Students attack AUB; alumni defend By Ghia Osseiran--- AUB graduates of Classes 1991 and 1996, who graduated a decade and half a decade ago respectively, were invited back to AUB for brunch with the current student leadership at the cafeteria on Sunday, July 1.. Samir F. Kadi, director of alumni affairs, mediated the discussion between the AUB graduates and student leaders including presidents of clubs and members of the SRC and the USFC. The discussion began as a comparison of AUB, past and present, but soon turned into a heated debate, in which AUB students generally took a critical stance towards AUB while its graduates extolled its virtues. The division between the opinions of the graduates and students began with the issue of the increase in tuition fees. "In all universities, student leadership talks about tuition. If you don't than you are not leaders," stated Kadi. Ali Hamdan, USFC treasurer, interjected here, emphasizing that students were not objecting to tuition increase as such, if it were used for academic excellence. The money instead is being misspent, Hamdan pointed out, citing the various houses being built on campus. The students then complained about the grading system, which is affecting the rate of acceptances abroad. An engineering student complained about the discrepancy between the effort students put into their work and the results they get in return in terms of grades. One student ascribed discrepancy to "absolute teachers," teachers who have been at AUB for decades and have made no alterations in their methods of teaching or grading. Mayada Musharbash, associate director of development and alumni relations in North America, provided the students with statistics refuting their claims. Musharbash cited 6000 registered AUB graduates currently in North America, 1400 of them medical doctors. "Any university you go to you find AUB graduates," she said, affirming that AUB graduates have the "highest positions" in universities and hospitals abroad. "Hospitals prefer giving their positions to natives, but when they hear AUB, they make exceptions," Musharbash explained. Ruba Mourad, USFC vice president, said "students have suffered enough here that they can excel anywhere after that." Mazen Abboud, a graduate, compared AUB to a piece of glass. "While cleaning that piece of glass take heed that you don't break it," he warned the students in Arabic. To this, Ali Hamdan explained that students' criticism is constructive criticism, articulated not with the intention to harm, but to improve. In the USFC students' work is restricted to "social issues. We are 6,000 students and we should have a say in this University." Administration is "killing the student life," said Hamdan, referring to the renovation of West Hall, previously the home of all student activities. Hamdan concluded with the hope that students would one day be regarded "as soldiers in the army of the University, not against it."