The various schools of the Ivy League have chosen to commemorate the first anniversary of Sept. 11 in several ways, exhibiting both universal and diverse responses to the event.
Institution officials said they are looking to remember and honor the victims and heroes. Many schools in the Ivy League have opted to focus not only on memorializing the attacks, but also on considering their ramifications and the effects of the war on terrorism.
Columbia University, located just a few miles from Ground Zero, is the only Ivy that has organized a reading of victims' names.
"Deciding to read the names of the victims is in direct relation to the fact that there were so many Columbia alumni who were in New York City and died on September 11," Columbia spokeswoman Lauren Marshall said.
At Penn, there are a variety of events in Houston Hall today that are open to the entire University community. The Hall of Flags will serve as a silent reflection room, while humanitarian groups like the Red Cross will take over the second floor.
"The goal was to really help people experience a day that was filled with a number of different [opportunities] for reflection," said Leah Smith, spokeswoman for the office of the Vice Provost for University Life. "We have a diverse community and people will want to reflect on the day in a number of different ways."
Smith said she believes the various programs in Houston Hall are diverse enough to appeal to students, faculty and staff. With events ranging from a community breakfast to silent reflection, people can choose to observe the day however they choose.
Other events planned at Penn today include an interfaith service at the Cathedral of St. Agatha and St. James and a collaborative art activity on College Green.
College sophomore Sumin Sohn plans to attend a portion of the day's events. "I think I'll go for spiritual reasons... for all those innocent people who lost their lives for a reason that's so hard to explain."
Several of Yale University's schools are hosting commemorative events. The School of Nursing, for instance, is hosting a "Community Caring" event where students and faculty are asked to bring toiletries and school supplies for donation to local homeless shelters. In return, Dean Catherine Lynch Gilliss will provide breakfast.
Brown University's psychological services office will be open all day for any student who wants counseling, and the school has been holding a lecture series about Sept. 11 issues throughout most of this week.
Dartmouth College is considering some long-term initiatives, including building a permanent campus memorial to honor the 11 Dartmouth alumni killed in the attacks, according to the school's Web site. In addition, the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Department has planned a year-long forum on the Middle East, beginning on Sept. 19.
Harvard University President Lawrence Summers will speak at an afternoon ceremony of hope and remembrance, and four students will read passages from various religious texts.
While Harvard's service embraces religious diversity, Cornell University has chosen to focus on secular observance. Cornell President Hunter Rawlings will preside over a non-denominational memorial convocation to commemorate the victims.
Many of the Ivies, including Cornell, will hold academic panels to consider the aftermath of Sept. 11 and look to the future.
"A year [after September 11], our hope is to engage... in thoughtful discussion of the impact of the attacks," said Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services at Cornell.
This afternoon, Penn joins the other Ivies in addressing the academic considerations of Sept. 11 in a panel discussion.
University President Judith Rodin will preside over "Academic Reflections," an afternoon panel discussion with faculty members from a variety of disciplines.
"We are going to examine the lessons learned from [Sept. 11]," University President Judith Rodin said. "We will look at the impact on civil liberties, the impact on women, the plight of the economy... and Penn's academic response.
"We think we are responding as a university should... reflectively, emotionally, prayerfully and intellectually," Rodin added.
"I think conducting panels is a good idea -- it gets you more involved," College sophomore Sara Steinberger said. "I'm not sure if I'll go, but I think it will be good."
Each Ivy League school will also conclude the day with a candlelight vigil or a similar commemorative event honoring the victims of last year's attacks.
