Editors: For your Sept. 11 planning purposes

COLUMBUS – As our nation approaches the one-year anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, plans are under way at Ohio State for a number of commemorations. In addition, the university is moving ahead with academic initiatives to meet demand for research-based information.

At 8:46 a.m. on the 11th, the moment that the first plane hit the first World Trade Center building, Ohio State’s ROTC units will begin a flag ceremony at the rock on the Oval side of Bricker Hall. A color guard will lower the flag to half-staff, “Taps” will be played, and service members will give a 21-gun salute. Unit members will then read the names of Ohio State faculty, staff, and students who have been called to serve their country during the past year. For those unable to attend the flag ceremony, a moment of silence may be observed.

Later that day, a university-wide remembrance will take place at 1 p.m. at Mirror Lake, pending completion of a renovation project at the lake. The event – the theme of which is “What have we learned and how do we live together in the world” – will feature a keynote address by Nancy Rogers, dean of the Moritz College of Law, poetry by English Professor David Citino, music, and readings from the scriptures of various religions. A commemorative wreath will also be laid on the water at Mirror Lake.

Other university events marking Sept. 11th include:

–A panel of law professors will offer a Sept. 11th retrospective at noon in the auditorium of the Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Avenue.

– Special day-long radio coverage on WOSU-AM and FM. From 5 a.m.-10 p.m. the WOSU-AM will air “Voices of Reflection,” which includes news magazines and WOSU’s Open Line, and other live coverage. There will be other special pieces during the week leading up to Sept. 11. WOSU-FM will offer special programming during throughout the day. The station will join in the international Rolling Requiem project (www.rollingrequiem.org) with a live broadcast of Mozart's Requiem, K. 626, from the Broad Street Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 8:40 a.m. Joel Mathias leads an all volunteer orchestra and chorus, with the downbeat given a precisely 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This concert is offered as part of the worldwide “Rolling Requiem” project, with performances of Mozart's final work given at 8:46 a.m. local time in each time zone.

– A Multicultural Center discussion of how homeland and security matters are interpreted
from the vantage points of various cultures and communities at 3 p.m. Sept. 11 in 436 Ohio Union.

– Reflection and meditation at the Chadwick Arboretum’s meditative garden and Chartres-
style labyrinth. Candles will be available for visitors all day Sept. 11 at the arboretum.

– A commemorative screening of “Underground Zero: Independent Filmmakers Respond to 9-11,” a moving collection of short films, at 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Wexner Center.

In addition, a Sept. 11 luncheon sponsored by the Columbus Council on World Affairs will feature Todd Stewart, director of Ohio State’s new Program for International and Homeland Security.

Ohio State has created several new courses and programs as a direct result of the attack

New Programs

-In April, the university announced a new multi-disciplinary research program to assist officials in better understanding the causes of international terrorism and finding appropriate solutions. The Program for International and Homeland Security focuses on both policy issues as well as the development of new technologies designed to protect Americans against the possibility of future terrorist attacks. The program is headed by recently retired Air Force Major General Todd I. Stewart, who formerly directed plans and programs for the Air Force Materiel Command Headquarters at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

New courses

- Ohio State will begin offering language instruction in Urdu and Hindi to try to meet more strategic language needs in the U.S. The new languages are in addition to more than 30 currently offered.
- Also beginning in autumn, Ohio State, through the Near Eastern Learning Center (NELC), will begin offering “Politics of Culture in Central Asia,” and a teach a new course on Arabic culture subtitled “Why Do ‘They’ Hate ‘Us’?”
- After the attack last year, the NELC quickly created a course in direct response, titled “Fear, Hatred, Terrorism and Conflict Mitigation.” The course was first offered in Autumn 2001.
- The Department of History introduced a “History of Afghanistan” course during winter quarter, offering insight into Afghanistan’s past. Professor Stephen Dale, a specialist in Islamic History, created and teaches the class.

Research

The National Science Foundation has awarded a grant to Hazel Morrow-Jones, professor of city and regional planning, and Elena Irwin, assistant professor of agriculture, environmental, and development economics, for a two-year project on the potential impacts of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on homeowner mobility choices.

Lecture Series

-The John Glenn Institute created a new lecture series, “Affirming Freedom: One World Against Terrorism,” to address the September 11 attacks and their aftermath.
-The Center for Slavic & East European Studies offered a new lecture series called “Perspectives on Global Terrorism” during spring quarter.
-The International Area Studies Centers collaborated on a lecture series “Perspectives on Global Terrorism” which began spring quarter 2002. The series will continue in autumn quarter.

Students serve the community

Community service is one of Ohio State’s founding principles, and its commitment to service trickles down to students. Students returned to campus just a week after the attacks. During that week, Welcome Week, 2,000 students raised more than $12,000 for the American Red Cross.

Memorial Endowment

The Fisher College of Business established a Sept. 11 Memorial Endowment to support student programs at the college. The endowment was established in memory of an alumnus who died in the attacks. Peter Mardikian (B.A. in marketing and business, ’95) worked in Manhattan and was at a trade show in Windows on the World restaurant in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack.

Faculty offered timely information to an information-starved community

Throughout the university, panels of faculty experts reacted by making highly relevant research-based information available to the public through the media and through teach-ins and learning sessions. Some of the largest included “When Terrorism Comes Home,” featuring a panel of experts and community leaders, on Sept. 20 on the Columbus campus, and “Terrorism Comes Home: Ramifications and Consequences” Ohio State University Marion, on Sept. 26.