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The Red and Black • Tuesday, March 6, 1990 • 6
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University student finds time for
studies, debate and worldly woes
By MARLA EDWARDS
Staff Writer
A profile.
The director of the University chapter of Amnesty
International, Hogai Nassery, saw firsthand the
human struggle and suffering that her organization
works so hard to stop around the world.
She spent time in Afghan refugee camps, witnes
sing life in a war zone and its effects on people left to
find a safe haven and a way to survive.
Nassery went to the northwest frontier of Pakistan
in 1987 to work with Afghan refugees who fled their
homeland during Soviet occupation. Now Nassery de
votes much time and energy to the University’s
chapter of Amnesty International, which works to free
political prisoners and stop human-rights abuses
worldwide.
Her experience in Pakistan helped lead her to her
present involvement in the organization.
A native of Kbul, the capital of Afghanistan,
Nassery left the country with her family at the age of
seven months when her father came here to study
medicine.
Her family returned to Afghanistan later for about
a year because her father wanted to use his medical
skills in his native country. After a coup d’etat in
which the Afghan king was overthrown, the family
left for the United States again in 1973, when Nassery
was five.
Nassery said her family was initially happy about
the coup d’etat. But she said when pro-Soviet tenden
cies began to surface in the new government before
the occupation by Soviet troops, the family packed its
bags and came back to this country.
While working in the refugee camps in Pakistan,
Nassery learned about life in a war zone. During her
two-month stay, she lived with an uncle who used his
skills as a doctor to provide basic health care in the
camps.
Nassery said unlike many refugee situations, in
which people are happy to remain in their adopted
country, the Afghan refugees patiently wait to return
to their homeland.
‘They keep their culture, they keep their language
and wait until they can go back,” she said.
As well as working in the health clinics, Nassery
taught English to refugees and spent much of her
time traveling to different camps interviewing people
and taking pictures.
There were about three million refugees in camps
in Pakistan as well as more than two million in camps
in Iran, she said.
Although the last Soviet troops officially withdrew
from Afghanistan in February 1989, Nassery said
there is still Soviet presence in the country in the form
of economic and military support.
When she returned from Pakistan, Nassery started
Supporters for a Free Afghanistan on campus in Jan
uary 1988, which raised money to send to refugees.
She also decided a degree in medicine would best
equip her to help people such as those she met in the
camps.
A graduate of West Georgia College at the age of 18,
Nassery now studies science as a post-graduate to
prepare for medical school.
In January 1989, Supporters for a Free Afghani
stan disbanded and Nassery began concentrating on
frscy SUnberg/The Red and Black
Hogai Nassery: At work in bio-science
A West Georgia College graduate at
the age of 18, she studies post
graduate science to prepare for
medical school.
her studies — as well as devoting herself to working
for Amnesty International at the University.
“I realized there’s so little you can do from here in
the United States to help people around the world
who are suffering. One of the purest and most credible
ways I feel is Amnesty,” she said.
Campus Amnesty International Adviser Jaxk
Reeves said Nassery is probably the most involved
student in the organization.
“Here you have someone who does well in school
and in addition manages to do things to help other
people,” he said.
While keeping up with her studies and directing
the campus Amnesty International group, Nassery
also serves as vice president of the Demosthenian So-
ciety.
Demosthenian President Melissa Griffin said Nass
erts work, which includes keeping tabs on four dif
ferent committees as well as timing speeches during
meetings, is important to the structure of the society.
“She kind of provides a non-Western view a lot of
times in debate, which is really good,” Griffin said.
Nassery said she will work in refugee camps or Af
ghanistan when she graduates from medical school.
Naming of buildings complex
By KAREN FLETCHER
Contributing Writer
Someday your name may grace
the halls of the University of
Georgia. Some students already
have suggestions for future hall
names.
Michelle Wheeler, an adver
tising major, said Athletic Di
rector Vince Dooley would be a
likely candidate to have a
building named in his honor.
Kim Bentley, a public relations
major, thinks University Presi
dent Charles Knapp is a front
runner. Other suggestions range
from famed football player Hers-
chel Walker to developmental
studies instructor Jan Kemp.
F. Nash Boney, histoty pro
fessor and author of “A Walking
Tour of UGA,” said these people
probably won’t be chosen any
time soon.
“Buildings usually aren’t ded
icated before a person’s death,”
he said.
‘This school has named its
buildings after what it considers
to be it’s meyor contributors,” he
said. “A lot of the buildings were
named after professors who were
here a long number of years.”
A possible source of informa
tion about this school’s history is
WUGA’s Centerlines.
Boney reads parts of “The
Walking Tour” two Wednesdays
a month on Centerlines, at 12:10
p.m and 6:30 p.m. He has already
SDoken about the history of 14 of
tne campus’ buildings, and his
next two readings are scheduled
for Mar. 14 and Mar. 28.
An example is although the
College of Journalism and Mass
Communication building was
named by students as one of the
most popular buildings on
campus, many don’t know that
it’s named after Henry W. Grady,
dean and former editor of he At
lanta Journal and Constitution.
The Tate Student Center, San
ford Stadium and Brooks Hall
were named as the other leading
three popular buildings.
Brooks Hall is named in honor
of Robert Brooks, the Univer
sity’s first Rhodes scholar, pro
fessor of history, and dean of the
school of Commerce for 25 years.
William Tate, who served as
dean of men from 1942 to 1969,
played a crucial role in the
peaceful integration of the Uni
versity during the early 1960s.
The stadiurn’s famous hedges
were named for George Sanford,
former University president and
athletic department big-shot.
There used to be a one credit-
hour course called University
101, which taught about the Uni
versity’s history and devel
opment.
‘There’s something to be said
about the class,” Boney said.
“Some spend four years here and
know nothing about the history
of the campus.”
Dean Tate: Played a large
role in integration
SA wants universal desks installed
By JEFF WOHL
Contributing Writer
Only in baseball are left-handed people almost as
common as right-handers. In the real world, the na
tional average is 10 percent, but many University
classrooms are not up to that standard when it comes
to students’ desks.
The Student Association and the office for Aca
demic Affairs are trying to change that.
SA Senator Ted Echols, who is left-handed, said
many southpaws asked him if the SA could do some
thing about the problem.
After investigating during fall quarter, Echols and
his Academic Affairs Committee discovered many
classrooms couldn’t accommodate left-handers.
Tom Bowen, assistant to the vice president of Aca
demic Affairs, said until three or four years ago all
University desks were right-handed. He said the Uni
versity is distributing new universal desks when pos
sible, but the best time is between quarters.
Many classrooms are used throughout the day and
when they aren’t in use many Physical Plant em
ployees aren’t working.
When the seating in the North and South PJ audi
toriums was replaced, 30 left-handed desktops were
installed in eacn building, he said. This satisfied the
10 percent objective in an auditorium of 300.
Echols said he hopes the University uses universal
desks in future classrooms.
Bowen said the University will get large table-top
desks that can accommodate either left or right-
handed people. These cost about $120 per desk.
But for University senior microbiology major Matt
Camp, the change will not make a big difference.
Tt is not as much as a problem, being left-handed,
as people make it out to be,” he said.
Camp said he does not use left-handed desks when
they are available because he has learned to write at
desks that favor right-handed people.
Tripp McKenney, a University senior marketing
mqjcr who is left-handed, also has learned to write at
right-handed desks.
“Left-handed desks are nice but I’ve become used to
the right-handed ones,” he said.
ON CAMPUS
"Pizzas, trophies and road trips—our Volkswagens deliver."
Andy and Liza Keene, students at Texas A&M,
talk about their silver Volkswagen GTI's.
"My husband Andy and I bought our first GTI
in Texas and drove directly to Boston. A few days
later we turned around and headed back to
Texas, by way of Arizona. That cross country trip
was all it took. We liked the car so much we
decided to buy a second one."
"Volkswagens have a unique feel that no other
cars have," explained Andy. And he should know.
Andy's been racing his GTI on the Autocross
circuit for years and he has a shelf full of trophies
to prove it. When Andy isn't racing, he's
delivering pizzas to A&M students. "I don't know
what’s more challenging—racing Autocross or
delivering those pizzas before they get cold."
Together, the Keenes’ Volkswagens have
logged over 200.000 miles. They love their GTI's
parked side by side. But we don't know how
much longer they can keep them together. Right
after we took this photo, Andy ran off to look at a
new 1990JettaGll 16V.
(^VOLKSWAGEN
If you drive a Volkswagen, you might be selected to appear in an ad like the one above Send your story and a photo to Volkswagen Testimonials • 187 S Woodward, Suite 200 • Birmingham. Ml 48009