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To:
Members of the Campus Community
Great sorrow
is felt by members of the University of Delaware family over the unpardonable
events of September 11, 2001, when an unknown, but large, number of innocent
Americans lost their lives in terrorist attacks in New York City, at the
Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.
The fallout
resonates on our campus, especially since a significant portion of the
student body hails from communities in New York, New Jersey, Maryland,
and Virginia. The tragedy is thus a very personal one for many of our students,
faculty, staff, alumni and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to
those who have lost loved ones, and it is our fervent hope that those not
yet accounted for are found to be safe.
The events
of September 11 touched us all, and we are still trying to come to grips
with acts of senseless violence that, in the end, defy understanding.
We were very pleased that more than 4,000 members of the campus community came together Tuesday evening for a candlelight vigil on the Mall. Appropriately, the peaceful gathering was held in front of Memorial Hall?a building dedicated to the memory of Americans who gave their lives to defend the very freedom and democratic ideals that came under attack September 11. The vigil provided an opportunity to share the feelings in evidence throughout the day—fear and bewilderment, sadness and hope. It provided an opportunity to cry, to hurt and to gather as one to be comforted by the heartfelt prayers offered by Christians and Jews, Muslims and Baha’is as our community began what certainly will be a long and arduous process of healing. We thank the members of the Campus Religious and Spiritual Life Concerns Caucus for their work in organizing the vigil, and we thank our students for their participation. We also thank our students for their wonderfully generous response to the daylong blood drive, which was extended because of the outpouring of support. The University has kept its programs, facilities, faculty, and staff fully available to our students throughout this ordeal, and that will remain the case in the days ahead. Campus activities and services related to the tragedy will be detailed on this web site. There have been many reports that classroom discussions, the vigil, counseling sessions, and special programs have proved helpful to our students, faculty, and staff. We are truly grateful to all who have contributed their energy and talent to these activities. We also have been pleased to welcome many members of the larger Newark community to University-sponsored events related to the tragedy. International terrorism will clearly be a front-line topic of discussion and research by academics and government officials alike in the days and years ahead. One hopes that these efforts and others will be successful and that there will never again be a day similar to September 11, 2001. The citizens of the United States of America have a history of resiliency. I am confident that all of us privileged to currently be American citizens will be able to maintain that tradition and that we will collectively recover from these terrible crimes against humanity as an even stronger Nation.
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