On Sept. 11, Northwestern students and faculty watched the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington unfold from scattered locations across the globe. One month later, the NU community came together to mark the tragedy with a day of mourning and education.
Beginning with a candlelight vigil and continuing throughout the day with eight lectures and panel discussions, NU paused Thursday to reflect on the attack and examine the ways in which the last month has changed the world. Although attendance at some lectures might have been higher if classes had been canceled, organizers said they were pleased with the day’s turnout.
Howard Lien, executive director of NU’s American Civil Liberties Union, said the dialogue at the lectures was something that students, faculty and staff wanted.
“This is the university’s opportunity to come together and reflect, mourn and learn about the tragedy and the factors that may have contributed to it,” said Lien, a Weinberg junior who moderated one of the day’s panels. “It has been really great to see the level of energy the faculty has for the topic and for educating the community. We actually had difficulty containing some of their enthusiasm.”
Attendance at the panels ranged from about 60 to 150 students, with numbers increasing toward the end of the day.
Stephen Fisher, associate provost for undergraduate affairs, said attendance had been strong through all of the programs. The level of discussion, he said, made the events worthwhile.
“Everyone seemed into it,” Fisher said. “Faculty members were talking about the way ideas are framed and analyzing them. I’m enormously pleased the groups of students put in the time and effort to organize the panels and that faculty were willing to devote their time.”
The panels, which were offered throughout the day, featured faculty members and intellectuals from outside the university. Topics included “Media and the Representation of Crisis,” “Student Responses to the Crisis,” “Constructing a U.S. Response: Challenges and Opportunities,” “Historical Roots of Anti-Americanism Abroad,” “The United Nations’ Response to Terrorism,” “The Failure of U.S. Intelligence and the Events of Sept. 11,” “Liberty and Truth are the First Casualties of War” and “Science and Engineering: Technological Implications of Sept. 11.”
The NU groups decided to use Thursday as a day of remembrance mainly because school was not yet in session on the day of the attack. Officials from other universities, which held memorial services and candlelight vigils in the week following Sept. 11, said they did not plan events on the one-month anniversary of the tragedy.
Marisa Osorio, a spokeswoman for the University of California at Los Angeles, said Thursday was “quiet on the student end.” UCLA planned most of their events in the days immediately after the attack, holding a memorial service Sept. 13. To offer an educational option associated with the attacks, the school has created 50 new courses in international relations, warfare and other disciplines, Osorio said.
At University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chancellor John Wiley used the Oct. 11 anniversary to announce a series of “listening sessions” the university will offer seeking feedback on how the school has handled the aftermath of the attacks. Wiley will lead each of the three 90-minute sessions, which will be free and open to the public.
Although he said in a press release that Wisconsin has handled the fallout from the attacks well, Wiley said he is concerned that hostilities toward Muslim and other faculty, staff and students may have gone unreported.
Other universities may have been able to offer memorials closer to when the attacks took place, but Fisher said NU’s response on Thursday was “very gratifying to see.”
“I think our events were an appropriate response (to the attacks),” he said.
