Provost Robert Barchi likened his reaction to last month's terrorist attacks to the loss of security prompted by a burglary in his house yesterday.
At yesterday's Fireside Chat, the first of the fall semester, about 20 students -- a drop from last year's turnout range from 30 to 50 -- came to discuss topics ranging from the attacks to the Wharton School to financial aid.
But the vast majority of those who showed up were members of either the Undergraduate Assembly or the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, both of which sponsored the event.
The chat took more of a conversational form than it has in the past, with students interacting with both Barchi and each other.
Barchi began the forum by speaking about his personal experience during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He told anecdotes about where he was and how his friends in New York reacted.
"It went from a perfectly normal morning when you're revving up for your day and it turned into a day when the world was changed entirely," Barchi said.
Barchi likened the emotions he felt to a situation when his house was burglarized 20 years ago.
"They had taken away my peace of mind, my comfort, my feeling of safety and security," he said.
Students in attendance spoke about the mixed feelings they had after the attacks. Some said they felt a need to return to normal activities, while others said their views of the world were drastically changed.
Graduate School of Education student Sean Vereen said he attended the chat to see how other people were interpreting the attacks and to offer his thoughts.
"We're going to have to be much more intellectual, more deliberate about how we talk to each other," Vereen said. "We're going to have to be very purposeful about how we act outside the classroom."
Despite the below average attendance at yesterday's session, UA Chairwoman Dana Hork, a College senior, said that this month's forum was one of the most successful thus far.
"This discussion was particularly meaningful because both the provost and students continually asked questions of each other," Hork said. "It was a session in which conversation really built."
Hork said that the goal of the chat was to ensure that students were given the opportunity to voice their opinions about the terrorist attacks.
"It's part of a continuum of opportunities we will continue to provide for students to participate in open discussion," she said. "It's part of our commitment to encourage students in the Penn community to continue asking questions about the aftermath of this event."
The focus of the discussion later shifted to the role of universities in educating students about social issues.
College sophomore and UA representative Papa Wassa Nduom said he strongly believes that Wharton students do not receive the social training they should be getting.
Barchi, however, disagreed with Nduom, saying that the University does have a responsibility to create an environment that encourages social consciousness.
"If the only thing we are producing here are people who are going to go out and make a buck and don't give a damn about their social responsibilities, then we have failed," Barchi said. "I would like to think that we are the Wharton Business School with students who have a social conscience."
