We need an Anti-Terror Club!

 
By: Bahman A. Hassan

It is becoming fashionable; anyone with a bite of wit will establish a club at AUIS. I don’t know why, but it looks as if being fun. I don’t have to remind you. You are most likely a member of a club or two at AUIS. So, take this post easy and see through the point.

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"Losers" You Are Infected

by: Bahman A. Hassan

My first semester at AUI, S started with a quite interesting orientation event.  We all met in a small lecture room and a big guy with a more CIA-like face came forward to welcome us. That big guy was James Harriagan. He forgot to welcome us, because he interested more in insulting us- still many follow his footmark.

He started by complaining about plagiarism.  Harrigan argued that plagiarism was and is “part of” the region’s “culture”.  For him, plagiarism was “another frontier” which needed “direct U.S. involvement”. Unlucky Harrigan failed to fight back and teach “Iraqi future leaders” not to plagiarize. Despite what he did, plagiarism continued to PROSPER.

His successors came up with more tech-based fantasy solutions, yet they failed to uproot plagiarism in the mind of “multi-Iraq future spearheads”. Plagiarism remained to be discussed. But “it appears” that this semester is the “anti- plagiarism campaigns” are stopped. None of my “professors” has mentioned plagiarism 

                                   

                            (PROBABLY THE CULTURE IS DEAD OR OUT OF CONTROL).

THEY SHOULD NOT GET TIRED SO SOON.

NOW to the fun part!  AUI, S failed to “combat” plagiarism. Ironically, WE HAVE TAUGHT AUI,S to plagiarize. Copying others works without permission of the author is the most admired definition of plagiarism at AUI, S. Based on this definition, AUI, S, from top to bottom, is “guilty of committing plagiarism”. For Harrigan, there was eleven commandments instead of ten, and the eleventh one was, “THEE SHALL NOT PLAIGRIZE”.

Now, AUI, S is not only losing plagiarism frontier, yet people of the PRESIDENCY are plagiarizing- “lossers” as my professor usually call us. If you pay a visit to the book store, you can get copies of any book you want- isn’t that plagiarism? Recently AUI, S due to unclear reasons, has started copying copyrighted books. If you pay a visit to the BOOK STORE (THIS SHOULD BE CALLED ILLIGAL COPYING STORE) you will see piles of books have been copied by the university staff. This comes as an effort to cover the delay of receiving the original books.  

 After four weeks the “books are not all in” (meaning in the book store not somewhere else). According to the JOCKS we have heard, the books are on vacation. Last week, AUI, S books were in Iran for a short while (May be Romney has sent them there to salute Khamnai). Then they disappeared. Ironically, they again showed up in Arbil, but they didn’t stay there too long. PAUSE,

 YOU MAY LAUGH OR CURSE IF YOU WANT TO. YOU HAVE THE STAGE FOR A WHILE.

Oh boy,

NOW, Far From Plagiarism. I used to know a GIRL, but recently I found OUT she is “Having AN (PLURAL) affair with an instructor”- Mr. Gresk may see this as libel, BUT sorry EVEN YOU ARE TRYING TO PROVE THIS. GOOD LUCK….IF YOU want conduct an investigation on this, I am interested- KEEP me Up dated.

 

   

   

.

   

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Part I: The Tyranny of Wudel: Grazing is For the Obedient

by: Bahman A. Hassan

Those who study politics and philosophy seriously lose when they practice “the knowledge they possess”. They, due to being over skeptic, lose reality to the illusory “matters”. They, those who want to be called “philosophers”, may know the art (art of ruling), but make no use of it when comes to practice.  It is like doctors, some may learn the art but lack practicality. Ironically, like Socrates was reminded, they are “worthless at best”. When they are given chances to rule, they consciously or unconsciously establish tyrannies. As an illustration, I will take Darcy Wudel’s Tyranny at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani.

In his headquarter in the second floor of “Building B”; license of grazing is given to the “loyalists”-only. If you know how to remain near the tyrant, you will be fine. By your loyalty, which is a character found in all tyrannical regimes,

THIS PASSAGE IS REMOVED AFTTER MR. GEOFRY GRESK, THE INTERGRITY OFFICER, MADE A FORMAL COMPLAIN ON IT

On contrary, any one stands in the way of the “tyrant” will be marginalized, expelled or worse “defamed”. Your social status and job depend on your relation with the “Tyrant. The closer you are the better and more secured you will be. Like my father’s “employment” of my mother- may be other women as well- tyrants give their wives high positions, because “they are trustworthy”.   

 For a long time, in fact, from the time Mr. Wudel responded my friend with “FUCK YOU, I AM NOT READY TO LISTEN TO YOU” when he asked a question, I wanted to show my deep concern. No one might remember this, yet this followed by more dramatic stories. No one, so far, had “muscle in his under belly” to show the discrepancies. Things went from bad higher to worse. As the man, however with a new tittle, took Harrigan’s place failed to control the rudder.

Tyrants’ beginnings are all the same. They come at a time when the place they later rule is recovering from a lost. The same happened at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani. When James Harrigan offered fare well, anyone with a new face- even Bahman- could take his place. If this illustration is not clear, please consider the next.

I presume, you all have read Animal Farm by George Orwell, and you may remember the ruling elite of the house. Napoleon - the pig who emerges as the leader of the “Rebellion”, was the only available “dish on the minus”. The same happened at AUIS. Similarly to the farm, “no soul” had time or wit to predict the possible outcomes, yet they set the boat of a tyrant to sail with a man who has “no knowledge of the seas”.   

To prove these please stay with us. Stories of The Tyranny of Wudel: Grazing is For the Obedient will continue!

NEXT:

The Tyrant, Peter Friedrich's Scandal vs. Bryan Smith's Accusation.  

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Wrong Behaviors Follow by Strict Policies

 By: Bahman Hassan

In order to reduce students’ waste of its resources, starting form spring semester, AUIS has decided to charge students for printing services. This policy made many angry, yet it comes rightly to serve a true purpose. Students used to print pages and page and never used them. I have personally seen students printing books, and never thinking what might happen.  I leave you with these shocking photos that being taken by AUIS IT department and SET team. By the end I hope students will understand their wrong action will always follow by strict policies.  

Students were priniting papers without evern reading their headings.

Is it realy computer labs for?

What is going on, who is fault is this?

Is the way you want your work station to be?

The student left, but what he/she needed and printed is still there?

I hope this time my point is clear.

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Let’s Find the Rooster!

Once upon a time, there was a family in a diminutive village! And there was a burglar who used to embezzle anything he could. Once, THE rooster of the family was stolen, and the children told the breadwinner, the father, the news. The father passionately and sadly said “go and find the roster; there will be more after it otherwise!”

The children laughed and thought that their father had been nuts for ordering to find an invaluable thing, a rooster!

After a month, THE goat got stolen, and the children said to their father the news. The father merely said “go and find the roster!”

The children became astounded because they had told him the news of stealing the goat, yet their father was talking about the rooster; “what a crazy man,” said the children with a barmy and wild voice.

After three months, the cow got stolen, and as the other times the children told their father the news of losing the caw.

But the father was insisting of finding the rooster!!

Finally, the broken car, which they used for everything, was stolen, and the father was still saying “go and find the rooster.”

The children eagerly asked “father, we have been telling you all the news about whatever we lost, but the rooster was your only concern; can you tell us why?”

The father said “if you had found the rooster, the others would not have been stolen because a thief always starts from small to big!”

I think that our case in the American University of Iraq Sulaimani is perfectly the same because we have chosen silence for almost all of the decisions that were made by the administration.

If we had not accepted the first $100 dollars for the dorm’s invoice at the first place, the payment of the books would not have been added to it.

The payment for the new dorms would not have been added to it; the payment for printing would not have been added to it.

And the bad news is that it is not done. I am sure that there will be much more inappropriate changes without considering the students’ circumstances!

 I am sure there are some students who are not in capable of providing their needs monthly, yet justifications are not taken as considerations.

My eyes are not merely on money, but when I am talking about money, I mean corruption in all of the departments.

I see what the circumstances of some of the students look like, and I see that the university is increasing all of the prices in contrast. I do not know how that works!!!!

Karwan Gaznay is an International Studies student at AUIS

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An Open Letter to The Student Services Coordinator

An Open Letter to AUIS Student Services Coordinator

To the AUIS Student Services Coordinator

Dear Madam,

Over the last two months, I have heard dormitory students complaining. I didn’t believe them at the beginning, because I thought they are studying at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. How can, I thought, they complain without any reasons!

It turned out that they have real reasons. They didn’t have electricity while they were rioting in front of the dorms. I thought it is normal, yet when the university’s delegate disrespected the students and threatened them. Then I thought there must be something wrong.

During the Harigan’s realm, we, students, had been accused of embracing a culture, which I called the culture of plagiarism. Unfortunately, Mr. Jeoffrey Gresk, the Integrity officer, repeated the same mistake. This has never been part of this culture, and students never have a culture of that tittle. And now you are heading to accuse us of embracing another culture, “culture of disrespectfulness”.  

We, students, are building a culture in which facts are speaking not false assumption based on Facebook reports. We are building a culture, in which we respectfully pursuit knowledge, not respectfully seeking disrespectfulness.  

     

Dear Madam, this, as you seem to be concerned about respect, is not acceptable. This has been accepted because of the students’ fragile position. When one is failing in taking his/her position adequately, it’s not the students’ fault. More precisely, when you are more interested in baseball courts and forgetting the students’ needs, insulting or labeling them is as disrespectful as accusing dorm delegates of being disrespectful.

You may have different interpretation for my claim, yet my claim is humble. Students are part of educational institutions. Disrespecting them, as you did and many other AUIS members form the lady in Finance Department, Integrity Officer to the boy working on the copy-machines, is disrespecting the entire institution. In other words, perhaps more simply, disrespecting students is disrespecting the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. Are you allowed to do so?

It is time to consider this claim, and the university must formally apologize for the following accusations.

1.      Disrespecting and threatening the student body, dormitory students in particular.

2.      Re- addressing the cheating and plagiarism policies, and apologizing for the accusations being formulated by the instructors and the Integrity Officer.

Respectfully,

Bahman A. Hassan

Bahman A. Hassan is a student of International Studies at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.

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My Poor Dream

I am tired, and I want to have some sleep. I go to bed and immediately fall asleep. As usual, I change dreams from one to another: soft dreams. Gradually, I feel something really soft and kind of cool.
 Oh, yah. What a tranquil dream! I think, think, and think to know where I am. It seems that I am at a beach in Hawaii.
No, no.
That is not possible. I hear people speaking in Kurdish and Arabic, and it is getting really cold. It is freezing. So, where am I? I might be Jack Dawson on Titanic. Titanic has split, and now I am in the freezing Pacific Ocean.
No, no.
That is not also possible. I do not hear Rose’s voice, nor do I feel her soft hands. Damn! Where am I? Antarctica might have moved to Sulaimani. No, no. That’s not true, because I do not feel penguins around. Damn! Where am I? I wake up.
 Oh, no! No!
I am at a window-canyon at AUI-S dorms! Water has passed through the window and made a canyon. Now, my bed and I am floating on the water. Have a nice trip.

Brwa Aziz is a business student at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani 

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"I Don’t Want To Lose My Job"

by: Bahman A. Hassan 

I have heard few instructors saying, “I don’t want to lose my job” or “you don’t have to know my opinion” when students were asking them about their opinion(s). This was strange to me.

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Sasarism

by: Bahman A. Hassan

Since the beginning of history, narrow-minded individuals have brought many ideas ending with "ism".  I am sure, thus far you have encountered some, and ironically mine will be one of them. Like always there will be no topic sentences, proper paragraphs, and there will be lots of “grammatical mistakes".

Now, I am watching Sasha Gray having fun on the iPad that my girlfriend brought to me last summer. Along with watching Sasha Gray, I was thinking about wording a theory. After all, theories are all made of simple words. Yet mine is to have a realistic basis.

"Sasarism" is my new theory. You can quote me for that. Honestly, I have had Hariganism in mind, but let's do the “firsts” first, this if Sasha excuses me.

 Recently, in fact for the last two years, there have been huge demands by the students to attend Dr. John Sasar's courses. Though, it may be normal at the surface, this attracted my attention.

 I followed the case, and here is what I found out.

 I think there is no need to remind you, this is about the America University of Iraq-Sulaimani. In fact what I have found out will not be in the good of all, at least for AUI-S with the "S" or without the "S", but it is worth considering. Students were attending Mr. Sasar's classes, not because of his “method of teaching" but because of his "slothfulness". “Slothfulness" is the word I am using, and I am sorry for it has nasty connotations.

Hardly, in any of his classes a will student stay for the complete period. But, ironically “my Sasha”, he is promoted. He is well known for his “Vietnam" stories. I couldn't believe that, until I saw a video of him narrating stories in class.

 Last year, I wrote a letter to the President, I mean the AUIS President. Later on I decided not to share it. In that letter I wanted to shed light on few of the problems that AUIS students were stuffing from. I hoped that these problems would be "fixed", but unfortunately still students continue suffering from them.

My Sasarism theory continues. The paragraph above was just a “jump” because my Comp instructor “loves it”. So, things never change as it appears. It seems many other instructors are joining Mr. Sasar’s camp. One, actually a “she” instructor, missed five classes. You know why? Well, she is working on her second MBA, “fair enough”. You pay money, “waste your time” and see what students get. Anyway “s”, the fun was that when a student criticized this and the Dean of Faculty strictly silenced him. Yet another copy of Mr. Sasar would be that Comp instructor who said “Just I hate English. It is a strange language”. I thought what a genius man he would be, and how grateful his students must be. I think “Iraqi Future leaders” are lucky. This is terribly funny.

I think my point is clear, if not I can give more examples.  

 

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What hurts most?

By: Bahman Hassan

By now, AUI-S students must be aware of the points that bother the AUI-S staff and faculty members. Perhaps, like everything else, AUI-Sians are getting angry by the university’s weak points. For us, “those of the blog “or as Milani Standish worded, “nonsense writers”, everything is different. We, lamentably, lost the “love” of the entire university. We are not allowed- at least until the beginning of this semester- to apply for exchange programs or ask for recommendation letters. Thus far, it’s fair, as we “hurt the university too much” or “mobbing against the university”. We know what is going on and we are aware of some, but not all the weak points. We don’t enjoy mentioning them, yet we take pleasure from arguing about them as part of our duties.

Ironically, here are some of the things that hurt AUI-S most.

I.                   Financial Aid Applications:

A financial Aid officer called a student “stupid”. For me it is just a simple confusion, as both “Stupid” and “Student” words start with “S”. And AUI-S has a big problem with “S”. That stupid, sorry student, was rewarded when he asked the officer for a bit of “explanation”. So, as a bit of advice, don’t miss with the people form the finance department. They may drag you into the middle of a breathtaking investigation or have your fees doubled for the next semester. Do tell them jocks or you may say “you are so sexy today” but never say, “Excuse me, can you explain this for me?” Financial Aid officers are quickly getting angry and they are good at making fun of the “Financial Aid Students”.

II.                Strikes:

Wow, this is a real “pain in the ass” as professor Peter Fridrich said while he was professing one of his COMP classes. If you don’t want to make Mr. Dean or Integrity Officer angry, don’t go on strikes. You don’t want to be told “I will expel you” as Mr. James Harrigan told Krekar Warty for partaking in a demonstration last year. Stay quiet and do not care whatever goes on.

III.             Criticizing the University’s Policies:

If you want to get a degree from AUI-S, ever never try criticizing AUI-S. If you do criticize AUI-S, you may “lose your Financial Awards” or lose the “love” of the staff, faculty members and most of the students. You don’t want to be like “people from the blog”, so be nice and don’t criticize; however, they say critical thinking is what we want. It is just a “lie”. Do anything you want, but never criticize AUI-S. If you want, open a club for yourself and your girlfriend. Again, previous advice, don’t criticize, critical thinking is just the shadow of “a dead virgin girl”.

IV.             Be part of the Praising Machine:

If you, million times, are called “stupid” or taken to investigation, never stop praising AUI-S. Just say it’s the best university ever Iraqis have. Don’t criticize; you are just a blind, as the KRG’s Higher Education Ministry labeled AUI-S as number one in the region. Take a breath, don’t go on strikes, don’t criticize and be part of the praising. Never mind your friend is leaving because of not being able to pay his ever increasing fees. Just forget what you see, see what you are told to see. Be part of “deceiving the problems” not part of their solutions. Or as Shakespeare said, “Praise, Praise, thee shall be pleased”.   

V.                First Day of Class and the Rest of the Days

Be patient, even if your physics “professor” asks you to drop the course. Make fun of the fact of not knowing anything about math, after taking two math courses. From the first day of class, assess your instructor, as 2011-2012 is strange. Instructors forgot everything about teaching; all they do is not giving high grades and making sure some students fail. So, don’t miss with them, “democratically” it will not work. Follow the deception carefully, and don’t panic, you, “the Iraqi Future leader”, don’t have to know so much. It is a simple “Federal Democratic Republic”, so you can rule it even with what you have now. Again, don’t miss with the instructors. This will hurt a lot, and you may be “failed” for this.

VI. Don’t Ask the Registrar…

If you are not a “she”, my friends don’t go to the registrar and ask for changing your courses, section, or instructors. Last experience, was when a “she” one week before the “mid-term” exams changed her course [name, time, and course can be provided]. I personally can’t do this, simply because I am not a she, or. Few clicks on the computer can change many things, but seemingly not for everyone. So, “Buddy, Buddy” don’t panic, that is how it goes. Life is a pizza which is not equally sliced, just because its circle. Finally, Ouch Charlie, it Hurts.       

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Azadi Square Affects Continue at AUIS

by: Bahman A. Hassan

April 2011 was a special month for Kurdistan. Not because 10 people were killed and hundreds were wounded, but because people started to speak and voice the injustices. People were deceived by western institutions, meetings with US officials and nightclubs with Turkish girls. Kurdistan became a safe battle filled, where elites of tribe and political leaders have controlled everything, starting from oil contracts, mosques to educational institutions including universities. Anyone visited Kurdistan have believed that this region was exemplary a masterpiece of a group of revolutionary leaders.

In the spur of a moment, stability, democracy, and prosperity, all together faced a crushing challenge. After two months of continuous demonstrations, all these slogans became uncovered and people saw the essence of these fancies.           

However, many belittled the consequences, now people discuss every topic, including the ones that for years have been forbidden. For more than 60 days people from all ranks came out to the streets and voiced what they needed. Nothing, in fact changed, except the April events wakened the political parties and showed the souls who are loaded with ideas into change.

Thus far, nothing was unexpected. All universities joined the efforts to start a new beginning. AUIS, as well, took a small part. We were all proud. Despite the “threats” posed by many AUIS faculty members to stop students, AUIS students had decided to partake and face the consequences. Words of the dean of the Students are some to be remembered.

AUIS fears of endangering its credibility; thus, the administration wanted to stop students and not to join Azadi Square. Soon AUIS withdrew and denied all the accusations that were in the local media. “We give students freedom to participate in any activity outside the university.” was the argument made after the local media accused AUIS of restricting students’ boundaries. This, perhaps, is part of what students have experienced in the “most liberal university” in the history of the region. Students at Azadi Square, were chanting, “Freedom, equality, and democracy.” few of the dogmas that AUIS is trying to teach its students. Perchance, I shall not reject these ideas, yet I rather want to ask, why AUIS couldn’t let these ideas to be practiced in reality?

I may be able to answer part of this question. According to the information that SET could attain, more than 50 percent of AUIS’s income comes from Kurdistan Regional Government, which its PM is the founder and head of AUIS’s Board of Trustees. People were calling for his resignation; this was not a jock that was to be heard around AUIS. The threat on the government was the threat on AUIS, and anyone could tell this form the face of AUIS faculty members. Closing this private university paid by KRG was almost becoming reality. Hence, the ironic restrictions by AUIS were understandable.

Luck or more better to say bullet was in favor of both AUIS and KRG. The demonstrations were resolved and suppressed when gun-power put into work. When the demonstrations resolved, participants, journalists and activists faced serious threats.  Threats continued to prolong and even increased. This seems to be the case at AUIS as well. Recently, this blessed institution have involved in this filthy game.

When students organized their march and joined Azadi Square, many teachers have joined students. They supported what students supported and they showed their sympathy. Some of them participated in the demonstrations and wrote about what was happening to inform outsiders. For the sake of their safety we refuse to give their names. This never being what the administration wants; thus, now the university is putting pressure on them. They have been called in and asked not to interact with students because, “it is not in the favor of the university”.

Now, AUIS under the pressure of some pro-ruling students is putting pressure on the instructors who partook with the students in the demonstrations. This is an unfair game and AUIS must stop this.

Unfortunately, from the beginning AUIS suffered from personal preferences. Though, the university claims to have concert rules and unchangeable standards, this never being what we have experienced in reality. One not favored by the administration was always vulnerable to be dismissed. Lamentably, this image still exists.

The fight between neo-cons and conservatives, sex scandals and constant back clashes with those who left AUIS, can show the internal conflicts among AUIS faculty members. Thus, anyone upholding an idea smells different from the ones of Green Zone will not have a space at AUIS. Via an ironic hereditary system, the father and daughter, wife and husband and brother and sister, serve at AUIS. This doesn’t matter as long as they don’t smell a mixture of sweat and garlic, in other word as long as they are not “having” anything against the administration they will be “fine”.

AUIS does not have any right to put pressure of any of its students and teachers. The university is gravely suffering from the lack of “qualified instructors”, and with it will change nothing. Now many are on the go-list (SET will soon publish few of them), which will leave AUIS with nothing other than last moment-hiring, as it is the costume. It’s time for AUIS to stop teasing students and teacher and concentrate on the university needs as an educational institution not a political reckoning arena.   

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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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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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I Wonder whom to Believe?





















by: Bahman A. Hassan

Thus far, from all sides, we have been called, “liars”, “disruptive”, “Crap”, and “those who cannot get As”. Sometimes, we have been accused of not telling “the truth”. Whatever the truth may be, I want to check the AUIS heads’ inconstancies on the “S” story.

 Perhaps, the “S” as Shalw Fatah said “is more than any other S”

It’s the first letter of, sex, Satan and the only difference between Osama and Obama, as Astios wrote.

I would love to keep it “simple but not too simplistic” as my Comp instructor was always saying. For any suggestions, logical or grammatical mistakes you may always contact him.

Here is how I will take you to this journey. I hope by the end, you get the impression that your fellow friends from “the blog” are able to prove that they are not the only “disruptive” and distorters of “the truth”.

The fight against AUI and favoring AUIS becomes nothing other than a laughingstock. Who was cheating is not what I am interested in. In the end, the “S” wins, the thing that the head of communication department was afraid of. “Our victory” as he states, was over a cause that did not exist.

Let’s see what they said about the “S”.

James Harrigan, Dean of the Students.

+ “I assure you on Sunday you will see that there have been no changes.”

+ “This is out of our control. The board decided and we just do what they say”

+ “Over the past day a number of rumors have been circulating about the imminent change of the AUI-S name.

+ “In the face of the danger of illicit use of the name American University of Iraq by institutions of uncertain quality adopting it and possibly adding the name of another town, which would damage our reputation and endanger the prestige of our institution, we have sought to secure ownership of that name and of the initials AUI, which is reflected in the new email addresses.”

+ “The administration will be happy to address student concerns in a polite and orderly way next week when people have had more time to think about this.” Ironic, is not it? Well, we will think when we have time no matter before or after we make a decision.

+ “protests are not appropriate until all of the facts have been disseminated and considered.” When and where can we have a fact dissemination session?

+ “Everything will be reversed, and I promise by Sunday I will come to you with good News.”

+ “On Sunday, I promise. I will get the provost and some one form the Board of Trustee to answer why the name has been changed.”

+ “the change is true and it is just a branding issue.”

Elia Boggia

Communication Department Director

+ “go and read what I told CNN. There has not been any change”

+ “it is just a misunderstanding”

+ I asked him, didn’t you ask the Student Council to cover this topic and you showed them the new logo and name? He went around my question and said,” I did show the students seven logos, some of AUI and AUI-S. Do you know what my purpose was? No, you tell me, I said. He lost the point and didn’t answer. The misfortune was none of the noticed being fooled.

+ “you are fighting without any reason” this means there was no change.

I would love to ask, why students gathered and the Dean and the university staff were worried?

For Melanie Standish, Supervisor of Career Services and International Exchange, everything was different. The name was easily changed; perhaps ironically because her office is soundproof and quite isolated. She didn’t have any idea about the fights downstairs at the Dean’s office.

+ She emailed students and wrote, “An Erbil-based non-profit organization is offering the opportunity for AUI Academic Students of any major or level to intern with them this summer.”

+ She goes on interfering to make choice for students and wrote, “If you are hired, be sure to ask for a job description / list of responsibilities before you accept the position.  You want to make sure that the job will be right for you!” This not the funny part, but at the very bottom of here message, she was still working for AUI-S not AUI.  

+ “You will be competing with students from universities all over the Kurdish region- show them why AUI students are the most professional of all.” She wrote to the students.     

I leave the rest for you, but I am sure you are lost as well.

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