AUC New Cairo Campus Tour Narrative PDF

Student Ambassadors Program AUC New Cairo Campus Tour Narrative (Updated: October 1, 2023)  2 Table...

Student Ambassadors Program AUC New Cairo Campus Tour Narrative (Updated: October 1, 2023)  2 Table of Contents Standard Tour Route and Tips.................................................................................................3 Phase 1: Bruce L. Ludwig Family Square............................................................................... 4 Phase 2: Inside Campus..........................................................................................................6 Phase 3: Link Plaza & SSE.....................................................................................................8 Phase 4: Bartlett Plaza.......................................................................................................... 11 Phase 5: Campus Center (Ground Level).............................................................................. 15 Phase 6: Campus Center (Upper Level).................................................................................17 Phase 7: Arnold Pavilion...................................................................................................... 18 Phase 8: AUC Conference and Visitor Center (CVC)............................................................ 20 Phase 9: Student Housing and Sports Complex..................................................................... 23 Phase 10: AUC Gardens........................................................................................................28 Detailed Tour Information.................................................................................................... 32 Script Credits........................................................................................................................ 34  3 Standard Tour Route and Tips The AUC New Cairo Campus Tour Narrative provided is split into 10 phases. Each phase contains a detailed breakdown of the buildings, facilities, and sights you will encounter as you guide our guests across campus. The narrative assumes that you start your tour from the Dr. Hamza al-Khouli Information Center (Gate 1: Visitors Entrance)! Note: Some tours may have different starting points on campus. Ambassadors must be flexible and apply the proper tour narrative! Tips: 1. Start your tours with a smile and introduce yourself (name, class standing, and major)! 2. Know your audience! Not all guests will be interested in the same things. Make sure you are aware of what points you need to stress on. However, make sure you are not disregarding or altering the information provided by the narrative! The Office of Student Development and Community Relations, in some cases, notifies Student Ambassadors about what the guest(s) is interested to learn more about. 3. Personalize your tours! Try mentioning your personal experience of life at AUC. You can mention anything from your favorite courses, where you usually hang out on campus, the student activities you are involved in, etc. Note: Please make sure you mention positive experiences as you are representing AUC. You set the tone and provide the first impression about our university to our guests.  4 Phase 1: Bruce L. Ludwig Family Square 1. Gate 1: Visitors Entrance The Bruce L. Ludwig Family Square is a plaza that is open to the public and all AUC visitors. In this area are several buildings that serve prospective AUC students and visitors to the campus. 2. Dr. Hamza AlKholi Information Center (Admissions) This building houses a number of services for faculty, staff, current students, and prospective students. It is primarily devoted to admission and enrollment services. Dr. Hamza al-Khouli is a Saudi Arabian businessman who has contributed to various organizations across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.  5 3. Allam Amphitheater This is where most outdoor events that include large scale concerts take place. It can accommodate almost 4500 people standing and 2200 sitting. Some of the famous Egyptian singers performed here including Mohamed Mounir, Amr Diab, Tamer Hosny, and Mahmoud El Eseilly, an AUC alum. 4. AUC Center for the Arts  6 This building hosts public performances of all kinds including plays, concerts, art shows, and film exhibitions. Inside the Center is the 300-seat Malak Gabr Arts Theater, named after the daughter of Mohamed Shafik Gabr, ’73 who is currently the Chairman of ARTOC Holdings and the Mohamed Shafik Gabr Foundation for Social Development. The Center for the Arts is also home to a “black box” theater along with the Sharjah Art Gallery, which features AUC students’ artwork. Phase 2: Inside Campus 1. AUC Portal  7 The AUC Portal is designed after the iconic arch of the Tahrir Cultural Center Campus. This archway symbolizes the connection to the history of the university, while also acting as a gateway to our future. Mention that the architectural techniques employed are inspired by the Mosque of Cordoba in Spain. 2. AUC Social Research Center (SRC) Building  8 The AUC Social Research Center (SRC) is the beginning of AUC Avenue - a 1.6-kilometer-long pedestrian walkway that runs through the campus. The SRC is a location for both local and international scholars to conduct research that focuses mainly on topics related to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Phase 3: Link Plaza & SSE 1. Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Hall (HUSS)  9 This building is named after the Saudi businessman Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal​Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud (also commonly referred to as WALEED or HUSS). It houses the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which includes departments such as Political Science, History, Rhetoric and Composition (RHET), Psychology, and SEA (Sociology, Egyptology, and Anthropology). The building design was inspired by the traditional Arab souq, or medina, which is maze-like. Many first-year classes take place here. The building is strategically designed like a maze. Students when they first come to AUC often have a difficult time finding classes in this design. This is intentional, because it encourages students to reach out and ask for help, therefore making new friends along the way. Office of International Programs and Services (IPSO) This office is located in the HUSS building for students wanting to study abroad at one of AUC’s 150+ partner universities. Students can participate in an Exchange program or a Study Abroad program. Exchange program: Students pay regular AUC tuition and fees while at their study abroad destination.  10 Study Abroad program: Students pay the host institutions tuition and fees. Students may also choose to study abroad during summer. Students must have completed a certain number of requirements at AUC before they are allowed to go abroad. Some of the many destinations they can go abroad include the United States, Germany, Japan, India, Spain, and Ecuador. 2. Administration Building This Administration Building has no academic activity! It houses the offices of senior administrators such as the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, and the General Counsel. Commercial International Bank (CIB) In addition to the senior administrative offices, the building houses a full-service bank. Registrar Students can get new student access cards / IDs here if they are misplaced. Travel Office There is also a travel office in the lower level of the Administration Building if International Students need assistance with residency and/or visa-related issues. 3. School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE)  11 The School of Sciences and Engineering (SSE) is the largest of the four schools at AUC. It is built on nearly 35,000 square meters. The building is not yet named for a donor. SSE is split into two halves. The part before the bridge (left side of the image) contains the Science departments and the other side houses the Engineering departments. There are a total of 11 departments in SSE: Science departments: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Engineering departments: Architecture, Computer Science and Engineering, Construction Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Petroleum Engineering. SSE also houses the Mathematics and Actuarial Science department (located on the side that houses the Engineering departments). The building approximately has 145 laboratories with cutting-edge lab equipment. There are also 260 faculty offices and four three-story wings.  12 Phase 4: Bartlett Plaza 1. Bartlett Plaza Bartlett Plaza is named after Mr. Thomas Bartlett. He was AUC’s president from 1963 - 1969 and then again in 2001 as interim president. Bartlett Plaza is the largest open-air​ area on campus; one and a half times the size of an American football field. It connects various rooms and is cooled by fountains, stone cladding, and water gardens.  13 2. The Hatem and Janet Mostafa Core Academic Center (CORE) The Hatem and Janet Mostafa Core Academic Center (also commonly referred to as HATEM or CORE) is named after Hatem Mostafa, a senior vice-president at Hewlett-Packard Company and a long-time friend of AUC. It is home to one of AUC’s largest lecture halls - the Mansour Group Hall. This hall seats up to 225 people. The CORE Building ensures AUC’s commitment to providing a first-class liberal arts education. What is the AUC Liberal Arts Education? AUC’s Liberal Arts Education, similar to the U.S.-style Liberal Arts Education, provides students with intellectual skills and experiences that are essential to all disciplines, professions, and effective participation in our world. It includes courses in writing, language, and information literacy; Philosophical and Scientific Thinking; Arab history, literature, and society; and foundational classes in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. For example, students majoring in Biological Sciences may be required to take courses in the Social Sciences, and vice versa.  14 3. AUC Library (Front) The library is the tallest building on campus, standing at five stories. It is the centerpiece of campus for both its architectural brilliance and innovative functionality. Inside you will find AUC’s collection of more than 673,000 print volumes, 72,000 e-books, and 135 databases. The library has space for more than 700,000 volumes and periodicals, including AUC’s rare books and special collections. The library also contains reading rooms, computer labs, and quiet study areas. The library has two significant and unique characteristics in its design: First, it lets in sunlight and air. The air cools around the exterior of the library. Particularly in hot weather, you will notice a drop in temperature as you approach the library. The large mashrabiya​-style structure on the eastern façade elegantly limits the amount of direct sunlight entering the building while keeping the building cool. The second significant feature is that the library was designed to provide a number of spaces for studying and networking. The square designs in front of the library entrance were designed in a way to allow humans to sit inside them.  15 4. Abdul Latif Jameel Hall (BEC) Abdul Latif Jameel Hall (also commonly referred to as JAMEEL or BEC) is home to the​School of Business, Economics, and Communication. The School of Business’s foremost accomplishment is a seal of excellence achieved through the Triple Crown accreditation – placing the School among the top 1% of educational institutions worldwide. It has received the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) accreditations. The School’s executive education programs are also recognized by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) accreditation. BEC also houses the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) – established in 2009 - and the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism. The Center has the only fully automated news workflow facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Its facilities provide a complete simulation of the workflow used in professional television newsrooms. The facilities also house the campus newspaper, the AUC Caravan, and the Photographic Gallery, which is an art and photography exhibition space.  16 Phase 5: Campus Center (Ground Level) The Campus Center houses areas of most use by students: the Student Lounge, the Canteen (main cafeteria), and the Food Court. It also has a cafeteria and lounge for faculty. The Student Lounge was opened at the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester. The Campus Center is also the location of two commercial outlets: the AUC Bookstore, where students can buy textbooks and stationery, and the Centennial Bookstore, where AUC guests can also enjoy a variety of AUC souvenirs, coffee-table books, and commemorative stationery. AUC celebrated its Centennial year (100-year anniversary) during the 2019-2020 school year. At this point, we begin to see Ricardo Legorreta’s work, and you can tell it’s his by the vibrant colors used in the design. Legorreta is a Mexican architect, a student of Luis Barragån, a famous Mexican architect who inspired Legorretta’s experiments with color. You can see his colors at Pepsi Gate, Residential Life, Bassily Auditorium, Moataz Al-Alfi Hall, and the Graduate Student Center. Legorretta works with earth-tone colors, like clay-brick red, or indigo blue. The shades are oriented in a way to block direct sunlight. So, the color design helps with cooling but it also lets in enough light for work. You’ll see these little bridges that link buildings. For example, one  17 bridge connects different offices of Student Life, such as the Center for Wellbeing and the Office of the Dean of Students. According to an expert source, darker, duller colors absorb solar heat and consequently make a building warmer. On the other hand, lighter, brighter colors tend to reflect solar heat that make a building cooler. A building with a white exterior reflects the most solar heat, but for this reason it is also colder in the winter. As a result, colors such as indigo and red make a good compromise — which is why Legorretta favors the use of these colors in regions that are very hot in the summer but often quite cold in the winter. 1. Textbook Store 2. AUC Campus Shop The AUC bookstore has publications by the AUC Press, the Middle East’s leading English-language book publisher. Its mission is to accurately reflect Egypt and the Middle East to a global readership in line with the main teaching and research interests of the American University in Cairo. Note: AUC is the only university in Egypt with its own press. AUC has the copyrights to sell all of Naguib Mahfouz’s works that were translated into English.  18 3. Center for Student Well-being (CSW) The Center for Student Wellbeing (CSW) provides students with emotional and mental health support and enables them to cope with challenges on the emotional, behavioral, or cognitive levels. The CSW employs a number of full time and part time trained counselors. Students can speak with a counselor free of charge. Also located here is the Student Disability Services (SDS). Students with disabilities (learning or physical) who need accommodations can arrange for these services through this office. Phase 6: Campus Center (Upper Level) 1. Career Center This center facilitates job fairs for students to talk with prospective employers, and helps students find appropriate jobs and internships during their time at AUC. Students can also receive support with their resumes and practicing interview skills.  19 2. Office of Student Development and Community Relations This office, part of the Office of the Dean of Students, hosts leadership programs and is where student conduct and disciplinary actions are discussed. 3. Office of Student Life (OSL) This office facilitates co-curricular student life through the support of student activities and services, including the 60+ organizations active on campus. 4. Office of the Dean of Students This office supports undergraduate students with student-specific inquiries such as medical excuses, issuing transcripts, and checking out laptops. 5. Student Lounge (OSL Lounge) The Student Lounge was opened at the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester. Phase 7: Arnold Pavilion 1. Arnold Pavilion  20 The Arnold Pavilion is named after Mr. David Arnold, a former president of AUC. During Mr. Arnold’s presidency, AUC moved from the Tahrir campus to its New Cairo campus location. 2. Pepsi Gate (Gate 4: Main Entrance) School of Continuing Education (SCE) The SCE is located at the Campus Development Building (Gate 4). The SCE at the American University in Cairo provides certificate programs, non-credit term-length courses, and customized courses to fulfill the continuing education needs of individuals and organizations in Egypt and the Middle East. To fulfill the diverse needs of the community, the SCE offers a broad list of professional educational certificates and stand-alone courses. These are provided through the following offerings: career and skills development programs, language enhancement programs, translation diplomas, IT and computer programs, teacher training programs, youth programs, and tailor-made programs, along with evaluation testing and assessments at the Career Guidance Unit. The School of Continuing Education schedules courses and certificates to be offered at the AUC Tahrir Cultural Center Campus and at the AUC New Cairo Campus. The SCE serves the largest number of students at AUC, approximately 25,000 students every year, drawn mostly from the Egyptian community. These students are able to take courses at an affordable cost under the brand of AUC. The building you see in the image is the administration building. Classrooms are distributed around campus and in two other locations in Cairo??? 3. Clinic The Pavilion houses a 24-hour clinic, equipped with emergency services. 4. Day Care Center  21 There is also daycare center, where staff and faculty can enjoy this facility at low cost. The daycare center abides by both Egyptian and U.S. laws. It caters to both the educational and childcare needs of the young children of members of the AUC community. Phase 8: AUC Conference and Visitor Center (CVC) The Conference and Visitor Center (CVC) is home to a variety of auditoriums, lecture halls, and meeting rooms. It offers ample, well-equipped spaces for lectures, presentations, and conferences. Its size, location, and available technology make it ideal for large conferences. The CVC has spaces to accommodate from 120 to 1,255 people. It also provides several outdoor spaces that host events. Bassily Auditorium and Moataz Al-Alfi Hall are two of the most prominent spaces in the CVC.  22 1. Bassily Auditorium Bassily Auditorium seats 1,255 people on two levels in theater-style tiered seating. It is suitable for international conferences, theatrical productions, university orientations, seminars, concerts, presentations, and performances. The auditorium has an elevated stage and two backstage dressing rooms. It is equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment including a cinema screen for film presentations.  23 2. Moataz Al Alfi Hall Moataz Al Alfi Hall is a decorative, 520 square-meter flat space that can accommodate up to 200 guests in theater-style seating. It features distinctive Arabesque and Islamic architectural influences.  24 Phase 9: Student Housing and Sports Complex 1. AUC Residences* The University Residence Halls are home to AUC’s resident student population. In designing the on-campus and near-campus residences, the architects utilized a 'living-learning' design approach to facilitate students' integration into residential life. The near-campus housing has suites and studios. The university residence can accommodate a total of 729 students in both the suites and studios. The on-campus housing has 12 units; 7 for females and 5 for males, each with 42 beds including a room for the Resident Advisor (RA). Residences were not designed using a traditional student dorm concept, where corridors are lined with rooms and shared bathrooms - like a typical hospital. They were designed as courtyards to encourage interaction among students and acknowledge that activity happens outside of the  25 classroom. The design implies that residents are neighbors in an apartment block as opposed to being housed in a box. While there are separate facilities for females and males in accordance with local norms, the residents have common meeting areas and study rooms and share resources, such as televisions in three shared units. Note: Please do not say off-campus since the near-campus housing is now recognized as the suites and studios residential building (AUC Residence Building 1 & 2). Office of Residential Life The Resident Advisor (RA) works closely with students. They are responsible for event coordination, planning, and implementation of social, cultural, and educational gatherings. The RA also acts as a liaison between the residents and the Office of Residential Life. 2. Sports Complex The Sports Complex is the largest complex on campus, with more than 40,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor space. The indoor sports facility has gymnasiums, an indoor jogging track, 6 squash courts, training rooms, and martial arts rooms. In addition to Habtoor stadium, there is a football field, a running track, a basketball court, six tennis courts, five-aside tartan courts, and volleyball courts.  26 Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor Stadium Outside, you will find the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Stadium for Football and Track that can seat up to 2,000 spectators. Dr. Ahmed Hassan Said Gym The gym is named after Dr. Ahmed Hassan Said, an AUC alum who represented Egypt in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. ARTOC Sports Court The Sports Complex also includes the ARTOC Sports Court. It is a 1,400 square-meter multi-purpose court that can accommodate up to 2,000 fans. It also houses an indoor track. Paul B. Hannon Swimming Pool The Sports Complex also includes an Olympic-size pool, officially recognized as the Paul Hannon Swimming Pool.  27 Squash Courts Note: AUC does not recognize the sport of Rugby or the American Football team known as “AUC Titans” to be part of the sports teams represented by the Office of Athletics. Please do not mention them! Also, make sure to show pride in the AUC Squash courts. Some of the top Squash players in the world are Egyptian AUCians. Lastly, be sure to emphasize that we have a men’s and women’s team for each sport to show that the university does not favor one gender over the other.  28 3. AUC Lighthouse* The lighthouse is the tallest point on campus. It is a key aspect of the architectural design of the New Cairo campus. The AUC lighthouse consists of a small staircase leading up to the first landing and then to a circular staircase with 136 steps. These steps are separated by five floors, three of which have windows to the campus. The landings are used as exhibition spaces placed in chronological order. The first exhibition space explains how the campus construction began. The final landing showcases the final stage of the construction of the campus. Together, the landings tell the story of the creation of the New Cairo campus. Note: Please do not state that the lighthouse was formerly known as Mobinil Tower. They are no longer donors to the university! 4. Outdoor Facilities 5. AUC Tunnels AUC has service tunnels that allows each building in the university to receive goods and services without disrupting the traffic above-ground. The service tunnel has its own separate entrance that connects it to all buildings across campus. The service tunnel allows for the movement of deliveries, housekeeping staff, equipment, and utilities.  29 The tunnel is 1.6 km long. It has a main entrance, a main exit, and smaller gates for each university building. The main gate of the tunnel is located at Parcel 17 (Gate 3: Services Entrance). As you walk from Gate 3 to the end of the tunnel, the tunnel descends by approximately 20 meters. The tunnel also has supervisors and security guards tracking it on a regular basis to ensure that only staff personnel are accessing the area. Since AUC is committed to future developments, the tunnel is equipped to handle the University's plans for future expansion. In addition, some of the primary university utility infrastructure is located in the tunnel including black lines for cold water, white lines for hot water, and other lines for drinking water. On the sidewalk in the tunnel, you will find the university's electricity system. It is designed to handle emergency situations. In case of a fire, carpets will cover the tunnel and extract smoke through large fans that are distributed everywhere. The tunnel also has a firefighting system and fire alarms. Phase 10: AUC Gardens  30 The New Cairo Campus is 260 acres and is 43 times larger than the Tahrir campus. As you walk through the gardens, you will learn more about the historical development of AUC's new campus, and its beneficial effect on the ecological profile of New Cairo. Architects designed the campus to take advantage of the wind to make it feel cooler. Most of the buildings of AUC’s New Cairo campus are placed on either side of a central axis that extends from the northwest to the southeast directions of the campus. This means that when you walk from the area of Bassily Hall toward the AUC Portal along the AUC Avenue you are moving from southeast to northwest, and you will often feel the cool breeze that flows in from the northwest. Approximately half of AUC’s land was purposefully left vacant to accommodate for future plans of expansion. Due to the campus’ location in the dessert, wildlife activity takes place during the night. During the daytime, animals hide from humans but leave their tracks behind. The AUC campus is home to small kestrel falcons that have nested on the ledge of windows in the Administration building and in Bassily Hall. You can see the kestrels if you search on YouTube for “AUC Kestrel Falcon.” The video shows a falcon who laid five eggs in a year. They all hatched! In addition, the gardens have a wide variety of birds, including the swallow, which feeds on insects. From its color, we can discern whether it’s an Egyptian resident (red color) or a migrant (white color). Also, AUC has recorded the sighting of 10 species of butterflies on campus. This is remarkable considering that Egypt has a total of only 61 recorded species. Before AUC was built, the area was just a desert that was inhospitable to animals such as butterflies. In the span of just 10 years, AUC has attracted to its campus ⅙ (one-sixth) of all of the types of butterflies found in Egypt! One type of butterfly on campus is called the Plain Tiger butterfly, brightly colored in orange, black and white. Its colors attract its predators but it’s patterned to announce that it is poisonous and toxic, which acts as its defense. Much of the AUC campus has been transformed into flourishing gardens with flowers, palm trees, fruit trees, and desert plants. As you walk through the gardens you will see plaques and labels identifying the specific names of trees and plants. In addition, throughout the gardens there is petrified fossil wood. New Cairo is built on land that was originally an ocean shore. Plants and trees that lined the shores of this ocean were subject to petrification over the centuries that followed, transforming the New Cairo area into a vast forest.  31 The majority of the petrified wood in New Cairo has disappeared as the modern suburb began to develop. AUC, however, made a deliberate effort to save as many of the pieces of petrified wood as possible found on its land. This petrified wood represents the journey that Egypt has experienced over time. Fifty million years ago, the land that we have built our campus on was below sea level. The land has evolved from a forest, to a savannah, into a dessert, and finally into the AUC New Cairo campus. 1. Arab African International Bank (AAIB) Waterfall AUC values the water that it uses in order to sustain its gardens. Like all of New Cairo, AUC receives most of its water from the Nile. Since it is very expensive to pipe water up the escarpment of the Nile valley from the desert, and then over the long distance that separates New Cairo from the Nile, AUC minimizes its water consumption. For example, AUC provides grassy areas for aesthetic purposes, yet limits these areas as they require large amounts of water for maintenance. The campus and gardens use a type of irrigation system called drip irrigation in order to save water. Water flows very slowly through tubes, and these tubes have small holes in them, where the water drips out. Therefore, very little water is lost in the irrigation process. Due to AUC’s efficient water usage, the campus gardens are able to include water features such as this waterfall while still recycling and limiting water consumption. The design of the Islamic architecture incorporated in the design of the gardens actually allows for water to circulate all throughout campus, leaving little to lose during evaporation. Furthermore, the garden’s waterfall features papyrus, planted around it to signify the history behind the plant. There was a time in Egyptian history when papyrus was basically extinct. However, in the mid-1960s, Dr. Mohamed Ragab, acquired papyrus from areas where it still existed in Southern Sudan and East Africa, and brought it to Egypt to replant. He was able to return Papyrus to its original source. Dr. Ragab contributed to the tourist industry in Egypt, building a theme park close to the Nile, called “Ragab’s Pharaonic Village.”  32 2. Library (Back) Typical to library design, the main reading room is on the backside of the library, facing north to maximize the view of daylight. In this library, we have a triple-height serenity reading room, and then another reading room on top, to which all the other reading rooms overlook that space. 3. Watson House  33 Watson House was named in honor of the first AUC President, Professor Charles A. Watson (1925 - 1945). It is now home to the residing AUC president, Ahmed Dallal. In addition to living quarters, the house has a hall (Watson Hall) that is a fully equipped executive meeting facility designated for presidential events and other administrative purposes. Note: The image above shows the entrance to Watson Hall and the outside patio, where many open-air events are held. 4. Cornerstone All of the buildings in the plaza are built with the same type of rock that was used to build the pyramids. The special sandstone used to construct the buildings on campus came all the way from quarries in Aswan, located 500 kilometers to the south. Detailed Tour Information Note: The respective detailed tour information is not delivered unless explicitly expressed beforehand. However, it is useful general information to know! 1. Detailed AUC Residences Tour Each housing unit is equipped with a shared kitchen, washing machine, dryer, and TV. The Office of Residential Life provides cleaning for the shared places, and is responsible for daily maintenance.  34 Suites and Studio apartments are a 7-minute walk from campus (600 m). Each suite holds up to 6 roommates in various apartment layouts. The suites can host up to 125 students. In addition, the studios can host up to 100 students. Students can have their own studio apartment or a shared apartment with a roommate. Residential housing at AUC has 4 different room options: Double, Premier Double, Small Single, and apartment. The Premier Double rooms have 2 beds in one area, one bathroom, and a study room with 2 desks. Apartments include 4 small single rooms with one bed and a desk with a shared lounge, kitchen and 2 bathrooms. The double room includes 2 beds, and 2 desks, while the standard single room has one bed and a desk. Both the double and standard single rooms share a bathroom with the neighboring students in the same hall. In the process of booking a room for the semester, students have the option to choose their preferred room in their online application on AUC’s website. Allocation is on a first-come first-served basis. All rooms are equipped with cupboards, shelves, central Air Conditioning, and an individually operated heater. As a part of the University’s sustainability plan room, lighting and power are only activated when the student’s ID card is inserted in a slot in the room. The housing complex is equipped with WiFi. The residential housing also has common areas. They include a computer lab, study rooms, and a lounge. The lounge is a familiar spot for students to watch television, relax and chat with friends. It is also an optimal location for seasonal parties with students during Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Visitors of students residing in the dorms may stay for a maximum of 5 nights. When more than one student shares a room, consent from the other occupants must be obtained before a visitor can remain overnight. Also, renting rooms for a night is only available upon availability and is only applicable for single rooms. The Office of Residential Life also rents rooms overnight to members of the AUC community for a fee.  35 In each unit there are 42 students including the Residential Advisor. There are 504 students in the on-campus University Residence. The suites can accommodate almost 125 and in the new studios the capacity is 100 students, which gives us the maximum of 729 students on and near campus. Faculty are most likely to stay in the nearby off-campus housing. In each unit there is a unit board, containing the Residential Advisor’s contact number, the security hotline, the medical services emergency number, the psychological crisis hotline, and the reception’s number. 2. Detailed AUC Lighthouse Tour First Floor There are different images of sketches made by the architects that designed the campus. The first image is the sketch that set the tone for how the campus would look, such as how the academic buildings would be divided into different schools. If you look closely, you will notice the image is of the unfinished campus. It is when the design started taking shape. Dr. Abdul-Halim Ibrahim, an Egyptian urban planner and architect, and one of the master planners of the new campus, along with the tower’s co-architect, Sasaki and Associates of Watertown, Massachusetts, worked with major international companies, architects, and urban designers. The lighthouse combines Islamic and modern elements. Second Floor Here we see the intention to convey the feeling that the new campus was a continuation of the old campus, with the designs of the Portal Gate, and the use of limestone and sandstone. This is when the campus started taking shape and reflecting Egypt’s identity. Third Floor Here, there are images of a poster calling out people to compete through photography. The photos were taken by students and presented in this exhibition to recognize their work. Fourth Floor Two important aspects to consider here. Since this is an open-air landing, safety is very important (the ladder is off limits to all but technicians and engineers) and no reckless behavior is permitted. For safety measures, anyone who is present in the tower should be accounted for and once the tower is open to the public, there will be a security guard to ensure the safety of visitors.  36 Script Credits Abdelrahman Mahmoud (Images) Dr. George Marquis (Narrative review) Dr. John Swanson (Narrative review) Dr. Magda Mostafa (Architecture tour) Dr. Richard Hoath (Gardens tour) Eng. Mohamed Abdelaziz (Tunnel tour) Mr. Mohammed Alalem (Residential Life tour) Ms. Nourhan Morsy (Residential Life tour) Mr. Tarek Atia (Lighthouse tour) Mr. William Trub (Residential Life tour)