure

that there are no nancial

problems with the apart-

ment such as bank loan prob-

lems, inheritance disputes

between families, or any oth-

er legal obstacle.

2. Under construction apart-

ments: If you aim to buy an

apartment while the build-

ing is not fully constructed

you should be aware that the

developer has a record and

an excellent reputation so he

would nish the project with-

out counting on the buyers.

In such cases, the precon-

struction price would help

you save around (15-20 per-

cent).

3. Location and neighbor-

hood: Choosing the best pos-sible location is yet the most

challenging factor in buy-

ing or renting an apartment.

End users should always in-

vest in a good location with

the best possible neighbor-

hood, because such macro

factors cant be easily mod-

ied. Therefore, buying

the worst apartment at the

best area is a win/win situa-

tion because the apartment

would be underpriced unlike

some well-decorated apart-

ments at underprivileged ar-

eas that are overpriced.

4. Size and view: Since buy-

ing an apartment is usually a

once in a life time situation,

buyers should take a strate-

gic decision in choosing the

right size that accompaniesnot only with their present

needs but with future ones

also. Yet, the view might not

seem very important before

buying but it denitely plays

a great role on the long run.

5. The big three: In our coun-

try, The Big Three are a vi-

tal factor in the formula of

living a comfortable life and

core requirements of any

building you want to buy in.

A parking spot, an elevator,

By Maher KalachSpecial to the LAU Tribune

the rules for global commer-

cial and nancial relations.

This agreement promoted

the US dollar to the reserve

currency with a xed ex-

change rate of 35 dollars for

one ounce of gold.

The Bretton Woods System

bound the United States to

redeem the participating

countries foreign dollar re-

serves for gold. From 1940 to

1957, the US Treasurys gold

reserves remained constant

but, by 1958, they started

falling since foreign govern-

ments held more dollar re-serves than the US central

bank had gold reserves.

Within three years, by 1960,

Treasury gold reserves de-

clined 22 percent. The de-

cline in reserves after 1957

indicated that the dollar

dominated. It was becoming

more and more difcult for

the European and American

Reserve Banks to maintain

the gold price at 35 dollars an

ounce. In 1961, the situation

was severe enough that the

US, Britain, West Germa-

ny, France, Switzerland, Ita-

ly, Belgium, the Netherlandsand Luxembourg all agreed

to sell gold into the market

to try and prevent the price

from exceeding 35 dollars an

ounce; so the London Gold

Pool was created.

The French realized that

the London Gold Pool was a

losing proposition, so they

started selling francs for dol-

lars and sent the dollars back

to the US in exchange for

gold.

By 1968, when the London

Gold Pool croaked, US gold

reserves had declined more

than 52 percent from their

1957 levels. In 1971, US goldreserves were 9,070 tons,

only 72 tons more than they

had been in 1935. Thirty ve

dollars were no longer worth

an ounce of gold.

In 1971, Nixon closed the

Gold Window (the dollar con-

vertibility of gold) in an at-

tempt to retain some gold in

the Treasury. This led to a

collapse of Bretton Woods

and the xed gold price of 35

dollars per ounce ceased to

exist. The gold price should

have been 103 dollars an

ounce then.

Gold was being bought handover st at thirty ve dollars

an ounce, and the gold in-

crease immediately after it

was emancipated.

But, by 1974, it had reached

its ination-adjusted price

of 150 dollars an ounce. In

1975, the New York Com-

modities Exchange was es-

tablished and trading in gold

futures could begin.

By 1978, it was trading

around 200 dollars. Gold be-

came freely-supplied mon-

ey: a currency independent

of any government, whose

value is market determined.

In 1980, a 20 year-long goldbear market began.

In 1983, a new nancial risk

management tool was devel-

oped to mitigate the impact

of gold price on mining com-

panies: hedging. Total gold

hedging increased very rap-

idly in the eighties and nine-

ties. Gold ination also con-

tributed to the fall of gold

prices in this period.

The establishment of the

Shanghai Gold Exchange in

2002 expanded the gold trade

and thus increased demand

for this precious metal. With-

in the next ve years, Chinaovertook the United States

to become after India the sec

ond biggest gold buyer.

The nancial crisis in 200

increased the demand fo

physical gold and exchang

traded funds (ETF). The gol

reserves of ETF, SPDR Gol

Trust, reached in 2010 a re

cord of 1320 tons. This gol

fund controlled more gol

than the Chinese Nationa

Bank.

In the same year, severa

central banks planned to in

crease their gold reserves

among others the Chines

National Bank, the ReservBank of India and the Cen

tral Bank of Russia.

Compared to gold, the U

dollar experienced an all

time low due to sustainabl

economic recovery, increas

ing ination, possible cor

porate insolvencies and de

faults of corporate bonds.

Other drivers of demand fo

gold were growing nationa

debt, low interest rates an

an expansion of money sup

ply. The decrease of gold pro

duction by 10 percent sinc

2001 and strong demand fo

jewelry were other factordriving up the value of gold.

Seven Tips of Investing in Real-Estate Properties

Gold Prices: Where Are They Going?

Gold is the most popular pre-

cious metal in which peo-

ple invest. It is a safe-haven

against any economic, politi-

cal, social or currency-based

crises, such as investment

market declines, currency

failure, ination, war and so-

cial unrest.

Historically, it played a cen-

tral role in the worlds mone-

tary systems.

Recently, the price of gold

uctuated widely, this

prompts the question of what

drives the price movements

of gold.Gold was 20.67 dollars a troy

ounce in 1933, when gold was

money and a 20 dollar gold

coin contained 0.9675 ounc-

es of gold. But President

Franklin D. Roosevelt had

set the gold price at 35 dol-

lars an ounce in 1934, over-

valuing gold and undervalu-

ing the dollar. As a result, the

US Treasurys gold reserves

increased by 117 percent

from 1934 to 1940, as foreign-

ers sold metal to the United

States.

In 1944, Bretton Woods

agreement laid down a mon-etary order that established


10/12

10

CONTINUEDTribune Jan. 16, 2012

Many of the USAP students,who come mostly from rural

areas and public schools, and

MEPI students who come

from different countries and

cultures, are facing problems

trying to t into LAUs well-

off society.

Ahmad Saleh, a senior radio/

TV/lm MEPI from Egypt,

has no friends yet.

I met two Lebanese friends

and got really close to them

during my rst year but they

ditched me when I decided

not to vote at all in the stu-

dents elections, he said.

In Cairo, Saleh added, peopleare more friendly and wel-

coming to foreigners than

they are here.

When I tell students that I

come from Bekaa, they think

that I used to live with cows

and cattle, a USAP student

from Middle Bekaa, said with

a hint of disappointment in

her voice.

Mohammed agreed. If I am

not like them; I am never

with them, she said. I dont

know anything about Leba-

nese politics and I dont have

a boyfriend to talk about.

Yasmine Dabbous, the advis-er for USAP communication

art students, explained that

this cultural clash, along

with the pressure to excel, ul-

timately creates inner stress,

thus affecting the students

academic performance.

Some tend to look at us in

a different way when they

know that we are USAP stu-

dents, Chmouri said. Few

are those who interact with

us and, when some do, we

tend to search for the catch.

To verify this phenomenon,

I hanged around scholarship

students at the LAU dorms.One day, a group of female

students at the dorms en-

tered the kitchen without

greeting their USAP coun-

terparts. An obvious grimace

on their faces, they estranged

themselves and had a conver-

sation on the side. They fur-

tively looked at USAP stu-

dents every now and then but

didnt mingle with them.

I was really annoyed from

the way they treated us,

a USAP student said. So I

gathered my stuff and left to

my room.

Continued from page 1

Taking a walk with veUSAP students in the Orme

Gray lobby, I ran into one of

my classmates, whose name

is R. A.. She gestured with

surprise. What are you do-

ing with them? her facial ex-

pression seemed to say.

R. A. lives with USAP stu-

dents in the same dormi-

tory but rarely sees them.

Still, when asked about it,

the young woman recognized

their intellectual excellence.

Honestly, I sometimes feel

jealous because I look at

them as the smart students,

R. A. said.Khaled Nasser, an interper-

sonal communication lec-

turer at LAU, believes that

some LAU students may re-

frain from mingling with

their USAP and MEPI coun-

terparts due to association

problem.

Students living in this so-

ciety avoid communicating

with people they consider dif-

ferent because they fear they

will be perceived as part of

them, Nasser said.

Some of the quotes I got illus-

trated his point. A hospitali-

ty management student saidthat USAP candidates are

different at social and behav-

ioral levels. You can tell who

they are from their accent

and the way they dress up,

she explained.

The student complained that

USAP candidates cling to

each other. Theyre always

in the kitchen cooking and

studying together, she said.

Nasser explained that USAP

and MEPI students are fac-

ing cultural shock. They are

confronted with a new way

of thinking, different from

what they were used to intheir surroundings.

At this rst stage, they dont

have the specic script or

brochure of how to act as an

LAU student, Nasser said.

Therefore, a we versus

them relation develops, cre-

ating this seclusion.

Nasser added that what

USAP and MEPI students

face today is very similar to

the hardships all students

coming from abroad will

face. They need some time

to adapt and build relation-

ships on campus.

Discrimination Based On Status

Continued from page 1

He pointed out that any stu-dent or any human being

introduced to a new environ-

ment goes through the same

stages. When Darine Nasr,

education student from Has-

bayya, receives her stipend,

she shops for clothing before

she even buys her food. Now-

adays, I really care about my

looks to t in this society,

Nasr said.

Some problems follow MEPI

and USAP students into the

classroom.

Aseel Beydoun, a Palestinian

MEPI student, feels that some

students make fun of the wayshe talks or act extra nice with

her in class because they as-

sociate that I am a scholarship

student therefore I am smart

and I have valuable notes.

Almost all teachers know

that we are USAP students so

they tend to give us more at-

tention and expect more from

us, Hiba Bazzal, an USAP

business student said. I have

a teacher who dened almost

every English word which

made students look at me in a

different way.

When asked about the prob-

lems USAP or MEPI studentsface, Raed Mohsen, the dean

of students, ruled out the pos-

sibility of a culture shock at

LAU. He spoke instead of a

difference in behavior.

Maybe they are facing prob-

lems but I am unaware of

them because their case is not

within the scope of my respon-

sibilities. Other people at LAU

are in charge of the program,

Mohsen said.

USAID and MEPI students

were chosen after an intensive

and thorough study of their so-

cial status and academic per-

formance. Applicants were re-quired to enroll in one of 13

highly requested majors in the

country, including education,

nursing, engineering, busi-

ness, social work and commu-

nication arts.

But, despite the difculties,

the prospects are still encour-

aging. Nasser indeed believes

that, with time, students de-

velop adaptation skills and

gradually accept the differ-

ences they nd. This eventu-

ally releases their anxiety and

they adapt to the new culture,

he said.

it from the class. Students get sleepy because the air is warm.

The radio/TV/lm studio does not fair better. The humi

ty reaches 80 to 90 percent and it affects the people who wor

George Tarabay, studio staff, said. People are always sick a

suffer from respiratory problems.

Upon entering the recording studio, you know immediately itnot sound proof. There are holes in the pads which are suppos

to trap sound. There is another hole in the ceiling that links t

microphone to the control room. The room is also used as a st

age facility where tables, boxes and other material are dump

on the oor.

Omar Moujais, a third-year radio/TV/lm major, explained th

there is always static whenever he uses the studio equipmen

This is because the electricity is not grounded properly accordi

to Farid Boustani, the studio supervisor.

Communication arts students staged a sit-in in front of the Fi

Arts building in 2010 to protest the decaying status of the stud

The administration responded to the problem partially by bui

ing a temporary studio in Nicol Hall.

George Hamouche, assistant vice president for facilities manag

ment, revealed that the Fine Arts building will be renovated th

coming summer. Originally due in the summer of 2011, renov

tion efforts were cancelled due to delays and class conicts.Its an old building that needs refurbishment, he said. All t

oors will undergo some renovations. I think that we will have

live with partial renovations.

But the Fine Arts building does not only suffer from decay. Ma

at the building complained about the space problem.

We are in very deep trouble regarding space on campus, Mo

Knio, the communication arts chairperson, said.

We need classroom space and ofce space. Very often we need

open more sections but we do not have enough space on camp

for that.

Ofce 108 at the Fine Arts building accommodates no less th

seven instructors.

Space at the buildings student facilities is scarce too. Ther

not enough space for students at the photography lab, Andr

explained. We have 130 students. The facility was designed f

two sections, which is 60 students. Its double the number now

Fine Arts Building

Rola HamadehContinued from page 7

She also hopes Lebanese drama would be encouraged and thpeople who control all the keys would seek art instead of prot.

In her last work with director Lina Khoury and the cast and cre

from LAU, Hamadeh is particularly happy.

I love Lina Khoury the director, Edward Albee the scriptwrite

and the students, she said. I also love the character I am pla

ing and wish to play it from the beginning to the end.

Conservative LebanonContinued from page 11

The responsibility toward our children cant be placed in th

hands of maids, who may very well have no idea what theyre d

ing, Shayto added.

The percentage of women registered in the workforce is on t

rise as women seek to fulll their aspirations. But for traditionminded men, their womens ambitions might trouble their ma

hood.

I would not like my wife to earn higher than I do though, Chke

said. It goes against the instincts of a man.


11/12

1

OFF CAMPUSTribuneJan. 16 , 2012

When Abuse Victims Speak Up

Nada M., who suffered with

her children from abuse by

her former husband, agreedto meet me at a psychiatric

clinic. She was being treated

for depression and post-trau-

matic stress syndrome.

First, he would tie up our

son and daughter then beat

them, she recounted. And if

I tried to stop him, he would

put a knife to their throats

and threaten to kill them.

Nadas husband then asked

her to choose the instrument

of torture when it was her

turn to get beaten.

Now I got a divorce, but

it seems a divorce is not

enough, she said. I amafraid to use our bathroom or

kitchen or even sleep in my

own bedroom. I keep my eyes

open when Im in bed.

Domestic violence is one of

Lebanons hidden problems

By Samia BuhlaiyemLAU Tribune staff

because no national statistics

on the issue exist. But Kafa,

an organization that aims at

reducing the incidence of vi-

olence against women in the

Middle East, reported that

its Beirut ofces alone ad-

mit about 400 cases a year.

Many more exist but we do

not feel they are able to come

forward, Rola Abi Murshid,

Kafas coordinator, said.

Muhammad Itani, a psychol-

ogist and a former instruc-

tor at The Lebanese Associ-

ation for the Development of

Health Sciences (LAPAHS),explained that domestic vio-

lence has different forms; it

can be physical, sexual, emo-

tional, verbal or economic.

Physical violence ranges from

beating to throwing objects

on the victim, while emotion-

al abuse includes humiliat-

ing a subject privately or pub-

lically, controlling what he or

she can or cannot do, deliber-

ately embarrassing the vic-

tim or isolating him or her

from friends or family.

Dr. Majid Kanj, a psychia-

trist, explained that hold-

ing a victim in a double bindalso constitutes emotional

abuse. When the aggressor

sends conicting messages to

his victim, she will inevitably

respond successfully to one

message and unsuccessfully

to the other. This makes her

feel automatically wrong, re-

gardless of the response.

Over three million children

worldwide witness domes-

tic violence at home and the

numbers are escalating.

Itani explained children of

abuse victims experience

feelings of shame, guilt and

self-blame. They grow con-

icting feelings towards their

parents while fearing aban-

donment at the same time.

Children who witness abuse

may typically stop express-

ing emotions while feelinghelpless and powerless. They

might withdraw, become pas-

sive-aggressive or even re-

fuse to go to school. They

might turn into liars or resort

to attention-seeking behav-

ior. Some experience night-

mares and bedwetting. They

might engage into stormy re-

lationships or isolate them-

selves from friends and fami-

ly and stop trusting others.

At her house in Shayyah,

Khadeeja Tabaja felt grateful

for divorcing her husband af-

ter long years of suffering.

It was just after he was re-leased from his ve-year im-

prisonment, she remem-

bered. He sat at the dining

room table asking for his bot-

tle of arak.

It took Tabaja some time to

get the bottle, so her former

husband grabbed her hair,

dragged her to the balcony,

and threw her on the oor

while calling people to watch

how he would punish his dis-

obedient woman. He hit her

head to the oor and kicked

her in the stomach.

I hid my head with both

arms, but he kept on kicking

me until I passed out, she

said. Neighbors were afraid to

interfere. My three children

just stood in a corner, terri-

ed.

The issue of domestic violencehas stirred attention on the

international, regional and

national levels. Kafa partici-

pated in a 16-day white rib-

bon campaign in Lebanon

and the Middle East. It in-

cluded a documentary by Di-

ana Moukalled, lectures and

workshops by surviving wom-

en, campaigns at ve univer-

sities, launching a research

study at LAU and various

forms of advertisements.

Kafa also offered a specialized

psychological clinic for men

where they may air out their

experiences, identify prob-lem-solving behavior and nd

appropriate solutions for their

social problems.

Men are part of the problem,

but they are also part of the

solution, a press release by

Kafa said. We are against v

olence, not men... If we wan

to begin making real chang

in ending violence agains

women it is simply illogica

to leave men out of the equa

tion.

As for dealing with victim

Dr. Kanj stressed that the ke

words are love, respect, an

trust. One should promot

their independence, respec

their feelings for the othe

parent and allow for privacy.

Dr. Kanj also said that on

should provide victims wit

emotional security, providshelter, healthy food, appro

priate clothing and maintai

family routine while provid

ing discipline, and consisten

cy.

Itani, on the other hand, talk

ed about early detection o

childrens troubles at schools

He explained that there is no

a formula that applies to a

children since each child re

sponds differently to a vio

lent parent. As to proposed so

lutions, both experts agree

that authorities should mak

legislations and erect specia

ized centers to protect victims of domestic violence

Also, people intending to mar

ry should be subjected to men

tal health tests that assur

they are responsible enoug

to start a family.

For a country deemed as a

breather among more con-

servative ones in the

Middle East, Lebanon sur-prisingly offers its women a

dismal 29 percent

of the labor force, according

to a 2011 report by UNDPs

Program on Governance.

Although Mercer Human Re-

source Consultings survey

ranked Beirut as the 80th

most expensive city world-

wide ahead of Los Angeles,

Munich and Montreal, and

the fourth in the Arab world,

a considerable share of Leb-

anese men would still want

their wives to remain home

rather than help with the

By Zahi SahliLAU Tribune staff

household income.

One of the main reasons for

the marginalization of wom-

en in the Lebanese laborforce is the burden laid by pa-

triarchal traditions.

Paul Chkeir, a 27-year-old

engineer, would not want to

see his potential wife make a

larger income than his. De-

spite having lived in

Sweden during his childhood

years, Chkeir points to his

Eastern roots and admits

he would like to be the fami-

lys main source of income.

I dont want to seem like an

old-fashioned person, but

I would like to see my fami -

ly rely on me nancially,

Chkeir said. I would rather

that my wife takes the role of

a traditional housewife.

Chkeir, whose mother did notcontinue her education past

the Lebanese Baccalaure-

ate and was never employed,

would only welcome his wifes

contribution should he face

an economic catastrophe.

Generally, Lebanese men pre-

fer to get married to wom-

en who can be conservative

housewives rather than equal

partners and providers for

the same household, Khaled

Nasser, a lecturer of interper-

sonal communication, said.

A traditional-minded man

looks to marry a woman which

corresponds best to the image

of his mother and her expecta-

tions, Sevag Hagopian, a soci-

ologist, said.Mohammad Shayto, a busi-

ness major at LAU, says that

he would never object to seeing

his future wife work at a cer-

tain institution.

But he would not want her to

forget that her principal re-

sponsibility is raising children.

If I work and fulll the fami-

lys nancial needs, my wife

could work in order to fulll

her aspirations too, as long as

she works for a limited number

of hours; during the morning

hours, lets say, Shayto said.

Our children at home need the

utmost care of one of the par

ents as scientic studies an

research show that children

need and strive on motherlove especially during thei

early years, he continued.

Shayto pointed out that h

would prefer that his wif

limits her interests to domes

tic activity if her employmen

would mean that she relin

quishes her mothers role t

housemaids. The responsi

bility towards our children

cant be replaced in the hand

of maids who may very wel

have no idea what theyre do

ing, he said.

Conservative Lebanon?


PhotoviaCreativeCommons


12/12

12

OFF CAMPUSTribune Jan. 16 , 2011

The Tribune Goes Shopping in Sabra and Chatila

A huge portrait of a March 8

gure stands still on the en-

trance to welcome visitors.

On both sides of the narrow

street, which depends on sun

rays during the day and u-

orescent light bulbs in the

night, you can see two-by-

two-meter shops and scat-

tered shopping carriages.

Crowds of people, mainly

men, pass by in both direc-

tions.

A close-up of the crowd re-

veals dark skins, thick beards

and tattoos on the neck and

the hands that sometimesfeature names of lovers. Out-

ts are mainly composed of

leather black or brown jack-

et and jeans, sometimes cov-

ered with dust from the road.

The shoes might vary from

shoes that have the form of a

rocket to at rubber slippers.

In the Southern part of Bei-

rut is the Sabra and Chatila

Palestinian camp. It was es-

tablished in 1949 by the in-

ternational committee of the

Red Cross to accommodate

the hundreds of refugees

who poured into the area

from Amka, Majed al-Kroumand al-Yajour, area villages

in northern Palestine after

1948.

I go there every now and

then to get my dvds because

they are cheaper there, a

university student, who pre-

ferred not to reveal his name,

said. I usually buy more

than thirty, so I get each dvd

for 750 Lebanese pounds.

Shopping as a dictionary

term is based on observing

goods and services with an

intent to purchase. It is usu-

ally referred to as a leisure

By Zeina ShehayebLAU Tribune staff

activity. Shopping in the Sa-

bra and Chatila camp, howev-

er, has a different taste.

On both sides of the narrow

street are small shops and

shopping carriages that sell

whatever comes to your mind,

with prices cheaper than usu-

al. Shops may not have the

brand names you might relate

to but they do have imitations

of them sometimes.

A Syrian trader, who wanted

to remain anonymous, sells

houseware and electric appli-

tribune issue 5

Documents