Make Room: A Call for More Space on Campus
By: Aly Mohamed Aly
Since the beginning of the semester, there have been numerous concerns among the AUC community that the campus is becoming overcrowded.
In response, Office of Campus Planning says it has a number of projects expected to be launched next year to maximize and transform the 260-acre campus.
For a number of weeks, students have taken to social media to complain about difficulties accessing food outlets and services due to a larger-than-expected number of students.
One factor contributing to the campus’s over-crowdedness is the increase in the number of international students by about 45%.
Senior Director of International Programs and Services Office (IPSO) Dahlia El Tayeb says AUC’s visibility and marketing are responsible for such an increase.
“In the past, we used to welcome students from the US, but now the structure has changed,” said El Tayeb.
In a previous interview with The Caravan, El Tayeb said that most recently 70% of international students have been from European countries, with the remaining 30% from Asia and the US.
In the meantime, Executive Director of the Campus Planning Office Khaled Kamel said that his team is working with the operations unit to resolve the overcrowding challenge by examining the use and arrangement of furniture, line-up points of sale, and so on.
“The keywords here are space physical constraints, such as size and dimensions versus the numbers of students, all rounded up with intelligent management and operations,” Kamel said.
He added that a new light food and beverage outlet will be appropriated on the library terrace for study and social activities.
“The Terrace will be totally modified with reference to design, and accessibility from within the library as well as from the AUC gardens. We believe it will be transformational as the terrace today is hardly accessible or noticeable when it has much higher potential,” Kamel said.
Students are also suggesting ways to minimize congestion in key areas around campus.
Avoiding unnecessarily standing in walkways on campus can improve foot traffic flow by creating more room, Kamel suggested.
“It is very hard to move around now. We need more space. Everything is so overcrowded. I even started to bring my own food as the food outlets are very crowded,” said Mohamed Serogy, Accounting Senior.
Others have pointed to the renewed guest policy, which allows each AUC student to bring two guests to campus provided they show proof of Covid-19 vaccination.
The Caravan tested over-crowdedness by dispatching reporters from BEC/JAMEEL to walk to the Administration Building at 1:15 pm on a Monday. They said it was difficult to move and that they had to consistently detour from particularly congested areas.
Some students have told The Caravan that they miss class or are late because they are stuck in queue waiting for their food. Faculty have also reported that they are facing difficulties, particularly when it comes to limited parking facilities.
“I think the university should make a faculty-only parking lot as it takes me an hour to find a parking space. Other than that, I don’t mind the over-crowdedness. I know how to get my way through,” says Public Policy instructor Marwa El Daly.
Despite the challenges, students say they are very happy to fully be back on campus after nearly two years of limited university access due to the Corona pandemic.
Some, like Political Science Junior Youssef Abbas, actually choose to come to university during Assembly Hour because he enjoys the excitement of interacting and socializing with the community.
“I believe this is what AUC is most famous for and, without this element, both the campus and university will lose an essential part of their identity.”
