Promoting
Understanding
      A higher education institution such as Syracuse University also plays a unique role in helping people understand international crises, says Chancellor Shaw. In a message to the SU community, Shaw described universities as places “where the search for truth can go on, unhindered by fear of reprisal.” He described some of the challenges that students and the country would face, including the balance between national security and personal liberty, military attacks versus diplomatic actions, and the expression of patriotism without squelching diverse opinions.

Steve Sartori

Students illuminate the Sheets of Expression with candles.

    To encourage a “spirited dialogue” on such issues, a committee chaired by David Rubin, dean of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, developed a series of seven University Forums on Terrorism. “It’s our intention that the forums provide additional facts and perspectives on many aspects of this terrible event, and the response of the United States to it,” Rubin says. “In this way, we hope to enrich the debate on campus.” The first program, “Some Origins of the Crisis,” featured a panel of three faculty members who spoke about Islam versus religious extremism, cultural views on religion and violence, and U.S. relations with Arab countries. Other forums dealt with the global response to terrorism, bioterrorism, balancing civil liberties and national security, and wartime media coverage.
      Because Muslims at SU and around the country suddenly had to distinguish themselves from the terrorists and defend their religious beliefs, the University’s Muslim Student Organization held “A Public Forum on Islam.” The organization hoped to educate the campus community about Muslims and clear up misconceptions about Islam stemming from the terrorist attacks.