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Iraqi Network for Social Media ( INSM)

Jun 23, 2011

AUIS Students Don’t like iPad 2









For the second time, a HIS 201 instructor at AUIS put his lovely iPad 2 in auction.  The iPad is put up for auction two times so far, but it seems that no one wants to buy it.
It seems ironic, yet it is justified as both because he has a good relationship with the Dean of the Students and he is a history instructor and his iPad has a history.
In a capitalist society, all work for more interest. Workers in coal mines in Manchuria and financiers at Wall St. Or even, the instructor in his class can do “business” as long as it is fair and fairly supervised. No matter, or who cares, when class time is dedicated for buying and selling iPads.
Drily, what here we care about is why AUIS students don’t want to put what they have learned into practice? What was the price of Mr. Instructor’s iPad? Or why this iPad is so special and why this instructor wants to sell it to his students?  
If the price is affordable or if there would be any discount, Student Eye Team would think about buying that iPad and safe Mr. Instructor and his class.    
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Jun 22, 2011

Where is Pat Cline’s Notebook?









Few days ago all of a sudden, in one of his classes, Pat Cline’s notebook disappeared. Pat
 Cline is a senior lecturer at the American University of Sulaimani. Mr. Cline, “seem to have no control over himself because of losing his notebook”, one of his students told Students Eye.

After disappearance of his notebook, Mr. Cline has told his students, “I have to, either forgive you or punish you. I choose the second one. Your Final Exam will be twice harder than the mi-term exam.”
This decision was made when Mr. Cline made sure that students filled out the evaluation forms, which is given to the students for each course at the end of each semester.
Students are terrified. They gathered to voice their concerns and go to Mr. James Harrigan, Dean of the Students.
“What will happen to us?” Mr. Cline’s students are asking. Many students, due to fearing the consequences if their names are mentioned by Student Eye, asked their names not to be mentioned. "If no one stops Mr. Cline, many students will suffer the consequences of his temporary ill-humored mode" one of his students siad.

Student Eye will bring you the latest on this issue
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Jun 19, 2011

I Have A Dream

by: Bahman A. Hassan

I have a dream, perhaps not far different from Karwan or MLK’s dreams. My dream is still alive, and it is somewhere around AUIS. After almost five years, AUIS is fighting failure and shaky changes every day in new fashions. However, spearheads promised better “quality” and “freedom” for their offerings, yet none of these seem to be harvestable. Though, the source(s) of these “decapitating” waves are known, we shall not stop here and we must strive to prove what we belief. We came here (each visualizing a “Utopia” of a kind) seeking both better “quality” and “freedom”, but all our efforts has been misinterpreted.
Long ago, or from the beginning of Student Eye, we insisted and said, “We are here to make a difference, not to be loved.” However, being loved by the dean, instructors or provost may secure a certain pass. We faced complete rejection almost by everyone, from the lady of Finance Department, Dean of the Students, instructors to the Provost.  
Let us now concentrate on my plain dream, which I am sure it’s the dream of many. I fought hardly to chase my dream in spite all the difficulties. I believe in my dream, and I hope one day others understand how my dream is attached to theirs’.
I have a dream that one day; if I am investigated with for “insulting a lady in the Finance Department”, I will be treated as a human not a criminal. Yet, I have a dream that one day my Comp instructors help me to use Comma, Semicolon and Quotation marks correctly. I hope someday, I can understand the difference (s) between Comp I, Comp II and “active and passive voice”. I have a dream that one day my Comp instructor will understand my paper before giving me “F” with no clear reason.
I shall not stop dreaming as there is not much that can be done in reality. Thus, I have a dream that one day when I punch or I throw a bottle of water at my instructor, I am saluted with smile as nothing has ever happened. I have a dream that the “sissy and ugly” Comp instructor will stop using F words in class. Or ironically, I have a dream that soon he is promoted as he has good links with his superiors and for he is good at the “art of self-interest preservation”.
I have a dream that next semester I have my American History with the instructor whose class is between 15 to 20 minutes. I have a dream that before the end of this semester my history instructor will change slides a bit slower.
I rather want to proceed. I have a dream that one day AUIS will understand what we do and do want to say. I hope soon the dean will understand that those who sent to him for “integration” for cheating are not all cheaters. I have a dream that one day AUIS students will learn to write their papers by themselves not through KEP (Kabab Exchange Program). I hope soon my fellow students stop “cheating”, because they are already being accused,  no matter they have cheated or not.
I have a dream that someday the work of all, rich, poor, financially aided, and sponsored students are treated equally. Even though, I know it is hard and hurts a lot, I have a dream that we will all share for the good not ill of the university. I have a dream…You shall have yours...

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Jun 16, 2011

Who Won the AUIS BUsiness Plan Competition








After weeks, the day has come. Students as well as participants are waiting for the AUIS Business Plan Competition results.
Finally, next week on Sunday, June 19th   the winners will be announced, and the event will be held in Room 26. All students are welcomed.
Peshawa Ahmed, the president of the Business Club, wrote on an event, which has been created on Facebook, that, “Three students are to be rewarded." Further, Peshawa, explained that, “the rewards will be surprising." 
The event has been held and supported by the local businesses and Business without Border. Meanwhile, the prizes are also provided by Business without Boarder and the local business.  
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Jun 12, 2011

Evaluations Started: A Letter From SE Team








Since Evaluate AUIS is part of  Student Eye, we have to explain few things for our readers. We have no intention other than helping our fellow students. Therefore, this blog will give the American University of Iraq- Sulaimani, students freedom to access their, university policies, faculty members, academic quality and studying environment. Our objectives are simple and we want to help the university to have appropriate procedures. We do not call for dismissing  anyone, yet we want to give students space to voice their arguments.
Over the last four years evaluations ended in vain, due to bad assessments or lack of decisiveness by the university administrators; thus, with this humble effort we want to see what students want and how the university can be improved.
We are not responsible for what and how students express their feelings, suggestions and critiques. All the information provided on this blog is directly taken from 2010-2011, Academic Catalogue of the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani. Thus, we are not responsible, in case any of the provided information turned to be not valid.            
Student Eye Team    
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Jun 5, 2011

Student Council Lost Its First Game










Jews say, “We are the chosen people” while Arabs think that God has been online with them, spoke “with” then in Arabic, and promised them Palestine back. This along many other examples, come to my mind to be parallel with the “Great Students Council” at AUIS. Few words amused me when I heard this body of students has been created. Students, Council and AUIS, have always been source of limitless astonishment. Seven students became the “chosen students” but spoken “to” in English. On what base you may want to ask. Who are they and what this council is for? Or most importantly, who chose them?
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AUAF Students Ask Student Eye for Help









A group of American University of Afghanistan students asks Student Eye for help. This comes after student Eye published a post of new dorm fees set by American University of Sulaimani.  In their post for Student Eye team, AUAF students wrote, ‘we (as the student at AUAF) have many difficulties in common.” 
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Jun 2, 2011

Young Actors Resurrected Shakespeare, AUIS Clapped for Them

Saman's funny moves excited everyone - photo courtesy of AUIS SC

On a sandy Thursday in Sulaimani, the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani came together to witness the AUI-S Shakespeare Company performing a Shakespearean play. 

Large crowds of AUI-S students and before them the faculty members arrived at the Sulaimani Culture Hall to watch "What's in a Name?".

The audience filled the seats in few minutes. The faculty members had hurried to take the seats at the front. Some of the actors' family members had also come to see their generations on the stage.

With pieces of music, interrupted laughters, and applauses between now and then, began the play. 

The Dialogues and speeches, though not very clear, caused great excitement among the students and faculty member. 

Ahmed al-Nuaimi, Hemn Muhammad, Kardo Kamil, Umnya Nadhir, Mina Bassam al-Attar, Shunas Hussein, Saman Karim, Huda al-Serhan, Anas al-Samarai, and Nawaf Ashur rocked at the play. 

Kardo Kamil, whose postures reminded many of Macbeth, spoke to Student Eye. 

He told us that he was overwhelmed with joy when he show all the respect and appreciation from the crowd. 

"i was very excited, especially when i stood on the stage and heard the crowd clapping for me. I appreciate what they have done for us and hope they liked it," he said.

Kardo has been working for more than two semesters on Macbeth's role. He says that he will miss Macbeth. He also told us the difficulty that they faced when preparing for the show.

"Shakespeare's language is difficult with too many complicated phrases. It is difficult even for native speakers. So the language was the main difficulty we faced," he stated. 

Jwan Farhad, an AUIS student from Ranya, appreciates the actors for their great performance. 

"The play was fabulous and the actors were really amazing. We all know that the Shakespeare's plays and language are not that easy but our AUIS students did their best. I am, as a sudent of AUIS , proud of today's play," she said. 

She only wishes to have better decoration next time. 

Afan Osman, another AUIS student, believes that the play was the best activity ever at AUIS. 

"I can't wait to see their next performance. The actors were all confident, brilliant, and they proved that they can do anything," he said.

AUIS Shakespeare Company, says Kardo, is not planning to repeat the show, but they have other plans. 

"We may start working on a complete play of Shakespeare. That, of course, will be more difficult and challenging," he said. 




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Jun 1, 2011

Student Eye Will launch Evaluate AUIS online Soon








In few weeks Student Eye Team, will launch Evaluate AUIS. This is a new blog linked directly to Student Eye. The aim is to give students more space to evaluate their instructors and the university policies. As it has been a custom, at the end of every semester, students are given a chance to assess their courses and instructors, yet this proved to be not affective. By this humble attempt, we hope the voice of students is heard all the time not only in the end of courses.
This blog will be available in few weeks. Meanwhile, all the information on the blog will be taken from, 2010-2011, Academic Catalogue of the American University of Iraq-SulaimaniWe are not responsible, in case any of the provided information turned to be not valid            
Student Eye Team                                                  
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Administration Answers Dorm Students: We need Money, We had no Choice but to Increase Student Charges
















After dorm students' meeting on Monday and writing a petition to the administration, AUIS administration answered dorm students with 'no'. 

The respond which came only after one day of the meeting counts reasons for why AUIS raised the prices. 

In its answer, AUIS administration says that the university is in need for more income and the only way possible to do that is to charge students more. 

The administration also says that the fees will even get higher in the next few years. 

The dorm students at AUIS had proposed a solution for the problem before. They had given AUIS three days to answer them. The students are now thinking of the next step to stop the decision, says one of the dorm students. 

Here is AUIS administration's answer to the dorm students:

Dear Dorm Students,
 
We thank you for the petition that we received from you regarding the dorm fees. Let us assure you that our decision to set the prices higher than before does not come easy to us. Our reasons for increasing the dorm fee rates are as follows:
 
1.      AUIS is a private rather than state-sponsored university. Therefore, we do not receive funds from the Ministry of Higher Education for operating our university. This means that we must ask students to pay tuition and fees to offset our costs. This year only 8.6% of all our costs are off-set by payments from students. All other expenses are covered through sponsorships, donations, and grants. We as the senior leaders of this university are responsible for keeping income and expenses in balance, and we know that next year and the years after we cannot count on the same generosity of donors. Of course, as the university grows with more students, we will receive some more income. But this additional income will still fall short of what is needed. Therefore, we have no choice but to increase student charges. For next year we will hold the tuition rates for undergraduate students at the same level without an increase, but the year after we expect that tuition will have to increase as well.
 
It may interest you to know that the real cost of a student’s education at AUIS this year is more than $30,000. Even the full tuition rate of $10,000 does not come close to our actual costs. Our costs are high primarily because we bring the best possible faculty and instructors from abroad to provide our students with a high quality education, just as you would if you would attend a private university in the USA. However, in the USA the cost of tuition would be 3 to 4 times as high as here in Iraq, and that is only because of the economic circumstances of the people of Iraq. Over time, economic development will certainly improve and the university will be able to operate with higher tuition and fees and be able to depend to a lesser extent on donations. In the short term we will have to rely on donations but we realistically know that there are limits to what we can expect. Thus, we have to increase the amounts received from students for tuition and fees step by step.

2.      The new dorm prices were carefully researched. The private universities in Erbil (Hawler and Jihan) each charge $100 and $150 per month per student. Off-campus housing in Erbil for a student costs about $175/ month. In Sulaimani there are no other private universities but off-campus housing – according to our research – would cost between $150 and $190 per month per student including electricity and services. Because of our dorm students’ financial situation we deliberately set the lowest dorm rate well below the cost of other housing. To be sure, with the dorm prices as set now  ($80 - $105 - $180)  the university will not even be able to recuperate the annual expense for electricity, internet, and other services. The rates are as low as we are willing and able to go.

3.      You do have options. One of these is to individually or as a small group rent your own housing, and you may be able to do that at lower cost. We also suggest that - if you have a financial sponsor - you ask that the dorm fees be covered in future. As we said in the dorm fee announcement, you may also request our financial aid office to give further consideration to your individual situation as part of the financial aid package that many of you receive. 
 
Last but not least, it is not yet certain that the new dorm will be ready in the fall semester due to construction delays. If it is not ready we will arrange alternate dorm accommodations at the old rates.  That would give some extra time to arrange for the payment of the new dorm fees beginning spring semester.
 
Sincerely,
 
Dr. A. Moulakis
J. Brongers


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