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INSIDE
THIS
ISSUE
Bellespeak
Merner becomes office space for Humanities faculty
Page 2....
Belles talk about
antrax threat
News & Features
Page 3....
Next issue offers
tips on beating stress
during finals
Critic's Comer
Page 4....
Reading for pleasure?
Two new books re
viewed: "Long Time
No See" and "A
Theory of Relativity"
BY MONYA TOMLINSON
Chief Editor
Annie Residence Hall,
fonnerly a dormitory for honor
students for more than 20 years,
has a new function. Memerisan
office building for some of the
faculty membo^ in the humanities
department.
Eleven faculty membo^ frcxn
the Humanities Department wm
moved from their offices in Wilber
Steele Hall because that building
is in need of extensive repairs and
renovations.
Dr. Anne Mangum, chairperson
of the Humanities Department,
said that Steele was evacuated be
cause of a mandate from the divi
sion of infrastructure.
"The building had poor infra
structure because of its age and
there was a threat of health prob
lems if the faculty members stayed
there," Mangum said.
Steele Hall was built in 1927.
In tbe basonent of Steele, sev-
walls and roofing have visible
water damage.
Memer's former residents were
relocated to Annie Memer Pfieffo'
Residence Hall in October. The
building wasbuiltin 1937, making
it IS years younger than Steele
HaU.
Memer's new occupants include
faculty members from the English
and World Languages program,
music program, and the arts and
humane studies program. Their
offices are located on tbe ground
floor of the building.
"We are comfortable in this build
ing," Mangum said. "The initial
plan was to scatter us [humanities
faculty] around the campus., but
Memer continued on Page 3
THE
Bennett Banner.
VOL XXIII NO. 4 November 9,2001 Bennett College Greensboro, NC 27401
Sept. 11
Two professors from India discuss how their lives
and the lives of their families have been changed
BY LASHAINNA CAMPBELL
Associate Editor
Biology professor Dr. Sekbara
Rao Basavaraju entered the Pied
mont Triad International Airport
Oct 19 to board his flight to San
Juan Puerto Rico.
He walked with his head down
to avoid eye contact with pass-
ersDy Decause ne aio not want to
be mistaken for something he was
not - a terrorist.
Basavaraju, known by many stu
dents as Dr. Rao, is an India native
and since the attacks on Sept. 11
he said his life has changed.
When he is not on campus, Rao
said he has received "suspicious
looks"buthis daughters have been
confronted more directly.
"My daughter in Raleigh went to
get some gas and some people
shouted at her," Rao said. "Ttey
did not hurt her, but as they drove
away angry they spat on the
ground.”
Rao’s other daughto^, a Greens
boro resident, experiraced a con
frontation in the Fbur Seasons Mall.
“Someone asked her if she was
from Afghanistan,” Rao said.
Rao is not tbe only member of
the Beimett community that has
been confronted because of his
physical appearance.
In the wake of tbe^q>L 11 ta~
rorist attacks, tbe media have re
ported that throughout tbe United
States, individuals of Middle East
ern descent have been threatened,
intimidated, and even injured.
Dr. Asha Khopkar, a sociology
p-ofessor, also a native of India
said she has been more anxious
these days following ttie attaclcs.
had a southern accent, according
to Khopkar.
New AD
is former
NBA player
BY KEISHA A.J. STOUTE
Banner Reporter
The position of athletic director
was officially filled Oct. 25 by a
former professional basketball
player for the NBA.
Gene Banks has assumed the
roles of Athletic Director and head
basketball coach.
Banks attended Duke Univer
sity and was a member of the Chi
cago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs
NBA teams.
His coaching experience in
cludes coaching women’s basket
ball at Bluefield State College, a
Division II school.
Banks continued on Page 3
Dr. Rao helps (left) Yosha Hawkins and Melody
Caldwell both seniors majoring in biology. Photo by
LaShainna Campbell associate editor.
“We fear that we will be mis
taken for people of Islam who are
coming from Pakistan, Afghani
stan, and Iran,” Khopkar said.
"I told my son not to keep a
beard now," Khopkar said.
Osama bin Laden and the mem
bers of the Taliban are required to
wear long beards.
Sept. 21 Khopkar said that she
received a threatening phone call
at home at midnight The anony
mous caller said," *We know you
are from Afghanistan, so get out of
the country at once!'" The caller
Khopkar reported the incident
to the N.C. Division of Special
Investigations.
"Nothing was done about it,"
Khopkar said. "Ihavenotheardof
any efforts to protect those who
may resemble people from Af
ghanistan, Pakistan, or Iran except
from the news media.
"The U.S. Attorney General
Ronald Ashcroft and President
Bush have said that it [discrimina-
Players to present
'a joyful celebration'
of survival'
The Bennett Players will present
'Trran the Mississippi Delta" writ
ten by Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Hol
land Nov. 16,17, and 19 at 7:30
p.m. with a matinee Nov. 18 at 3
p.m in The Little Theater.
This autobiographical woik cap
tures tbe life of Dr. Endesha Ida
Mae Holland, a retired professor
of the University of New York at
Buffalo.
Sept. 11 continued on Page 3
Players continued on Page 3