toyfoisxn
Merediths
November 14,2001
Herald
Volume XVH; Issue
Seminars give scope to Sept. 11
International Education Week serves as outlet to answer students’ questions
Q A week of
nightly seminars
explore the ques
tions probing the
campus in the
aftermath
of Sept. 11
Christina Holder
Editor in Chief
The war that shaped profes
sor of English Dr. Betly
Webb’s college career was the
Vietnam War.
As a student at Meredith
College, she remembers a time
when a professor held a semi
nar on southeast Asia, and no
one attended-
Apathy is difficult to com
bat. but she rejects the idea
that Meredith students are dis
interested in the war that is
now shaping their college
careers.
Her evidence points at the
students who have engaged in
discussion.s of the first two of
four seminars held nightly at 6
p.m. on the first floor of Belk
Dining Hal! in honor of Inter
national Education Week.
The event, lasting from
Nov. 12-16, is nationally rec
ognized and was established
on July 24, 2000 by Congress
to encourage global under
standing and relationships
among people of every coun-
iry.
As chair of the.rntemationafl
Studies Committee, Webb col
laborated with other faculty
members and students on the
committee to design a program
for International Education
Week that would speak to stu
dents' questions about the his
tory, culture and politics of the
Arab world.
Prior to the Sept. 11 attacks,
the Middle East was not on the
minds of many Americans.
This made Webb wonder if stu
dents were thinking about the
loca
tion
and
h is-
tory
Dr. David Gilmartin, a pro
fessor of history at North Car
olina State University with
expertise in the history of Pak
istan, spoke on the relationship
between Afghanistan and Pak
istan.
“The modern history of
of the countries were drawn to
serve the interests of the British
and the Russians whose con
flicts stretched from the late
19th to the middle 20th centu
ry-
“Critical to remember is that
the boundaries were drawn not
On Tuesday, the College’s
first model United Nations
team gave a presentation on the
issues the team would be tack
ling at the Model UN confer
ence in Atlanta on Thursday.
At the conference, the team
will represent Bangladesh and
Dr. David Qilmartin, professor of history at NC State, explains the history of Afghanistan’s
and Pakistan’s relationship.
“these exotic countries like
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. '
said Webb.
Therefore, the first seminar
on Monday night focused on
identifying the “stans”—Kaza
khstan, Turkmenistan. Uzbek
istan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
these two countries,” said
Gilmartin who stood only feet
from a large Middle Eastern
atlas projected onto the wall
behind him, “are majorily
intertwined."
Gilmartin explained that the
politics of both countries are
linked because the boundaries
to form a strong nation." said
Gilmartin. Instead.
Afghanistan served as a buffer
Slate between the two powers.
The boundary with Pakistan,
established by the British,
made the ethnic ties of both
Afghanistan and Pakistan
closely related.
Staff Photo Christina Holder
the International Alliance of
Women.
The seminars continue
tonight in Belk with a presenta
tion on South Asian women
refugees.-On Thursday night,
Muslim students from NC
Stale and Meredith will discuss
the Islamic faith and culture.
N THE INSIDE:
Prospects
tour campus
on second
Open Day
page 2
What could general ed look like
for the class of 2007?
Get all the details on
page 4
Cornhuskin'
has been over
for two weeks,
but the letters
are still coming,
page?