University community comes together

As Americans reeled and reacted to the tragic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, U.Va. was no exception. This issue of Inside UVA captures some of the reactions and mourning that we, as U.S. citizens or members of the human community, are going through.

The immediacy of e-mail and the Internet made it possible for U.Va. President John T. Casteen III to send to the University community several messages with information about counseling, blood drives and vigils, along with moral guidance. Faculty came forward to share their expertise with various news media, offering their perspectives towards trying to understand last week’s events, from terrorism to trauma in children. Along with candlelight prayer gatherings, some faculty led a discussion about the Middle East, touching upon politics, U.S. foreign policy, and humanitarian and cultural aspects.

From the first news that something terrible was happening in New York City to the memorial service at University Hall on Friday, which President George W. Bush declared “A Day of Prayer and Remembrance,” the University, along with the world’s communities, suffered and stood together. Classes were canceled and University offices closed for two hours midday to allow members of the University community to gather for prayer and reflection.

Setting the tone at U.Va. for the poems and writings faculty members and students read to a crowd of nearly 6,000 members of the U.Va. community Sept. 14, Casteen characterized the human qualities we must call upon to prevail over terrorism. What follows is an excerpt from his remarks.

… Students, faculty, staff, members of United Ministries, our neighbors and friends are gathered today – as we have been gathered repeatedly when words were to be said or compassion expressed since early Tuesday morning. We come from all over this nation, from all parts of the globe, from many different faith communities.
We gather to affirm that love is greater than hate; that friendship is stronger than enmity; good is stronger than evil — that tolerance for difference is the way to peace, that working together to build rather than to destroy is our maker’s purpose for our lives.

And we understand that we were made in the image of a creator, not a destroyer. Today we affirm that together we will rebuild what hate has destroyed, and that what we build anew we will build better. Today we raise our voices to say yes to life….

One person alone is weak. Together, let us be strong. Today is our national day of prayer and remembrance. I ask you to stand now and either pray with me or remember in your own way those who have died so horribly, those who survive and merit our compassion and human kindness, and all those who share our conviction that human virtue, civilization, goodness, and the values that accompany these signs of our common value endure, and to attest the triumph of good over evil.

For a timeline of University responses, updated continuously on the Top News Daily Web site, see http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/