By Rana Siblini ----

Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at four in the afternoon, the Night School organized by the Civic Welfare League takes place in Nicely Hall. Started three years ago, the school aims at teaching AUB workers the English language. At a reception held usually at the beginning of each year, workers from different occupations in AUB, such as physical plant employees and janitors, take a placement test to evaluate their level in English. League members set four levels; the fourth one newly added this year. Each level has one class. Teachers of the Night School are themselves students and members of the CWL, who cooperate in devising the teaching program. Rana Harik and Maysoun Korban are responsible for the Night School. Harik said, "We learned from experience." In fact, the league started everything from scratch, checking bookstores for books teaching English and assigning them for the appropriate levels, and making photocopies of these books for students because an original copy is costly for them. In class, attendance and participation count, exactly as in regular schools and university, and students must sit for quizzes to test their progress. Harik explained that workers can take an official exam in English set by AUB, which allows them to move upward in their jobs. Interaction between teachers and students of different ages is visible in classes, and competition is also high, especially in answering questions on grammar. One of the teachers, Sara Salman, said, "A nice relationship grows up between us and the workers, and we become like friends outside classes." Asked about "good" and "bad" students, Harik mentioned that one of the students she taught last year, moved from one level to another at the end of the same year, which was very encouraging. The organization of the Night School and the excitement of the league members in participating in this voluntary work are major aspects of the goal of the CWL in supporting the welfare of AUB workers and giving them additional opportunities in society. Sobhi Hajj Hassan is an employee in the AUB hospital; he said that his job puts him in contact with some foreign employees, which requires the use of English to communicate with them. "I had a previous idea about the English language, but the classes are being of great help to me, especially because I try to supplement them with some individual learning on computer." On another hand, Fadia Saber, a level four student, is a political science major in the Lebanese University, but her father works in AUB. "I am French educated, but I was interested in learning English, and I found the Night School a good opportunity for me. The teaching is good in general." The only inconvenience in this activity, according to Harik, is the frequent absence of workers from class, due to some extra work they have to do, especially among married women students who have to take care of their children and homes. However, future improvements in the Night School are under consideration, especially with the workers themselves showing interest in learning more things, such as computers.