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The Rice Thresher
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by Olivia Allison and Rachel Rustin Thresher editorial staff
A day that was supposed to be "normal," full of classes and meetings, was instead filled with CNN, phone calls and consoling friends and colleagues. At press time, Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido Camacho said he did not know of any students whose family members were injured or killed in the attacks. However, President Malcolm Gillis said a few students' parents work in New York City's World Trade Center, and at least two students' parents work at the Pentagon. The Rice Crisis Management Team, a group that meets in emergencies, met Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. to discuss an appropriate response to the events. The team decided to send e-mails to students updating them about the situation, leave the cancellation of classes to the discretion of professors and set up a Web site to keep everyone informed. While the team decided not to call off classes, many professors either canceled or decided to change their lesson plans. (See Story, Page 12). At 11:30 a.m., Baker Institute Director Edward Djerejian held a news conference with local media in which he spoke about the situation and fielded questions (See Story, Page 12). Employees of the Rice Counseling Center and members of the College Assistance Peer Program held a forum in each college at lunch so students could discuss their feelings about the events of the morning. At the same time, faculty and staff attended an emergency meeting in the Kyle Morrow Room of Fondren Library. In addition, the President's Lecture Series speech, the King of Jordan's speech and the varsity women's soccer game, all scheduled for Wednesday, were canceled (See Story, Page 1). For some, tragedies hit home For some students, faculty and staff members, a loved one's death was not necessary for a deeply personal impact. Duncan Hasell, a fourth-year graduate student in the English department, spent Tuesday morning worrying about the safety of his siblings. His brother works at the Pentagon and his sister in the Merrill-Lynch office of the World Financial Center across the street from the WTC. Neither were hurt in the attacks. Hasell's brother had a meeting that took place in the area of the Pentagon destroyed by the plane crash Tuesday morning, but had left the area to go to another part of the building to watch coverage of the WTC attack. Hasell said he got an e-mail at 11 a.m. from his brother saying he had not been injured. "He had walked to one of his colleagues' houses about three miles from the Pentagon and sent e-mails out," Hasell said. Hasell's sister had worked late Monday night and had planned to go to work later Tuesday morning. Hasell said although he was relieved by the outcome, he still feels devastated by the attacks. "I don't feel blessed - I don't think anybody in this country feels blessed right now," Hasell said. "I feel lucky and I'm sorry for all the other people who have suffered in this." Martel College sophomore Kerry Loughran said three members of her church in her hometown of Darien, Conn., were missing at press time. Loughran said other citizens of her town work on a floor of the WTC that was reportedly destroyed. "I think my town is going to be hit hard," she said. "Everyone is in a state of shock, especially because the trade centers are so close to us that we can see them from the beach. Now they're gone, along with members of our community." Loughran said the number of people from her town injured or killed in the attack could be anywhere between 15 and 100, a big loss for a town of 19,000. She said she wishes she could be in Connecticut. "I have this instinctual feeling that I want to be at home, but at the same time I know there's nothing I could do," she said. Associate Vice President for Human Resources Mary Cronin spent the day trying to help fellow employees while being concerned about her own family's whereabouts. Cronin's husband was in Washington, D.C., on business, but she was unsure of where he was working or how to get hold of him. "I finally had the good sense to call his office," Cronin said. "He had just called his office and so they were able to tell me that they knew where he was. My daughter had just called his office too, so his boss was able to report to me that she was OK." Cronin said Rice is a strong community of people who are looking for as many ways to help as possible. "I think we are all trying to facilitate ways that we can express our concern and just get down to business in some way that will be helpful," Cronin said. Muslim student group receives hate mail Amid the flood of news throughout the day, the Muslim Students Association was forced to deal with an offensive e-mail in addition to the same emotions suffered by the Rice community. MSA co-President Ammar Ahmed said the MSA listserv administrator received an e-mail from a Rice account filled with offensive questions directed at Muslim students. The MSA replied to the e-mail, without threatening the individual. When the MSA received a response consisting of similar material, members decided not to reply again. "What happened here wasn't that bad," Ahmed, a Lovett College senior, said. "It wasn't a threat, but still, it showed some degree of intolerance and stereotyping and scape-goating." Members of the MSA had already been contacted by Rice Broadcast Television before they received the e-mail, and decided to appear in the aftermath of receiving the e-mail. "We're coming at it from a slightly different angle," Ahmed said. "Yes, we suffered this incredible loss, but in some way we are thought to be representative of all Muslims in the world, including the extremists." Ahmed said at the time the e-mail was received there was no hard evidence the person responsible for the attack had been Islamic. He stressed that there are extremists of all religions, not just Islam, and that the MSA "unequivocally condemns" all acts of terrorism against civilians. "In general, this is an educated community so they hear about this e-mail and its intolerant attitude and they say it is wrong to go out and accuse someone of these perpetrators being our people," Ahmed said. "People have agreed that [sending the e-mail] was an inappropriate thing to do." MSA co-President Hana Khan said making derogatory statements toward Muslims was unfair. "We are just as disturbed by this as everyone else is, and on top of how everyone else feels from it, we have this additional affiliation that people impose on us," Khan, a Brown College senior, said. "It's just another level that we have to put up with. ... I'm really emotionally tired just thinking about it." Masters comment on students' reactions While trying to cope with the tragedies themselves, the masters of each college spent most of Tuesday listening to students' responses and fears. Jones College Master Rick Barrera said he observed a sense of shock among students. "They definitely feel impacted," Barrera said. "They are very somber - they are talking amongst themselves. It shocks them that it could really happen in the United States." Will Rice College Master Dale Sawyer said although students' general mood was somber, they were comforted by the presence of one another. "We had a good crowd at lunch, and I think people were just happy to be with other people," he said. Brown College Master Katharina Brunner said she was impressed by the level of support students offered each other. "I think the students are very supportive to each other," Brunner said. "I think that was something really positive. Everyone knew who had family [that might be involved]. Everybody huddled around them and tried to support them." Administrators help students The repercussions of Tuesday's plane crashes would be felt for a long time, Gillis said in an interview Tuesday. "We're not going to be finished reflecting on this tomorrow or Friday or next week or next month," Gillis said. "This is, unfortunately, a watershed event in our society that will probably lead to changes that none of us would rather happen. We're going to be thinking about this for a long time." Camacho also emphasized the importance of moving on. "The most important thing is that those that need help are getting help they need," Camacho said. "We're going to move forward." Gillis, Camacho and Assistant to the President Mark Scheid visited each college Tuesday during dinnertime to gauge the student body's mood and answer questions. Gillis told students not to spend time analyzing events but to help others deal with the effects of the attacks. "Don't waste your precious psychic energy trying to understand," he said. "Something this evil is beyond human comprehension. Better if that energy is turned towards helping others cope and in some cases get through personal tragedy that strikes very, very deep." Gillis told students not to listen to rumors about the attacks but to check Rice's Web site for information. He also encouraged students to talk to administrators, staff and faculty about their experiences. "We've never been insular on this campus, and we're not going to start now," he said. Gillis reiterated the historical significance of the day's tragedies, comparing them to landmark events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "You don't need anyone to tell you that this is the second terrible day of infamy in our history this century," Gillis said. "I actually remember Pearl Harbor. Vividly. You're going to remember this day too, unfortunately, for a long, long time to come, and I'm sorry about that." Cronin also spoke of the monumental nature of Tuesday's events. "It's going to be a defining event for your generation in a way that other days were for people who are older than you," Cronin said. "I was 13 when John Kennedy was assassinated and I still remember that day. I can't help but think that this thing is going to have the same type of resonance for all of us, but it's kind of that first earth-shaking event that happens in your life."
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