President Hall urges students to remain calm, not point fingers
The destruction of the twin towers at New York City’s World Trade Center Tuesday parallels that of other attacks in the United States’ history, said Utah State University President Kermit L. Hall.
“I think this will go down with Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination,” Hall said. “Obviously, this is an enormous tragedy that can cause damage to the American psyche. It’s just like Pearl Harbor, just like Pearl Harbor. This is the highest level of military mobilization. We have the president going to a secure location. We never got to that stage during the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Hall urges students to remain calm and collected during this difficult time.
“We have to be careful to not overreact or point fingers. If there is an institution that needs to show tolerance, it’s the university,” Hall said.
“We want to use our academic strength to reach out to our community,” he said. “If it was difficult to get on an airplane before, think of what it’s like now.”
Regarding the extent to which USU touches the world, President Hall said, “The sun never sets on USU. That’s particularly important right now.”
University Provost and Executive Vice President Stan L. Albrecht was in contact with USU’s student interns in Washington, D.C.
“We made sure all our interns were sent home. They are all either safe or en route,” Albrecht said. “We also have faculty overseas who we are trying to contact.”
Albrecht said, “The initial decision we made is, ‘don’t close the university until we can assess the situation.'”
The administration offices in Old Main were kept busy today.
“The phones have been ringing,” Albrecht said. “Everything takes a back seat. What an incredible thing.”
President Hall echoed Albrecht’s sentiments.
“It’s important given what we know now, that the university remain open,” Hall said.
“We need to exercise an appropriate degree of sensitivity and sympathy. We don’t know who did this,” Hall said.
Few people indeed are left unaffected by Tuesday’s events.
“I have several friends at the Oxford University Press in Lower Manhattan,” Hall said.
No word yet has been received on their condition.
With questions regarding the catastrophe’s effect on USU, the Vice President of Student Services, Pat Terrell may be called, he said.
President Hall, Vice President Albrecht and Vice President Terrell spent some time talking to students around campus to get a feeling for the students’ sentiments.
“We wanted to know if there is something we need to be doing. Like every other person, I’m in shock. It’s a terrible tragedy. Just this time last year, my daughter was doing an internship at the Pentagon,” Terrell said. “A majority of students were shocked and concerned. Some students knew someone in New York City or the Washington, D.C., area.”
Terrell said most students were grateful that regular instruction was suspended and televisions were available in the Taggart Student Center.
“Some students were concerned and wanted to help,” she said. “As soon as Red Cross is ready, they have a standing invitation from the university.”
President Hall drafted an e-mail to be sent to international students assuring them the university is here to support them with whatever resources they may need.
“Being in a foreign country during a tragedy can be very confusing,” Terrell said.