Amanda Cunningham

Providing a means of expression

Amanda Cunningham knew other students were sharing her emotions on Sept. 11. And she knew they needed an outlet for the feelings that had been stirring throughout the day. As Student Senate's director of university relations, Cunningham helped organize candlelight vigils on campus Sept. 11 and 13.

"Ultimately all students were feeling the same thing -- afraid, confused," she says. "We were all equally shocked. Our role (as Student Senate) was to be a peer saying it would be OK -- even if we didn't know."

Close to 500 students gathered on the College Green the night of the 11th. The white ribbons on their shirts and lighted candles in their hands honored thousands of Americans killed earlier in the day. Words of fellow students and University officials provided solace from the horror that had streamed over them from television screens throughout the morning and afternoon.

"We truly were one family," Cunningham says. "There were people from every background, from every social group, all there together."

	Students remembered the victims of the terrorist attacks at candlelight vigils on campus. Photos by Rick Fatica

Two nights later, hundreds of members of the University community gathered on the green once again as grief and hope were expressed in music, poetry and readings. In an especially moving contribution, two Middle Eastern students read a verse on the Golden Rule from the Koran - first in Arabic, then in English.

"Whenever individuals are confronted with tragedy, they have an emotional response," says Dean of Students Terry Hogan. "Different people deal with it differently. Some are open. Some are guarded. Some like to talk. And for some, writing is an outlet."

Discussion groups, both organized and impromptu, sprang up across campus. A writing project that allowed students to express themselves in words eventually made its way to a campus Web site, "A Time for Reflection," located at http://www.ohiou.edu/reflections.

"When tragedy strikes, you need an outlet to focus energy," Hogan says. "The Web site is effective. It allows students to read and share thoughts immediately."

Many students expressed emotions in simple ways. They hung flags from porches, balconies and dorm windows. They gathered for prayer and song at the Class Gateway. They reflected in solitude at local churches. And while America slowly comes to grips with the devastating blow of Sept. 11 and continues to search for answers, morale among students remains high.

In the Seigfred Hall lobby, a 6-foot cardboard model of the twin towers appeared on the day of the tragedy. Students laid flowers at the base. In marker, they wrote messages of hope. None was more profound than the most obvious: "God Bless America."

Katie Fitzgerald