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October 1, 2001
Dear
Alumnae, Parents, and Friends of Smith College: I write today to offer
you a sense of the responses here at Smith to the tragic
events
of September 11. As you know, the semester had barely begun,
indeed we
had completed only three days of classes, before the incredible news and searing
images engulfed us. On the day of the catastrophes themselves we did our best
to provide structure, reliable information, and opportunities for counseling
at various places on campus. Shock and grief were tangible everywhere.
An all-college
meeting was convened that afternoon in John M. Greene
Hall. Some 2,000 students, staff, and faculty members came
together in a moving
display of communal solidarity. In opening remarks I attempted
to give voice to the
grief
and horror we were all experiencing, and I reminded the audience of the
statements of former Presidents Mendenhall and Davis at all-college
meetings following
the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
I
called on all of us to support one another and to resist
appeals to hatred toward the members of any racial, religious,
or ethnic group because of
the actions of particular members of such groups. This remark drew sustained
applause. In
an attempt to begin the process of using the resources of the faculty
to understand the events of that day we were, by a happy
coincidence, able
to
hear the views
of Sally Katzen '64, a former senior federal official, who is familiar
with the planning for responses to terrorism. Provost Susan Bourque and
Professor
Donna
Divine, both of the Government Department, also shed some historical
and political light on what little was at that point known
with certainty.
The Dean of the
College, Maureen Mahoney, spoke about support available to students,
including residence life and student affairs staff, class
deans, and the counseling
service. Our new Dean of Religious Life, Jennifer Walters, closed the
program with a
set of reflections. Reactions to the meeting were very positive, but
the horror of
the day hit me anew when, on leaving the hall, I encountered a traumatized
first-year student whose father had been seriously injured that morning
in the Pentagon.
In the days that followed there
were multiple responses on campus: faculty members organized
a panel before a packed
house in Wright Auditorium;
a College web site
was created (at www.smith.edu/response -- you will also find there
a link to a bulletin board established by some alumnae);
the Chapel offered
opportunities
for reflection and prayer; the Music Department presented a moving
concert of mostly sacred music in Sage Hall; members of the
Social Work faculty
volunteered to assist in counseling; and in a host of ways people all
around campus reached
out spontaneously to one another across the everyday barriers. I lost
count of
all the people who told me how proud they felt to be a part of this
community, a sentiment I certainly share.
The parents of two
students are missing in the calamity at the World Trade
Center. A number of other relatives and friends of students
and
staff members
are also
lost. We do not yet have definitive information on alumnae who may
have been killed or injured. Our hearts go out to all the bereaved.
The College
will
do its part to assure that the education of students who lost a parent
will not
be interrupted. The value of what we offer at Smith has never been
more vital.
There has been an outpouring
of support from the campus for the victims of the tragedies.
For example, students have
staged vigils and rallies,
an enterprising
senior organized a local car-wash to raise funds for the Red Cross,
and the Student
Government has effectively mobilized in a variety of ways. As we
step beyond our immediate reactions to the events of September
11, we are
organizing
our academic resources to explore all aspects of the tragedy, and
we will continue
to maintain a respectful, supportive environment in which all voices
can be heard.
In the coming weeks we will
monitor closely the unfolding situation at Smith and act
wherever necessary, including
in our overseas
study programs.
Please
feel free to contact us to share your views or obtain information.
These are dark days, but the Smith community has responded from
the heart,
the soul and
the intellect, and we are moving forward. Thank you for your
support.
Sincerely,
John M. Connolly
Acting President |
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