One of AUP’s most historic and beloved events, World’s Fair, will undergo a major change this year as Marc Monthéard, Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, has forbidden alcohol at the event.

World’s Fair, which is meant to showcase the diversity of culture found at AUP, deteriorated in the past couple years, according to Monthéard. “This used to be my favorite event, and now things have gotten completely out of hand involving the consumption of alcohol,” he said. “The last few years, we’ve seen nothing but drunken students at 4pm on school property. I challenge you to find anything cultural involving the event anymore.” Monthéard discussed several incidents that happened during World’s Fair. “Students were so drunk that they got into fights with policemen and another one shoplifted from a local pharmacy, which led to his arrest. Both students received disciplinary action.

“I tried to limit the alcohol consumption, I pleaded with the booths to be responsible about distribution, I banned hard alcohol. Nothing worked. I think I have been patient, but I’ve had enough. I am responsible for the decision, and there will be no alcohol at World’s Fair this year.”

Meghan Jennings, SGA president, said of the decision, “I feel it is hypocritical to allow some level of alcohol at all events but this one...to have such a rigid rule come down, to go from all to nothing while not having ever addressed this issue with the inclusion of the student body, says a lot about Student Affairs.”

Jennings said that the abuse of hard alcohol and drugs has become ridiculous, and that it is the responsibility of the students to re-brand the event. “It was a cultural event - a means of truly celebrating this university’s incredible “diversity,” Jennings said.

However,” she said, “I don’t think it’s fair to not give us an opportunity to control the level of consumption just because previous SGA presidents weren’t able to.”

Monthéard commented on the notion that the edict is too harsh, “I can no longer try to limit alcohol, to force people to be responsible. It didn’t work. I have to be the bad guy here.”

“I’m not interested in a dry campus. If students want to party, to get trashed, they can go ahead. They’re big boys and girls. But not at a cultural event on school property at 4 in the afternoon. If they want a party, organize a party. World’s Fair isn’t about that.”

Monthéard said that he isn’t worried about attendance decreasing. “We may go down somewhat, but I don’t think it will be a significant amount. Any students who viewed this as an excuse to get wasted and party shouldn’t come in the first place.”

Photo Courtesy of Meg Gagard

When asked whether he would negotiate with SGA on the issue, Monthéard said, “We are open to discussing it with SGA, yes. But ultimately, it is my decision.”

Jennings said that SGA intends to find a compromise.

“We won’t be ‘fighting’ the decision. Instead we will try to find a compromise. No, we will find a compromise.”

If Monthéard finalizes the decision to make World’s Fair completely dry, it will be strictly enforced. “We can’t make a decision like this and then not follow through.” said Monthéard “We aren’t excluding the possibility of taking disciplinary action against anyone who violates the rule,” he concluded.

While the details are far from clear, AUP is articulating a partnership with Eugene Lang College of The New School, in New York NY.

“It’s still very early, but it looks like a very good fit,” said Vice President and Dean of Student Services Marc Monthéard. He added, “We are similar schools; small, urban, liberal and open- minded.”

Located in downtown Manhattan, Eugene Lang is a college like AUP in its size and diversity. It prides itself on its creativity, debate and discussion.

“New York and Paris seem to go together,” said James Tuttle, freshman. “I think [a partnership] would be a great benefit [to AUP].”

AUP Study Abroad Coordinator Dominique Meys and a faculty member working on the partnership declined to be interviewed for this issue of The Planet. Both expressed the need for more definite information in the weeks to come before commenting.

However, in a letter posted on the University Web site, AUP President Celeste Schenck clearly states that there is an articulated partnership with Eugene Lang.

When asked for details, President Schenck recommended that The Planet speak to Claudia Roda, head of the collaboration work on the partnership. Roda said in an e-mail that she would be happy to talk about it but was away at a conference and could not be reached before this publication goes to print.

“We still need to establish a co-op agreement between the schools,” said Monthéard. “It has a lot of potential: it could evolve from a simple student exchange to a faculty exchange or the possibility of dual degrees. We are putting all ideas on the table right now ... If all goes well, the first effects and exchanges could begin as early as next fall.”

Students interviewed seem quite positive about the potential partnership based on the limited information currently available. One senior said he would have taken advantage of the program had it been around for him. He said he has friends that attend Eugene Lang and thinks it would be a great place for AUP students.

Liberty Moyer, freshman, said, “I think there are a lot of people not from the States [at AUP] that would like to study in New York. New York reminds me a lot of Paris.”

visit Eugene Lang College of The New School at: www.newschool.edu/lang/

Free and Open Source at AUP, created Fall 2009, aims to inform students about the vast amounts of alternative software sources that could be cheaper than or even free compared to commercial sources.

“The Open Source movement has a lot to offer students strapped for cash,” wrote AUP Graduate student and founder of Free and Open Source (FOS) at AUP, Ambjörn Elder, in an email correspondence.

Frequently, the confusion with free and open software is the word “free,” explained Pierre-Yves Vasner, the Systems & Network Engineer at AUP’s IT Services.

“I don’t think anything free is legal,” said Lydia Fenner, senior. With anti-piracy laws, the lack of awareness of alternative resources that are free, as in the ability to modify and redistribute them, and possibly free of cost, is one reason why Elder started the club.

“Yeah, anything free I’ll take it,” said Senior Hanna Skeppner. “A lot of my classes require programs, and most of them aren’t free...that annoys me.”

Skeppner said AUP students would make use of FOS if the club succeed at getting information to students.

The word free is used to describe how you can modify and redistribute this software to use it the way you want. The source is given legally to everyone to modify, and thereby strengthen, the software said Vasner.

Open source are things like the Firefox Web browser and VLC Media Player [software that allows DVDs to be played that are outside the computer’s set region code].

Many AUP students, like Junior Charlotte Vernier use their computer and the Internet for work and leisure. You can find anything on the Internet if you have, “the patience to look for it,” said Vernier. FOS said it aims to become a resource for AUP students for such software/program hunts online.

Later this term, FOS at AUP plans to organize a free software party. “We’ll demonstrate some cool programs and serve ‘open source’ food,” said Elder.

for more infortmation on the club and 'open source' food go to: www.my.aup.edu/node/28700

I am an AUP lover. You can see me buzzing around the AMEX, grabbing a crepe around Bosquet, and cramming in the library. Why not? Everything I could possibly need is right around the corner. But sometimes I get an itch to get out and explore!

AUP offers its students cultural programs; a chance to expand our selves through learning: and most importantly it offers Paris. This is forgotten when we seek a ‘‘normal’’ college experience. Of course, it’s nice to have the College Bar (the AMEX), the College Neighborhood (the 7th), and the College Restaurants (Rousillon, TriBeca). But you end up going to the same places and doing the same things.

Many of us came to AUP in search of an international experience with a difference. Yet we sometimes fall into what is comfortable and forget that we can create new bubbles of security and convenience. You need to remember that Paris is Paris because of its hidden caves, calm, and craziness. Instead of patronizing the usual Miller’s Bar in the 3rd or the Moose in the 6th, try other hangouts which take little effort to discover.

But obviously Paris isn’t just nightlife. I know that it is very hard to get yourself out of bed on a hung-over Saturday, or leave the 7th when all your friends are at the AMEX, but it’s worth it. You want international, right? Then head over to the Marché des Enfants Rouges in the 3rd arrondissement and discover an awesome mingle of world culture!

Paris is unique in its ability to display beauty almost anywhere. Yes, this is hardly discovered when surrounded by the metal shelves in the library. But, find inspiration in Montmartre, museum evenings, and benches by the Seine. Try trading Facebook distractions for the accordion player down the street, and 18th century paintings lining the walls on countless museums.

Tap into your curiosity and allow the Parisian world around you shape your college experience.

At AUP alcohol and fun are the running themes when talking about a great night. Do these factors of our lives always have to be combined to make an evening worth remembering? Or do we just not know any other way of having fun?

It’s a question of wanting to lose control, just for a while, to forget that paper you had to write this week. You could just want to relax or lose your in- hibitions. Whatever it may be, most of us have done it before and none of us are ashamed of it either. We shouldn’t be.

But it doesn’t always end happily. Every night you get wasted, does the alcohol do all the things you hoped? Somehow I find that hard to believe. Alcohol, for starters, can cause you to lose all self-control. Sometimes that means you need a friend to take you home, to sit by you as you throw up all night and tuck you into bed as you eventually stop vomiting. Would you wish upon anyone to have to do such a task. Maybe once or twice but after a couple of times your friends might think twice before helping you.

Alcohol is no sin and I am the first person to say that a glass of wine on a Friday night is one of the best things after a long week, yet we need to real- ize when it becomes too much. When you feel dizzy, when you can no longer walk in a straight line or when you cannot remember what the last person said to you; all might be clues.

Moderation doesn’t have to be a boring concept; it can just be a limit between enjoying a pint of beer and playing beer pong until you end up under the table.

Everyone has the choice to do whatever they please, and by all means live your life to the fullest. I am not a person who judges anyone, I simply ask of you to think of yourself and others before you act.

AUP parties are organised purely for us to have fun, but they need to stop getting out of hand. Let’s not have a student throwing up in the corner and two others fighting on the street every time.

If you would like to discuss this topic further, even if you completely disagree with it, come and join me at the Substance Abuse Workshop on November 5 in the Grand Salon.

Most People are often shocked by the availability of contraceptives in supposedly censored public areas. Initially, I was surprised each time I passed what looked like tampon machines outside almost every pharmacy and clearly visible by the ticket machine in the metro.

Golden rule - whether you have a penis, a vagina, or an available anus, if you want to perform an activity that requires a condom you should have it on you at all times. To some, female condoms might look like they were made for Shrek’s penis or little lubricated hamster space suits (which is cool if you’re into that sort of thing, but I’ve heard the mechanical gerbils sold at F.A.O Schwartz ‘stay alive longer’).

Bottom line, whatever way you prefer, to protect yourself is the step in the right direction.

Back to the machines - after an eventful Parisian night, you might find yourself with a rejected debit card, an empty wallet and only coins in your pocket because you forgot to convert currencies. Just your luck, you are confronted with the predicament of choosing between a condom and a metro ticket.

Here are the dr.’s orders – Buy the condom and jump the turn style. First off, you will be protected from growing hideous and infectious new body parts (if you don’t believe me Google ‘the tree man’- the banana claws growing from his arms are so bad the man hasn’t touched his in children years... so he says).

These positive outcomes should sway anyone who pride themselves in the ability to be rational, logical, and horny all at the same time- a lifelong tool acquired by anyone who survives AUP.

Months went by and after passing hundreds of robot tampon-condom machines I started to realize what they represent. More important than reminding me that I was not getting laid, they turn protection into intuition.

“Seriously, what more can you do than buy the love bag and break the law?”

France, possibly more than anywhere else in the world offers both men and women immediate treatment and options for all those ‘oops I really did just crap my pants’ moments. The reality and need for sexual activity in people of all walks and almost all ages is accepted and anticipated here. The prevalence of unwanted pregnancies or the spread of STD’s is not shocking or alarming because it has been taught as what happened when you are not prepared.

There I was in a foreign city, alone, at a new school surrounded by new people- I had no one. As a shy transfer student, I desperately wanted to get involved in anything, something; wanted to continue pursuing the interests I had accumulated in high school. Yet it’s my first semester of my senior year and I am only now getting involved in the things I wanted to for the past two years. What is it about AUP that causes this to happen? I know I am not the only person that has had this experience. But at a small school with a student body of roughly 1000, it shouldn’t be like this. You would think that this would make getting involved easier. Is there a certain intimidation factor that is inherent within a small “cliquey” community like AUP?

Many of you reading this may disagree. Maybe it’s a personal problem with the individual feeling like an outsider rather than with the school. But, until I knew the right people, I felt “out of the loop.” I had always loved theater, musicals, writing, I wanted desperately to audition for a play, or work for a publication-but I didn’t know how. Then suddenly, before I knew it, the play was performed the publication printed, and it had all passed me by. Even now, I have only started finding out about things going on at school, and it has been mostly by word of mouth.

But let me get back to the intimidation factor that I feel plays into all of this. It is almost scary sometimes trying to get involved when you feel that all the roles have been filled and everyone already has their own place at the school. Maybe as a transfer student my sophomore year I felt this way more than someone who started as a freshman. When speaking to a freshman who came here one month ago, he said that he thinks this intimidating situation is prevented successfully by firstbridge. This is a course that freshmen take, which is completely made up of freshmen. It meets more than a normal course, and as he put it, you are placed with people who have your similar interests. It seems to give them a kind of “safety-net” so as to make them feel comfortable in what could be a scary new environment. Maybe transfer students would benefit from something like this? Also, the fact that there is no campus or dorms also may play into this. At the college I attended before, living with people makes it easier to meet.

Being a student in Tanzania can be a struggle. Especially when the financial situation is cracking and young people are forced to drop out of school. This is something the three students sponsored by AUP’s Roots and Shoots know all about.

Shadrach is the oldest of the three. Forced to quit his studies due to financial problems, he got back on track thanks to help from Roots and Shoots. He is now studying sociology at the university in Tanzania and actively works to improve his community and the situation in his country. “The things he is doing are incredible,” said Anjali Mathai, a member of the club.

Shadrach established Roots and Shoots organizations in Tanzanian refugee camps in an attempt to ameliorate the refugees’ situation and give their everyday life a purpose. He started a women’s leadership initiative to help women take a stronger role locally and he won the Jane Goodall Institute Global Youth Leadership Award for his efforts. Shadrach wants to continue working to meet the social services needs in his country once he graduates.

The two other students, Bedan and Winnie, are both in high school. Winnie is studying history and English and she would like to become a teacher one day. Bedan is following a more general program. Before he came into contact with Roots and Shoots, “his future looked less bright,” said Roots and Shoots Faculty Advisor Professor Linda Martz.

“His family had trouble guaranteeing food on the table, so finishing school was totally out of the question until we came along,” said Martz.

The idea of sponsoring students came from Jane Goodall herself, the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots and Shoots. The AUP club looked for a project in 2007. When

“A lot of students at
AUP have so much,
and the students we
sponsor have so little.”

Goodall came to AUP that year to hold a talk, she suggested they work on education, particularly for women and girls.

The Jane Goodall Institute in France put the club into contact with a woman working in Tanzania, who recommended three students. The selection was made not on the basis of gender, but rather on ”need, motivation, and a demonstrated commitment to helping others,” said Professor Martz.

“Sometimes you need to go with who needs you the most” she added. The group had planned to work with one student, but when three students had been suggested to them, they realized that they had enough money to help all three.

Both students and faculty members help out with bake sales that bring in a part of the money. Five faculty members regularly commit personal funds. Students are also willing to put in some extra money. “People who know what the bake sale is about sometimes donate extra money on top of the price they pay for their cookie or coffee,” said Rachael Levy, president of the club.

Both Anjali and Rachael are enthusiastic about the project. “A lot of students at AUP have so much, and the students we sponsor have so little. What I love about this project is the idea of giving back,” said Rachael. Anjali added, “It’s a worthy cause, and it’s working well.”
“Anyone who wants to contribute to the bake sales is welcome, you don’t have to be a member,” said Rachael.

Please contact Rachael Levy (a68921@aup.edu) for more information about the bake sales, the students we are sponsoring, or any other info related to R&S.

Remy Bonne Smith is no stranger to a thrilling fast-paced-life. As a Formula BMW licensed driver, Bonne Smith can often be found at speeds illegal on the highways. Despite what might appear to be a flashy hobby, this racer spoke very realistically about his future.

Bonne Smith started driving two years ago with no experience, and has worked hard to reach the top ever since. He began racing go-karts, but after taking his gap year to drive and train, he earned his Formula BMW license. Formula BMW is entry-level, open-wheel racing, and the highest level is the well-known Formula One. Bonne Smith said that he expects, if everything goes according to plan it should take about 5 years to reach Formula One.

Bonne Smith is ready to do it. His passion for his sport is evident in the way he describes his favorite part of racing, “When you reach a level of complete concentration, it’s like you’re flying.” His favorite racing moment wasn’t a win, but when he was able to push the limits. When he hit that moment, he was able to catch up to the driver in front of him. He had the sixth fastest lap of the race.

Formula racing season is from May to September, but Bonne Smith never stops. The season happens to be compatible with school, but it is clear that racing is his priority. Bonne Smith said that studying economics is “just a backup.” Earlier this semester he took a week off from classes to devote to racing. Now, the plan is to get sponsors. One of the biggest differences between each type of Formula racing is the cost. The more experienced and higher up you go in ranks, the more expensive it appears to be. With cars costing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Bonne Smith can’t do it himself. However, three European racing teams have noticed his talent and he is considering racing with them.

Originally from Bermuda, Bonne Smith finished high school with an International Baccalaureate in Toulouse, France. He came to AUP in the fall of 2008 as an economics student.

Bonne Smith has other interests as well. He loves dancing and jamming out in the music room with friends. He plays piano, guitar, and drums. He enjoys hanging out in the Amex, where he also works. However, while driving is not his only love, Bonne Smith does everything for “the love of driving.”

Living in a city like Paris it is easy to take for granted the pleasures we are surrounded by. A city of love and lights, one cannot forget Paris is also a capital of cuisine culture!

The emergence of the ready-to-eat generation has played a great role in the style in which people eat and obtain food. With the expansion of supermarkets such as Carrefour and Monoprix throughout Paris, it’s much easier to find produce at the local store. Once a symbol of Paris, the open-air markets seem to have less and less of a presence. But rest assured they still exist!

Unfortunately, this style of market shopping seems to have become less of a treasure and more of a burden. It’s important to keep the markets alive. Allow your eyes, ears and nose to experience the explosion of smells and colors within a four-meter radius, a feeling unlike any other. Not only are the products fresh, but they are also student affordable. Meg Gagnard, a sophmore at AUP said, “I once bought three peppers, four big potatoes, green beans and cucumber for under three Euros!”

From fresh brie to ripe strawberries to delectable homemade pasta, the possibilities are endless. The joy of Parisian markets is the interaction, which is lost among the aisles of the Franprix. To taste the perfect Mirabel jam, which is deliciously in season right now, go to the closest market, and purchase a fresh jar or two!

When asked why she shops at open air markets, Jess Lazowski explains, “Why go to a generic supermarket when you could get the most fresh and most delicious produce see the jambon being sliced in front of you and pick a fish that looks as though it out of the sea? It’s a cultural experience.”

Famous markets are scattered throughout Paris. Just last weekend I found myself amidst the crowds at Le Marché des Enfants Rouges. Named after the red uniform worn by the children who used to live in the former orphanage located here, it is one of the oldest markets in Paris.

It is now quite the place to grab a delicious yet reasonable brunch. There are about seven different cuisines to dine on. Each section has at least four or more wooden tables and benches. People squeeze in and dine. Whether it be Lebanese, Italian, Japanese or Cajun dishes, mouths will water.

Not only are there delicious restaurant stalls, but also freshly packaged goods and tables full of beautiful produce – perfect to make your next meal. The atmosphere is hectic and alive, recalling the real roots of Paris.

There are also many other markets around Paris- usually one in each arrondisement just begging to be visited!

“My self-portrait is a still life. I disappear into the background. There is no search for identity in my work. I know that identity doesn’t exist. There are only infinite layers of me. If I peel them back, like the skin of an onion, there will be nothing underneath,” said Kimiko Yoshida, photographer and artist.

Yoshida, born in Tokyo Japan in 1963, moved in 1995 to France, or in her words fleed, where she has lived and worked ever since. As a young child, she said that she slowly came to understand the repressive nature of the Japanese culture towards women. She continued saying that the way women “served” in Japan was humiliating, and that in her art she clearly protests clichés, identity, and gender.

Her small exhibition at Compagnies du Monde is mainly an assortment of self-portraits in which she transformed herself through makeup, costume, and color to bring her audience striking images of brides from various cultures around the world. After working on these self-portraits for about seven years, it’s conceivable that she would become a bit of a narcissist. On the contrary, it’s amazing how successfully she rid the photographs of any truly personal elements. Looking from piece to piece is like traveling to different corners of the globe and catching a glimpse of these solitary brides before they are given away to their men.

Yoshida’s insight into her work is striking. In a world where life is a search for one’s true self, one’s identity; her complete disregard to her own is a rarity. Her art is a personal vehicle of transformation into a realm of infinite space and intangibility.

“To be there where I think I am not, to disappear where I think I am, that is what matters,” she said.

Intentional or not, the strange space that presents this exhibit matches the exhibit itself. “Voyager est un art” – written upon the walls and floors, is the slogan for Compagnies du Monde, brought to life through Yoshida’s self-portraits. The travel agency uses these photographs to further appeal its customers to their own cultural voyages, adding an artistic flavor to business. Her photographs literally present “Femmes du monde.”

Compagnies du Monde through 31 Dec 2009

5 avenue de l'Opera, 75001 Paris

Metro: Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre
Monday – Friday: 9h – 19h Saturday: 10h – 19h