Diversity of groups in AUC
Hey peeps, this is Osman and Hamza and we're talking about some different groups in AUC. AUC is one of the places in the region where you can find a collection of various groups having different beliefs. The existence of students from different cultures allows the campus life to be enjoyable. However, every student tries to find the group that supplements his beliefs. Therefore, students that share the same beliefs create their own group. That is how diversity shows up. Examples of these groups are the Gucci corner group, the theatre majors, the science majors, the “G-spot” and the Goth cave group. The variety of groups around the campus is extremely wide and they are all very different, yet share similar aims.
First of all, there is the infamous Gucci Corner. It is basically a passage between two buildings and probably the most well known hangout area in the whole university. This is the richer part of college, where everyone that hangs out there has to be wearing some kind of very expensive brand, from shoes to watches to shirts and jackets to hats and shades. Thus the name Gucci; they do not wear only Gucci but they definitely own some kind of Gucci wear and wear it at some point. It was a corner before at the old campus but after moving to the new campus the same group chose this as their hang out place and they’ve been there since last fall. While most of you would think that this group is populated with girls, they are composed of a near equal divide of both genders, with the numbers leaning in favor of the guys.
The move to the new campus also brought about new groups as well. The most famous would probably be the “G-Spot”. Obviously, from the name, the group is composed of free willed liberal thinkers who do not care what everyone around them thinks. They chose this name because they think its funny how corny it is. It is located outside of the library, where students hang out on the structure that was meant to be an aesthetic part of campus. These students are very loud and are often scolded by campus security for being too rambunctious. Music is something that this group finds common ground with. Students will blast music from their I-Pods, laptops, or from impromptu jam sessions with the many musical members of this group. This is a group that may not fit the social norms of popularity, however, it seems to be gaining ground with members joining daily. This group started with around four or five students, but has swelled to boast more than twenty members gracing the outside of the library throughout the day.
Some people from the "G-spot" chilling.
On the way to the language section of campus, there is a gathering that is locally known as “Goth Cave”. Hidden underneath a staircase and away from the Cairo sunlight is a hangout for students of the anti-social persuasion. These students are not well received on campus and have conflicts with other groups such as the Gucci Corner students. While these students may seem anti-social and angry with the rest of campus, within their social circle, they are quite outgoing. While it may seem unexpected, this group is like all other students on campus, going to parties on weekends, hanging out with friends at cafes, and doing normal young adult activities.
These groups may seem very distinct from an outsider’s view but once people communicate with them they all seem to have very similar interests. Talking to anyone from any group would show you how they are all very interested in music and of course their aim in AUC is to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible. Even though their taste in music for example is not similar but their love of it is almost the same. This applies to all aspects of their everyday life and not only music; they are all differently similar.
(We've only been able to capture pictures of one group because the other groups refused to let us. The "G-spot" obviously not caring let us take pictures of them.)
KEEP THEM COMMENTS COMING! :)
Comments
I believe that the benefit of this blog project is that it helps students from two different parts of the world; the west and the middle east to learn about eachother's cultures and to understand that we both have alot in common. While browsing through the different blog entries, one entry in particular caught my attention, which related to Muslims in the United States. I was very moved by the article as I could relate to the obstacles that the author talks about in relation to life for Muslims post 9/11. Even though, I did not live in the US,I visited two years later and I could still feel the tension and the sadness in people's hearts due to the tragedy of the event. Furthermore, I was very distraught by the image that the media was presenting in terms of relating terrorism with the Middle East which is not accurate by all means as one terrorist group (the taliban)do not represent the Arab world and they never will. In addition, I do admit that I felt sympathy for the American population due to the loss that they had experienced and I understood that most of their anger towards the Arab world was due to the image that the media had conjured. What I do want to make clear, as I believe that this blog gives me an excellent oppertunity of doing so is that we, as a Middle Eastern community, are not terrorists. We, as all people do wish for peace and for the day were all citizens from all countries may interact with eachother peacefully and harmoniously. Please do not be decieved by the image that media presents of Middle Easterners as extremists for this does apply to some people but not all. Just as there are some ( I repeat some) extremist groups in Egypt and all over the world, that does not mean that their views are shared by the majority of the Egyptian population ( I guess by now you've already figured that I'm Egyptian and an AUC undergraduate student). In the broader sense, Egyptians do not follow the views of extremists in fact. Indeed, we even fear about the even slightest possibility that they may ever come to power. Also, I believe that most of you will agree with me that it is best to judge a country by listening to the citizens and getting to known them. Do not base your judgement oof a place by generalizing the government structure to the entire population as I assure you that here in Egypt, and in other parts in the Middle East, we citizens, are not always or in many situations in favor with the actions of thegovernment in a variety of fields such as when it comes to voting and how it is carried out. Finally, please note that as I previously stated, many parts of the Middle East are similar to the west when it comes to ways of thinking (responsible liberalism and democracy) as well as the culture itself (american movies, western clothing, music and much more.)I guess that the main message that I am making here is to please not judge a book by its cover as there is much more to that book if you only took the time to read it. Thus, I hope that this blog project teaches us as human beings, to celebrate our similarities and at least to be tolerant of the other party even if that means that we do not always agree on eachother's point of view.
Posted by: jailan | October 25, 2009 01:36 PM
This was a really interesting blog! It was cool to learn about the different social groups on campus. At our school, we don't have such obvious divides between students, but those groups are definitely present in American high schools. It's good to know that everyone can still find their niche even though there are groups at the AUC.
Posted by: Visual Rhetoric Kelly and Ketaki | October 28, 2009 04:49 PM
THe "Gucci Corner" made us laugh. We don't have cliques like the "goth cave" here at Stanford. Maybe because the campus is so big or perhaps because people are accepting of diversity. Personal style is not an important determinant of identity.
Posted by: Asli and Helena | October 28, 2009 04:54 PM
Haha, this was a very entertaining post! It reminds me of the stereotypical cliques in high school. It's strange that groups like those are so prominent on a university campus. There aren't really exclusive groups formed in the student population at my school as UAC (not blatantly so, anyway), but students have their circle of friends.
Posted by: Atira | November 15, 2009 10:33 PM
Haha, this was a very entertaining post! It reminds me of the stereotypical cliques in high school. It's strange that groups like those are so prominent on a university campus. There aren't really exclusive groups formed in the student population at my school as AUC (not blatantly so, anyway), but students have their circle of friends.
Posted by: Atira | November 15, 2009 10:34 PM
"Hidden underneath a staircase and away from the Cairo sunlight," that is hilarious you should think about taking some creative writing classes if you have not yet. We used to have a goth group at my high school, no one from outside of the group understood them either. I can not believe how segmented your student body seems. I guess you all are truly diverse. We are divided here too, but not as obviously as you described. I agree with Atira, all students have their circle of friends.
Posted by: Travis | November 16, 2009 03:43 AM