An estimated 3,000 people walked together, joined hands, shared prayers and sang in a "Campus Unity Walk."

Raghuvir Mody, Protestant Minister David Moore, Imam Djafer Sebkhaoui, and Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard were among those offering readings and prayers at the Memorial.

MARK RAIDER:
WHAT A GOOD LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION IS ALL ABOUT

I am so impressed by the caliber of our students at this difficult time. When I entered Lecture Center 20 the day of the tragedy to teach my course on "Anti-semitism in Historical Perspective," I was met by a hundred or so nervous students, many of whom were fighting back tears or openly crying. When I suggested that we talk about what was going on and asked how we - I was thinking of the UAlbany faculty - could help them, a few students responded that "we all need to come together and help each other."

We compiled a list of suggestions and requests to be forwarded to Provost Carlos Santiago. A few of the class leaders even suggested that we use the course as a forum to discuss some of the troublesome social, political and religious issues that make it possible for intolerance and hate to turn into violence and terrorism - and "what we should do about it."

This was, I believe, a marvelous demonstration of what a good liberal arts education is all about: empowering students to think critically about the world around them and how they can change it for the better.

What I learned at UAlbany immediately after the crisis is something you won't see reported in the news, namely that there is a generation of college-age youth whose belief in a better world and civilized society is profound and unshakeable.

Mark Raider is chair of the Department of Judaic Studies and director of the Center for Judaic Studies.

SIDDIQUE FAROOQI:
HATE IS OUR COMMON ENEMY.

The Muslim Student Association of the University at Albany shares the grief felt by our fellow Americans and people around the world, and wholeheartedly condemns the cowardly actions of September 11, 2001.

These acts could only have been triggered by hate - and not by religion. No organized religion preaches such pronounced statements of hate, violence or terror. Terrorism is a cancer that often strikes without much warning; and although there is no immediate cure, the only chance we have as a nation is to stand united. This includes people of all the different races, ethnic groups and religions that constitute the rich collage we call the United States of America. To preserve this collage, we must not accept incidents of harassment or intolerance toward other ethnic groups.

Islam is a religion that promotes peace and harmony, and would never lead a true follower to resort to violence. Muslims are just another ingredient in American society, as are other religious and ethnic groups. To think otherwise would mean taking a piece out of our social collage, thus making America weaker. That is an obvious objective of the terrorists responsible for the unspeakable attacks of Sept. 11, and one we must not allow.

We must unite and fight our common enemies: hate and terrorism. United we stand, divided we fall.

Siddique Farooqi is a senior from Locust Valley, Long Island, and a member of UAlbany's 80-member Muslim Student Association. A psychology major, he plans to attend law school next fall.

EDELGARD WULFERT:
WE MUST REJECT ANY SENSE OF "COMMUNAL FURY."

In such times (as these), it is almost a natural reflex for people to come together and find comfort in being with others. Talking about what happened, participating in events that unite us with others, such as the candlelight vigil, the unity march, the teach-ins and the memorial service, all were important occasions for beginning the process of healing and re-establishing a sense of safety and community.

Once the immediate danger has subsided, another normal human reaction is to experience anger and outrage. However, we need to be very careful as to how we direct these emotions because, from a newfound sense of community, often a sense of "communal fury" emerges. I have heard Arab-American and foreign students from the Middle East express concerns about glares from some fellow students. As a University community, we must continue to send a strong message that it is utterly unacceptable to single out any individual because of his or her national origin, ethnic background, or religious beliefs.

However great our anguish or anger, by targeting innocent people we are putting ourselves at the same level with the terrorists. Faculty members and students can work together to integrate the events of Sept. 11 and afterward by engaging in reasoned and informed dialogue whenever the occasion or need arises.

Edelgard Wulfert is an associate professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, and chair of the University Senate.

DONALD A. BIGGS:
KINDNESS AND CARING FROM THE "ME" GENERATION

Last September 11th, I was passing through the Campus Center to get my morning cup of coffee. My eye caught the scene on television, a plane flying dangerously close to the World Trade Center. Then, the unthinkable happened: it crashed into that splendid tower in Lower Manhattan. These events signaled the beginning of a national tragedy that is still unfolding. However, these tragic times have not only included stories of darkness and despair, but they have also included stories of ordinary citizens who have assumed the mantles of heroes and heroines. We have witnessed amazing stories of kindness, caring and concern by those who have been described as the "me" generation.

Later that day, I watched students and faculty come together to provide each other with support during these trying times. I was taken aback by the quality of concern that was being demonstrated on our campus. How could so many people have responded to these horrible conditions in such ways that dignified themselves and the campus community?

At the same time as these events were occurring, the University was preparing to host a visit by a high-level delegation from the Republic of Cyprus. During a round of phone conversations with representatives of this small island country off the coast of Turkey, they reminded me that the terrorist attacks were the first foreign invaders on our soil during the last century. On the other hand, they pointed out that they were very old hands at dealing with foreign invaders. Indeed for the last 25 years, they have lived under war-like conditions that have kept them "on the edge" as they constructed an economic miracle that is the envy of many countries twice their size. I wondered aloud, what can these people from a very small Mediterranean country teach the citizens of the United states about living gracefully with evil forces that hide in the dark corners of our society.

We are not used to having enemy forces in our homeland. However, this is not true for the Irish, Israelis, Palestinians and citizens of other countries who have lived their daily lives with terrorists in their towns and neighborhoods while we Americans watched from a distance.

Universities have responded to terrorism with theories and research that allowed us to distance ourselves from the fear and agony of ordinary humans who found themselves living in these conditions. Although I recognize the benefits of scholarly analysis of terrorism, I also recognize their limitations. The story of terrorism is more than data and theories, and we must not mislead our students into thinking that distance and objectivity will provide a full and complete understanding of these conditions.

The "tragic" point of view provides a powerful prescription for dealing with terrorism in the United States. It assumes that ordinary Americans can transcend these conditions in their lives. It is not a time for self-pity. As of September 11th, the plague of terrorism is no longer the problem of others. It is our problem! We will need more than tightened security to survive. We will also need a sense of humor. We would be well advised to heed the tongue-in-cheek Cypriot adage to "build houses as if we were going to live forever, and eat as if we were going to die tomorrow!"

Donald A. Biggs is a professor of counseling psychology and director of the Urban Education Program at UAlbany.

THOMAS A. BIRKLAND:
RE-THINKING OUR PUBLIC POLICYAGENDA

The World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks are among the most important events of our era. They will influence the research and policy agendas of innumerable organizations and institutions, in both the public and private sectors.

Those changes include a careful re-examination of aviation security and a much greater interest from Americans and their elected officials in hard news about terrorism and national security. In the past, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the airlines have often fought safety improvements because they would impose costs on airlines. Cost containment no longer is a barrier to improved security because passengers are likely to stay away from air travel if the airlines don't begin to take security very seriously. Indeed, airlines are now concerned that the FAA is not going far enough in addressing the security problem.

As this story builds, frivolous news such as Gary Condit's carryings-on, or celebrity gossip, such as Mariah Carey's mental health, will creep back into the gossip columns, but they won't be Topic One among serious news organizations any more. And if the terrorism story continues to develop, as with the anthrax scares during October, fluff news will be yet more irrelevant as stories about bio-terrorism become more important and relevant to most viewers and readers of the news.

New York City is now being held up as a model of sound emergency response - its only fault, I think, was in locating its emergency management center in 7 World Trade Center, which, unfortunately, was too close to the emergency. But the mayor, in particular, and the uniformed services performed well, once again showing how response is a local, not a national, function.

Perhaps the most important outcome from a disaster management perspective is the question of mitigation. How do we keep bad disasters from being worse ones? In this case, the experts are already talking about how to protect structures from this type of terrorist attack. These are tough questions for architects and engineers to address. Any building could be collapse proof, but perhaps no one could afford it.

Finally, it is clear that terrorism in all its forms - chemical, nuclear, biological, etc. - is going to be very much a focus of the government for some time to come. This may knock issues like missile defense, social security, budget deficits, and the like to lower positions on the agenda, because when crises like WTC happen, people immediately seek solutions to the problem. This is not to say that the problems revealed by the WTC attack are new - far from it. Rather, the WTC attack has made these problems so prominent that the people who first raised these issues as potential threats are now able to promote the problems as actual threats, to which concerted attention must be paid.

Thomas A. Birkland is an associate professor, director of the Center for Policy Research; and author of After Disaster: Agenda Setting, Public Policy, and Focusing Event.

JIM COLLINS:
WE MUST SEEK RECONCILIATION, RATHER THAN REVENGE

"We must not simply "rally round the flag."

The sudden, massive loss of life can only leave us sorrowful, confused, and seeking an answer. We must remember the victims, show our solidarity with their loved ones, and seek to prevent such horrors from occurring again. We must not, however, simply "rally round the flag." Now is not the time to follow our leaders unquestioningly.

We must remember that the United States had an acknowledged role - a complicity - in the Cold War training of Islamic militias, the Taliban, and, yes, Osama bin Ladin. We must defend the civil rights that have made this country a "beacon of liberty" when many call for removing freedoms in the name of security. We must seek peace and reconciliation rather than war and revenge.

Jim Collins is a professor of Anthropology and of Reading.

MISSING ALUMNI *

Mark A. Brisman, B.S.'89.

Clyde Frazier, B.A.'88.
Frazier works for the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

Joseph Maffeo, B.A.'94.
Maffeo is a New York City firefighter.

See-wong Shum, M.B.A.'90.
See-wong Shum works for the New York Metropolitan Transport Council, which was located on the 82nd floor of the North Tower.

* As of Nov. 1, 2001.