AUC move to New Cairo Campus

The Egyptian government on Monday announced plans to build a supertram so as to connect American University in Cairo, located in New Cairo, with the capital's subway network. Egyptian Transport Minister Alaa Fahmy said that a feasibility study has been completed and preparations for construction have begun, adding that the LE5 billion project would be completed in 48 months.

The new supertram will cover a total distance of 44km. The first phase covering 28km will cost an estimated LE3.2 billion, LE1.4 billion of which to be financed by the World Bank. The plans include eight cars and run at an average speed of 35km per hour. In addition to serving residents of New Cairo, it will serve some 50,000 students studying at Cairo’s American University, the German University and Future University. Currently, there are no means of public transportation within New Cairo.

Cleaning staff at the American University in Cairo (AUC) have been on strike since Wednesday to demand better pay. After weeks of fruitless negotiations with the university administration, they organized a sit-in in front of the campus administration building on Thursday to express their grievances. At the beginning of the month, employees threatened to stage protests for the same reason. At the time, the administration stated its intention to "investigate" employees' complaints in an effort to find "effective solutions." Since then, however, no solutions have been forthcoming.

“These workers originally worked for the Compass sanitation company. Then they resigned from that subcontract to work for AUC, with which they signed contracts for LE650 per month. Some of them were assigned to work as security guards for which they received LE1200 per month," Mohamed Amin, assistant director of environmental services at AUC, told Al Masry Al Youm. "Yesterday, however, workers discovered that their salaries were only LE350 and that the university had canceled their pensions, even though this had been included in their contracts."

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http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/auc-workers-call-strike-demand-sala...

"When envisioning this new campus, the university made a decision to ensure that our sports programmes, which we are all extremely proud of, would be provided quality facilities on the new campus," said David Arnold, addressing the attendees at the inauguration ceremony. "As a result of that decision," he added, "the complex is the largest space on our new campus with more than 40,000 square metres of indoor and outdoor space."

The indoor area of AUC sports complex includes a 2,000-seat arena main court, a martial arts arena, which seats up to 300, squash courts, exercise and fitness rooms, a free- weight studio, saunas and steam rooms. The outdoor space includes the track and field and soccer stadium. This is in addition to an Olympic-size swimming pool, a soccer practice field, tennis, basketball, handball and volleyball courts; and a jogging and cycling track.

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http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2009/945/sp7.htm

by Alastair Sharp

CAIRO (Reuters Life!) - Foreign students seeking a slice of authentic Middle Eastern life have been left bitter by the American University in Cairo's move to a desert campus far from the bustle of the Arab world's largest city.

"I came here to study Arabic," said Isaac Regenbogen, a 23-year-old American in the third year of a degree in Middle Eastern studies and Arabic. "The main appeal to coming to AUC was being in downtown Cairo, being in the middle of the biggest city in the Arab world, and now we are in the middle of the desert and there is no opportunity to interact with Egyptian society, other than the richest of the rich," he said.

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http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-38046120090216...

The AUC has moved on, but entrepreneurs around the old campus have been left behind
By Dina Basiony
Business today Egypt - December 2008

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http://www.businesstodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=8257