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May 25 , 2008

This Week

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“What do we need to do to have a better Egypt?”

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The Voice

Yes, we’re moving. We’re actually, finally moving. More than 10 years in the making, the new campus is no longer a distant mirage but a fully constructed reality staring us right in the face.
As students of the American University in Cairo (AUC ) we’re always criticized by our parents, our non-AUCian friends and the occasional taxi driver for living in a different world, one isolated from the real, grimy, rough Egyptian world. Our defence has always been the people we inevitably bump into on the way from campus to campus, from the little boy who sleeps on the street to the woman living on a couch outside the Social Science building, and the events taking place in our busy surroundings that keep us somewhat in touch with our country – whether we like it or not.
Even with all those things literally right outside our current campus gates, AUCians have not been the best at staying active and aware of what is going on in, with and around Cairo. And now, with the new campus located a gazillion miles away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Cairo, it’s horrifying to imagine that what will happen to AUCians when they really are isolated.
When demonstrators march down Tahrir Square, we’ll be lounging in the new library garden ; as conditions in the economy get worse, we’ll be eating sushi in the new campus food court and while the little boy wakes up on the Falaki street sidewalk, we’ll be in our car driving as far away as possible from Cairo’s main hub.
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She will protect herself!

By Dina Basiony
Editor In Chief

She was walking peacefully in the street, thinking about her next class. She was all dressed up in a decent suit, looking quite respectable and busy holding two big bags with her books and papers. She never expected what happened in the next few minutes... that a man would pop out of nowhere, crush her dignity and remind her that the world is not as safe as she thinks… simply because she’s a woman.
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At AUC, Egyptians speak Arabic as second

language

By Asmaa El Gammal
Managing Editor

Dressed in loose galabeyas and headscarves, conversing in thick sa’eedy accents and wailing at the loss of a child in true Upper-Egyptian fashion, the international and study-abroad students performing in their first Arabic play on the Falaki Main stage on May 15 were impressive in their efforts to present a snapshot of Egyptian culture.
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Letters to the Editor:

A lost opportunity for tolerance

I read with dismay that the American University in Cairo’s faculty senate passed a resolution calling for the boycott of Israeli academia. It is an unfortunate reality when an academic faculty’s personal biases and self-righteous indignation serve to undermine a historic opportunity for the community they are supposedly committed to enlightening.
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Education ...means to realize human rights

I was saddened to read in the last Caravan issue that almost half of the AUC community, while condemning violent practices against Palestinians, were against boycotting Israeli academics, students and professors. Many pro-Palestinians were saying that it is fine to have Israelis wanting to learn here with us at AUC—something I have nothing against, but I am writing this letter to explain why we should be anti-normalization.
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Can you still hear us? Can you still see us?

May 14th: Such an important date… No, it’s not my birthday; it’s the day the world recognized a so-called “Israel”. It’s the day “Israelis” celebrate their independence and it’s the day the Palestinians lost their homes and were kicked out of their own lands. Let’s not forget that date. Let’s not forget how Palestinians suffered back then and how they are still suffering today. Continue Reading

Perhaps the faculty senate should propose a change to the blurb on AUC's home page so it more accurately reflects the spirit of its latest resolution. Here's the new pitch: Describe AUC as a "crossroads for the world's cultures (except Israeli culture)" and a "forum for reasoned argument (but not from Israelis), spirited debate (but not from Israelis), and global understanding (but not of Israelis)."
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