Final Project: AUCian and Proud to be...

AUCian and Proud to be
Helmy
05/16/2010
Duration: 13 minutes

Prominent women have started their successful careers upon graduation from A-U-C such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak and many others. A-U-C has always been known for making leaders and throughout history it has been the leading institution that provides its students with the knowledge, culture and experience they need to become renowned in their own fields. The connection between successful women and A-U-C will be clearly highlighted in the following report.

Project #5: redone!

Project#6: Final Project Promo(video/audio)

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Women in Leadership at AUC
Audio Promo
Created by: Batoul Helmy
Music: Legally Blonde Soundtrack- Joanna Pacitti- Watch me Shine

Audio Promo Script:
Women in Leadership at AUC Audio
Helmy
05/02/10

Music: Legally Blonde Soundtrack- Joanna Pacitti- Watch me Shine (30 seconds)

Batoul: Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, Queen Rania of Jordan, Dr. Farkhonda Hassan, Ms. Raghda EL Ibrashy, Mrs. Khadiga Mubarak, Mrs. Sanaa Ghanem, Lobna Abd EL aziz, Do you know What they all have in common?(13 seconds)

Raghda S.B.: I would say that AUC gave me everything, because that the education I received from AUC is actually my power….I never used nepotism to …” fade in(10 seconds)

Batoul: To know more about them come listen to the whole documentary on Sunday may 16th at 10 am AUC new campus BEC building room (8seconds)_

Music- fade out: Legally Blonde Soundtrack- Joanna Pacitti- Watch me Shine (30 seconds)

The End.

I woke up today, sad to have to come to university but knowing that this is one of my last 8:30 classes in AUC. The semester is ending in a couple of weeks, my 4 year journey is ending in a couple of weeks and to me now my life is literally ending.

When I come to think of the past four years and how they impacted my life, changed it, in other words reformulated it, I come to discover that university years are not the ending however they are the beginning.

Even though I sound quite optimistic about it right now, this is not what I really feel inside. I am actually freaking out from the fact of graduation, having to leave my university, the people I got used to knowing and seeing everyday is what freaks me out. The fact that I will have more responsibilities on top of my shoulders, more committment and more expectations from people freaks me out.

Graduation is a big deal, getting into "real" life is a big deal and that is assuming that what we are going through is not real. It is considered real to a certain extent yet post graduation to me at least in considered the reality real, as in there is no way back, as in you have to continue, not looking back untill you reach the end of this very long, hectic, tiring, disturbing race.

I DO NOT WANT TO GRADUATE!!!

What is the Importance of the Student Union?

When I first thought of writing this article, I decided to talk in it about all the accomplishments of the Student Union since I have ever heard about which was four years ago in my freshman year. Then it struck me that it is not its accomplishments that make it the most important and powerful organization on campus in fact its importance exists in the essence of how it works.

The Student Union started in around 1985, while before it was a student council. Both the Student Union and Student Council started for one reason which was to represent the students in front of the administration and try to provide them with some services they needed. Along the years this idea progressed, it developed and formed a Student Union which had a formal structure, an executive plan and sufficient HR to implement that plan.

Representing, Serving, Entertaining, Developing and connecting the Students is what the SU aims at doing right now. Representing the Students, in my point of view, is however the most important, it can make a Student Union or Break it. When students suffer a certain problem on campus whether with the different AUC services or with different administration offices there must be an entity responsible to help them find a solution for their problems and having a community of more than 5000 students makes it impossible to have them all solve their own problems. So here intervenes the SU, there is a whole committee inside the SU only responsible for representing the Students, advocating their rights and finding solutions to their daily academic and administrative problems. Which is the Reason the Student union exists from the first place.
Some people when they start observing the Student Union, they do not see except the concerts and the events. Even though this is not a negative but it is not the reason why the Student Union is here it is one of the aspects where the Student Union fulfills its role. The student union is not an agency that is present to organize parties, to form conferences and to publish newspapers only it is here to do all the previous but for a cause which is the Students.

According to the student constitution, the Student union is the highest executive body on campus and its mission is to represent, serve, connect and entertain and for all that to happen it needs perseverance, vision and belief.

This is what the Student Union is all about….

project #5: SCUBA addiction

Listening Journal #4: Long form audio documentary: Love and Morals in Mangalore

Love and Morals in Mangalore

This documentary is a BBC production that was recorded in Mangalore, South India. A reporter narrated the documentary and there are sound bites added of people involved in the story and of actors imitating those involved for safety reasons. The documentary was about 23 minutes long.
The documentary is about relationship problems across religions in Mangalore in India. It is said that the “Moral Police” in India beat up and punish any Hindu woman who is sitting with a Muslim guy or any couple that are standing together must identify who hey are and what is their relationship status. The moral Police defend themselves saying that they are doing that to defend their women and to make sure they are protected from minorities such as Muslims and Christians. It was said that Muslim boys do that so as to make Hindu girls do not convert to Islam under what is said by Muslims “Love Jihad”.
The documentary was produced professionally, the sound is very clear and the narrator is very assertive, engaging and her voice is strong. She succeeded in interviewing people who know how to describe which engaged me a lot in the topic and I felt I was present with them in Mangalore in India. The documentary was quite too long however it was very interesting which made me enjoy listening to it till the end. What made this documentary interesting was the topic itself, which was different and quite unusual. Also the way it was tackled made it very engaging as the reporter got all points of views; those being beaten up, the police who do so, Hindus, Muslims and even higher authorities.
I believe that this documentary used very suitable music to the topic and I enjoyed listening to all conversations and interviews she had with people in Indian streets. The way she described the setting and atmosphere was very engaging and interesting.

Mummy....

AUC students making history!

After thoughts, trials, negotiations and patience with the administration we decided to involve those whom we are trying to defend: AUC Students! We, the Student Union, have been trying endless trials with the Administration to get back students rights either through food services, transportation, registration, declaration and finally access to campus which was resembled in the HUSS gate issue. The student union started its term believing that the administration will be its way to serve, represent, entertain and serve the students however they were the biggest obstacle in the SU's way in achieving these four missions. The HUSS gate was a minor issue that escalated because we felt that this is a matter of PRINCIPLE. Students' voice is being ignored and disregarded. The administration refuses to open the gate after a petition signed by 2500 students other than faculty and staff members who have signed and there were emails sent to us by faculty members wondering about the reasons for the gate being closed. So, AUC students started frantically asking us the SU what are we doing towards solving a problem that obviously is bothering them. Here came the idea of Unity, we united with AUC students having more than 500 students gathering on Thursday the 18th of march at 1 pm at Quick in AUC new campus where we all moved along in one step, one goal, one motive pushing them towards the HUSS gate and they opened it. With force, belief, anger and passion, the gate was finally opened!!! All 500 students were asked for their AUC IDs and miraculously the AUC security officials gathered them all and realized the fact that there is no exact person to punish so they gave our IDs back. Only here I realized that this is not an SU issue, it is an AUC STUDENT BODY issue. AUC students united on one cause and for one reason which is to be heard and get their right back.
We, AUC students, could be easily distracted and scattered, we could be blackberry addicts, we could be care free and shallow we could be any of these stereotypic examples of AUCians yet if we unite on one goal, if we decide to be one for once and for all then a difference will happen, a gate will open and we will be finally heard!!!

AUC students have made history again!!

Interview Profile : Dr. Heba W. Kotb, Psychology professor

A successful Psychologist and mother of three opens her heart to our station giving us tips that lead to success.
Dr. Heba Kotb is an AUC graduate and she took her PhD in Education from Leeds University in the year 2000.

Questions:

1. Dr. Heba, Upon graduation in the 80s were you planning to pursue further education?
2. How do you manage having three children and working in several places at the same time?
3. After all these experiences what tips of success would you recommend for any AUC fresh graduate to start their career

Thank You

Listening Journal #3: PRX: Remembering Lilly

I listened to a piece called “remembering Lilly” on PRX. The piece was 12 minutes long and it was very interesting and engaging. It was produced by Will Pearson.

It is mainly about a girl called Lilly who died suddenly in a car accident and this piece was made to emphasize the good she has left in people’s life and focus on the bright side of her life not the dark side of her death. The anchor started by introducing the whole story and stressing on the most important aspects and then he conducted interviews with 6 of her best friends. The piece is touching and emotional.

Those the anchor chose to talk to were not at ease at the beginning of the piece there were some “…emmss and ummmss” but then they became more comfortable or I guess more editing was done to the piece.

The anchor did a great job in choosing those to interview as he succeeded in choosing good story tellers; they were passionate about what they were talking about and they were so engaged in the issue which made it attractive and interesting for me as a listener. Also the script itself he succeeded in writing good questions, open ended, that would encourage interviewees to talk more.

The piece was neither too long nor too short it was just right. No natural sound was included the music that was used is amazingly beautiful; I am not quite sure whether it was especially made for Lilly as its name is “Lilly’s song” by Bailey McBroom. The song fits perfectly and the place where it was put was just right.

http://www.prx.org/pieces/41906-remembering-lilly#description

I have a dream....

Earlier in the first week of the semester I was criticized by one of my classmates that I used a part of a famous speech in my blog post. I actually did not realize that I had used a great man's quote in my post I simply said that "I have a dream" with no recognition that it is Martin Luther King's quote.I did not then connect both dreams and that what I said was taken from him. I hadn't saw the speech or ever listend to it. Shame on me!

A couple of days ago a very good friend of mine asked me if I had listened ever to Martin Luther King's speech and I answered ignorantly "No". She urged me to listen to it and told me it is worth it!

I started listening carelessly not interested, not knowing that this speech is not some words formulated in a speech. It is a belief, a passion. This is what makes nations move. It makes people abide by a purpose and determined to reach it. Martin Luther King inspired me to pursue my dreams and inspired me to keep my belief as it is or even make it stronger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZLvSnr6s50&feature=related

Student Union 2009-2010

Scuba Diving, family and The student Union are currently the 3 most important things in my life.
I am the Student Union Vice President for the year 2009-2010. This position makes me preoccupied nearly 24-7 with its issues, problems, opportunities, appointments and meetings.
The Student Union is present to serve, represent, develop and entertain the AUC student body. This is the SU's mission statement ever since it was there. However, this year we had a vision that is quite different than any previous ones.
In our vision we promised for a student union that embraces DIVERSITY, ensures EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION, provides OPTIMUM SERVICES and builds a FOUNDATION OF FUTURE LEADERS.

This vision was what kept me going through the roughest of times in the past 10 months. These 10 months were full of ups and many many downs. We fulfilled our vision to a certin extent in each of the fields mentioned however we as ateam have a feeling that we can always do better. There have been very rough times when we had crisis in certain projects and there was nothing to be done but that helped us become stronger and learn from our experience.

Being part of the student government was something I had thought about ever since I was a freshman and I was determined back then that one day I will be the Student Union President. But this dream was altered after I tried campaigning in the SU Presidential elections for a candidate I had really believed in yet I discovered that elections is a dirty game that is not worth it.

To cut a long story short, I am haunted these days by a feeling of sadness and worry. I do not want my term as the SU Vice President to end; not because I am enjoying the position but because I feel that if I do not promote change and start it now when I am in this position then I will never be able to change anything in this world.

Project#3: PSA:Drive Safely

Local Officer: Yomna Safwat
Organization: The Right Road
Contact Info: therightroad@aucegypt.edu or 0123454100

Heading: The Right Road's Drive Safely Campaign
Airdates(s): March 10 2010

Duration: 30 seconds


Voice#1: (with her husband on the phone)
Hello, good morning honey, I just left from my mum's house and going to pick Joey from kindergarten and then I will buy a dress for Linda's Wedding…….No I don't have the car am walking…remember!! We are going to lose 10 pounds together this month….(fade out)

SFX: BANG!!!
SFX: (Clock ticking along with the first voice then ends by the end of voice 1)

Music: Classical Gas (Techno) by Vanessa Mae and under



Announcer:
Every 14 seconds, someone is severely injured or killed in a car accident, leaving behind family, friends and unfinished plans. Would you want to be responsible for this?!
For more information visit our website: www.therightroad.com and don't forget
DRIVE SAFELY!


MUSIC: (fade out)

Listening Journal #2

BBC-
This newscast consisted of 8 different stories focusing first on the news hit for the whole week regarding the earthquake in Chile that caused chaos in the region and they need aid there. This was the first story in the cast. Then the stories were as follows a US story then a story concerning BBC and the way they will operate according the director general concerning the new strategies. Then the stories moved to Europe concerning a Pakistan based scholar who travelled to London calling for a Fatwa to stop suicide bombing and he condemned it writing a 300 page document stating that.
Then the stories resorted to Africa; Egypt and South Africa. Also it included sports news which made it interesting. The news cast was 5 minutes and 53 seconds long. It mostly consisted of an anchor and only around a couple included an anchor and reporter or anchor and sound bite.
There were not any sound bites yet the anchor and the reporters were very expressive and the sound was clear and the quality was very good. The news cast was relatively short regarding all the information and stories included. I believe that if the name of the cast was written or a title or at least the duration it would have made a difference and made it easier.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/worldservice/meta/tx/summary5min?size=au&bgc=003399&lang=en-ws&nbram=1&nbwm=1

NPR-
This newscast consisted of 7 stories most of which about the US and issues happening in different states in the US. The cast was 4 minutes and 46 seconds long. It did not cover the African region at all.
There was natural sound included in the news however the anchors were not as powerful as those in BBC. They were not as firm or assertive. NPR reporters seemed very young which maybe for me made them sound not as formal as those in BBC. The quality of sound still was good but that of the BBC was way clearer.
http://www.npr.org/

A new Beginning...

A new beginning…a sunrise is a new beginning, a birthday is a new beginning and even graduation is a new beginning…I simply love them!!
An engagement is a new beginning, and a couple of days ago it was my pre-engagement party which is called an "Erayet fat-ha". It is where we read the first sutra in the Quran as an agreement between both families to let them know each other better.

That night was the best night in my life, it was the beginning of a new era in my life with someone I respect and care about very much. That night meant that this is a start for our lifetime together. We were at my place in Zamalek, my uncles and aunts and of course my parents were there and my fiancée's family and relatives were there too.
We had so much fun, we took millions of pictures and all of them reflect the happiness that was in the air.

Marriage is a very strong bond that is formed not between couples but between the two families. I realized the importance of the engagement. It helps families bond, it helps them know each other better and helps them merge into one family at the end.

The two hearts that are combining in one need a solid ground to stand on before stepping their first steps in the road of life. This solid ground is derived from the loving, caring and supportive family they both have. My family is the most supportive and loving, I love them, appreciate them and appreciate the fact that they are open minded to a new experience and a new life with a person they hardly know.

I am determined that our families know each other more and that my fiancée, Ahmad, gets to be the 6th family member in my cozy loving family

Papy, Mummy, Youssef and Ismail my cosy loving family of 5....and Ahmad the no.6 ...

I love you and thank you for being in my life!!!

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving……This is a hobby I started ever since 2003. It was my first time to explore the treasures of the underwater life when I decided that this was not for me. Scuba diving was not an experience I want to try again. What’s wrong with cats, dogs, birds…etc? Why do I have to dive as deep as 30 meters in order to see fish, dolphins and sharks..? Well here is the answer…I discovered IT IS WORTH THE TRY!!

I pursued my hobby until it became a desire then finally now after 7 years it is a passion. A passion I cannot resist. It is a wondrous adventure that takes you far deeper than 20 or 30 meters. It takes you to where your thoughts can. The minute you enter the water you feel a connection between you and the sea. You feel your heart beats getting quicker, your mouth becomes watery as if you have just tasted the most delicious chocolate fudge.

Scuba diving needs patience and courage. It needs learning too. Learning is a very important step in SCUBA diving because if you do not learn you may jeopardize your own life. You must learn how to set your equipment, how to rapidly take them off, how to orderly enter and exit the water and how to communicate underwater. For me, underwater communication is the most important of them all. You can not speak underwater but you can definitely use sign language. But SCUBA sign language is different as it is universal and it does not change form one language to another.

We dive as a family; me, my brothers, my mum and my dad. I believe this promotes a lot to the fact that scuba diving is a passion to me as it is for the 5 of us. We enjoy it and we believe that his is considered the family holiday where we all gather to have fun in the same way.

During our stay in Marsa Alam which is located 900 km south of Cairo, we live a very organized and healthy holiday. We wake up everyday at 5am have our early morning dive at 6 and breakfast at 7 am. Then at 10 am we go for our morning dive then have lunch at 12 pm then have our 3rd and most probably last dive for the day at around 4 or 5 pm. Finally we have dinner at around 8 pm and go to bed at 9 pm. This is a daily routine for as long as our holiday extends.

To sum up all what has been said, SCUBA is an experience worth trying, it is where I believe I found myself and found my passion. Underwater life is breathtaking and worth the hassle!

Microwave

I was heating my breakfast sandwich in the microwave....toast and cheese...

Clapping and Cheering

This is the sound of the Student Union Carnival members clapping in their first general meeting which was held in order to introduce them to the work and what are they expected to do in the following couple of months.

Water in Cup

I was simply thirsty...

Water in Cup

I was simply thirsty...

Telephone Ringing

This is th esound of the telephone ringing in my grandma's house.
A grandparents' telephone indeed !!!

Nat sound #1:Car Horn

This is the sound of the car horn of my friends car when he was beeping to a guy parking behind him blocking his way out in the AUC parking!!!

This is the sound of the car horn of my friend's car beeping it to a motorcycle that for god knows why parked infont of the AUC Gate 4.
http://www.archive.org/details/CarHorn

Friendship...

It is sometimes complicated and other times it is the sweetest, smoothest and best thing in the world. Friendship. It is sometimes the smile you need to see, the cry you need to listen to and the shoulder you need to lean upon. It is always where you find your comfort, your happiness, your success and peace of mind. My friends have always been my support and where I belong to.

Only a couple of months ago I started realizing that friends are sometimes a burden. But then it is not friendship it is more of a duty one has to fulfill, an obligation on top of your shoulder that stops you from moving and stays there till you finish it.
I realized that it is not worth it!It is not friendship if you are expected to walk around carrying a burden on top of your shoulders, nothing is worth having to wake up in the morning to feel like you are mistreated or mistreating somebody you once thought is the dearest to your heart.
My friends are those who give and do not wait for anything in return who are with me in the thick and thin and especially in the thick!!

My friends are those who stay by my side in my best, Lead me when I am at my worst and follow me in whatever crazy thing I decide to do.

Lately, I have not been a good friend, I have been a lousy one, I do not listen enough and do not hang out like before. But those who hung in there with me are those who really deserve the best friendship I hope I can give. My friends have gone through alot with me but they have to know that they are appreciated and the stronger our friendship is, the longer we will stay best friends and the more they will deserve all the best in their lives.

Aya Moatassem, Tina Guirguis and Rana Khazbak....
Thank you for always being there always and forever.

"Love Shack"

As for the feature story "Love Shack", it was on the world vision report and it was mainly about a Senegal herbalist who believed that he had the ability to form potions and herb combinations to help sustain long term relationships. The name of the feature story had a great role in attracting me to read it and it was such a catchy name.
This piece was very interest. The Nat sound that was accompanying the talk was perfectly fitting and helped in setting the mood fro the program. Having the guy Mohammed himself talking about his experience helped in adding credibility to the feature.
The anchor started off the story with a lead-in and then the reporter was the one who held the interview with the Senegal herbalist. The quality of the sound of the anchor and reporter was very clear and void of any interruptions. However, as soon as the interview started with Mohammed the sound became less clear and his articulation of the English language was not clear either but it added more sense to the story and made it more authentic and credible.


http://www.worldvisionreport.org/Stories/Week-of-February-13-2010/Love-Shack

NPR: "Director Jason Reitman finds his feet "Up In the Air"

After listening to both World Vision Report and NPR I was able to distinguish clear differences in the ways they present their feature stories and how they broadcast them.
To begin with NPR; I listened to the feature story called "Director Jason Reitman finds his feet "Up In the Air" ". It had perfect sound quality; it was constructed by the Anchor who started the lead in and then the interviewer and interviewee and they spent time talking about the new movie and how he reached this idea and how it benefits the community. It was a little bit boring and that was because it was lengthy. The Interviewer's voice was very clear yet I held some concerns against him. He interrupted the interviewee a couple of times and it was quite unprofessional. Also his tone was not very friendly or professional it was more of haughty and arrogant.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120951819

Family Transport!!

Family Transport.....I guess any AUCian is familiar with this name that brings to thought many questions and for me personally many frustrations and outrage. I live in Zamalek and it is "Out of the question" quoting my father to go the new cairo deserted campus by car so unfortunately I must take the bus. It has a fixed route and a fixed schedule yet they are not!!
A couple of days ago I was on my way home and before I get down at the official stop the university had set from the beginning of this lousy service,the driver refused to take me to my stop and he shouted at me with a rude and insolent manner and told me to leave the bus promptly. Contrary to the millions of times I had argued with these drivers, I was very calm with this driver in particular for a reason I do not know till now. I asked him politely to take me there as I am not asking for something extra , all I was asking for was my right. Yet he refused. I decided then to use a new strategy: Ignore him! I sat in a chair, put my earphones back on and continued listening to "Never Let go" and he kept shouting and yelling and asking me to leave and then angrily he closed the bus door and drove me to the official stop while murmuring some words to express his anger and then suddenly he stopped talking and then looked at me and asked me why am I doing that to him and why am I torturing him and I realized that discussion would have been endless and I thank god I did not attempt arguing with him!!

In This I believe....

I believe in myself. I believe in the ability I have to push myself each and everyday to accomplish my dreams. I believe that if I have a goal in life that takes a lot of my energy, time, thought and challenges me to accomplish it to the extent that it makes me look forward to waking up in the morning to do so, then I have all what it takes to be a legend, to leave a mark on somebody's life and to be remembered. I have a dream and this dream is to leave a mark in someone's life. Leaving a mark can be by various ways even as simple as a smile to a homeless beggar in the street. I believe if each person; privileged or not, educated or not, happy, sad, rich, poor, can always do a good deed to somebody else to be remembered with. I believe that giving less than taking, giving in its sense with no expectations of return is enough to feel satisfied. I believe that satisfaction is hard to reach among humans and satisfaction is not easily attained. However, I believe my own satisfaction is derived from other people's happiness, successes and accomplishments.
I believe in myself, this is a phrase I use a lot in the measure of one day and if I am consciously counting it, it might turn out to be the five hundredth time to say it only today. Ability is what I can do; Attitude however determines how well I can do it. This brings me back to the point where I believe in myself. Attitude determines for one how far can they go with what they dream to achieve. Are you ready to go the extra mile? Are you ready to sacrifice simple pleasures of life for what you believe in and dream to reach? My attitude in life drives me out of bed each and every morning to achieve what I believe in; don't you think this is an enough purpose in life? Just believe in yourself. And In this I believe…How about you?