issue #9 • Fall 2013-2014

Contact usthe.scope@liu.edu.lb

This could be

you

Sarah AmoudiPhotographer

With contributions from Abbas FakihMalak FawazSandra GhosnAsma Al AchhabMalak Jaafar

Ahmad ZahabiReem SalmanManal Al-AshkarHanine Krayem

Conn

ect

Special thanks toHassan ChoubassiKhouloud KhatibIbrahim BaghdadiNour FarhatManal Al-AshkarKim Da LiKorea UNIFILLIU Community VolunteersChef MaherLIU EaglesWael Ayoub SalloumHassan FarhatAwad Merhi

Proofread byDina ShoumanLaila ManasfiSahar ChararaFatima Abou Nassif

/TheScopeLIU

the.scope@liu.edu.lb

@TheScopeLIU

Jalal KobeisiReporter

/TheScopeLIU

Fatima Abdel JawadSaida Correspondent

Baha JalaliPhotographer

Katrin AwadaTranslator

Fatima Abou NassifAssistant Editor

Mahyar DarabiPhotographer

Mirna JouniWriter

Diana HaririWriter

Zeinab ChamseddineWriter

TeamDavid Zoaiter

EditorFatin MekdadAssistant Editor

Mohammad MortadaDesign and Concept

Co

nT

En

TS LIU Mauritania Expands

SoP Lives up to its Reputation

A Healthy Score at the Nutrition Colloquium

Painting Smiles in Ramadan

Open Health Day

Between Classes: What is your Dream Career?

Exchange of Cultures

Introducing the New Engineering Dean: Dr. Amin Hajj Ali

Meet the LIU CV's

LIU Eagles Sports Star: Captain Rami Zreik

Expecting to Discern the Modern

Book Review: Life of Pi

Alumni Success Stories: Ali Shreim and Ali Khalifeh

Work & Study Do Mix!

LIU's 8th Annual Career Fair

I will... Later

Faculty Profile: Dr. Walid Raad

Cultural City III: LIU Going green

We Ask the Institute: What is your Dream Vacation?

A Language of Convenience

From the Classroom: Hasta España

University Guide: Walkthrough by a Survivor

International Cuisine: Club Sandwich

Books are Mirrors of the World

Effect on the environment

How well do you know your major

Spanish

Extinction of Books

Study Virtually

Meet the Registrar and Admission Team

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Get the fresh news on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheScopeLIU

News

LIU Mauritania is looking forward to an exciting year in 2014, with the expected opening of a brand new state-of-the art campus.

In addition to catering to different classes’ needs, the new campus aims to accommodate students’ many interests, including fully equipped high-tech labs for arts and sciences, recreational sports facilities and prayer rooms. There are also plans for male and female dormitories for foreigners and Mauritians from remote areas.

Not only does the LIU building have advanced facilities, but it is also advancing educational opportunities in Mauritania.

The news was announced during the graduation of LIU Mauritania’s first Master’s program graduates. The graduating students requested from President Abdul Rahim Mourad to consider starting a PhD program during his congratulatory visit, to which he replied that the university has in fact been working on the program, scheduled to be launched in 2014.

During his stay, Mr. Mourad visited the Mauritanian Prime Minister Rangoolam, who assured that LIU has the full support of the nation’s officials. He added that all private universities in the country should follow the example that LIU has set.

LIU Mauritania Expands

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SoP Lives Up toits Reputation

Over the years, LIU’s School of Pharmacy has earned the reputation of being one of Lebanon’s best, but it’s achievements in the latest colloquium have definitely solidified that status. All 85 students have passed the national exam granting them a license to practice pharmacy. Not only that, but LIU students have also attained the highest collective marks in the history of the Colloquium.

The students showed excellence in their results, with one student scoring 18/20, the highest score in Lebanon. Where most of our other students had a 17/20 average, nevertheless, we had a 100% passing results.

Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Mohamad Rahal, said that his students are prepared from the first day they enter the school of pharmacy, “we always work together with our students and make them feel as one of the team with the faculty, it is hard work, but we always give our students the support and encouragement they need”.

Congratulating his students, Dr. Rahal continued, “I wish all of our students the best of luck, and I am sure they are just as proud of themselves and their degree as we are of them”.

Fatin Mekdad

SCHOOL OF PHARMACY

News

Sarah Amoudi

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A Healthy Score at the nutrition Colloquium

Looking for a skilled nutritionist or dietician? Look no further than the latest class of LIU students who have achieved the highest passing percentage of all other participating groups at 92%. 48 out of a total of 52 applicants passed the rigorous exam.

To reward the students with the highest grades, a ceremonial lunch was held at the Beirut campus. It was attended by many students, instructors, and senior officials. Chairperson of Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Mohammad Rached thanked his students for their dedication and hard work and happily announced that student Manal Hanawi scored the highest ever in

the history of the National Colloquium with a score of 9.25/10.

Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Tarek Harb, said: “These results do not surprise me anymore, because I know and see all the tremendous effort that is made by the team members involved in preparing our students.”

The event was under the patronage of LIU President Mr. Abdelrahim Mourad, who in his speech said, “The challenge was not to build the facilities, but it was how to bring quality education to all students. Today, it is clear that we have not only met but surpassed our goals for the university.”

Fatin Mekdad

News

SCHOOL OF SCIENCES

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Painting Smiles in Ramadan Fatin Mekdad

Mohammad Mortada

News

In the spirit of Ramadan, LIU’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Club hosted its annual Children’s Iftar in cooperation with the Dar Al-Aytam al Islami orphanage. 30 children between the ages of 9 and 12 visited the HangOut, Block E cafeteria, and were treated to an evening of fun and play. Along with the children, Mickey the Magician was invited to dazzle all with his illusions, while members of the Hospitality Club entertained them with storytelling, face painting, and many other fun activities.

The aim of these yearly Iftar gatherings, as Chairperson of Hospitality and Tourism, Dr.

Ibrahim Baghdadi puts it, is to “integrate LIU students in social activities and charity work. The essential part is to aid those who are in need.” The kids were visibly very happy to have been part of the festivities. Batoul, age 11, says: “I had fun and I saw my friends and we got to play. We wish we could always visit LIU because you offer us joyful celebrations.”

This was also a positive experience for Hospitality Club students, who got to work together in the kitchen to prepare and serve their own food to all of the children, as well as entertain and buy gifts for each of the children to take home with them. Mohammad, age 12,

noticed the genuineness of all those involved, “I loved it. I met new people and made new friends in LIU.” Several instructors were also integrated into the event from both the school of Business and the School of Education. “We are happy to celebrate the joys of Ramadan with these children”, says Dr. Baghdadi on the participation of his peers.

Because of the rising number of children at the Dar Al-Aytam al Islami Orphange, the Hospitality Club is planning to celebrate the coming Iftar party on their own premises to be better able to accommodate all the kids.

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News

The Lebanese International University held its second annual Open Health Day this March in Beirut and in May at Bekaa, the catch was a free medical checkup for all the interested candidates who showed up. Biomedical and Nutrition students, under supervision of their LIU doctors, gave full medical checkups and did the tests necessary for diagnosing health complications that the patients might have. Dr. Ali Samah, an instructor and supervisor at one of the clinics, said: “This is mostly an awareness initiative. Maybe many of our visitors cannot afford or have the time to go to a clinic but here it is free. And people can go to several clinics we have set up around the campuses if they want different types of tests. They can get a full blood test, diabetes tests and electrocardiography among several other medical tests.” “In addition to getting consultations, in some cases we even prescribed medication for some patients in critical conditions that they were unaware of before. We might do some reorientation and send patients to specialists if we detect a certain issue,” Dr. Samaha added. Dr. Mohammad Abou Haidar, who attended the event representating of the Minister of Health, praised the university’s initiative and applauded the students and instructors for their work saying: “The Lebanese medical sector is in need of a partnership with the social

and academic communities, so we are in great gratitude to the Lebanese International University for taking this initiative.” He continued saying: “We don’t just want to diagnose someone; we want to find cures and provide excellent care for all citizens and I think this can be done with the joined effort of universities and the Ministry of Health. This is exactly what LIU did today.” The event was organized by the university’s Nutrition and Biomedical Science departments with the help of the Office of Activities and was also sponsored by the Scientific & Technical Supplies Co. (STS) - the official supplier of medical and laboratory equipment for LIU. The Open Health Day has become a date that people mark on their calendars. Mr. Wissam Hamze, a representative from STS, commented on the event, saying: “People are now anticipating the LIU Open Health Day for their annual checkup. The equipment is very up-to-date and the tests are all found in one place which is exactly what people need.”

Alongside, LIU Bekaa also timed the launching of two new clinics, the Avicenna Nutrition Clinic and the Rhazes Clinic for Emergency Cases, which were opened under the supervision of the university’s executives, and a blood drive where more than 100 blood units were collected to replenish the blood banks and hospitals in the area.

open Health Day

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Ahmad Hassan"I want to be a presenter of a program which I produce, because the ethics of journalism are very important to me and it is the only way I feel I can keep journalism on the right track."

Lenore Hassoun"I have my own concept of pharmacy I want to open; it’s a new idea that has not been done before"

Hussien Mansour"To be successful genetic engineer in cancer therapy, because I have a passion for genetics and ambitions to find a cure for cancer"

Hiba Daia "I want to be a car designer because it is the best career shift when you are an interior designer"

Mirna Fadoul"Working as a university professor because I believe that teaching is a great job that allows us to send a message to society"

Ibrahim Al Turk"To start my own advertizing agency because I have my own targets and specific campaigns"

Zeina nader"My own business company so I would do business deals that will benefit my community."

Ruba Fadel "I want to have my own nutrition center which would include a gym, a clinic and a beauty and health center.”

Souad Kataya"Diet center where a group of my friends can work, in separate departments so as to guarantee full costumer health services"

nour Bourji"To be a Dietitian, not only in weight management, but also in food safety in airline companies, restaurants, schools and food factories"

Fatima Faraj"Open a gym related to sport nutrition because people have wrong concepts about sport and nutrition"

Between Classes

What is yourdream career?

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Exchange of Cultures

LIU Tyre’s Korean language class, consisting of both students and staff, visited the UNIFIL’s Korean battalion in Southern Lebanon. They were treated to a special traditional performance and a conference with Colonel Kim Kuyung Hwan. The peacekeepers took a break from their daily routine to show the students around their base in Tirdba, outside of Tyre. The Korean language class at the Tyre campus is taught by members of the Korean battalion as part of the cultural collaboration between the division and LIU.

Manal Al AshkarAdministrative Secretary / Korean Course Student

They came for you: LIU has been known for its variety of activities and relationships with other institutions. One of our greatest relationships is the one we have with the South Korean Contingent in the UNIFIL. The latter offered a free Korean course at the university, which the students and I enjoyed very much. Not to forget that one of our students, Reem Salman, had the chance to visit Korea and explore its beauty and learn about its rich culture. She also served Lebanon when she taught them some of our inherited Arab and Lebanese traditions. Our students enjoyed every single activity with the peacekeepers and, without a doubt, built a great relationship with them. I hope that this relationship stays strong and bonds deepen between LIU and the South Korean battalion.

Reem SalmanEngineering Student

I first attended the Korean class on April 11, and I was already feeling that this class would not be like any other course I’ve taken at the university. I took advantage of my visit to Korea to learn about its culture by visiting museums and factories, and I realized how strong-willed they are to develop such a country in such a short time. I was also invited to a military base and got to see their intense military drills.

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It is a big honor for me to write about the Korean battalion’s activities for The Scope, especially after I have taught Korean language at one of LIU’s campuses.

First of all, I would like to introduce myself; I am teacher Zeina, but my real name is Kim Da Li. In 2004, I started studying the Arabic language at Hankuk University for Foreign Studies located in Korea. After that I continued studying Arabic in different Arabic countries including Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, etc. Then, in 2011, I enrolled at the College of Translation in Korea, which is well known for its foreign languages translation studies, in pursuit of my Master’s degree. At the beginning of this year, I graduated with a Master’s degree. After that, and immediately after finishing my studies, I came straight to Lebanon as a translator for the Korean battalion with the UNIFIL.

As you may know, the Korean battalion’s duties include offering aid and humanitarian and social entrepreneurship for the benefit of the people of the South of Lebanon. From this perspective, the Korean battalion expanded its activities to include teaching the Korean language at universities, the Lebanese International and the Lebanese Islamic Universities that are located in Sour are some of them.

I believe that teaching the Korean language reflects positively on the Lebanese society since university students are the future of the country, and it teaches them more about the Korean culture, traditions, and language. The Korean battalion started teaching language to young students at five towns within their framework, but the students’ young age prevented them from showing more interest in the Korean language and culture, so we switched to teaching Korean to university students who immediately showed more interest.

I started teaching Korean at LIU in April, 2013. And, when I gave my first lecture, I was surprised by the large turnout; they were about 55! But over time, this number started to decrease, and at my last lecture, only three of them showed up. I felt really disappointed, but I know that the Korean language is very complicated. I’ve went through it when I was studying the Arabic language, and believe me it is not an easy language to learn, so I do understand the students’ reaction.

But despite the low number of attendees, I kept my spirit high, for I know, as a teacher, that teaching the Korean language also includes teaching Korean culture, customs, and traditions, and that keeps me proud of what I’m doing. Even I learn more about my own country while preparing for my lectures, and I grow more nostalgic and attached to my homeland every day.

As a matter of fact, I was not aware of the Lebanese students’ interest in the Korean language until a few weeks earlier when an LIU Beirut student attended one of my classes at the Lebanese Islamic University in Sour. And it was obvious how this student loves Korea when she asked me to teach Korean at her LIU Beirut campus, and she seemed so excited about the idea. She only spent one hour with us, but I am very glad I met her. It makes me very happy to see people come to me to ask about Korea and our language.

I hope that more students will be interested in learning the Korean language to know more about Korea and about the Korean battalion with the UNIFIL, and I hope that they really benefit from the Korean lessons.

Kim Da Li

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Introducing the new Engineering Dean

Dr. Amin Hajj Ali

The School of Engineering has recently welcomed a new dean, Dr. Amin Hajj Ali.

After he finished his computer communication undergraduate program at the American University of Beirut in 1993, he pursued his master’s in electronics and computer control at Wayne State University.

Dr. Hajj Ali: After that I returned to Lebanon and worked in the development of the Al Zahrani power plant as a project engineer for eight months. After that, I worked as an IT director at the National Broadcasting Network for four years, building the infrastructure and later on overseeing the operation of the infrastructure for another four years.

Later, I went back to the United States to continue my academics with my mind on a PhD degree, and at same time worked for Daimler-Chrysler for four years, in both managerial and technical work. At the technical level, I also worked on issuing a patent for a system that detects very low emissions in vehicles.

After finishing my PhD, I started teaching at Al Hosn private university in Abu Dhabi, simultaneously managing the position of the chair of the department of software engineering for five years and helped in curricula and course material development.

I finally came to LIU as a chair of the computer communication department and stayed for a couple of years, when I was promoted to associate dean of the School of Engineering for a year, and eventually to dean of the school.

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The Scope: What are some of the future plans for the School of Engineering?

Dr. Hajj Ali: Expansion to new majors, and new degrees. I am planning to get a license for new majors in petroleum and civil engineering, and a license for master’s in engineering management. We have already launched industrial engineering this year, and we are planning to enhance our laboratories alongside expanding the current majors in most of the campuses. For example, we opened surveying engineering in Rayak, two master’s programs in Tripoli, a master’s program in electrical engineering in Saida and a master’s program in computer engineering in Bekaa. So, we are advancing on both levels – addition of new majors and expanding current majors to campuses that did not offer them. We are also working on the memorandum of understanding with universities abroad to have a joint PhD program, which will eventually lead to a full PhD program at the university. We are structuring our research and industrial relations to align with the vision of the university. And as I said previously, we have a big project related to the laboratories to improve hands-on skills of our graduates so they have better job opportunities and are ready for the job market. We have a plan to enhance the teaching methods, which is actually in progress and already is launched as many small projects. We already started adjusting our curricula and programs to meet the ABET requirements. The process will take time but we already started working on it on the internal level, and we still have some auditing visits from that body in order to give us the accreditation. At the School of

Engineering, we started shifting the level of projects and theses to meet higher standards that will enhance our students’ skills and the level of mentorship that our faculty members are offering at LIU.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, so that readers and students get to know you better?

A: My doors are always open for students to come any time they need my help. I always try to keep some free time for them. Of course I have hobbies that are related to my major, so I feel passionate about everything related to electronics and computers. I always try to keep my class enjoyable, I use the interactive teaching method rather than just lecturing, so I always ask students to be active and participate in class discussions. I strongly believe in teamwork, and whichever level of success we’ve reached at the School of Engineering we owe it to our collaboration and collective work.

Q: Any last words you would like to address the students or the readers with?

A: Be prepared, because more opportunities will be ahead of you but only those who are prepared can grasp them. Believe in yourselves, and do not rely on anyone but your personal skills. Do not wait on your instructors or university to teach you everything, they just give you guidelines and you do the rest, so enhance your inquisitive skills, and have self confidence.

Industrial engineering is commonly defined as the integration of machines, staff, production materials, money, and scientific methods. While many current industrial engineers still deal in these areas, the scope of their work has become more general. Today's industrial engineers work in many more settings than just factories; in recent years, fields like energy and IT have become particularly reliant on the skills of industrial engineers. These flexible professionals may also be employed in:

• Hospitals and other health-care operations

• Transportation• Food processing• Media• Banking• Utilities• Local, regional and national

governments

Also, a bachelors degree in industrial engineering qualifies its holder for a masters in petroleum engineering which will be available at LIU.

http://www.worldwidelearn.com

Industrial Engineering

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News

Katrin Awada

There is probably no one left in the LIU community who has not heard of the LIU Community Volunteers, or the CVs. It is known that it is a group of students who dedicate their free time to giving back to their academic community, but not everyone knows the group’s story.

It all started when a group of students were asked to volunteer at the Career Development office. Event after event, a couple of new faces joined the team, one at a time, until they were nicknamed The Ushers. They worked directly with the Career Development department, volunteering in various campus events as well as off-campus activities. Whether university-affiliated or with NGOs, they served as a host of campus life occasions.

The Ushers ran around the Beirut campus, distinguished by their matching white-shirts-and-black-

pants outfits amongst the masses. They were seen working on the ground and managing LIU events. Soon enough, they became the organizers of both small-scale awareness campaigns and huge festivals like Cultural City III and the annual graduation ceremonies.

The Ushers’ trend caught on quickly. In one year, the number of volunteers doubled. This year, the number of active students reached over 50. The group of volunteers became a semi-independent taskforce able of self-government. Adopting the name LIU Community Volunteers, the CVs have strictly followed their motto: "From a well community comes a well individual."

Going over a retrospect of the events the CVs have worked on, one cannot but acknowledge the impact this group has had on the LIU community as a whole.

They have reached a stage where they are active on the local level. At the Beirut Marathon, for example, the LIU CVs helped as announcers, on the water stations and both on the start and finish lines. The challenging weather during the 2012 marathon caused some participants to run back to their homes, but “there is never a rainbow without the rain,” as CV Katrin Awada said, adding that she is committed to any event the CVs choose to volunteer at, no matter the circumstances.

A lot can be written, but nothing can reflect the spirit of the CVs on paper. They are a group of students who come together hoping for a better community and healthy campus life. The LIU Community Volunteers is a team of proactive students who are committed to give back to their university.

Meet the LIU Community Volunteers COMMUNITY

VOLUNTEERS

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S P o R T S S T A R

Captain Rami Zreik

The LIU Eagles football team has become a name that puts fear in its rivals’ eyes. Today, scoring big in the field, while managing to win championships, is somewhat normal and part of the team’s everyday life.

But no victory comes cheap. Captain of the Beirut Eagles football team, Rami Zreik, suffered a blow to the head while defending his turf resulting with 7 stitches to his forehead, saying “I would defend our goal with my life”. Zreik has become an icon, not only with the LIU community, but has also received recognition in the Lebanese University football scene.

Sadly, spring 2013 semester was Captain Zreik’s last semester at LIU as he finished all his major requirements and graduated as a university hero. The Scope met with Cpt. Zreik for an friendly talk about his university experience.

David ZoaiterMohammad Mortada

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Q: How do you describe your journey with the Eagles?A: It was exceptional. If I take anything with me, as an experience of course, after I leave LIU it would be my experience and the time I spent with the team.

Q: When did you first join the Eagles, and how did it happen?A: Back in spring of 2010, I read an announcement about the tryouts for the team, so I contacted coach Bassem. There were many students at the tryouts. I was chosen as one of the team members, and it took me a while to actually go down to the field, so I spent some time on the bench.

Q: Looking back at the victories that the Eagles have accomplished during your time, which one do you hold dearest?A: I believe it’s the Lebanese Universities League for Mini-Football this year. The tournament began in January and ended in June. After facing each team twice, four teams were chosen for the semi-final and of course the winners met for the final. And out of all these games, we lost only one. We won the semi-finals and made it to the finals against BAU and won the cup.

Q: Which of the games played in that League was the most challenging?A: The hardest game was the final against BAU because during the semi-finals against BAU, we were ahead with a score 3-1, but due to unfortunate events, we lost the game. So by the time we made it to the finals against BAU, our aim was to show them that we will win. The game was intense; they scored first, so we had to advance quickly; the game ended in a tie and we advanced for penalties.

Q: How did the team prepare for the game?A: Training, training, and some more training! Coach Bassem made sure we got as much training as we needed. We even came in to train three times a week sometimes. Even during midterms, the guys used to come in and train for as much as they could.

Q: How did you prepare emotionally for this tournament?A: Our team is built on our strong friendship, we are like brothers and we are each other’s backup. When one of us sits on the bench and watches the game, he’s enthusiastic cheering in the background and boosting the confidence of his teammates on the field.

Q: You received a serious injury in the final; can you tell us about it?A: I received a short pass from my teammate and it ended up with the other teams’ striker. I was the only one in defense so had he passed me, it would have been just him and the goalie and we could’ve lost the game.

I mustered up my courage and went head to head with him. Things didn’t go quite as I planned and I received one of his elbows to my forehead. I wanted to continue the game but the coach insisted I go to the hospital; thank God he let me stay and watch the game through. I don’t regret it and have never had second thoughts even. We won!

Q: Before you, Haitham Faour from the Lebanese national football team was captain with the Eagles, did you feel pressure and responsibility to live up to the names of the coaches before you?

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A: Of course, he is an excellent player and one cannot but be impressed by the way he plays. When I first went to watch an Eagle’s game at the Nijmeh stadium with coach Bassem, I watched players like Haitham Faour, Hassan Ferdous, and Ali Al Hadi with complete admiration. From that moment on, I had this certain level set as an example for my own performance. Whether I was the captain or not, I found myself striving to give as much as they did; I felt responsible not only for myself but for the entire team. I did my best to keep the team’s communication during the game.

Q: How did playing the Eagles affect your academic life at LIU?A: I met many people when I first started college and many of them, of course not all, got drifted away and ended up becoming bad company. I am glad I filled my time with sports which virtually eliminated the chances of me ending up like them. I am not saying that I would if it weren’t for sports, but you never know.

Also, it gave me the privilege of having good financial aid, which made it much easier for me to pay my tuition fees without having to worry about finances. This facilitated my stay at the university for three consecutive years.

Q: Did you ever feel under the spotlight as an LIU athlete?A: To be honest, I compared the audience from other universities, such as BAU, and the turnout who came to watch their team play and show support to our LIU fans, but I was disappointed that we don’t have a very large audience. However, I’m glad that we get the media to almost every game, and students can always see our pictures and news in the university magazine.

Q: now that you graduated, what will you be taking with you, from both, academic and athletic life here at the LIU?A: first of all, I will miss my teammates, not only did we become a good team but also we built strong friendships. We used to spend a lot of time together, and we still do. I’ve also gained a lot of experience from all tournaments and matches that I participated in.

Q: What would you like to tell the newcomers to the LIU Eagles after you leave?A: The most important thing I would like to tell them is to keep their self-confidence. No matter what, no matter for how long you sit on the bench, you are still a part of the team, so never quit, be self confident and show all you got as a player when given the chance on the field.

Q: What would you like to say to your current team?A: I would like to thank my team for their hard work and all the effort put into each game we played. They made it [this last season] the best season and the best tournament I’ve ever played in. I hope that the team keeps that spirit, and stays strong and enthusiastic at all times, and that they keep making coach Bassem proud of them.

Q: Do you encourage LIU students to participate in university athletics?A: If they have the time, they should not hesitate to fill it with something that can benefit them, like joining clubs or taking part in sports activities, because sometimes these kinds of activities help students to pursue their academic aspirations without feeling pulled down by the routine academic life.

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Diana Hariry

In the world we live in, we wake up to a cell phone alarm, get reminded by a digital calendar, and sometimes go to a virtual meeting via Skype. All these are characteristics of the modern person having continuous direct contact with the world.

A while back, I saw an ad of a person waking up in a room with hand-movement-controlled screen walls, allowing him to start his day with a suitable choice of wardrobe, breakfast preferences, and possible day plans. It was really interesting and idealistic to the little potential that our country Lebanon has. It turns out that this was actually implemented in Japan. Had this been paralleled in our country, it would have definitely made us more efficient in our daily plans.

When referring to a 21st century student, they are presumably not expected to wake up to a visually-enhanced alarm, but they are, however, expected to have a smartphone. It is the "in" thing these days! And that makes you wonder at times if we can live without our mobile devices. If the answer is "yes", your expectations must be unrealistic; because in the world we live in, it is getting impossible to survive without technology. For example, in Lebanon, the case with cell phones is a matter of life and death. People receive breaking news alerts via text messages.

In short, the modern student is most definitely identified as a carrier of a smartphone, especially since he or she is expected, without argument, to be up-to-date when it comes to technology. Moreover, the modernity of a student is measured nowadays with 3G or 4G. You might wonder at times why a student has his or her head down on a cell phone device scrolling, reading or texting. What part of the brain is being triggered: the logical part or the nonsensical? Is this type of modernity characteristic of a modern student? I'd have to say: No. When students use mobile phones to get updated on all things gossip, they are only filling their valuable time with online exposure to things irrelevant to academic skill building. Having the right tools for online communication is not an issue here. It is actually the inability of the student to control the conception of modernity in technological advancement. They simply get tempted by the imps of the net: social networks or the online media devils.

In order to maximize student performance and engage them in productive online interaction, educators should expect a modern student to get acquainted with the concept of "educational media." It is the moment that each conscientious student is waiting for. It is the evolution of higher education that

has reached its climax. Students of today do not have to worry about expenses dispensed on extracurricular courses. They needn't be present in tangible classrooms; however, a virtual presence should be anticipated. It is high time to start introducing the concept of MOOCs: massive open online courses. These courses have been adopted by many universities, such as Harvard, MIT, Georgetown and the like. In order to be accessible to MOOCs, a student needs to have two qualities brought on: commitment and online interactivity. Apart from student preparedness for such innovation, a robust Internet connection is an essential prerequisite as well.

Another question pops to mind to an average university student: "Do I have to be fluent in the English Language in order to complete these courses?" My answer would be: Yes! However, I have good news to share with you all! To make things simple, an average student can work on his or her English through guided online sessions, and by getting exposed to consistent language modalities: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This is what we call in the academic realm as: Blended Learning. There is also the issue of commitment and eagerness to acquire a language; taking it seriously for a change!

Expecting to Discern the Modern

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Life of PiYann Martel

Book Ratings:

Visit the library at LIU campuses to check out this book and many more.

Book ReviewMalak Jaafar

You know you’ve read a good book when you still vividly remember parts and sentences from said book even months after you’ve finished it. That is the case with Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.

“My suffering made me sad and gloomy,” is how Mr. Martel decided to start his unforgettable and exquisite book and how the reader starts his/her adventure with a young Indian boy, a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker and the Pacific Ocean.

Pi, Piscine Molitor Patel, the young and intelligent son of a zookeeper, is fascinated with religion and decides to embrace three at once: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, in exploration of spirituality and practicality from a young age. Pi’s family soon decided to move to Canada to start a new life but the universe had other plans for Pi. His family had hitched a ride on a large cargo ship carrying their zoo animals from India, which after a horrendous storm, sinks in

the middle of the Pacific Ocean, claiming the lives of Pi’s family and animals. Pi, however, survives the shipwrecked and ends up on a life boat. He isn’t the only survivor though, a 200kg Bengal tiger names Richard Parker, an orangutan, hyena and a zebra with a broken leg wind up on the small life boat with him.

After countless harrowing ordeals, Pi and Richard Parker are the only two passengers on the tiny lifeboat. As they drift across the cruel Pacific Ocean for 227, fighting hunger, the harsh elements of nature and overcoming odds. His deep faith in God and his religions play a huge role in his survival. Pi’s days merged into one endless nightmare filled with some highs, and many lows.

"It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion," Pi says.

It is a tragic yet beautiful tale of survival, adventure, endurance and faith. The story remains with you; Pi’s struggles and his will for life remain with you. With more than seven million copies sold worldwide, it is no surprise that this book made it to the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicles and Chicago Tribune bestseller list.

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Success is not measured by wealth but by the satisfaction of the work done and the amount of goals achieved. In academics, ones school pride comes from the success of those before, whose achievements linger in the university’s halls.

Two students who have brought pride to the LIU Communication Arts Department, Ali Shreim and Ali Khalife, both majoring in Radio & TV, have long been popular among their friends through their enthusiasm and dedication to their projects.

The love for the duet was shown to the nation as students rushed to protest the illegal apprehension of the two along with a third LIU graduate, Adeeb Farhat, while they were doing their job, but were denied the right of freedom of the press.

The Scope sat down with Shreim and Khalife, for a talk about their recent activities, and their life after graduation.

Alumni Success Stories

Ali Shreim & Ali Khalife

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Q: What have you been up to since graduation?

Shreim: We’ve been doing the same work since before we graduated at Saida TV, a web TV we helped set up, and we’ve been directing short documentaries. We are part of the crew of the New TV program “Taht Ta’alet Al Masu’liya”. But our most important work is “Ha’ak Tihki Ha’ak Taarif”, another popular initiative for being a powerful and new format in Lebanon.

Khalife: The idea of looking for people and having them speak freely about their problems is something that has never been done on web TV. We wanted to break the fear of confronting taboo subjects on television that other media channels have, these are usually topics that are heard in any household and in any neighborhood. So, why should these topics be considered unsuitable for television? We decided that nothing should be hidden because people need to see programs that they can actually relate to rather than the superficial themes of beauty and design we usually see on Lebanese channels. The great thing is that nobody needs any kind of political financing or backup to do this, there is always a place for courageous, outspoken people on social media and Youtube to share any content they want, without having to chase after formal media for exposure. We rather created our own medium.

Shreim: We had started with this idea in university when we did a documentary called “Fashet Khile’”, but it did not get as much attention at the time so we are very proud that we got to elaborate on the concept and optimize it.

Q: Would you say that working at Saida TV is your dream job?

Khalife: It is a step. We dream of doing much bigger things because although we’ve expressed ourselves a lot, we want our work to reach a larger audience. Everything we do begins with simple ideas, and if

we are able to keep following these ideas for another 10 years or so we would reach our goals.

Q: What is a typical working day for the Saida TV crew?

Khalife: When we are working on “Ha’ak Tihki Ha’ak Taarif”, our main mission is to search for people who have a certain social situation. To find someone willing to openly discuss their issues is the hardest thing we have to do, but at the same time when we do find these people we are happy to see that they had been waiting for an opportunity to speak up. At this point we go on to constantly tape these people for three days or so to capture real and raw moments of their daily lives without any censorship or fabrication.

Q: It is not an easy job you’re doing. Have you ever been threatened because of your work?

Shreim: Besides what happened to us with the Lebanese Customs, which everyone knows about, we did an episode on Ahmad Al Assir at the time of his crackdown in Saida. We handled it differently than any other TV channels’ coverage, and Because of that we got threats and now if you try to search for Saida TV’s Youtube channel, you won’t find it because it was reported and taken down shortly after that episode was posted.

Khalife: There was also a documentary that we did about the Bahraini conflict which got us threatening messages, clearly from the Gulf. We can’t really be sure who was responsible though, because it must be an influential entity involved in taking it down.

Q: Saida TV is best known for being on top of important scoops that are later used by many other prominent media stations. How do you take the pressure of the responsibility? What motivates you?

Khalife: We don’t like to call

them “scoops” because what we do is shine light on issues that are already available wherever you look. We were just university students who were able to do this. There’s definitely pressure in working on these programs simultaneously and giving our all to the process. What pressures us the most is that there are so many issues that need to be uncovered and so many voices to be heard that it can be difficult to prioritize everything. We wish that we could cover all 10,452 km2 of Lebanon and go to every area and expose every situation. Only then would we have accomplished our goal and move on to something bigger. For now we are still running to do as much as we can.

Q: Tell us a little about the struggle that comes with the job.

Khalife: We are proud of working independently, without anyone telling us what can and cannot be done. We are not politically funded nor politically affiliated, so we enjoy working based on our own convictions.

Shreim: We work with our own equipment and show what needs to be seen. But not being funded is also a big problem because it limits our capabilities. It gets to us that sometimes we can’t reach the level we first envisioned, be we are striving.

Q: How did your major of Radio/TV help you in your work now?

Shreim: We’ve benefited from our major and our instructors greatly. When we made our first ever film we didn’t even know how to hold a camera, and it was played in front of about 800 people. Looking back at it now we laugh at how amateurish it was. But at the time we showed it to Mr. Elmoutasam Aziz and he told us about a few things to fix. We really learned from this particular instructor every time we came to Beirut campus, but we’ve had many others who

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inspired us with their open minds and their leftist ideologies. It was just a comfortable environment that really encouraged us to work as hard as we did.

Q: What did you do to stand out from your peers during your time at LIU?

Khalife: Even if the university is providing students with the best cameras, sets, and instructors, a student won’t gain anything if they are not actively chasing any opportunity to work. We sometimes missed out on university assignment deadlines because we were busy working hard on our own projects. It can be extremely tiring and stressful at times but as long as students are producing their own work, they won’t have a problem building a career.

Q: What is your advice to our students?

Khalife: This is the first problem we all faced at the beginning of our careers so we advise students to never chase the glamour of this specialization and be cheated into selling out on what they believe in. They might get a great chance to work for a media institution whose policies they don’t agree with and it can be the hardest thing in the world to turn these chances down, especially with the limited opportunities for big money in the field.

Shreim: We never accepted jobs where we would just follow orders; we wanted to be the innovators. I advise students who want to follow this path to just hold out for their suitable break, and in the meantime, keep working on themselves to be distinguished.

Shooting the LIU Documentary with HE Mr. Abdulrahim Mourad

Post production of “Ha’ak Tihki Ha’ak Taarif”

Ali and Ali in action

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Some of the alterations you might experience are: in your daily study routine, peer exposure, the ability to adjust to a different timetable… etc. I am not trying to freak you out, but these alterations can easily be overcome with a set of carefully chosen guidelines to be followed throughout your academic year.

A student’s transition from one form of educational institution to another is a very common phenomenon worldwide. However, not all students adapt to this change with ease. College life offers benefits alongside tempting distracters, such as extracurricular activities, in-between-classes time gaps, and recreational off-campus hangouts. In order for a student to make it through this primitive form of the “real world”, there should be a carefully planned and implemented study strategy. Otherwise, he or she will be left with so little time at hand, with so many things to finish.

Many articles suggest diversified study habits to help students in their rights of passage on to college life. However, many students in Lebanon are torn up between work and academics, which make their lives a little tougher (if not a lot). I have taken the liberty of customizing some of these study habits and narrowing them down to five effective ones.

According to Dr. John M. Grohol, the author of “10 Highly Effective

Work & Study

Do Mix!Diana Hariri

You’re used to start your scholastic day with your daily dose of motherly love with her homemade sandwiches and fresh orange juice. The rest of the day was clearly laid out for you by teachers and school administrators. Easy, huh! Now, you are on your way to a new lifestyle. Do not worry! Some attributes -such as the one mentioned above- might not change; however, a lot of things will change when you go off to college.

Study Habits,” the following points should be taken into consideration in order to secure a healthy studying environment:

1. How you approach studying matters; with positivity and enthusiasm

2. Where you study is important3. Bringing everything you need

to the study table (nothing you don’t)

4. Outline and rewrite your notes5. Use memory games (mnemonic

devices)6. Practice by yourself or with

friends7. Make a schedule you can stick

to8. Take breaks and rewards9. Keep healthy and balanced10. Know what your instructor is

expecting

As for the customized version suitable for Lebanese students who work while studying, the following tips will definitely help:

1. Get a bag pack to bring everything you need; keep your books with you at all times

2. Keep your five-subject copybook with you in order to take notes in the classroom

3. Make audio voice records of your notes and share them with friends if possible.

4. Secure a reliable, consistent and quiet study area

5. Take breaks and rewards; you need them!

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In a country where it is becoming increasingly difficult to find work, particularly for a full-time student or fresh graduate, it is easy to be discouraged. That’s where LIU’s Career Fair comes in. For the eighth consecutive year, students were given a chance to dive into the world of professionalism with dozens of visiting companies offering opportunities for all faculties of LIU.

Sharply dressed students of all majors eagerly moved from booth to booth distributing their CVs in hopes of landing a useful internship or a practical first job. They received useful information from potential employers, some of who attended the career fair for many years. A delegate from the three-time attending MarketTech translation and training company said, “LIU students are serious,

knowledgeable, and ambitious so we enjoy coming here every year.”

Being in a country of rich culture and history has made Lebanon one of the most visited countries in the Middle East; therefore, ever booming with career options. The noticeable abundance of companies in the hospitality and tourism industry this year was a dream come true for students of that major. Zainab Fahs is one such student who came prepared for the big day with a large stack of her CV copies which she handed out to several companies. On the same day, she received multiple calls from prospective companies. Fahs said she “honestly didn’t expect it” and encouraged others to apply now because “this is the real deal, careers start here.”

In preparation for the 8th Annual Career Fair, students were invited

to attend the BLOM Shabeb workshop “Build your CV and Ace Your Interview.” The organization specializes in assisting Lebanese young adults in planning their education and facilitating their career choices to ensure successful futures. Participants took an aptitude test and received a range of resources from BLOM which accounting student, Fatima, found “very helpful” in building her confidence and teaching her how to brand herself to prospective employers.

LIU President Mr. Abdelraheem Mourad stopped by the career fair to express his appreciation for the hard work that LIU Community Volunteers put into organizing and assisting for the success of the event. He also wished all students luck in launching themselves into the next phase of their lives.

LIU's 8thAnnual Career Fair Fatin Mekdad

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It is 11:00PM and your essay, due the next morning, still has a word count of 0. Instead of working on that essay in the past days, you went out to the cinema, caught up with the latest episodes of a series, and decided to start reading a book. Now, as you stare at the blank Word document, you regret all that wasted time in which you could have finished this essay. You start pondering upon the fact that you could have been stress-free at this moment. You now glance at the clock, and find out that you spent the past seven minutes wasting your time dwelling on your lack of productivity. Frustrated, you decide to get up and make a cup of coffee because of that voice in your head that said, “I cannot start the essay like this, I need some energy.” And well, you know the rest. You just know that the essay must be done by class time, and that sleep can be postponed.

As students, we tend to be impulsive which makes us vulnerable to procrastination.

University students are prone to become procrastinators if they allow stress of deadlines to overwhelm them. Who would not rather be entertained than be working? Why study now if you can study later?

It is this same type of thinking, actually, that ends up in the accumulation of tasks we should get done since postponing them will not get them out of the way. This, in turn, yields in even more stress. You end up feeling regret of not finishing the tasks before, disappointment for not being productive, and overwhelmed by the lack of time you end up having to finish all those tasks.

Mashable compiled a list of five tips to fight procrastination:

1. Don’t wait for perfection2. Create a sense of urgency3. Break a large project into little

tasks4. Work with your natural

rhythms and habits5. Conduct a time audit

In brief, one should not get carried away. Nothing is impossible. As much as you stress or postpone, you will still have the same things due. Always pause, take a deep breath and gain perspective of the tasks at hand. Plan out your schedule, making sure you balance between free time and work time. As the years pass, you will develop your unique work rhythm but be careful not to get dragged into the chronic procrastination lifestyle. Just get things done, and you will end up adopting work habits that will keep you comfortable and productive. Fight that inner voice that keeps convincing you to delay your assignments in order to enjoy your time right then and now. Instead, be convinced that the sooner you finish your tasks, the more relaxed and free you will be.

http://mashable.com/2012/09/11/procrastination-tips/

I Will… Later Fatima Abou Nassif

An example of a computer desktop wallpaper that can help you work more efficiently

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Faculty Profile:

Dr. Walid Raad

Early Life:Born in Beirut the year 1973, Dr. Raad says he had a tough childhood. With the Lebanese civil war breaking out when he was just three, he opened his eyes to see a world of destruction, but all that changed when his parents decided to move to France in 1982, during the time of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, along with him and his older sister. “These 3 years [in France] were very important for me because it was then that I first learned there was something other than war. I didn’t know that there were parks, gardens, and swimming pools or afterschool activities.” In 1986 the Raads returned to Lebanon, and with his acquired French language, Dr. Raad continued his education in the French schooling system.

Academics:Passionate for politics and history, Dr. Raad enrolled at the Beirut University College (now known as

Lebanese American University) to earn a Bachelors degree in Political Science. “I have always been fascinated by politics, ever since I was small boy; I used to get the paper and sit on top of it and try to read it, that’s how small I was compared to the size of the day’s newspaper” he says. He spent his nights studying great men throughout history and the impact they had, he continued his Masters in the same field directly after his Bachelors. “I was fascinated by the history of politics and influential political events rather than day-to-day politics; I wasn’t interested in who met with whom this morning.”

Career:Dr. Raad started his professional life in the Beirut stock market, but not for long as it was never a place of interest for him: “finance and marketing were never my strongest point and I was more interested in politics and media”. His media career took off as the campaign media adviser for a parliamentary

candidate at the brink of the new millennium. Dr. Raad stayed with the Parliament as the media officer of the Youth and Sports Committee for 7 years, and later spent 2 years with President Emile Lahoud after his time in Baabda. That was when Dr. Raad found himself in journalism, and wrote weekly columns for the French magazine "L’Hebdo" and Bloomberg for a couple years before starting teaching public relations courses at the LIU.

At LIU:Starting with 2 or 3 courses at the Communication Arts Department, Dr. Raad made a strong name for himself with his cunningness in public relations and his special way of incorporating his classes into real-time events and happenings. Students quickly grew fond of him and he became coordinator of the public relations program. His personality didn’t only grow onto the students, but also among his colleagues. In 2012 he was trusted

The Chairperson of Communication Arts

A longtime role model to the students of the 9th floor in block C (Beirut), who has been known to be backbone of the public relations program at the LIU, and seen by many as a friend and father figure. Since he took the position as the chairperson of the Communication Arts Department in the Fall of 2013, Dr. Walid Raad has become a reference to all media students who cherish his guidance and follow his advice whether through academics or everyday life.

David Zoaiter

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with leading a group of students to a joint program between the LIU and Ohio University in the States. The following year, upon the resignation of the chairperson of the Communication Arts Department, Dr. Raad assumed office to kick start his era, and introduce a modern take on academics whilst continuing his predecessors’ mission.

The future of the departments seems to be more than just safe in the hands of Dr. Raad, who had brought in his new vision while maintaining the family atmosphere Dr. Jamal Wakim had established earlier. "Comm. Arts is truly one of the most successful departments at LIU and the thanks go to two great men before me, Dr. Jamal Wakim and Mr. Hassan Choubassi, they did not found this department but they are two main contributors to its success and development".

He worked with them and observed their work closely and assured his work will be a continuity to their’s

work, “because the atmosphere they cultivated is very positive, whether between students and faculty, or among faculty members.

His plans for development cover a wide area, from modernizing the studios and equipment, to broadening the academic choices of the students. "There is a new vision, most importantly, Mr. Choubassi - now chairperson of the Fine Arts Department - and I stressed on the need for a stronger cooperation between the Communication Arts Department and the Fine Arts Department. The first step in this initiative was the fact that now our students share common elective courses so they can benefit from both curricula, and hopefully, we will even have common courses in the near future".

His success might be a result of his well-mannered skills in public relations, his time at LIU, or his popularity among students and faculty; but one thing for sure, is that his understanding of what it is

like to be a student and how today's youth are, makes him a best friend for all students. "Not only here but in most universities’ Comm. Arts and Fine Arts or Social Science departments, the relationship between student and teacher is different from other places, Even the way they study, in most fields you study what’s in the book and then you answer in the exam, its either right or wrong, whereas here it is entirely different, here there is space for creativity and originality and development of one’s personality, and this is important. We cherish this and support the imagination and individuality of our students".

Today Dr. Walid Raad spends his time, if not holding a lecture, in his glass walled office, keeping a bird’s eye view on the 9th floor and his students, giving an occasional smile and wave as students walk by. His door is always open, and his office always crowded by students and faculty, implementing his motto. “the wellness of the students”.

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CThird Cultural City

LIU Going Green

IIIC

LIU hosted its third Cultural City. This annual event was held once again at the green and spacious Bekaa campus, appropriately signifying the prevalent “Going Green” theme and cementing it as one of the university’s unique and most anticipated traditions. In addition to celebrating cultural diversity and displaying a large variety of local and international talents, this Cultural City also honored the 35 years since the founding of Al Ghad Al Afdal Foundation.

LIU’s Human Rights Center and Community Volunteers joined efforts in organizing this year’s Cultural City. The hundreds of attendees who showed up to the opening night on the ripe spring day of May 18th were treated to several live musical performances and firework shows, in addition to the many international exhibitions lining the campus. As always, the public was invited to attend the opening night and all succeeding Cultural City events.

Faten Mekdad & David Zoaiter

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LIU’s healthiest event merged with LIU’s biggest event this year. Pharmacy Day was held in LIU Bekaa as part of Cultural City III. It was the first time the two events meet since the start of either.

Pharmacy Day has been an annual tradition at LIU for eight years now, showing off the great effort and skills that the Pharmacy Department and their students put into craft. However, this year marked the beginning of a new tradition. There was an introduction of a theme for the day beginning with Youth Awareness as selected by the dean of the School of Pharmacy, Dr. Mohamad Rahal. The two months of preparation for the event, which was held on May 24th at the Bekaa campus, proved to be a stressful but worthwhile educational experience for all who were involved.

Youth Awareness is a topic that holds great importance to the collaborating instructors and students who both agreed they felt it was their duty to educate the youth on how to make responsible choices regarding a wide range of topics which include tanning and skincare, caffeine and drug addiction, sex and birth control,

dangers of diet pills, plastic surgery and vaccines.

“The youth of today are the adults of tomorrow. Their decisions today determine the path of our country. Lately, addiction rates have increased, especially with teenagers… We shouldn’t forget that addictions come in many types and are diverse, not only exclusive to old school narcotics. Awareness allows people to choose their own path and make the right decisions,” said Ali Baydoun, Representative of the Pharmacy Club.

What was unique about the Youth Awareness campaign was certainly the fact that students and young adults themselves were presenting these topics. As Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Jihan Safwan explained, “Our pharmacy students are professional people who want to help others.” She hopes that students from different universities get involved in future Pharmacy Day events.

Several teams worked, day in and day out in the weeks leading up to the event, on thoroughly organizing every detail to honor the Pharmacy Department’s most important day of the year. Ali Baydoun believes the hard work and team effort was

accounted for the day’s success. “It was a bit tiring because we had to attend our classes and study in parallel with preparing for the event.”

Apart from the displays and presentations, there was a wide variety of entertainment and activities to take part in the event including raffles, outdoor games and sports, science competitions, student poetry, standup comedy and even student-made short movies.

Attending President of the Order of Pharmacists, Dr. Rabih Hassouneh, as well as a few members and Arab Deans all expressed their admiration for what LIU students were capable of doing both academically and extra-circularly.

This year, the Pharmacy Department worked with J.A.D. (Youth Against Drugs) association who provided plenty of useful information on drug addiction as well as several posters that were displayed on Pharmacy Day. The department, in turn, donated all proceeds collected from the fundraiser to the association to help the Lebanese youth learn more about how to combat addiction.

Youth AwarenessDefeat the Challenge

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Education DayEducation Day was held at LIU’s Bekaa campus as a part of Cultural City III. This year’s theme “Be More, Do More” was formulated to expose students in the School of Education to the professional skills and experiences needed in their field of work. The event included a full day of activities and exhibitions that showcased diligently prepared student work. It provided a platform for LIU students, faculty and staff from all 8 LIU campuses across Lebanon to exchange ideas and to present aspects of their work as they related to fresh and unique learning initiatives, reinforcing students’ learning outcomes.

Dr. Anwar Kawtharani, Dean of

the School of Education, says, “The students’ presentations were impressive and promoted our goal to build a pipeline of professionals equipped to achieve success in the education field.”

He explains that one of the highlights of the event included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between LIU School of Education and the Association of Teachers of English in Lebanon (ATEL). Mr. Rene Karam, President of ATEL, and Dean Kawtharani will collaborate on the exchange of expertise, organization of workshops and training sessions, and dissemination of knowledge for the advancement of the teachers of

English in Lebanon and the region.

This event also marked the launch of the first permanent teacher-training department in Lebanon, the Lebanese International University Regional Educational Consultancy (LIUREC). It stemmed from the belief that professional development plays a significant role in enhancing institutional quality and improving student learning. LIUREC will provide policy guidelines on key components of teacher-training development, as well as a basic training program and professional development courses for teachers and school administrators from different schools in Lebanon and the region.

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The Bittersweet Truth

Dozens of people were waiting at Hamra’s Babel Theatre, pushing, shoving and yelling at each other at the doors of the theatre to guarantee a quick entrance. They did not realize that their behavior reflected the aggressiveness and common chain reaction effect in day-to-day Lebanese life that the show they were about to watch portrays.

“Haida Al Wakae’” translates into “This is Reality.” LIU students performed this realistic play, written and directed by Ms. Reine Saab, entirely in Arabic. It offers a comedic and dramatic look at the difficult socio-economic conditions that both men and women are subjected to in Lebanon and how those conditions push them into losing themselves and falling into the traps of sectarianism, materialism and other unfortunate stereotypes of Lebanese society. However, the show offers a glimmer of hope in the end when it comes to show that despite all the hardships of life, there is still some humanity inside each person that can keep everyone moving forward.

The play opened with an alcoholic husband calling his child an animal and arguing violently with his wife about the treatment of his son. The show showcased other stories such as a needy woman and her busy husband, a happy elderly couple reminiscing, and a man who carries a gun with him at all times for his own protection. Whether it was a hilarious quip, a shocking move, or a heartfelt moment, it all managed to stir genuine emotions in the audience.

One of the spectators, Yasmine Hammoud, said she liked the play because it showed a woman and a man’s honest perspective on different issues, “All the characters have needs and fears and they always would explain why they became that certain way.” Another attendee, Hamdi Moutad, said, “I really enjoyed the play. As a Lebanese citizen, I thought it touched a nerve; what made it even more moving and relatable were the great performances of the actors.”

“Hayda il Wakae” was part of the conclusion to LIU’s third annual Cultural City. Students who participated in the play and other extra-curricular activities related to Cultural City were honored in a ceremony following the play for their commitment and hard work.

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LIU’s Got Talent

Among many LIU events that have turned into an annual tradition, LIU Star has taken the community by storm and has become one of the most competitive competitions between the several campuses.

Being the first of its kind, it is a nationwide song and music competition. Musical talents from across Lebanon meet up each year for a showdown, competing for the title of sound/voice of LIU.

The competitors are all LIU students, either vocalists or instrumentalists, who have passed through the qualification stages held at designated campuses.

The competition started in Saida and has since expanded to include all LIU campuses in Lebanon.

The campuses were divided into 3 divisions, South (Tyre, Nabatieh and Saida), Beirut (Beirut, Mount Lebanon and Tripoli) and Bekaa (Khiara and Rayak). Each division hosts its own qualifications, and then the best contestants from each division meet for a final showdown.

Performers are judged by a panel of judges, composed of professional LIU faculty members and LIU activities officers, who base their judgment on several aspects, among them, performance and sound.

This year, the contestants first met on stage at the third annual Cultural City.

Organizer Housam Hajjar, who is also the activities officer in LIU Saida, expressed high hopes for the future of LIU Star and had positive vibes for this season’s finale. He said, “Since the beginning of LIU Star, I wanted the competition to take place during the Cultural City event because of the huge audience at the event; this will broaden the reach of the students’ talents.”

He continued to explain that the winner will be chosen by the LIU community and the audience of LIU Star to guarantee fair results and represent the opinion of the followers.

“We are currently working on a voting system so that everyone who has watched the performers on stage can vote online, that way the competition is fair and the winner is by popular opinion,” he added.

Instrumentalist Jaafar “Jack” Berro who gave a jaw-dropping performance said he enjoyed the competition and it helped him advance his act after facing several challenges as a professional.

“Two of the hardest performances I have done were on the LIU stage. I learned to play the drums blindfolded and I also played two instruments at once… I will definitely come back to play next year.”

This is not the end of the LIU Star buzz. LIU Star is soon starting to accept new applicants for next year’s competition, an event that Mr. Hajj said will be broader, bigger and will reach all corners of Lebanon.

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Dr. Walid RaadChairperson of Communication Arts

“I want to visit the real United States, specifically states in the heart of the country such as Ohio and Indiana because I think they represent the authentic America that most of us here in the Middle East are not usually exposed to by the media. I think our culture and their actually have a lot of similarities that people do not see at first glance.”

Dr. Mohammad RashedChairperson of Biomedical Sciences

“I love my work but sometimes there is so much of it that all I dream of is being at home with my family.”

Wael Ayoub SalloumAssociate Administrative Director

“I dream of going to Mecca to perform hajj.”

Hala Hallak Accounting Officer

“I want to go to Italy to have a full touristic experience. I think everything about their architecture is beautiful and I want to try real Italian cuisine.”

nadine MakkoukStudent Affairs Officer

“I love high fashion and shopping so Paris is my dream destination.”

Bilal HallakRegistrar Officer

“I hope to go to Munich in Germany to see FC Bayern Munich play football at the Allianz Arena.”

Diaa HarbStationery Clerk

“A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to New York City but I couldn’t due to some personal circumstances, but one day I will take my family there to see all the sights.”

Rimah SalahStudio Technician

“I want to see the amazing nature of Iceland, especially the auroras and the hot springs.”

We Ask the Institute

What Is Your Dream Vacation?

Fatin Mekdad

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"OMG," "BRB" and "LOL" are perfect examples of the kind of communication people these days are legitimately using with one another. People’s lives have been taken over by 6-inch portable phones and tablets. Their lives are filled with chats, mobile exchange of photographs and instant messaging. One rarely finds the time to write a proper meaningful sentence. Instead of writing "I've got to go now," one writes the generic "G2G" acronym.

Lack of patience in today’s youth is the main reason behind this malpractice of linguistics. In the middle of a busy day, or if one is sneaking in a quick message at a stoplight or in class, it’s far more convenient to fire off a couple of letters rather than worry about scripting and punctuating an entire sentence. This convenience, however, has a major disadvantage on general language skills.

Instant messaging (IM), in its nature, has shunned grammar; the loss of punctuation, sentence structure and capitalization are such examples. Run-ons and fragments are very common as well.

Language adaptations also include shortcuts like dropping non-essential letters, such as changing the word “would” to “wud.” Researchers from Pennsylvania State University have found that texting leads to a decline in language and grammar skills. They have also found that people who text are more likely to do poorly on grammar tests.

Drew Cingel, a former Penn State undergraduate student in communications, formed a project. In this project, Drew carried out a grammar assessment amongst middle school students. Based on the results, poor performance was determined, with a specifically increased use of word adaptations. It was obvious that students had trouble switching between the language adaptations and the traditional rules of grammar.

When it comes to smartphone owners with the auto-correct feature, even spelling is ignored because the phone can do all the work for them. The article “Speak Out: Does technology hurt student writing?” by Norm Goldstein and Clinton Gardner suggests that this reliance on auto-correct means people who use these features are not learning what their mistakes

are. People – especially students – find difficulties with their writing, due to auto-correct. They find themselves confused and unable to write, sometimes even using the language adaptations. When this gets applied in schoolwork, e-mails and business papers, problems arise since this kind of language is not considered professional.

A couple of students have confessed that texting does affect how they do their schoolwork. Sometimes, they write "u" instead of “you.” The confusion with the words "too" and "to," and “who” and “whom” is evident. Common mistakes such as using “your” instead of “you’re” are beginning to become typical as well. The familiarity of using such a language has become a habit to students who use speedwriting.

Grammar and spelling become less and less important in a world of speed-reading and speedwriting. While studies show a large percentage of students whose grammar skills are declining due to the use of smartphone technology, other adolescents attempt to continue to use correct grammar. Using this kind of language doesn't necessarily mean a person doesn't know how to write – it's just a language of convenience.

Zainab Chamsedine

A Language of Convenience

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Fatin Mekdad

From the Classroom:

HastaEspaña

Six LIU students were chosen to take part in a hospitality and tourism management internship in Spain. This group will undergo training at the Carlton Hotel, marking the first time that the department sends its students to Europe, with the selection of Spain attributed to the coordinator of the Spanish language department, Mr. Ahmad Zahabi’s strong relations with the hotel chain.

The internship is a major requirement through which hospitality and tourism students learn new practical skills in an international setting.

Chairperson of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Dr. Ibrahim Baghdadi explains that the “students who traveled to Spain applied what they learned at the university in their daily operation at the hospitality organization and learned new techniques and procedures that are advanced, and enhanced their cultural experience as well as their professional skills.”

Other students who did not go to Spain received full support from the university – in collaboration with the Global Vision Group – to travel to the USA and various Gulf countries to do their internships. But now that Europe’s door has been open, Dr. Baghdadi says he would like to explore opportunities in France and Austria in the coming years, continue cooperation with hospitality organizations in the United States, and improve relationships “year after year with top 5 star hotels, travel agencies, and hospitality specialized recruitment agencies in Lebanon and abroad.”

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University GuideWalkthrough by a Survivor

Asma Al Achhab

What made it difficult?

As you’re shocked with the sheer difference university life faces you with, you’re obliged to get used to it – and fast. That’s why you should be studying a field of study you’re exuberant about so that you willingly wake up at 7am in the morning for it. If you’re still a fresh high-school graduate, you’ll recognize how puppy eyeing your schoolteacher to override your delay won’t win you a free ticket back to class. So, make sure you set those alarm clocks sharp.

The first two months might look easy and all grand, but when things start heading towards the end of the semester, a marathon of projects/research papers/presentations and assessments will be thrown your way, and I hope you’re a good juggler – we’ll get to that later.

Get ready to abolish all the things you learnt at school!

Remember the standardized facts and ideal equations we were packed with back at school? Well, get ready to be bombarded with exceptions

For the rest of our lives, we will remember this day. We can’t deny how eager we were to start university back when our tables and chairs were a fixed set cast upon us for an entire year till we finish a grade, and between classes was a time of leisure rather than racing the clock, speeding down hallways to reach class.

Three years ago, I was the shy new girl roaming the tight hallways and sitting in those same packed classrooms you’ll come to know so well. I have just worn the veil and, by God, it was a terrifying start all in all. I not only feared to be an outcast, but I wasn’t even unsure if I had chosen the right field of study. Those speculations didn’t reside much. In two months, those tight hallways became our spacious recesses, packed classrooms swelled with luminous debates and my veil was just another beautiful reason to know the other and accept challenges.

Though I’ve been asked to write this article for the approaching wave of students tackling my educational experience at the Lebanese International University, I thought it would be more interesting if I’d share the 5 most important things I’ve learnt the hard way at university so I’d save you the trouble while reminiscing my greatest and most laborious three years I’ve spent.

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and re-arrangements of your so-precious pillars. I’m not saying we were lied to at school, but they sure left out so much information for our own sanity. They stop caring about that in university.

Make friends, actual heartfelt ones!

When I got to my first class in university, I felt like a kid whose candy was just snatched out of his silky hands. I knew no one and it was too early to mingle. Not to forget, everything seemed new, so everyone was too absorbed with getting acquainted to the new routine. If you are lucky enough to have a friend from school apply with you to the same major, you’re lucky. But still, don’t settle for one friend. Imagine there’s a pot of stew in front of you filled with delicious vegetables and you have got to taste them all together, you have got to get ready to lower down your walls a bit and interact. From the silliest question you can ask, to the most amazing topics you can ever wish to debate, you might become close friends with a Lebanese-Venezuelan or a Yemeni eager to get to know Lebanon more. That’s the beautiful thing about university; you never know what hits you, literally.

Get busy!

If you think you go to university just to get an education, I advise you to reconsider! Apart from attending all classes, finishing up homework at the library, having a meal at Café E,

you’re going to still have free time on your hands. Actually, if you stick to your social circles that you make only in classes, you might still find yourself alone when everybody else is in class. That’s why I decided, from my first year, to volunteer at the magazine I so proudly write/photograph for. Since I was majoring in advertising, The Scope made the perfect training center for me to acquire a set of skills and meet genuine people of all talents. Though at first the magazine had little responsibilities for me and I was still yawning between classes, I felt like I have to take part in the university’s most important network that secretly keeps things moving and exciting around campus and those were the Community Volunteers, who were called The Ushers (back in my days). I didn’t enroll alone, of course not, my friends did so too, and from that moment on, we never knew a moment of peace. We were frequently asked to help out in events, attend conferences and exhibitions, come up with unique themes and ideas to implement around campus and forced to get to meetings on time. I can’t count the number of things we got from all that: communication skills, etiquette, time management, commitment, problem-solving and creative thinking. And people still wonder if they teach those in

classes… they don’t! You ought to forge your way and get them. You will most probably fail at coping the first couple of times. Get up again and stay motivated and going. It will end up perfectly.

Teacher’s pet or pal?

And no, I am not talking about begging them to extend your papers’ due date or messaging them at 12am panicking over your unwritten exam notes. That’s just weird! I mean make genuine connections with your peers whom you will be in contact with for the next couple of years and learn so profoundly from. If you don’t appreciate their hard work, and they don’t ask us to, they won’t appreciate yours.

Let me just end it by telling you that the day you’ll graduate will be a day grown from a soil richly blessed by your effort and that of the people around you. Your spirit will be enriched with a splayed imagination and love for the different. Be indebted and proud of what you raise and harvest during those years, because nobody can believe in you like yourself.

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International Cuisine

Club Sandwich

Recipes from LIU’s Culinary Masterwith Chef Rabih Jammal Mohammad Mortada

A club sandwich, also called a clubhouse sandwich, is a sandwich with toasted bread. It is often cut into quarters and held together by hors d'œuvre sticks. It has two layers separated by an additional slice of bread.

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InGREDIEnTS

PREPARATIon

Yield: 1 sandwich • 3 slices white toast (pain de mie)• Mayonnaise as needed• 3 Lettuce leaves • 5 slices tomato, about (1⁄2 cm) thick• 3 strips of cold cuts (of your choice), raw or fried

to crisp• 70 g chicken breast pre-boiled/stir fried and cold • 1 boiled sliced Egg • Pickles• Cherry tomato for decoration • Sweet corn• French fries or pasta can be used as side dish

For the taste buds: For extra taste you can marinate the chicken breast with mayonnaise, corn and condiments, put the mix in the refrigerator and let the flavors sink in over the night.

1. Place 2 slices of toast on a clean work surface and spread the tops with mayo.

2. On the first slice, place 1 lettuce leaf, then 2 slices of tomato, 3 strips of turkey (cold cuts of your choice) or you can put the special mix.

3. Place the second slice of toast on top, mayo side down.

4. Spread the top piece of toast with mayo.5. Place chicken on top, then add more lettuce, eggs

and pickles6. Top with the third slice of toast, spread side down.7. Place toothpicks on all 4 sides of the sandwich. Cut

the sandwich from corner to corner into 4 triangles in a way that each triangle has a toothpick through the center to hold it together.

8. Arrange your sandwich on a plate in a nice disposition, and bon appetit!

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Books are mirrors of the world

Before you start, check some "Do's and Don'ts" about reading:

• Read your content from an eye-safe distance – neither too close nor too far away from your eyes

• Always prefer quality to quantity

• Try to understand what you read and reflect upon it

• Don't accept everything that you read – think critically

• Bookmark interesting pages for future references

• Sometimes it takes more than one time to fully grasp a page, a paragraph, or even a sentence

• Focus completely on what you are reading, eliminate external distractions

• If possible, create a favorite spot in your house for reading books - you will feel more relaxed whenever you are there

At last, the habit of reading good content daily will become more like an exercise for your mind and will keep you mentally fit. If you haven’t given it a try, then know that it's never too late to start a good habit. Never underestimate the amount of different things that can be learned from reading. Happy Reading!

Books are mirrors of the world; tangible, valuable records of every great thought accompanied by enough effort to be written down. Through them, you can look into someone else’s thoughts, history and views. Reading books, in other words, is a way of gaining insight and building upon the knowledge that has prior encompassed people's minds.

The joy of reading a book, however, can only be understood by actual experience itself. When reading a book, it feels great to put yourself into a different world that the writer has created for you, yet it is your own as it happens inside your own mind. There is nothing like sitting down with a new book in your hands, with crisp and fresh pages, the smell of the paper and an exciting story; whether fiction, historical, educational or cultural.

There is much more to life than work and spending time aimlessly with the latest tech products. Books give you that much needed break from all chaos in your life. The reason a physical book reigns over technology is that when you spend hours with a single thought or idea, it's more likely to stay with you for a longer time rather than when you spend just a few minutes tinkering with it.

Fatima Abdel Jawad

Meanwhile, a good reader varies his reading pace based on the content of the book he/she is reading and the experience that person wishes to get from that book in particular, since it's not how much you read, but what you read that counts. This behavior can positively instill peace inside one’s mind, as well as awaken creative thoughts. It is a way of escaping reality and expanding imagination.

Just reading good books is not enough. The way you read is as important. When you come across a new idea or a different opinion, think about it thoroughly. Don't accept it nor reject it blindly. Try to reason with it and understand it from the writer's point of view.

Reflect upon the thoughts that come to mind whenever you read a great book. You will know whether the book is great or not based on the feelings it awakens inside of you.

As you continue your habit of reading and reflecting on what you read, you will start forming your own thoughts and values. It will challenge the way you perceive the world.

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Zainab Chamsedine

It is a common belief among cigarette smokers that they are mainly hurting themselves. Researchers have proven that smoking can cause many diseases in addition to cancer. What many don’t know is that this affects non-smokers as well. According to World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, there is “no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.” It stated that “creating a 100% smoke-free environments” is the only way to protect non-smokers. In fact, second-hand smoking causes about 600,000 premature deaths every year. However, smokers are not only hurting themselves and the people around them, but also the environment which they inhabit.

It is obvious that smoking pollutes the air. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke alone – at least 250 are known to be harmful – that are exhaled and released into the air and the atmosphere. Studies have shown that the percentage of smokers is higher in developing countries, which means there is a massive amount of pollution being released.

Trees are often compared to our lungs because they filter all the pollutants in the atmosphere. According to the Health Centre "netdoctor" based in London, one tree is wasted for every three hundred cigarettes produced. Those

trees could be filtering out the pollutants in the air instead of being destroyed by the release of new pollutants into the environment. Cigarettes also contain two of the main gases contributing to the greenhouse effect: carbon dioxide and methane.

The World Wildlife Foundation states in the article "Agriculture and Environment: Tobacco," that in southern Africa alone around 200,000 hectares of woodlands are cut every year to support tobacco farming. This has resulted in 12% of deforestation in that region. In addition, deforestation is also caused by the paper use needed for wrapping, packaging, and advertising cigarettes.

Smoking even affects the land and water. Millions of cigarette butts are discarded onto the ground every day. Some of them get picked up but most end up in rivers and lakes. The rest are left on the ground to decompose. According to the "netdoctor," this decomposition takes an average of 25 years, while all of the chemicals and additives leach into the ground and pollute the soil and plants. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable because a cigarette filter is made of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic that does not

decompose very easily, resulting in air, water and land pollution. During dry seasons, cigarette butts can even cause major fire.

Chemicals released by cigarettes, and cigarette butts themselves harm the environment on many levels. Smokers thereby cause pain to themselves, second-hand smokers, and nature itself, which may lead to death.

We keep saying, "We have to leave a better planet for our children." But have we thought about leaving better children for our planet? Quitting smoking is hard, but it can be done. Mark Twain once said, "Quitting smoking is easy, I've done it a thousand times."

The Environment in a Puff

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Biomedical Sciences vs. Biomedical EngineeringFor those interested in combining a passion for biology and medicine, it can be easy to get caught up in all the big and small technical differences and specializations. Biomedical sciences and biomedical engineering are among the most commonly confused programs at LIU.

The key difference between the two majors is that biomedical engineering creates and advances the tools that that will be used by biomedical science practitioners.

Biomedical engineering is essentially a multi-disciplinary field of study where students are expected to be open to learning about all kinds of sciences and to working closely with medical technicians and engineers. It is not to be confused with clinical engineering, which specifically implements medical technology to optimize healthcare delivery, although they go hand-in-hand. Biomedical engineering instructor, Dr. Ali Hajj Diab believes that

there is a bright future for those specialized in this study. “In Lebanon we serve as a hub for the whole Middle East and we are fortunate in that. It gives us a big advantage because we are known to have many well-trained engineers and technicians in hospitals that are in high demand, especially in different Arab countries.”

On the other hand, biomedical sciences aims to give students an absolute expertise in everything concerned with medical lab technology. University tools will teach students how to perform tasks such as taking and analyzing blood and stool samples, in addition to other skills they can use in careers as medical representatives at hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

Students who wish to go into either of these fields are also advised to further their degrees of study into Masters and PhDs, as there are ongoing opportunities for revolutionary research.

How Well Do You Know Your Major?

“What am I going to do with my life?” It is a question that all of us ask ourselves when deciding what to major in at university. Should we go with our risky passion or stay on the safe side? It can be a heavy decision to make, especially when it seems as though everyone around you has already set their futures in stone. While your choice of major is by no means permanent, choosing the right major early on can save you a great deal of time and money.

If you are still wondering whether you made the right decision, The Scope can help you break down a few of LIU’s most interesting major dilemmas:

Fatin Mekdad

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Food is a Science?Most people can easily say they are experts in eating food, but how many of us actually understand what it is exactly that goes into it?

Food and science technology focuses on all the engineering, biological, and physical sciences used to study the nature of food. Although the good news is that students are also taught to cook, only a small part of it is about hitting the pots and pans.

The work of those in food and science technology is highly underrated in importance today since essentially, they research and develop new foods and ensure that industry standards are met in terms of supply, quality, appearance, and safety of food. This means that most commercial products you consume on a daily basis have been tested by a specialist in this field, a food production engineer. If you’ve ever wondered, this is also one of the people you can pick a bone with for why your food often looks delicious in commercials and disappointing in reality.

For students looking to avoid that potential mob of torches and pitchforks, a career in nutrition is also a possible specialization to choose in this versatile major. LIU has recently introduced a new state-of-the-art lab in the Beirut campus to accommodate growing interest in the field.

Business for a Global AgeBusiness management is one of the most popular major choices among college students who dream of being successful businessmen or entrepreneurs. In a rapidly globalizing world, students need to be prepared to look beyond the scope of their own countries and distinguish themselves in this highly competitive major.

International business management trains students to adapt to the dynamism and diversity of that world, emphasizing on the need to look beyond one’s own borders. As IBM Instructor Ms. Rania Karam explains, “International business management is very useful because you will be learning everything business management students learn but you will also, on a personal level, become more aware of norms and traditions of different cultures and be smoother in communicating.”

However, many students are still reluctant to go into this major. Ms. Karam believes the issue is a misunderstanding of job opportunities.

“Students think that this degree means that you will only be working abroad, but you can still find work in Lebanon in international management working with suppliers abroad on imports and exports, consulting with foreign businesses and training others to work in the domain.”

The Art of Graphic DesignDesign is everywhere. It is all around us and at LIU. Some of the people who make our days a little bit more pleasant are our left-minded graphic designers glued behind their Macs and PCs gracing us with their innovative designs. Graphic design is not just about art, it is a dynamic science and it is capable of bringing ideas and visions to life.

Contrary to popular belief, prospective graphic design students do not necessarily need to have an artistic background or “talent” to be successful. Mr. Hassan Choubassi calls this “the most horrible misconception about graphic design and arts in general” since it results in the hesitance of some interested students but more importantly the overconfidence of others. Mr. Choubassi adds that, “Some students think ‘I have talent and I can draw so I will be a great graphic designer’. Usually these students who have sketching abilities and computer skills are actually the most difficult to deal with because they believe they have nothing more to learn.” It is therefore encouraged to come into graphic design with a clean slate that is open to building skills along the way.

While LIU’s graphic design program focuses primarily on artistic and digital aspects, courses in advertising are also offered within it since the two go hand-in-hand. Students are also encouraged to take Marketing electives in the university to further their understanding of the business side of graphic design.

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The Spanish language is the second most spoken language in the world. With more than 550 million people who speak, it is also the third most used on the internet, after English and Chinese.

Today, at the time that the global society requires living in permanent contact with the most diverse places on earth, researches confirm that it is also one of the three of four languages that channel international relations.

Spanish is also essential in the dissemination of results of scientific studies related to the Hispanics or Latin America, and also in the increase of scientific publications in Spanish, which in fact, have increased fivefold since 1998. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of Spanish speakers will reach the 650 million people. In relative terms, the report says, the proportion of Chinese and English speakers go down for demographic reasons, while Spanish, Hindi and Arabic continue to experience growth.

"If trends do not change within two to four generations, 10% of the world population will be speaking Spansih."

(It is believed that in 2050, over 132 million people will speak Spanish, almost triple the current 46.7 million).

Currently, more than 14 million students in the world study this language as a foreign language (among 86 countries analyzed not have Spanish as official language). The most studied today, in order,

are English, French, Spanish and German.

The report also details that some 237,000 students traveled to Spain to learn Spanish in 2007 – more than 17 percent from Erasmus grants. Moreover, the image of the Spanish language is associated with the spread of an international culture of quality.

LIU has embarked on a new journey in your life in international relations universities.

LIU has been introduced to the European sphere. The first step in this campaign is the exchange of students and language center, in order to broaden the opportunities available for students of LIU.

LIU students will have the chance to immerse in an intercultural experience.

LIU has signed a contract with Juan Carlos University (UJC). It is one of the first public universities in the country.

The agreement established between LIU and UJC includes exchange of students, teachers, and projects between the two universities.

Talking about language

There is a plan to establish a Spanish language center in LIU. It will provide participants with internationally-accredited certificates.

All LIU departments are cooperating for the success of this initiative.

Ahmad Zahabi

Spanish

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It is the 21st century; the future philosophers and writers feared. It is a time where books are forgotten in the dusty corner of a shelf, a time where technology rules, not only the world, but also the minds of millions of people of all kinds of lifestyles.

It is easier to research about unusual topics, to read and even learn, using the World Wide Web. Instead of going to libraries and spending time looking for the right book, one can look up even the hardest of topics by simply typing in a keyword into the search bar in any online search engine. Books can easily be downloaded and read. There is no need to search through dozens of libraries for one book. Time and money can be saved by using the Internet.

However, as artist Patti Smith once said: “Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book."

While technology is bliss, it seems like its usage should be balanced out. Technology is being misused on different levels. Social networks are used to post content that isn't original, and to get "likes" that aren't real from strangers. The Internet is rarely used for research but rather for communication. Thinking they are advancing, people are actually halting their minds.

Books however, no matter how they're used, will never let people down. "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." No matter the topic, they educate the uneducated and guide the wise. A single book teaches and accompanies a person. However, books are now considered

as ancient and readers are being mocked at schools.

After asking a couple of university students when they last read a book, and how much time they spend on technology, unexpected results were shown. The majority doesn’t read any books, and others have last read a book during the summer. The same majority also spends an average of 4 hours a day on television, smartphones, tablets and other technology.

Technology is already taking the spot of the good old-fashioned books made of paper. As Janet Rabinowitch, director of the IU press was wondering: "What will become of them, ink and glue?" Michael Levin, an eight-time best-selling author, a former member of the Authors Guild Council and a business writer, fears the endangerment of the book. He believes that books are going to tablets, and soon people will resort to e-reading instead of the physical form.

An article written by Kristin Marino, a researcher for the website "schools.com," stated that 43% of Americans read an e-book or other digital-form content in 2011. This includes magazines, journals, news articles, and more, on not only on e-readers but also tablets and cell phones.

Many writers and great thinkers have feared this time; the time where precious scriptures on paper will be left and replaced with technology. Books are yet another ancient treasure, and people have no time to open one once in a while to dive into the mysterious world hidden. As Mark Twain once said: "A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read." However, there are few who still read and appreciate books. Thus the question remains: Will books be able to survive extinction?

Extinction of BooksZainab Chamsedine

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Have you ever found yourself daydreaming in class because your teacher is repeating an explanation for another student? This used to happen often back in high school.

Although many people had told me it would be ineffective, the idea of having my own time schedule and being able to sleep those extra 5 minutes in the morning just made me ecstatic. Waiting two more years to graduate seemed dreadful, so I enrolled in virtual school during my junior year. Florida Virtual School (FVS), which is the largest state-sponsored online K-12 school in the United States, basically consists of an online system that walks you through your classes. Lectures are carried out through videos, oral exams through phones and exams are timed and limited to only one window. Although at the beginning it was a little difficult to deal with, it is a method that empowers students to manage their time for their future college classes.

The way virtual school works is pretty simple;

A. You must accomplish a minimum number of lessons per week.

B. Each lesson has a quiz.

C. Oral exams are done once a month through the phone to ensure that it is the student going through all the classes individually.

The lessons that are given in FVS are the same lessons that are given in all other high schools in the same state. Students can also work in groups by chatting together and dividing the lessons equally.

Virtual school offers an e-curriculum with a personalized approach for each student since it offers all kinds of programs; regular, advanced and honors. I personally felt like a VIP back then because at the end of every class I would take a survey and I would get called

for feedback and they were very concerned about my satisfaction.

On a very stormy day, I had woken up at 10am – just in time to have my coffee, watch 30 minutes of my favorite morning show and get to work without even having to get change out of my cozy pajamas. If I had plans on a weekday I could still work on weekends and vice versa – I used to take 5-9 hours of classes a day depending on the subject area I was working on.

As a result, I finished a two-year program in a year and I graduated at the age of 16 with a GPA of 3.2. I got better grades during my last year online than I had gotten in regular school because I had fewer distractions. The classes that had to be done in a year, I did in 6 months and that was the only way that I was able to finish both years in one. I was still able to participate in school events, join clubs, and attend school to take standardized exams.

StudyVirtually

Mirna Jouni

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Dr. Walid Saifi

Head of Registrar and Admissions

Mission: As the team leader, Dr. Walid Saifi insists that he works “hand in hand with and through the whole team” in order to assist all students in academic and administrative procedures. He oversees the performance of the team and collaborates with other departments in the university to ensure students can get through these procedures swiftly and smoothly.

Meet the Registrar and Admission Team

ADMISSIonAdmission Officers: Noura Boukarroum, Soha Awada, Rima Saado and Tamara Hajjar

Duties:

• Administering entrance exams to determine student levels

• Registering new students• Giving general information to prospective and

newly registered students• Generating student ID numbers • Issuing transcripts

REGISTRARRegistrar Officers: Abeer Mahdi, Bilal Hallak and Sara Hoteit

Duties:

• Following up with students on curriculum updates and progresses

• Dealing with special cases of current students with classes and paperwork

• Giving final clearance to graduating students• Distributing ID cards

Most of us can say that the dedicated men and women on the Registrar and Admission team are the first people we met from LIU. They gave us our first glimpse of the professional atmosphere at the university, and have continued to guide us through. In a hectic and often rowdy environment, they patiently tend to the individual needs of dozens of students per hour.

But how many of us really know who these people are and what each one of them do? The Scope wants you to get to know these hard-working individuals.

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YemenAdenSana’a

Taiz

Tel: 967-2-231345Fax: 967-2-239921Khormaksar Str.

Tel: 967-1-502175Fax: 967-1-502177Jawlat Al Rowayshan

Tel: 967-4-275858Fax: 967-4-275885Al Hawban

BeirutLeBAnon

Bekaa

Tripoli

Akkar

Rayak

Saida

Nabatieh

mount Lebanon

Tel: 01-706881Fax: 01-306044Al Mouseitbeh Area

Tel: 06-695488Fax: 06-695584Halba

Cell: 76-889924Rayak

Tel: 08-640930Fax: 08-640871Al Khiara - West Bekaa

Tel: 06-416333Fax: 06-417333Al Haykalieh

Tel: 07-750550Fax: 07-752550Saida

Tel: 07-767603Fax: 07-767601Nabatieh

Tel: 01-882023Fax: 01-882023Salloumi

SenegALDakarTel: 221-338251437

mAuRiTAniANouakchotTel: 222-45-241564

TyreTel: 07-351410Abbasiya