As colleges approach the one year anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, students and faculty across the nation face an occasion unprecedented in the educational community.
The challenges this anniversary presents -- and how best to cope with them in a university setting -- have prompted many similar reactions among Virginia institutions, as well as colleges beyond state lines. Among the events that several schools have organized are interfaith prayer services and flag ceremonies.
Assoc. Dean of Students V. Shamim Sisson said she thinks all schools should turn inward in preparing for the day.
"I think it's most important to provide experiences to remember September 11, 2001, as a community, in ways that are most appropriate to that particular culture," Sisson said. "That may be a vigil on the Lawn for us, but may be a different sort of gathering at another college or university."
James Madison University, for instance, will hold a flag ceremony during the afternoon at a central area of campus. Administrators asked teachers to release students early from class in order to attend the ceremony, said Andrea Fischetti, JMU vice president of administrative affairs.
Other scheduled events at JMU include an interfaith prayer service in the morning and a candle light vigil at night. A bell that usually rings every hour on campus only will sound four times Sept. 11, marking the collapse of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, destruction of part of the Pentagon and the crash of United Flight 93.
In preparing for this Sept. 11, JMU's student government reviewed other schools' plans to generate ideas, but "wanted to do something specialized for our university," and turned to student organizations during planning, Fischetti said.
For schools in New York City and Washington, D.C., the day could have a more immediate effect on students, said Faith Leonard, dean of students at American University.
"I can imagine the emotional reactions of our students may be more acute
because there are such visual reminders of what D.C. experienced that day," Leonard said. "We hope we're prepared for what those reactions may be."
American University will hold an interfaith prayer service, a commemoration ceremony, faculty discussions and a candlelight vigil to help students cope.
Claire Fleming, director of New York University's faculty-staff assistance program, agreed that schools nearer the sites of last year's targets confront additional burdens.
"NYU has a special challenge in that often, the closer you are to a critical incident, the stronger the impact," Fleming said.
To reach out to students, NYU will lead five minutes of silence during the morning, sponsor walk-in counseling sessions all day and provide seminars on post-traumatic stress. The assistance program plans to open group discussions to students after these seminars.
"We want people to take advantage of the good resources the school has," Fleming added. "Getting the word out will be a challenge to all universities."
Sisson said she believes University faculty and staff are prepared for the emotional response of this Sept. 11.
"This will be an important opportunity for us to mark an unparalleled event in our history, reflect on the year since, and
contemplate its influence on our collective futures," she said. "I was incredibly proud of how we came together as a community last fall and fully expect to be able to say the same about this anniversary"
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