Commemorating a day of terror

This coming September 11 will be a day of remembrance and strength and not another day of terror, thanks to large scale efforts on the University's part to commemorate the terrorist attacks.

To help the University observe the day, the Office of the Chaplain and the Vice Provost for University Life along with a planning committee -- comprised of many various University groups and students -- is planning a series of events entitled "9/11/02: Remembrance, Reflection, Community."

"Over the months, many of us had thought about how to commemorate the day, but it was at an April meeting of the new Muslim Student Association leadership with President Rodin that we first spoke aloud about how Penn might observe the day," University Chaplain William Gipson said.

A community breakfast will initiate the day's activities, which will include academic reflections and performances, music and poetry readings on College Green. Most of the events, however, will be held in Houston Hall.

One particular "healing" activity scheduled to take place on the green is the Hope Project -- an interactive art project lead by artist Sasha Bergmann Lichtenstein. According to Gipson, members of the University community will be invited to pose in the creation of this a living piece of art.

"The finished project will be an arrangement of hands in gestures of peace, solidarity and collaboration," Gipson said.

In addition, there will be televised broadcasts of other 9/11 commemorations throughout the nation and world in Houston Hall. Community service and humanitarian activities will take place throughout the day as well.

"In our view, the events will help us to remember those who were lost to us on that day, remember how we stood together in a spirit of unity... [and] to think more depthfully about the complexity of the world in which we live," Gipson said.

On top of everything else, bells of local churches and Irvine Auditorium will toll at the exact time the planes hit the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon and when one crashed in Pennsylvania.

However, administrators noted that the day's schedule is a work in progress, so the activities and events may be changed as September 11 approaches.

"The general mood of the day seems to be not only remembrance, but a celebration of community and keeping that spirit of working together and community alive," Program Coordinator for the Chaplain's Office Max Covil said.

Though the events of the day may seem overwhelming, there are many student groups -- including the Kite and Key Society, the Undergraduate Assembly and the Performing Arts Council -- working together to make this day a success.

"I am honored to have been able to work with so many student groups to plan a commemoration of a day with such importance in all of our lives," planning committee member Sarah Walsh said.

Currently, the planning committee is debating over whether to draft a petition to cancel classes on September 11. Some say that students and faculty will really be able to observe the day and participate in the events to help continue the healing process without having to focus on classes.

University President Judith Rodin stressed the importance of maintaining a degree of normalcy throughout the day.

"I think the academic part of it is important and I think that it's not stopping what we're doing -- in a way, continuing what we're doing is a celebration of how fortunate we are to be alive and able to do these things," Rodin said. "This was one of the most momentous experiences that each of us have had as individuals certainly in our lifetimes and shouldn't go unnoticed in an institutional way."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.