Taking it back to the early 1970s when the civil war erupted, the campus of the American University of Beirut started witnessing student movements and protests that interrupted the state of normalcy. But what is this said state of normalcy? And what is the campus but a reflection of what happens outside its gates?

On the morning of the 17^th of October, 2019, classes on campus went on as per usual, but the revolution burst into existence without a warning. After witnessing the gravity of the situation, I sent emails to my professors to excuse myself from attending classes until further notice because I wanted and needed to revolt. To my surprise, I bumped into many of my peers in the protests and on the streets, which only meant one thing: life on campus is about to change.

With the roadblocks hindering the access to the campus, and as the stability of the country was on the brink of total collapse, more students skipped classes and gathered in front of Main Gate to march together towards Downtown Beirut. In response to the students’ autonomous decision to fight for a Lebanon where they can stay and work, the university board deemed attendance non-mandatory, and most of the professors suspended classes. A joint statement by the presidents of AUB and USJ urged students to “embrace the new spirit … to build a civil state that goes beyond sectarianism and interest-sharing”. As for the classes that were not suspended, they adapted to the revolutionary state of normalcy in the most interesting forms.