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The Chronicle
April 16, 2013
Campus
Students weigh in on protest Aleksandra Sharova
it.
The Chronicle
It’s January 25, 2011. Images of tens of thousands of protesters waving Egyptian flags and carrying ‘We want the change’ and ‘Mubarak, game over’ signs flooded the Internet. A 24-yearold Egyptian student in Electrical Engineering at UOIT read and heard every piece of information there was about the protests, but kept looking for more from familiar Tahrir Square. Emad Abdelrahman came to Canada in 2010. During the revolution events in Egypt, he kept in touch with his friends via Facebook and Skype. They told him everything about what was happening on Tahrir. A few days later the Egyptian government cut off nearly all access to the Internet and shut down cellphone service. He no longer could contact his mother who stayed in Cairo. The only place where cellphones were still working was Sharm el-Sheikh. Abdelrahman called a friend there who told him his mother was all right. “My mom was there, so at that time I had to know everything. I knew my buddies were going to Tahrir. I’ve always been talking to my friends about it, like seriously we need to do something. Once I left, everybody went. This is kinda funny. I started watching news like crazy. I had a midterm – didn’t even go,” said Abdelrahman.
UOIT Nuclear Power program More than 50,000 protest- students and members of Hiners occupied Tahrir Square at du Y.U.V.A. (Youth for Unity, the beginning of the revolu- Virtues and Actions) club spoke tion. In the following days, ac- about how things have changed cording to Stratfor analysis, the in India since the fatal sexual number of demonstrators had assault and nationwide progrown up to 250,000. tests that followed. Aslam wished he could have “There is a lot of police gone to Tahrir, but admitted roaming around to ensure that his parents probably wouldn’t girls are safe. Public and local have let him do it. “Parents transportation are also cooperwere really worried; lots of ating,” said Kaianathbhatta. people were dyRegardless of ing. A friend told those measures, me how parents It used to be much an Indian tourist used to lock their ... simpler, people don’t industry survey sons’ rooms, showed the numcare about each other ber of foreign made them stay at home, but they any more. Seeing this tourists travelling jumped out of the is really worrying, to India dropped windows to go to especially with youth by 25 per cent Tahrir,” he said. this year, with Indian tour opAt that time, doing all this. erators reporting he said, it was many cancellaeither go to TahKhanjan Patel tions. rir Square or “I am scared to stay to protect homes from thieves. “Security go back. It can happen to any was gone; there was no police. girl out there,” said KaianathFriends told us how they used bhatta who plans to go to Into camp all night outside their dia in July or August. She was buildings to catch thieves,” shocked by the news because women in her family are given Aslam said. Even though the future of a lot of respect and authority, Egypt is still uncertain, both and because no one helped the students agreed they want to go victim. Patel agrees that life in India back and see the country after is becoming “more risky.” the revolution. “It used to be much more A year later, a young woman’s gang rape triggered a wave simpler,” he said. “People of protests across India. People don’t care about each other any were demanding better treat- more. Seeing this is really worment for women and the death rying, especially when youth doing all this.” penalty for rape. No one expected to see Alekhya Kaianathbhatta, 21, changes being made on TV. and Khanjan Patel, 23, both
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Aleksandra Sharova
FAR AWAY: Top: UOIT Indian students and members of Y.U.V.A. (Youth for Unity, Virtues and Actions) Khanjan Patel (left) and Alekhys Kaianathbhatta (right). Bottom: UOIT Egyptian students Emad Abdelrahman (left) and Hammad Aslam. He wasn’t the only one who became a news junkie following the events. Hammad Aslam, 20, a UOIT student in Software
Engineering program, used to gather with his friends to watch broadcasts from Egypt in “a revolution place”, as they called
Girls get creative at DC seminar Reshanthy Vijayarajah The Chronicle
On March 24, UOIT and Durham College held its first ever “Girls, Spark your Imagination” event. More than 550 registrations poured in for the event with some girls showing up at the last minute. It was the first of its kind, aimed at getting girls interested in science and technology at a young age. It was also an opportunity for parents to see the potential activities that can be done together at home. “Historically girls are not represented in technology and science,” said Laura Benninger one of the organizers and a professor from School of Science & Engineering Technology at Durham College. Parents gathered with their daughters. The excitements built up when they entered the gym at Durham College. Some of the volunteers in their assigned compartments wore white
Reshanthy Vijayarajah
GETTING COLOURFUL: Hannah Gibbons (left) and Madhu Arasaratham enjoying the “Sharpie tie dye” experiment at the Girls, Spark your Imagination held on March 24. coats, while the others dressed in red t-shirts and directed the families inside the gym. There was everything you can
imagine, from robots made out of Lego to slime made out of cornstarch and water. “The most popular is the lip
gloss, strawberry DNA, iPad station to the Lego Robotic,” said Sheila Rhodes, one of the organizers, and also an instruc-
tor and faculty advisor at UOIT. Handwriting Analysis, an exercise with an investigative twist, was one the many interesting experiments at the event. Another experiment involved finding what type of pen the robber used to write the letter left behind. “We’re dying to go see the robots,” said Madison Havay and Machenzie Williams. The girls were all hyped up after finishing up with, “Make Your Own Twister.” Who you would imagine what a test tube filled with three quarter water and couple of drops of liquid soap can create a twister when swirling the tubes? As a matter of fact, it wasn’t only the girls getting involved, as the parents were excited the same way. A small meeting in January led to this event and was successful with the help from the volunteers. The organizers Sheila Rhodes, Laura Benninger and Anna Rodrigues are pleased with the event and hope to do it again next year.