The news of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States affected the campus in many ways. Shortly after the first news reports, President Richard C. Levin released an official statement: "We are shocked and saddened by the events of the last several hours and are doing all that we can to provide assistance and support to our students, faculty and staff."
Yale officials opted to keep offices open and continue classes in order to give campus members opportunities to gather and share their reactions to the crisis. Many faculty members chose to set aside their regular syllabi to discuss the tragedy with their students.
Throughout the day, deans, masters and department directors offered both assistance and emotional support to those who feared for the safety of their loved ones. Offices across campus fielded scores of calls on Tuesday and throughout the week from parents, family members and alumni seeking word about the status of their children, their friends and their classmates. As this paper wemt to press, it was still unknown how many Yale alumni or affiliates lost their lives in the attacks.
On the evening of the tragedy, hundreds of campus community members gathered on Cross Campus for a candlelight vigil. The flickering lights illuminated a sea of tear-stained faces, as University Chaplain the Reverend Frederick J. Streets offered a prayer, saying in part:
"Our words cannot express our deep anguish. We are stunned, scared, anxious, angry and bewildered as we attempt to steady ourselves in the midst of such an evil wind. We pray for those whose lives have been taken, those unaccounted for and those who have suffered injuries. ...
"Life for all of us has been changed forever by the events of this day. Help us to be slow in drawing conclusions, avoid stereotyping and vengeful reactions. ... Help us to support one another in our efforts to cope with this tragedy. May we channel our outrage into concrete acts of caring for and reaching out to one another. ..."
Levin then addressed the assembly, saying in part: "This is a tragedy that disturbs the integrity of our nation and threatens the planet. And it is a tragedy that reaches in personal terms to all of us. ... Yale is a community of concern, and to those of you who grieve and to those of you who are afraid, I say, we will do everything we can to help and support you." (The full text of the President's remarks can be found here.)
At the conclusion of the vigil, in a spontaneous gesture, many of the participants gathered around Maya Lin's sculpture The Women's Table and placed their candles there, until an oval of light glowed along the rim.
Elsewhere on campus the evening of Sept. 11, masters of residential houses and deans of the graduate schools hosted special events where students, staff and faculty could gather to share food and conversation and to watch newscasts on televisions brought in specially for the occasion. The School of Medicine dining hall, the Law School's Levinson Auditorium and the downstairs lounge at the School of Drama's Yale Repertory Theatre were among the locations on campus that were filled for hours with individuals dividing their time between watching, talking and making cell phone calls to family and friends across the country. As the week continued, many of these spaces -- such as the Graduate School's McDougal Center and Dwight Chapel -- remained open late or sponsored special hours for community gatherings.
Donating Blood and Helping in Other Ways
In the days after the attacks, scores of Yale students, staff and faculty responded to the call for blood donors, standing in line for hours at the American Red Cross on Whitney Avenue and other locations in the city. Blood drives were also held on campus at the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 12, held by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano Jr., Levin noted the Yale community's efforts to help in the wake of the tragedy, saying:
"The entire University community stands ready to assist those affected by this tragedy. We have had a University representative stationed at the city's emergency operations center since it opened yesterday. Hundreds of our students, faculty and staff have answered the call to give blood today, and many more will follow their example in the days ahead. Our nursing and medical students, almost to a person, have volunteered for emergency service in New York City or elsewhere if needed. Today, many of these students are participating in a special training program in disaster relief offered by the Red Cross."
Levin also noted that he had spoken to John Wilhelm '67, national leader of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees International Union, who had called to express his compassion on behalf of the members of Locals 34 and 35. "We in turn extend our compassion to the family of hotel and restaurant employees who fear the loss of 60 to 70 members who were at work in the Windows on the World restaurant atop the World Trade Center," said Levin.
While most campus activities continued as normal in the wake of the crisis, some events were cancelled, including the 25th anniversary celebrations of the School of Management and the Program on African American Studies, as well as a symposium on ethnic cleansing sponsored by the Howard Lamar Center for the Study of Frontiers and Borders. In addition, the Department of Athletics cancelled all weekend sports competitions. Information on possible cancellations of future events is available on the Yale University website www.yale.edu/about/11septnews.html.
The crisis also inspired several special campus events. On Friday, Sept. 14 -- which U.S. President George W. Bush declared as a national day of mourning -- there was a noontime service in Battell Chapel. It featured, in addition to remarks by the University Chaplain, a piano performance by School of Music Dean Robert Blocker, whose program included moving renditions of "America the Beautiful" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Special noontime services were also held at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale and other houses of worship on and around campus. That evening there was an interfaith service on Cross Campus organized by the Muslim Students Association and Yale Hillel.
The national day of mourning was followed by "A Celebration of Life" on campus the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 15. Tom Duffy, director of University Bands, conducted a performance by the Yale Concert Band on Beinecke Plaza, which included classical music and patriotic songs. The program also featured remarks by representatives of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic communities.
To help undergraduates and others in the Yale community understand the forces that led to the attacks and the possible consequences of the crisis, there was a "teach-in" for undergraduates and other members of the University community on Sunday, Sept. 16, in Battell Chapel. Yale College Dean Richard H. Brodhead led a panel of experts that included Abbas Amanat, professor of history and chair of the Council on Middle East Studies at the Yale Center for International and Area Studies (YCIAS); Deborah Davis, professor of sociology; Paul Kennedy, the J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History; Harold Hongju Koh, the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law; Gustav Ranis, the Frank Altschul Professor of International Economics and the Henry R. Luce Director of YCIAS; and Strobe Talbott, director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
Yale experts also offered insights on varied aspects of the crisis throughout the week in both the print and electronic media. Some of what they said can be found here.
Preserving community, tolerance and respect
"Although this week has been traumatic for us all, our common humanity has prevailed," noted Levin in a message to the Yale community on Monday, Sept. 17. "The days and weeks to come will further test our capacity as a community. There will inevitably be differences of opinion concerning the appropriate nature and scale of our nation's response. The freedom to hold and debate diverse opinions in a peaceful, pluralistic democracy is precisely what our nation will be defending. I urge you to keep this in mind, to preserve civility within our community and to tolerate and respect the rights of all its members."
Looking ahead at the Yale Bowl gala that will conclude the University's Tercentennial celebration the weekend of Oct. 5-7, Levin said, "The times may not warrant some of the expressions of exuberance that we have planned for over two years. We still intend to commemorate our Tercentennial, but the tone and content of its program require our careful reconsideration."
He urged members of the Yale community to contact Vice President and Secretary Linda K. Lorimer at tercentennial.office@yale.edu with their ideas and suggestions about how the University should proceed. He also noted that the deadline for reserving tickets for the event had been extended to Monday, Sept. 24. Faculty and staff may register online at www.yale.edu/yale300/tickets or by calling (203) 432-4419.
"I am confident," concluded Levin, "that we will find a way to use our 300th anniversary to strengthen our commitments to the advancement of knowledge, to the education of humane leaders and citizens and to the preservation of free inquiry that makes this nation the world's most fertile ground for teaching and learning."
-- By LuAnn Bishop
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Campus Mourns Tragic Attacks
A Community of Concern
Perspectives from Yale Experts
In the Wake of Tragedy
Yale receives $15 million for human genome research
'Be part of the community' psychiatrist urges in tragedy's wake
IN FOCUS: Mental Health Services
Experts to discuss 'The Development of Earth and Its Life'
Tercentennial exhibit showcases British masterpieces
Early European views of 'Wilde Americk' explored in exhibit
Law School 'runners' hope to beat Harvard to the beach
Yale employees being treated to free football, tailgate party
Conference to examine disparities in health care based on sex, race and income
Peabody invites all interested to volunteer open house
Memorial Services
Campus Notes
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