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AUB students casting votes at West Hall |
Compared to the
past, this year’s Student Representative Committee (SRC) elections held a
distinctive flavor, for some sweeter than others. American University of
Beirut student elections have never been separate from the country’s
political sentiments, and it is safe to say that outside politics again
infiltrated AUB’s walls this year, albeit in a milder form. As of 10 am on
the cloudy day of November 16, 2005, approximately 80 percent of AUB’s
student body filed through crowded corridors to cast their ballots for the
200 fellow students contesting 93 seats on the committee.
Not unlike in the May–June Lebanese
parliamentary elections, this year’s candidates were divided into two large
groups, with some independents trying their luck against the big fish.
Regardless of pseudonyms and student club names, AUBites knew the candidates
belonged to two lists mirroring those of the parliamentary elections. “You
vote either pro- or anti-March 14,” explained a senior business student who,
like many others, preferred not to be named. “The elections this year are
all about proving a point,” said another student, carrying an orange banner.
At 5 pm, the voting stopped. Although voting for each faculty took place in
a different location on campus, the results were
parallel.
Student Affairs Dean Maroun Kisirwani announced the results at 9 pm, naming
this year’s 93-member SRC. No sooner had Dean Kisirwani finished reading the
list of names than students headed off-campus to drive their cars for a
celebration ride around the city. Lebanese security forces tightened
security around Bliss Street outside the University in anticipation of
trouble that never occurred. Despite the heated competition and the exchange
of jeers, AUB elections were marked by a high sense of responsibility and
awareness. Since elected students are restricted to activities related to
student affairs, politics quickly dissolved as soon as the results were
announced.
The SRC represents the University’s seven faculties, with the number of
seats proportionate to the students in each faculty. The Faculty of Arts and
Sciences (FAS) holds the most seats (26), while the School of Nursing holds
the least (4). Ironically, this year’s lowest turnout at the poll was
registered at the FAS (62 percent), while 81 percent of the nursing students
voted.
A week later, on November 23, 2005, 17 of the 93 SRC members were elected to
become members of the University Student Faculty Committee (USFC), alongside
seven faculty members and four non-voting members from the Student Affairs
Office.
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