COMPUTER

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“We also refer them to [Office of Informa tion and Technology] for classes on Google Apps, and a few other ones around campus, as well as free ones out there like Khan Academy,” Sutton said.

Sutton said providing staff members with computers also helps with their professional petitions, and each competition helps us eventually go on toward the national level competition called Legends,” said Aathira Balu, a fourth-year studying business administration and co-captain of the team.

The team practices three times a week for two to four hours, and then holds everyday practices for two to four hours in the week leading up to a competition.

“During practices, we teach the choreography first and then go through formations before cleaning them up,” Gor said. “We have conditioning days to focus on technique and form, and we spend time working on classical styles, since they’re foundationbased. A lot of technique goes into that.” development by allowing them to participate in online learning through online universities and community colleges.

Teams hoping to perform at Legends apply by submitting audition videos. If they are accepted, they have the opportunity to compete against other national South Asian dance teams in their annual competition in a select city in the United States.

Sutton said the computers used in the Computer Loan Program are old computers from departments across campus that would usually get sent to Surplus Property Services where old university property gets sold.

“After a couple years, usually when a warranty runs out, [University departments] will buy new computers, and they’ll send

Balu said the team travels mostly on the East Coast, but they’ve traveled as far as California and Chicago.

“Everyone that comes to these competitions are from different universities all around the country,” said Maya Rana, a third-year studying biomedical engineering and social media chair of Nazaare. “You meet a bunch of people from different teams, so you get a ton of connections from all these different states. I know a bunch of people from Houston, Atlanta and St. Louis now. One of our liaisons was from Chapel Hill, and I still talk to her every time I go back.”

Rana said Nazaare provides a space for students and dancers who identify with the South Asian community to cultivate new relationships and foster a sense of community on campus.

“Being a part of the Indian community here at [NC State] is a little hard in the

[their old] computers usually to Surplus, but now we’re getting them before they go to Surplus,” Sutton said. “They’ll come to us, we’ll erase everything, reload Windows on there, web browsers and then we’ll loan them out to people.”

Phipps said she encourages people of the NC State community to donate old equipment to Staff Senate to be used as a part of this project.

“Before you surplus any of your equip - sense that there is such a small community in comparison to other races on campus,” Rana said. “Nazaare has kept me grounded to my traditional roots, and allows me to enjoy my culture with others that also understand it.”

According to Balu, Nazaare has given the team members representation at NC State through the different dance styles they use, because they are able to spread their culture to others and reach diverse audiences through art.

“It’s feeling at home without actually being home,” Rana said. “I found a new sense of community through this team.” ment, allow Staff Senate the opportunity first to get them as donations, because … in our opinion, we feel like this project is gonna really expand to a lot of other people needing computers and wanting to grow their skill set,” Phipps said.

To learn more about Nazaare, head to their Get Involved page at getinvolved. ncsu.edu/organization/nazaare or follow the team on Instagram @ncsu_nazaare.

For more information on the Staff Senate Computer Loan Program, check out the Staff Senate website at staffsenate.ncsu. edu/initiatives/computer-loan-program/.