Students and faculty met for a Global Affairs Table that focused on Zimbabwe and its economic and political turmoil on Thursday, Sept. 25.The Global Affairs Table is a collaboration between the student organization Gen Ed Now, a club on campus that educates and inspires the campus on contemporary national and global issues, and the Wien International Scholars, international students who have won the Wien Scholarship for outstanding academic and personal achievements.

Ben Gorelick '11, a Wien Scholar and member of Gen Ed Now who helped organize the event, said, "Brandeis really claims to stand for a global focus and to be oriented towards global awareness. We noted that there was a lack of global dialogue on campus, and we wanted to improve that. So, we came up with the idea of the Global Affairs Table."

The topics for the Global Affairs Table are decided by the Wien Scholars, who come from different parts of the world, Gorelick said. "[They] have local insight not shared from people on campus necessarily. They can bring this insight, especially when there are events happening in these countries. They can bring forward that insight at a time when it is important to talk about it."

He said Zimbabwe was the topic of choice for the first discussion "because of the recent political developments in the country since the beginning of the year."

Twenty-five students and faculty members at the event learned about and discussed the process that is underway in Zimbabwe to create a government where "power is shared between the ruling party [Zimbabwe African National Union-Political Front] and the opposition [Movement for Democratic Change]," Gorelick said.

Prof. Wellington Nyangoni (AAAS) discussed the tension surrounding issues of land reform, and Gorelick and Tapiwa Mushove '09 gave brief presentations on the political and economic history of Zimbabwe using what they have learned in class, articles they have read, personal experiences and personal research.

Nyangoni discussed the issue of resentment among unsettled Africans of white ownership of land expropriated in the colonial era. He said land distribution has serious ramifications today in Zimbabwe.

He stressed the importance of understanding these worldwide issues, because we are students heading out into the global community.

During the presentations, students learned from Gorelick about the economic factors that have led to 11 million percent hyperinflation in Zimbabwe and were able to discuss and question the role that nongovernmental organizations have played in the country. The inflation is a result of an increase in the amount of money printed, a loss of confidence in money, and the political policies of current president Robert Mugabe.

Students at the event also questioned the intentions that non-governmental organizations have when they decide to help people in urban areas versus people in rural areas.

The Office of Global Affairs sponsored the event using money from the Global Brandeis fund, said Gorelick. "We are going to hopefully have one event per month and three to four per semester. We want to try to improve and increase the amount of dialogue on campus and bring the faculty, students and staff together to talk about global events."

"[The event] is not meant to be a lecture. This is meant to be an inclusive discussion where people can bring insight that they've gotten from classes or interesting current events," he said.

Laura Velez '11 said she was interested in attending the event because "The idea of talking about important happenings, both current and historical, in a relaxed environment, with faculty and students, seemed like a perfect opportunity. ... I feel like everybody [at the event] was truly interested in learning without feeling like they had to have something smart to say.