Remembering September 11
From a Mass to a panel discussion to community service activities, the University of San Francisco community will come together for a week-long remembrance of September 11 beginning Monday.
A committee of faculty and staff, coordinating with the colleges, schools, and university departments, plan an array of events to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks, as well as explore ways to move toward a better world.
“Last year we were focused on September 11 and the disaster. This year, we want to focus on what we have learned and what will help us create a better world,” said John Savard, S.J., director of University Ministry. “We want (the events) to be hope-filled.”
 Activities begin on Monday with an event in Harney Plaza titled “I Raise My Hands to Build a Better World.” The event, in which the campus community will be invited to place their handprints on a white cloth, builds on a similar theme, “I Will Not Raise My Hands in Violence,” that took place last year in the days following September 11. As part of the event, community service and ROTC information tables will be set up around the plaza.
The university will gather Wednesday for the Mass of the Holy Spirit at noon in St. Ignatius Church. The Mass, held each year to bless the new school year, last year was scheduled for September 11 and became an occasion for mourning. This year’s Mass will include a moment of silence and candle lighting in remembrance of September 11.
“We want the whole campus to basically shut down from noon to 1 p.m. and come together,” said Pamela Baldger, program coordinator of student activities.
That evening, there will be an open mic night in Crossroads Café, in which people are invited to express their feelings about September 11 in any way, from poetry to song. There also will be a 7 p.m. prayer service in St. Ignatius Church that evening.
A panel discussion among Arts and Sciences faculty members including Sally Vance-Trembath, John Nelson, Ahmed Bangura, and others will focus on politics, economics, and religion. The event will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday in the UC Faculty Lounge.
Throughout the week, the student alumni association will sell red, white, and blue ribbons in Harney Plaza. Proceeds will go to the San Francisco Credit Union for New York firefighters' Local 94.
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