SRC 2006 Elections Successful Despite Political Tension

West Hall area packed with students during student elections

The Student Representative Committee (SRC) elections 2006-07 took place on November 15 at various locations on campus; namely, West Hall, Issam Fares Hall, the Engineering building's Milk Bar, and Van Dyck Hall. Held against the backdrop of the country's extremely tense and heavily polarized political situation, which largely determined the alliances formed by candidates and the ballots cast by voters, the elections passed remarkably smoothly. Almost 7,000 AUB students enrolled in degree programs elected ninety-five representatives from the six faculties and schools they belong to.

While the last ballots were being cast, a throng of non-AUB students gathered on Bliss Street in front of the University's Main Gate and proceeded to chant aggressive political slogans, with an opposing group responding with equally belligerent loudspeaker depredations. Consequently, the usual vote count was postponed by the administration until the following afternoon, in order to avoid the inconveniences and risks to the community of political skirmishes encroaching at its periphery.

The typical one-week campaigns started on November 8, with students setting up their stands outside West Hall, where a colorful and vibrant scene flourished, creating what Dean of Student Affairs Maroun Kisirwani described as an almost "carnival atmosphere," in terms of the civilized, democratic, and good-natured interaction among candidates. Radio and CD players promoting the platforms of candidates were only allowed to play for one hour daily around noon and were set at a reasonable volume in order not to disrupt the "educational process" at AUB. All was strictly monitored to exclude the slogans of the political and religious factions that serenaded uninhibitedly on Bliss Street. Accordingly, pictures of political and religious leaders were strictly prohibited.

The winners of the coveted SRC 2006-07 seats were announced on November 16. Twenty-six students were elected in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, fourteen students in the Olayan School of Business, eight in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, and nine students in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The second largest faculty in terms of the number of student voters and candidates was the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, where twenty-one candidates were elected. Medical and nursing students also elected their representatives, nine in the Faculty of Medicine and four in the School of Nursing. Out of the 95 Election Day winners, only four won by acclamation.

University Student Faculty Committee (USFC)
Position	Name
Chairperson	John Waterbury
Dean of Student Affairs	Maroun Kisirwani
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs	Talal Nizameddin
Director of Student Activities	Wadad El-Husseiny
Chairperson of the Senate
Committee for Student Affairs	Assem Abdel Malak
Vice President	Lama Andari
Treasurer	Ahmad Nasser
Secretary	Marie-Josee Karam
Admissions Committee	Maurice Irani
Academic Committee	Reem Maktabi
Student Affairs Committee	Mazen Jundi
Disciplinary Committee	Marwan El Khoury
Library Committee	Samer Hwayek
Information Committee	To be elected
Finance Committee	To be elected
Bylaws Committee	To be elected
Student Member	Hussein Halas
Student Member	Kassem Jouni
Student Member	Joyce Chamoun
Student Member	Jaafar Khalifeh
Student Member	Maya Farah
Student Member	Rima Atwi
Student Member	Imtithal Kisirwan
Student Member	Mario Mehanna
Faculty Member- Faculty of Medicine	Ali-El-Khalil
Faculty Member- Faculty of Health Sciences	Ziad Mahfoud
Faculty Member- Faculty of Arts and Sciences	Abdel Fatah Abdel Rahman
Faculty Member- Faculty of Arts and Sciences	Bashar Haydar
Faculty Member- Engineering and Architecture	Salah Sadek
Faculty Member- Agricultural and Food Sciences	Nadim Farajallh
Faculty Member- Olayan School of Business	Hanin Abdallah