AUCians Brave the Cold and Closed Sections

By CARAVAN STAFF
@Caravan_AUC

Fresh looks with lots of make up, dressed in dark fitted jeans and black leather boots mingled with familiar faces in over-sized hoodies and grey sweatpants as students rushed from classroom to classroom on the first day of the spring 2019 semester.

It was particularly dizzying for freshmen. “I spent nearly half an hour looking for P073 which made me late for my class,” Christen Mounir said.

For some students, finding their classes was less daunting than queuing up at a number of departments trying to desperately register sections during the Drop and Add period.

For example, there were around 15 students standing in front of the Journalism and Mass Communications department at 11 am on Wednesday.

In other departments, students sat on the floor outside of a professor’s office so they could get his signature to enroll in his section as soon as he arrives.

Outside the Registrar’s office, two students were talking about a class which had been canceled because of low enrollment. They both wondered if they would still graduate on time.

One student claimed that he was meant to graduate this semester but he feared that his GPA “will take a hit” because he had chosen to overload courses. The other responded saying he was lucky that he still had a year left because he had switched majors.

But for the lucky students who had all their schedules in order, it was a different challenge.

The sunny area in front of Cilantro enveloped different groups of friends who were trying to keep themselves warm as they rubbed their hands. Most were drinking the warmest beverage they could find and finally catching up after the long break.

The sun may have been out but the sharply cold wind made it hard for most to enjoy its warmth.

One of the girls outside Cilantro told her friend how surprised
she was to see so many students in queue because the first day of classes is usually considered a holiday.

“Because nothing happens.”

A few meters away, down the steps to the gardens, other students huddled in the sunny corner at L’Aroma, also taking warm comfort in their hot drinks and attempting to wake up for the rest of the day.

Some students were discussing their syllabi, others catching up as they talked about the highlights of their winter break. The grassy hill by L’Aroma was abuzz as students sought the warmth under the sun. Two girls were specifically seeking out what they thought was the warmest spot, each clad in black cotton sweaters.

The girl seated on the right was holding on to her coffee as though it were a lifeline, she’s not as delighted by the breeze – looking at her one would think it was a storm. Initially curled up in a little ball, each sip of her coffee allowed her to warm up a little more.

The cats on campus seemed unfazed by the return of so many students.

People strolled by one particular cat outside the food court, but it couldn’t be bothered – it merely moved one of its ears as it heard footsteps coming up behind. One girl stood close to it, talking in a squeaky and playful voice trying to befriend the indifferent cat.

After a few minutes, the cat stood up and stretched before it walked toward the entrance of the food court. It looked up to one of the students who opened the door … it casually walked inside.

At the food court, a cacophony of multiple conversations flooded the air. At one table, three girls and two boys discussed a course they had in common and by the look on their faces, they didn’t seem too happy.

The food court was uncharacteristically muted compared to most days; only 12 tables were occupied, as opposed to the usual crowds that flood the area during assembly hour.

There was a little more activity along Bartlett Plaza as some clubs tried to woo students to become members.

At the music club booth a young man was holding his guitar strumming a tune while his friend played a violin in unison. A younger girl stood in front of them and sang harmonies, while another student drummed on a cajun – a little wooden box that people sit on top and bang their hands against the sides producing drumbeat-like sounds.

Many stood to watch. Others made their way to the Theater and Film club booth which quickly became the most active that day: recruitment was in full drive.

Caravan reporters Bassant Samhout, Mohamed Youssef, Eman Kharoshah, Sherif El Hakim, Nada El Naggar, Salma Hisham, Farah Hanna, Monica Naguib and Aya Aboshady contributed to this article.