Bulletin - American University of Beirut

AUB Literary Competition winners honored.
love and attachment to one’s native land, particularly to
south Lebanon, were the central themes explored in the
various poems read by the winners. The poetry festival
came just one week before Lebanon celebrated Liberation
Day, on May 25, marking the liberation of south Lebanon
from Israeli occupation.
Rising poet Ali Badran, a second-year civil engineering
student at AUB and the youngest member in the history of
the Lebanese Writers Union, organized the contest.
Badran initially conceived of the idea for AUB students,
but plans to expand the competition to include students
from other universities in Lebanon. “Today, we are celebrating
the young talent at this great university,” noted Badran.
Union members have adopted AUB’s motto, “That they may
have life and have it more abundantly,” added Badran.
Badran already published his first book of poems in
October 2009, and has two other books in progress. His
future plans include publishing a collection of poems by
winners from various universities. “What is nice about this
event is that today’s winners as well as the audience are
a mosaic of people from different backgrounds,” noted
Badran. Education and cultural activities should unite students
and should be the main goal they strive for, added
Badran. “AUB provides the medium for students to achieve
that goal,” said Badran.
Nour Bitar introduced Nasereddine, describing him
as “one of Lebanon’s best-known poets,” founder of the
Union of Arabic-Speaking Literary Writers (‘Rabitat Abna’ al-
‘Arabiyya’), and an activist.
Nasreddine then recited a nationalistic poem, in which
he reminisced about the victims of Qana.
A number of
AUB students read
excerpts from their
poetry to a campus
audience which included
Youssef Abdel
Samad, president of
The New Pen League
in New York and a
large crowd of AUB
students.
Saudi Cultural Club celebrates Al Janadriyah
2 cultural day
Cultural Club celebrants admire camel.
The Saudi Cultural Club at AUB celebrated Saudi Cultural
Heritage Day, Al-Janadriyya 2, taking as themes the holy city
of Mecca as well as the camel, or “the ship of the desert.”
In a cultural evening, held on May 5, 2010, on AUB’s
Green Oval, decorated with divan-like seats and carpets,
Saudi Ambassador Ali Asseri, commended all students for
their efforts in organizing an event which links Saudis to
their cultural heritage. “What we witness tonight is such a
Young poet Badran.
unique chance to share Saudi culture with students of different
cultures at this unique university,” said Asseri, adding
that he hopes the event would lead to a cultural exchange
of ideas.
Saudi Cultural Attaché Ayman Maghrabi highlighted
the importance of engaging in dialogue with other cultures
in order to transfer the right image about the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA). “I stand today on fertile grounds,
namely the AUB, that has graduated many people from the
region. . . Tonight’s festival reflects genuine Arab customs,”
noted Maghrabi, adding that Saudis should make sure they
preserve their Saudi identity while opening up to other
cultures.
The adviser of the Saudi Cultural Club at AUB, Fawwaz
Tuqan, also congratulated club members for their efforts in
organizing a rich cultural event that brings different cultures
together. Club President Mohammed Madani highlighted the
importance of preserving the cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia.
“We hope, through this event, to familiarize our fellow students
with Saudi traditions and values,” noted Madani.
Continued
As the camel strolled right across the Green Oval, other
traditional Saudi items were on display, including Saudi coffee
pots, incense burners, an old Saudi musical instrumentthe
‘rababa’-which is used by nomads to sing-Bedouin
songs. “It is good to see the Saudi students wearing their
traditional dresses,” commented Asseri on the sidelines. “It
shows how proud they are of their native belonging,” he
added.
The cultural evening featured singing of traditional
Saudi and Egyptian songs, with oud accompaniment, in addition
to poetry reading by AUB students. Traditional Saudi
coffee and dates were served throughout the event.
AUB students help support education in
public schools
The majority of AUB students have had access to some
of the best education in the country, sparing them the
experience of the local public school system.
International College biology teacher Ghada Fehgali
has worked for over a decade to help improve standards
at public schools.
“Most schools are underfunded and lack the basic tools
of education, extracurricular activities, materials, or even
teachers,” explained Feghali, also president of the Women’s
Renaissance Group (WRG).
She added that schools do not even have the budget
to run after-school programs for students who are falling
behind in their studies, nor can teachers or administrators
afford to offer the extra help.
The problem became apparent over a decade ago
when the Education Ministry designed a new curriculum for
teaching math and sciences.
Only teachers in the private sector were offered rigorous
training to implement the new curriculum.
Once Feghali and fellow teachers donated time to
teaching public school teachers how to correctly apply the
new curriculum, they realized the dire state that public
schools are in: Teachers are not required to undergo training
beyond two years of college, funding is minimal, language
proficiency and training programs are poor.
Feghali explained that public schools still rely on rote
learning, placing emphasis on memorization and theory
rather than active skills learning and critical thinking.
Coupled with the lack of government funding, such
teaching methods produce students who memorize rather
than understand concepts and who are never taught critical
thinking, problem solving, or interpretative skills.
Feghali’s will and love for education led her to knock
on the door of Ras Beirut’s public schools supervisor to
Cultural exchange between Saudi and Lebanese students
is necessary, noted Madani. “Many of our classmates
do not know much about our country, our traditions and our
habits; they simply think of us as desert dwellers,” continued
Madani.
Exposing students to diverse cultures is part of AUB’s
mission. AUB has long been a hub for students from diverse
cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. It has always
encouraged dialogue and taught cultural tolerance.
“Saudis are desert people,” said Madani, “and we are
proud of it.” However, “Saudi Arabia has made significant
strides in the field of technology,” he added.
offer the volunteer services
of five IC teachers
who will guide the public
school staff on new methodologies
for teaching
math and science.
“The previous year, Students eager to help public schools
the school had a success
pass rate of 45 percent, but after we implemented our
program its success rate increased to 100 percent. Upon securing
the approval of the Ministry of Education, we began
offering programs to other schools,” added Feghali.
As a result, Feghali began a public school educational
program over fifteen years ago, which has evolved since
she joined efforts with AUB.
Now partnered with the Center for Civic Engagement
and Community Service (CCECS), the program has assembled
a pool of AUB volunteers from specific disciplines to
provide services for public schools across Beirut.
The collaborative will seek new students for volunteer
training at the end of every six-week tutoring cycle, entrusting
them with visiting assigned schools to provide basic
tutoring in specific fields such as foreign languages, math,
and sciences.
“I love the experience. The students I tutor love what
they are doing. They are very capable; they just have trouble
expressing their ideas and writing them down. I want to use
my knowledge to help these young students reach their
potential,” said business marketing alumna Reem Koleilat
at the Verdun Public School.
“CCECS has helped tremendously. Together we can
take this further and help make significant and sustainable
changes in Lebanon’s public school systems and, in the
future, in the training of teachers within universities across
Continued
22 AUB Bulletin June 2010 AUB Bulletin June 2010 23