PMC RESPONDS TO THE TRAGEDY OF 9/11/2001
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Campus Response
When the scope of the tragedy became clear, President Nemerowicz decided
to meet with as many students and employees as possible to answer questions,
to allay fears, and to give the community a chance to voice its confusion,
grief, and uncertainties. There was particular concern for international
students—the College received numerous calls from concerned parents
all over the world.
The President called an extraordinary meeting of the entire campus,
sending out notices to everyone by E-mail, for a noontime gathering
in the student dining hall. The meeting began with a moment of silence
and reflection as the 300 persons who had come together confronted the
sadness, loss, and sympathy we all felt. President Nemerowicz confirmed
the latest news available and emphasized the importance of supporting
one another through the period of fear and uncertainty, assuring all
that the PMC community was there for them. She made special note of
the need to resist a condemnation of a whole group of people for the
acts of a few and for tolerance of the range of emotion that we were
likely to feel and witness as this experience unfolded. The President
reached out for our love for one another to sustain us.
Immediately after the President’s talk, the Counseling staff moved
into action quickly to serve the students, setting up special locations
around campus, including the Presidents’ Dining Room and the Meditation
Room, so that students could drop in and talk. Counselors worked with
the entire Student Life staff to answer questions, to calm fears, and
simply to listen. In the days and weeks that followed more than seventy
students and many employees sought out counselors for further assistance.
The Campus Center TV lounge, which was staffed round the clock, became
a focal point for students to gather and watch the coverage.
Unlike many other campuses, the decision at PMC was to keep classes
running as usual. Faculty members incorporated discussion of the events
into their classes, often approaching them in light of their own disciplines:
• Adjunct Music Lecturer Mary Epstein discussed the impact
of the attack on international travel and on the international community
with her classes, in light of the fact that she had been stranded in
Amsterdam for three days because of the closure of all airports in the
United States.
• Biology Professors Elizabeth Gardner and Michelle
Talbot discussed the impact of the disaster in their Environmental
Problems course in terms of pollution, recycling, the overall impact
on the environment, and whether/how to rebuild. In the Microbiology
and Human Infectious Diseases course and in the Biology of HIV/AIDS
course, discussions centered on biological and chemical warfare, the
virulence of micro-organisms and their ability to survive outside the
body as “weaponized agents.” In the course Murder She Wrote—Using
Technology to Solve Crime, students discussed the events from an investigative
point of view: Who were the perpetrators?...How should the investigation
proceed?...What parameters should be set up?
On Thursday, October 25, Professor Talbot also did a presentation for
faculty and staff on bioterrorism, focusing on anthrax and smallpox,
the dangers that they pose, and commonsense precautions.• Assistant
Communications Professor Marilyn Pennel explored media coverage with
her classes, analyzing emphases, stories covered, visuals used, and
the technology that allowed for instantaneous worldwide coverage.
• Communications Lecturer Peter T. Woloschuk examined the
tragedy and its aftermath from the perspective of public relations.
A discussion was held on the timing and location of the attacks and
their media impact and analysis of governmental, military, emergency
agencies, and even media usage of PR was also undertaken.
• Philosophy Professor Stephen G. Thompson held discussions
with his classes examining the moral and ethical implications of international
terrorism and the indiscriminate destruction of innocent life.•
Several international students who returned to their home countries
for the semester worked as distance learners via the Internet with a
number of faculty members—including Shari Laprise, Marilyn D.
Pennel, Robert E. Shea, Jr., William B. Vogele, and Joan R. Weinstein.
In the hours, days and weeks following the disaster...
Director of Campus Security R. Michael Mangum worked closely with the
President’s Office, the Campus Safety Committee, the Crisis Management
Team, the Student Life Office, and various local, regional, and federal
public safety agencies to review PMC’s plans for dealing with suspicious
mail, bomb threats, loss of power, loss of heat, fires, contamination,
medical emergencies, the need to temporarily relocate food services,
and/or disturbances or violent acts.
Practice evacuation drills of each building on campus were conducted,
and the FBI’s circular on dealing with suspicious mail was given
to every member of the PMC community.
In response to a national call for reflection on Friday, September
14, an ecumenical prayer service was held at which Christian, Hindu,
Islamic, and Jewish prayers were read.
Later that evening, under the leadership of Honor Maxfield ’04,
approximately 40 students gathered for a solemn procession around the
campus and its various residence halls and concluded with a candlelight
vigil by the flagpole in front of the Campus Center. They prayed, honored
the victims of 9/11 with a period of silence, and then sang a number
of patriotic and spirituals songs, including “Amazing Grace”,
“This Little Light of Mine”, “America the Beautiful”,
and, at the end, the “Star Spangled Banner”.
On Sunday evening, September 23, at 8 pm, members of the PMC community,
joined with thousands of other in “Ribbons of Light, Ribbons of
Unity” and stood along Commonwealth Avenue with lighted candles
as a sign of solidarity and to exhibit American pride and unity.
On Tuesday, September 25, members of the student body began working
with the American Red Cross to line up potential blood donors.
On Tuesday, October 16, members of the Community Service Committee,
in conjunction with their advisors, Assistant Sociology Professor
Robert E. Shea, and Philosophy Professor Stephen G. Thompson,
began selling America the Beautiful bumper stickers to raise funds for
the 9/11 relief efforts.
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