“My main idea was to get the guys in the hall together in a group and give them the chance to talk about recent events – that was probably the best part of the whole program,” Sykes said. Diane Hotaling, director of community service, was impressed by Walden’s idea and the excitement it generated around the campus community. Hotaling donated her support and space to the quilt project because she said it was a perfect way to help those struggling to deal with the tragedy. “It’s a great service, and a good way to express support and pride,” she said. American pride and renewed patriotism is certainly a theme of the quilt as most panels are dashed with red, white, and blue colors and messages of strength. Walden is hoping the project will be completed by the end of the semester. The destination of the quilt is currently unknown, however, Walden would like to see it displayed around campus and has entertained the idea of finding a way to send it to New York or Washington D.C. Walden said she would like the campus community to decide the fate of the quilt. “The quilt belongs to the Wesleyan community,” she said. “I am very pleased with the response that I’ve had. I am amazed and it really makes me feel proud of the Wesleyan community.”

Walden is able to provide some supplies to create the panels. No sewing experience is necessary to make a panel, but there will be a need for people willing to sew the panels together when they are completed. “Anyone is welcome and encouraged to contribute,” Walden said. “I feel it gives the opportunity for members of the Wesleyan community to come together.” If you would like more information concerning the 911 Memorial Quilt, you can contact Walden at vlwalden@vwc.edu or attend one of the upcoming Friday meetings on Oct.12, Oct.19, Oct. 26, and Nov. 9. The meetings are held in Village II Commons.

Some thoughts on September 12, 2001: In my life I have been very fortunate not to have had any real conflicts. The first assignment in my writing courses is a paper about a personal struggle, so I’ve read this phrase several dozen times in the past few days from Virginia Wesleyan College writers winding up for their first pitch of the semester. It’s not a new line; in other semesters I wouldn’t have even noticed the words. In the first conference I’d probably tell the student not to apologize for his life story or begin his essay so far from his real subject, but today, on September 12, 2001, the opening phrase “I have been very fortunate” leapt out at me. The idea was reiterated by the first year writers in my 9:30 class who described their experiences of life the same way. They have enjoyed 17 or 20 years of relative safety and comfort. Then, in the first spontaneous and impassioned discussion of the semester, they offered thoughts about the suffering and fears of their loved ones, the heroism of the New York and DC rescue workers, the President’s speech, the Jihad or holy war of the Muslim fundamentalists, the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, Osama bin Ladin, the rental car found in Logan Airport parking lot.

With the exception of one young woman, who has served in the US Navy and is engaged to an active duty sailor stationed in Oceana, and another young man, who said he was born and reared in a third world country, they held in common a total disbelief in the mental processes of people who would plan to kill thousands of American citizens and themselves in this dramatic fashion. They questioned the Palestinians dancing in the streets and throwing candy in celebration of the comeuppance of the evil giant. Some expressed an anger that I also felt when I watched the CNN shots of those scenes last night and again when I heard the pious denunciations of terrorists acts by the Afghani foreign minister and by Arafat. It rose unbidden from a patriotic place in my heart that loves the Capitol landmarks and the towering shapes of the Big Apple that used to rise over the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, that loves the comfort and security of living in the land where I have reared three Jewish children “fortunate not to have had any real conflicts.”

After class I asked myself how I could get these bright, worried young men and women to understand the people who hadn’t been “fortunate.” Could they fathom the minds of children born into suffering, who had seen corpses before they cut teeth, who had been so hungry they were goaded into snatching food from their baby sisters or killing someone so their loved ones could live another day. I would like my students to consider the possibility that fundamentalist zealots of any religion have more in common with one another than they do with the other members of their religion. I, at least, am suspicious of anyone who wants to die for ideas, of anyone who thinks that his or her faith is the only true belief, and of anyone who follows anyone else’s orders and does anything because god or man or woman or voice commanded that it be done. The easiest response is to take action here, to blame adherents of a faith whose precepts are known to all of the students in my 9:30 class only by rumor or in simplistic and often inaccurate outlines. What should privileged people do to understand the thinking and feelings of a bunch of young men who got on some planes yesterday to crash in flames into the financial and political hearts of America armed with some razor blades and their conviction that they were boarding four planes to heaven??

And if the US retaliates? Then what? I asked them. Should the US bomb the hell out of Afghanistan because the Taliban in control of the government there have aided and harbored Osama bin Ladin? And after we rain missiles and smart bombs on the people who have never seen automatic ice makers or air conditioned cineplex theaters, what next?? Will that begin a cycle of conflict that will bring down the country or the planet?? This morning that possibility looms in the dust of those flattened towers. Our government can make air traffic more secure, but then the next attack might be a poisoned drinking water system, a bacterial plague or thermonuclear war. We’ve been fortunate not to have had any real conflicts, so far, but perhaps we need to understand more about the viewpoints from other places on the planet. If we know one thing from the devastation, it’s that we’ll never be as safe again as we were on September 10. To survive, we’re going to have to think long and hard before we strike.

Shock. Sadness. Anger. These were just some of the emotions running through people’s minds as they witnessed the horror of the September 11 attacks. Denial -- this is America and things like this don’t happen here. Unfortunately, our belief that America was untouchable made the days following the attack even more unbearable. Soon the shock and disbelief settled into a feeling of mass helplessness. As a nation and world united under one question, “What can I do to help?” the Virginia Wesleyan Community was quick to provide a response. Immediately, a prayer vigil presented by Holy Fire served as a way for students to come together in their time of mourning and find solace with those who felt the same. It was a time for comfort and provided an opportunity to realize that we are all human and should no longer be separated by our petty differences. “It made me realize that petty things aren’t what I need,” said junior Candice Brownmiller, “it’s love and support from others.”

Other prayer services followed, including one held by the club called Desperate for God. The group had long planned a meeting for prayer on Sept. 19, but after the unexpected tragedy, the small gathering took on a whole new meaning. It was a time of reflection, an opportunity to acknowledge the tragedy and a chance to move forward. After students had come to grips with their own emotions, many chose the productive track and began to raise money for the cause. Members of Johnston Hall collected donations to purchase flowers for one of their residents whose father was one of the victims in the Pentagon incident. Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity sold ribbons to raise money for the Red Cross and succeeded in Raising $146. “We want the money to go directly to the Red Cross, so that’s why we did it,” said senior Jonathan Quinn, a member of the fraternity. While students have played their part, they are not the only ones using positive and productive ways to cope with the nation’s tragedy. Faculty members have also shown their support. The Friday following the event, a variety of faculty members gathered with President William Greer and a student audience to discuss multiple views on the horrid events. It was an opportunity for students and faculty to reflect on their feelings together. “It was comforting to know that teachers felt the same way I did,” said senior Megan Maynard.

A poetry reading scheduled one week after the event originally planned to collect donations for the Marlin Chronicle, however, Dr. William Ruehlmann and Dr. Lee Jordan Anders opted to give all proceeds to the Red Cross. The Office of International Programs is giving students the opportunity to send sympathy letters to other countries affected by the terrorist attacks, and many other organizations are planning ways to help. In a time of tragedy, people from all different walks of life have put aside their differences to work together for a higher calling. Like our nation and the world, members of our campus have pulled together to help people they have never met, but somehow feel connected to. Through this tragedy, and the need to do something, we ultimately heal ourselves, while trying to heal others.