Al l
A R O U ND
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar
Vol. 3 Issue 1
5 September 2006
Guess Who’s Back...
Welcome back juniors and sophomores, and a big tartan hello to the freshmen from our team at All
Around! We are proud to say that our newsletter has come back after summer filled with ideas to cover our
campus more efficiently, not to mention better eye candy for our loyal readers! This week's edition covers
the antics of orientation week and is dedicated to our freshmen opinions, and their budding experiences in
becoming part of the Carnegie Mellon-Qatar family. Read on to see what's new and what's happening!
Inside this issue...
STUDENT OPINION
Hear from the stars of this
year’s movie-themed orientation, our fresher than fresh
freshmen!
See page 3
ZOOM IN
Our brand new interview feature! Find out what quirky
qualities Dave Stanfield
brings to Carnegie Mellon’s
Student Affairs team.
See page 4
STEPS TO SUCCESS
Student Government President Nora Al-Subai dishes
out some tried, tested, and
sometimes just plain odd advice on getting by this semester.
See page 5
LEBANON IS NOT
LEFT BEHIND
Carnegie Mellon community
members reveal their personal first-hand experiences
in Lebanon over the summer.
See page 6
ENTERTAINMENT
Stay amused with fun brain
teasers, puzzles, and of
course - what issue would be
complete without a dose of
Garfield?
See page 8
The 2006 Orientation Team (from top left): Hicham Nedjari, Wesam Said, Yasser Khan, Basit Iqbal, Samiha
Kamel, Rasha Mkachar, Maha Al-Henzab, Omar Alouba, Mustafa Hasnain, Mohammed Abo Zainab, Nora
Al-Subai, Noor Al-Athirah, Jinanne Tabra, Imran Karim, Yasmine Abdelrahman and Rooda Al-Neama.
FIRST STUDENT-RUN ORIENTATION:
A PG-18 RATED SUCCESS
By Yasmine Abdelrahman
Managing Editor-in-Chief
“And I would like to conclude by saying how
thrilled I am that the Class of 2008 is finally
here.” Those were my last words of welcome
to the new students, Class of 2010, and their
families on Family Orientation. I won blooper
of the day in our first Orientation Recap meeting, for making such a ‘funny’ mistake. Well,
you can imagine how my first Orientation experience this year felt.
Since Nora Al Subai, Noor Al
Athirah and I participated in last year’s Orientation, we applied that experience and passed it on
to our fellow HOCs, Jinnane Tabra and Mohamed Abu Zainab, as well as to the rest of the
team. We were somewhat better prepared this
year. Yet, we learnt many new lessons.
To whoever would like to become part in next
the Orientation, here are few tips;
First, always charge your walkietalkie; second, answer questions with a smile
and confidence even if you have no idea what
you are talking about; third, always have a
backup plan for every event; fourth and most
...Continued on page 5...
2
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
All Around’s
Directory
Meet the All Around Team
Executive Editor-in-Chief
NOOR AL-ATHIRAH
Managing Editor-in-Chief
YASMINE ABDELRAHMAN
Noor Al-Athirah
Yasmine Abdelrahman
Mona Maher
Amun Bashir
Jinanne Tabra
Noora Ansari
Content Editor
NOORA AL-ANSARI
Copy Editor
MONA MAHER
Layout Editor
JINANNE TABRA
Theme Editor
AMUN BASHIR
Business Manager
NOOR AL-JASSIM
Staff Writers
MARIUM CHANDNA
DANA HADAN
Photographer
YASSER KHAN
All Around is a bimonthly
student led newsletter.
It is Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar’s budding
student body voice. The
first issue was published
on the 28th of September
2004. A team of four students were successful in
publishing 8 issues in the
first year along with the
help of Kristin Gilmore
as their advisor.
You may forward any contributions, enquiries,
questions, or suggestions to our official email address
<all-around@qatar.cmu.edu>
Dana Hadan
Noor Al-Jassim
Marium Chandna
Yasser Khan
A Word from the Editorial Board
A new semester, a new challenge, and a larger family. Carnegie Mellon Qatar starts off this year with a new
addition to our community, the class of
2010.
All Around also starts off the
new semester with a larger team and
much larger enthusiasm. We would like
to welcome our new members: Md
Shahriar Haque, Rooda Al Naema, and
Maha Obaidan as Staff Writers, Walid
Khwaja and Aysha Siddique as Editing
Editors, Rana El Sakhawy as Assistant
Layout Staff, and Abdullah Al-Othman
as Publishing Coordinator.
We are looking forward for a
new semester of delivering our campus
Student lead newsletter and we would
like to extend our invitation to the entire
Carnegie Mellon community to contribute to all our issues. We hope that this
semester brings about the best of experiences to all of us.
Have you missed our past issues?
Would you like an electronic copy of this
issue?
ALL AROUND IS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Please visit our website at:
http://www.qatar.cmu.edu/student/index.php?pg=allaround
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
3
STUDENT OPINION: Freshmen Fun
Assembled by Amun Bashir (Theme Editor)
A big welcome back from all of us at All Around! As our latest issue hits stands with a bang, we thought that giving CMU-Q and Education City an insight into our fresher than fresh freshmen was a good idea. Our week long movie theme orientation had plenty of
laughs, a few mishaps and a plethora of memories attached to it. We present an account of some of our freshmen and what they
thought was the most memorable moment of orientation. Nonetheless, we included a few personal highs from our orientation crew as
well. In saying that, let’s take a look at what our CMU-Q family had to say:
Habiba Sultana: Habiba claims the
first day of orientation week was her
most memorable moment. “It was
August 7th and I really enjoyed that
icebreaker with the balloons!” smiled
Habiba. Luckily for the orientation
crew, it took some time for her to
choose her favorite moment!
Tarik Abu-Jalala: “Bowling at City Centre was the
most entertaining part of orientation week. I scored 134
points!” smiles Tarik. Not a bad start to the year we say.
Mohammed Kaleem: “When we
went to watch Tokyo Drift as a huge
group to City Centre, we all started
clapping at the action scenes which
felt pretty good.” That’s the spirit!
Ohoud Al- Sherawi: “I didn’t like
many of the people at first. I was glad however, that at
the end of the week I discovered they weren’t so bad after all.” We’re glad to see you finally found your posse
Ohoud!
Walid Khwaja: “I’d probably remember the icebreakers the most. I mean,
that’s where I managed to embarrass
myself the most!”
Saad Al-Matwi: After a very confusing
mix of Arabic, English and everything
in between, Saad exclaimed that “the
icebreaker we played in the green gym
with the “string” was the most memorable” moment of
his orientation week.
Reem Al-Muftah: Our New York
accented, quick talking Reem answered, “it would probably have to be
when I first met Omar Alouba. I was
talking really fast whilst introducing
myself and all I see is Omar’s jaw
drop down and an exclamation of
“WHAT?!” That’s what you get for being a Speedy Gonzalez Reem!
Siddharth Arora: “We had to make our
own CMU-Q jingle during the advertisement round, which was fun.” He then
turns to an unsuspecting Kaleem, smiles
and says, “thanks to him, we lost!”
A WORD FROM THE ORIENTATION CREW:
Samiha Kamel: “Having the Cornell
freshmen watch us break the piñata and
clap was hilarious. I mean, it was pretty
sad, but made us feel like heroes!”
Basit Iqbal: “The whole thing was
quite a lot of fun, especially meeting the
desi (subcontinent) freshmen.” He
smirks and continues, “Well you know me, I love my desis!”
Omar Alouba: Although it may have hurt a
little, Omar claims “when Yasmine, out of
revenge for emptying candy on her, began
hitting me with the piñata stick.” I’m sure
that must have left a lasting impression on
our first years!
Yasmine Abdelrahman: “So there I was on my knees collecting the candy off the floor after the piñata had been emptied. Omar comes along and empties more candy on top of
my head, and then trips and falls flat on the floor.” Serves
Next issue, in Student Opinion:
“What makes you so sure there is a higher being? (God)”
Whether your opinion is a deep, funny, nonchalant, thoughtful or aggressive one—Amun
Bashir is a sucker for your opinion. Forward
your thoughts to:
akbashir@qatar.cmu.edu
Your answer could feature in the next issue!
4
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
ZOOM IN: A newbie gets grilled
By Noora Al-Ansari
Collecting Editor
This is a new column where you will learn more
about Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar\s dear staff and
faculty through exclusive interviews. This issue I interviewed
a staff member who joined the CMU-Q family recently; he
keeps a Texas A&M teddy bear in his office ….YES, he is
our new Director of Student Activities: David Stanfield. Here
are the details of the interview:
Can you tell us more about your self?
“I was born and raised in the United States and lived
most of my life in Plano, Texas. I went to high school in
Plano and eventually graduated from Texas A&M University.
I am the eldest of three brothers.”
Were you any different in high school? And what kind of
activities were you involved in?
“High school…” he thinks for a moment then continues: “I graduated from Plano East Senior High School, one of
the biggest high schools in the U.S. I enjoyed playing hockey
and was also involved in several academic activities such as a
Marketing Club where I participated in a national competition.”
What about university?
“I am a proud Fightin’ Texas Aggie. I graduated
from Texas A&M University in 2003 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.”
Since you have a degree in Marketing, how did you end up
working as an academic advisor?
“At Texas A&M we had something called Fish
camp, which was an extended Orientation program, where
first-year students spend four days camping with the upperclassmen in order to get to know each other better and to learn
about the history and traditions of Texas A&M.
I attended Fish Camp as a freshman and was a counselor for the following three years. In my final year, I became
one of the directors of the organization. My experience in the
Fish Camp led me to pursue a career in Student Affairs. Eventually, I decided to attend Miami University in Ohio where I received my Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel.”
But why did you choose to work for Carnegie Mellon and
specifically the Qatar Campus?
“My advisor in graduate school had a daughter who
went to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. He suggested searching
for CMU jobs. I had heard about the Education City project in
my final year at Texas A&M. With a desire to live and work
internationally, the CMU-Q job opportunity was too perfect to
let go.”
What did your friends and family say? What were your expectations before coming to Qatar?
“My father said: “How Cool!” My mother, on the other
hand, was concerned. As you may already know, the media in
the U.S. does not portray a realistic image of this part of the
world. All we see back home are the terrorist bombings and
war.
Of course, now that I’m here I realize Qatar is a peaceful nation full of generous and friendly people. Now whenever I
call my family back home I tell them about my new adventures
and how much I’m enjoying this new experience.”
What is the thing you like about Qatar the most?
With a big smile he says: “the food, I love the food in
Qatar. Turkey Central is my favorite place to eat and Shawarma
is my favorite dish.”
Finally, if you were asked to describe your self in three
words what will you say?
Enthusiastic, Passionate and Loving.
Above: Dave makes an impression his first day on the
job. Left: The student affairs
team is thrilled with their latest
addition.
Pictured: Gloria
Khoury, Funke Ilori, Jumana
Al-Abdi, Lily Muzamel, Khadra
Dualeh, Caryl Tuma and Dave.
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
5
Ten steps to a successful semester
By Nora Al-Subai
Student Government President
And we’re back! Welcome Class of 2010 and a
returning hello to the Classes of 2008 and 2009!
For some of you, this year is a transition from high
school to adulthood, for others it’s your mid-way mark to
graduation. (Class of 2009, I haven’t forgotten you, you’re
just caught right in the middle of those two milestones).
Your college years are a time for exploration: engage in different activities, challenge yourself, motivate
others, cultivate leadership, creativity, and excellence, build
relationships and seek experience.
As President of the Student Government I feel it’s
my responsibility to equip you with the appropriate tools
you need in order to succeed in your college years (this is
my little dedication to the freshmen). So I’ve put together a
little survivor list:
1. Wear a watch. We all know how important it is to be on
time. Anyone been late to Professor Oliver’s class yet?
2. Carry change around. Those vending machines don’t
pop things out for free, and stressed upperclassmen
tend to get less sympathetic as the semester goes on.
3. Check your email. You never know what day the Student Government will deem a “food-feast”.
4. Get to know your class representatives; there will come
a time when you will want them to listen to you rant.
This usually works out better if that rant isn’t their first
impression of you.
5. Sing. It helps deal with stress. It also helps determine who
your real friends are (if they’re still around when you reach
the chorus, they’re a keeper).
6. Make countdowns, and monitor them religiously. It tricks
your brain into believing that bad things will soon be over
and the good things are almost here.
7. A statistically proven fact: the earlier you come to university, the greater chance you have of getting a “lucky” parking spot.
8. Laugh. Take a deep breath. Laugh. Repeat until stress is
exhausted and face is red. At which point, laugh a little
more. Now get back to work.
9. Procrastinate! It trains your stress threshold, and is usually
quite funny for the rest of us.
10. RedBull – it gives you wings!
Crazy rituals and rules aside, the Student Government
is here to make sure you have a blast. Whether it’s academic or
non-academic related issues, the Student Government is here for
YOU.
We have a ton of events planned for this semester.
We’ll be kicking off with a Murder Mystery Dinner - “Till
Death Do Us Part”, and don’t miss our annual Talent Show, Fun
Night, the all-new “Survivor” challenge, and many more great
events. Can’t wait to see you all there!
Spotlight on the first student-run orientation
...continued from page 1...
importantly, never forget your Redbull.
Throughout the week, the
team divided to finish different tasks and
stay on track. Consequently, we used
walkie-talkies to facilitate communication, and they proved to be of great importance. However, one of their main
drawbacks is that they run out of charge
relatively fast and require spare batteries, right Abu Zainab?
The freshmen come up with
the most random questions during Ori-
entation, yes you do. It’s understandable; especially that it’s your first college experience. We learnt, as a team,
that most of the time, the correct answer
is not as important as the comfort of the
answer; a confident tone and a smile
always works wonders.
Anything can go wrong
during Orientation; a guest speaker may
not show up, an activity may get boring
for the group, or everyone may turn out
to have done their placement exam
online. So always have a set of games to
fill a good hour slot for a large group to
The Class of 2010 participate in a traditional candle-lighting ceremony at Convocation.
This year’s Orientation theme was titled
“PG-18” inviting students to ‘direct their
destiny’ with fun movie-themed activities.
play, and if you don’t, you can always
use children’s games that everyone enjoys.
Redbull was one of the most
important energy supplies that kept the
Orientation team going; especially the
HOCs. You are expected to be up and
running around for about twelve hours
for a whole week, so try to keep your
energy up.
Looking back from the
first to the last day, I can’t think of a
better way to have spent my time or a
better team to have worked with or a
better group of students to have worked
for. I hope that many of you plan to take
part in future Orientations to learn as
much as I did from the great experience.
6
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
Lebanon is not left behind
By Mona Maher
Staff Writer
This summer, some members
of our community had their holiday
turned into a hand on war experience
when the Israeli air force strategically
attacked the Lebanese airport in Beirut,
destroying over 78 bridges and a multitude of other areas believed to have
been supporting Hezbollah's activities,
on July 12th. In the midst of this chaos
was our very own Assistant Dean for
Student Affairs, Gloria Khoury, our
junior and sophomore colleagues, Adib
Abu Saba and Zaina Shreidi, as well as
a handful of others.
Khoury, Saba and Shreidi
were all spending time in Lebanon with
family and friends when Israeli air
forces attacked. Shreidi and Saba expressed that even after they realized
what was happening, they did not want
to leave Lebanon. "I didn't want to have
to leave my family behind. It is worse
not knowing what is happening over
there than actually being there yourself," said Zaina.
Due to Israeli forces targeting
of Lebanon's major communication
centers, most communication and informational systems were lost. The world
outside of Lebanon knew better the
magnitude of the situation than most of
the people that were in Lebanon themselves; not to say that civilians within
Lebanon were ignorant of the terror
around them.
Adib diligently thought it was
better that there wasn't constant news of
what was happening to those still in
Lebanon, because everyone was anxious and frustrated enough as it was.
Without constant bombardment of more
bad news from the media, everyone
could focus on their own situation and
how to deal with it.
This is where the fuel reserves in Jieh
were attacked, and the smoke kept
rising for 6 days.
While many tried to evacuate the
country as quickly as possible, others like
Zaina and Adib decided to stay in for as
long as possible so as not to leave their
country and families behind. They both
decided to evacuate only after Americans
that were still in the country decided that it
was too dangerous to stay any longer.
Zaina left Lebanon over a week
from the initial attacks and Adib left about
two weeks later. Both evacuating through
different means, they still experienced the
same apprehension and dismay as they
watched other families around them sit in
agonized silence, thinking of the families
and homes they didn't want to leave behind.
Dean Khoury was vacationing in
a small village overlooking Beirut and said
that she could occasionally see the bombs
being dropped on the city and that the vibrations emitted from the collapsing buildings were nerve wracking and that she felt
very lucky that she was not in immediate
danger.
Her initial reaction was not very
different from Adib and Zaina's as she too
decided to stay and see what would happen
“as there was a total blockade on Lebanon
it didn't make sense to panic and run until I
could assess the situation and figure out
what to do.”
“The Carejeg9warden and security consultants actually managed to contact me in spite of the increasing difficulty
in communication with Lebanon and offered evacuation assistance. This was very
reassuring particularly in the midst of all
the turmoil and chaos. The Qatar Foundation also contacted me and offered assistance. I am grateful to both Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and Qatar Founda-
tion for their support at this difficult
time.” In spite of these offers of help,
Dean Khoury decided to evacuate with
her family through Syria and on to Jordan.
“I evacuated in a convoy of 5
cars, which were clearly marked so as
not to be mistaken for army vehicles
and risk being hit from the air. At the
time we had a choice of two routes
through which to evacuate; the first
being the North road which was much
safer, but also much longer than the
shorter but more dangerous road
through Zahle.” Preceding her evacuation, people had already been killed on
the Zahle route, an area heavily targeted
by the Israeli forces. However, they
decided to evacuate through Zahle in
spite of the risk involved.
“The drive was extremely
tense. We left Brumana at the crack of
dawn; the cars were packed, mostly
friends and family - a large number of
whom were children. We passed several
burning cars and trucks – they were an
unsettling sight - evidence, as we had
heard that moving vehicles were being
attacked. So fearing we could be targets
of another air raid our drivers drove
very fast through the debris and wreckage. They would also periodically pick
up speed whenever we would pass moving trucks on the road - none of us
wanted to become collateral damage!”
Dean Khoury expressed that
the greatest thing that gave her hope and
“put a human face on the war” was how
the Lebanese people rallied in coming
to the aid of their fellow brethren during
their time of need.
“At the time, humanitarian aid
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
wasn’t getting to Lebanon from the outside. Many people were in desperate need
for medicine, food and shelter. What was
heartening was that people in large numbers stepped up and offered to be of service.
They donated food, medicine and
clothing; they offered shelter to the families who had lost their homes by opening
mosques, church halls, schools and town
centers; they prepared and distributed food
to countless numbers every day; they distributed blankets, clothing and most importantly, comfort and care to those less fortunate. To the best of my knowledge close to
750,000 people, meaning almost a quarter
of the population of Lebanon has been left
homeless.”
During the days they were still in
Lebanon, Dean Khoury, Adib and Zaina
did not feel that those who were still in
Lebanon felt as if they were left behind. “If
you can get out then you should,” is what
Zaina kept hearing from those around her.
In fact, many people were returning to Lebanon while others were
evacuating giving the population a
sense of solidarity since this emphatically what many Lebanese people felt,
that “this is my home, this is my country and I’m staying right here.”
Adib and Zaina are only two of
the students around campus that have
boycotted Starbucks and its products
This is a factory that was struck 4 times right
in front of Adib Abu Saba’s house in Mieh w
Mieh, in Saida.
7
due to a percentage of its profits going
directly towards supporting the Israeli
army. “We need to show in whatever
way we can that we are supporting
Lebanon, and will avoid anything that
lends support to Israel,” said Adib.
Looking towards a better future for the entire Middle East region as
well as Lebanon, Dean Khoury steadfastly believes that education is the answer. “For so long, the Middle East has
been caught in an endless cycle of violence which has caused its progress and
development to tilt in a negative direction. We need today more than ever to
begin to affect a tilt in a positive direction. One clear way we can achieve that
is in investing through education in the
development of our finest resource –
our youth. They are the leaders and citizens of tomorrow and it is they who will
work toward a more promising future
for the region and the world.”
Students get ahead as summer interns
By Noor Al Jassim
Business Manager
“Today’s graduate must possess
more than superior academic knowledge
and a desire to succeed. To support students in their development of this crucial
aspect of professional success, Carnegie
Mellon University in Qatar offers its Connections program.
“This program is designed to
build long-lasting, mutually-beneficial
partnerships with local business. The program is poised to work closely with local
employers to develop the right internship
opportunities for our students.
“These internships, usually a
short-term paid or unpaid employment
assignment during the summer recess, offers a structured learning experience in a
professional
work
environment.
Through these partnerships, students
will gain practical workplace skills and
employers will contribute to shaping the
future business leaders of Qatar.” Khadra A Dualeh, Director of Professional Development & International
Education at CMU-Q.
Last summer, my perspective
of the human resources department was
largely altered. I spent my summer internship at HSBC Bank’s human resources department (HRD).
My view has changed because
of what I learnt and saw during the time
I spent with the HRD staff. I assisted
the recruitment team with four main
tasks. The tasks are updating CVs database, scheduling interviews, sending
“regrets” to candidates, and preparing
“Welcome Pack” for new joiners to the
bank. I discovered that although the
four tasks had the same goal
“recruitment”, each required different
skills.
By the end of my internship, I
realized that the HRD is one of the most
important departments in the bank. The
HRD supplies all the departments with
suitable people for each position.
I strongly encourage all my
classmates to take advantage of the
summer internship program because it
is an extremely enriching experience.
Getting the required work experience
during university years is important for
students before entering the work field
upon graduation.
In the loving memory of our dear friend and brother,
Fahad Al Jefairi
Fahad was a model for others to follow, an identity that will live in our hearts for ever. He was a visionary, a determined spirit, and a lovable guider who strived for a greater good for his family, friends,
and country. Words can’t explain how much he meant to all of us, and how much he’ll be missed. May
God rest his soul in peace.
8
All Around, Vol. 3 Issue 1
BRAIN TEASER
Put on your thinking caps and solve the following
question!
Taken from:
GARFIELD
http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/logic/pizzaparty.html
Pizza Party:
Ned ate the last slice of pizza. It's impossible
for Linda's, Mike's, or Ned's statement to be the only
one that is true. (If Linda's statement that Mike ate it
is true, then Ned's statement is also true. If Mike's
statement that Olive ate it is true, then Ned's statement is also true.) If Ned's statement is true, then no
one else's statement can be true. Therefore, Ned's
statement is false.
HARLEM
Poem submitted by Mona Maher
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a soreAnd then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar overLike a syrupy sweet?
http://www.garfield.com/comics/comics _archives_strip.html?2006
Which man is tallest
in the picture?
Answer: All three are
exactly the same size.
Four friends left one slice of pizza in the
kitchen and went into the next room to play
games. During the next half hour, each friend
left the room for a few minutes and then returned. At the end of the hour, all four went
back into the kitchen and found that the last
slice of pizza was gone. Use the following statements to figure out who ate it. Only one of the
following statements is true.
Linda: "Mike ate it."
Mike: "Olive ate it."
Ned: "Who me? Can't be."
SUDOKU
Bored during calculus? Need a break from that
history paper? Charge yourself up the right way
with a game of Sodoku. Fill in the grid so that
every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Written by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes. "Harlem." The Seagull Reader Poems. Joseph Kelly. First Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2001. 111.