Feature: Before and after revolution: AUC activities

Host: Nada Badawi
Interviews: Farah Yousry (via DAR http://dar.aucegypt.edu/handle/10526/2605) and Omar Ezzedin
Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEDQMLtyGY

Script:

(Background music, FADE IN)

After the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, a number of AUC students started activities to help rebuild the country. The revolution was also an opportunity for students engaged in clubs to host the events they wished for.

Few weeks after the eighteen days of the uprising, President Lisa Anderson enforced a freedom of expression policy. The policy was enforced to replace the very restrictive policies of the past.
Since then, AUC students were informed via e-mail that "all speech is now protected."

Editor in Chief of AUC's newspaper, The Caravan, Farah Yousry talks about her experience while working at the Model Arab League at AUC before the revolution.

                                                                                          Photo by: Nada Badawi

"We faced a lot of obstacles and sometimes the university would not allow a certain keynote speaker to come because he's politically controversial or may be the regime doesn't like him, so we don't want to get into trouble. The same time with the documentary when we were making a documentary when I asked one of the voice overs, he's a famous presenter, radio presenter, and i gave him the script and it had a lot of nuances and a lot of euphemism, political euphemism, that might get him into trouble as he thought so, he said "no I wouldn't say that." I had to change the script to cater for his willingness to say the script." (0:33)

Yousry states that now thanks to the revolution, Model Arab League is no longer facing the same restrictive policies.

President and founder of club organization Developers Inc. Omar Ezzedin says his club doesn't face any obstacles to host any controversial figures. However, he says he considers cultural boundaries when hosting events.

                                                                                          Photo by: Nada Badawi

"Well, the difficulties that I might be facing are not regarding policies of AUC. I mean I can get any speaker I want, I can promote any idea I want as long as its within certain boundaries, more of cultural and ethical boundaries that don't have to do with political boundaries." (0:20) 

Developers Inc. which started few months after the revolution, has been hosting controversial figures like Samira Ibrahim who was subjected to Egypt's virginity tests in March 2011.

Model Arab League on the other hand, hosted Ayman Nour in April 2011 although AUC's Office of Student Development disapproved the club's decision to invite him on campus as a keynote speaker.

Other student organizations are now more free to host any public events or figures even when it comes to entertainment.

(Background music, AMPLIFY, FADE OUT)