MIDDLE EAST STUDENT FORUM

Do you find yourself wishing that there were more opportunities for students to learn about and discuss Middle East issues--beyond what is covered on the daily news? Are you frustrated with current state of student discourse about the Middle East here on campus? If you answered yes, then you are hereby invited to apply to serve on the steering committee for the Middle East Student Forum (MESF).

The Middle East Student Forum hosts monthly events open to the public, including presentations and roundtable discussions with local and visiting lecturers. The Forum provides a setting for an active student discourse on the Middle East regarding such subjects as politics, religion, culture, and current events, initiating discussion so that the participants gain knowledge and insight about issues that rarely make it to the headlines. The Forum also serves as a vital link between the student body, faculty, and other student organizations within the university itself, to improve awareness of events regarding the Middle East and its people as take place around the campus and Chapel Hill community.

Presiding over the forum is a core steering committee, which consists of undergraduate and graduate student representatives. As a member of the committee you will help select the forum's topics for each semester as well as organize lectures, discussions, presentation, and other engaging events. In addition to organizing the forum's public events, you will have the opportunity to hold private discussions with faculty, guest lecturers and other visitors. A faculty advisory board facilitates interaction and collaboration between the steering committee and professors who specialize in issues regarding the Middle East.

If you'd like to participate in this exciting process, please apply to become a steering committee member; however, if you are unable to assume the responsibilities of being on this committee, feel free to join the list-serve so that you may attend meetings and keep track of events as they are being planned. For information on the application process or to join the listserv, please contact Sara Aghajanian.

For a list of local events related to the Middle East, click here.