University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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82 I Teach-in

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Academics I 81

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Among the packed crowd of faces in- tensely listening to the panelists in the Union Ballroom, two students look over the pamphlet outlining the order of speakers and the objectives of the teach- in. While the teach-in was very infor- mative, certain issues associated with terrorist attacks were overwhelming to deal with all at once, photo hy Ben Hayes One of nine panelists of the teach-in, University President Lee C. Bellinger addresses Hill Auditorium about the terrorist attacks. The organizers of the teach-in designed the symposium to present as much accurate information regarding the September 1 1 attacks as possible, photo by Ben Hayes th of the September 11 bombing ' es the nation, professors and students ogether at the Teach-in to help open the community The teach-in tradition first began in 1965, when 3,000 University students spent the night in Mason Hall. Going from lecture to lecture, students faced theirfears about the Vietnam War as they listened to professors preach about the world beyond Ann Arbor. In September, the University revitalized the teach-in. Held on September 18, this teach-in was designed to ad- dress the September 1 1 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the loss of a sense of security that accompanied it. Organized by over 40 Univer- sity groups, the forum was an effort to stop rumors about Islam and was titled Terrorism: A Perversion of Islam. More than 100 students joined together in the Union Ball- room to learn more about the attacks that had put fear into their hearts. The panel included experts from the anthropology, his- tory, political science, and Near Eastern Studies depart- ments, as well as student speakers. The panelists com- mented on topics ranging from the history of the current crisis to political and social perspectives about the attacks. University Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper started the program by asking the crowd to be more open-minded about the ways in which they see and evaluate the world. Until the attacks on September 11,1 had only observed the Muslim groups on campus. The teach-in helped me to actually see them, Harper said. The teach-in was a way for experts to speak their minds and for students to take that in formation and make well- reasoned decisions. Sophomore industrial design major Kerry Silva attended the panel in order to gain a new way of looking at the attacks. It is nice to know in a time like this our University can come togetherand deliver well-founded opinions and information about what happened. I just feel lucky that I go to a university that cares enough about students to help them through these horrible times, said Silva. And that was just what the University did; it brought students and faculty together in order to ease the pain and the fear. By Jennifer Lee Academics I 83