Thursday, September 12, 2002

by Megan Mills – Gazette News Reporter
with additional reporting by Roxanne Yaghoubi

Though life went on as usual for many members of the Swarthmore community,
September 11th,
2002 was, more than any other, a day to be with friends and loved ones. Whether
they sat
quietly together over lunch, participated in one of the campus-wide
opportunities for
support, or called their families long distance, students and faculty alike
found ways to
express the difficult emotions this anniversary brought.

Turnout was high for the morning vigil in the amphitheatre. A cool wind
scattered leaves
among the stone benches as people trickled in, starting before 8:30 am. Some
stayed only a
moment, while some stayed past 9:00am, the designated conclusion. Many bowed
their heads
during the silence that was broken only at 8:45, when the Clothier bells were
rung to
commemorate the first terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.

Some found the gathering comforting, a pleasant contrast to the images broadcast
over the
television and published in many of this week’s newspapers recalling the
tragedies of a year
ago. Others felt that the vigil was well-intentioned, but inadequate. David
Perez ’06, a
proud New Yorker who experienced firsthand the horror on 9/11, felt strongly
that he should
have been home with his family, instead of at Swat. Though the vigil was “nice,”
he said,
there was “no way the college could embody” the magnitude of the events
remembered. To him
the days activities recalled too much of September 12th, 2001. Perez added that
he believes
Swarthmore did “the best it could have done” to remember such a personal and
poignant
disaster.

Overall, many felt that, in the words of librarian Barb Weir, the morning vigil
was simply
the “right thing to do.”

Starting at sunrise and continuing throughout the day, students perused
literature presented
by members of different clubs expressing their commitment to peace. SPAC, the
Swarthmore
Progressive Action Committee, and other groups sponsored the day long gathering
in which
students could pick up “Wage Peace” pins, sign a pledge in favor of peace in
Iraq, or make a
peace flag to join a similar peace quilt that students made on October 11th,
2001. The
purpose was not to protest any singular event, but instead, the general violence
committed
both against and by the United States during the events surrounding September
11th. Though
the tables were often left unmanned, the large “Peace and Justice, Not Revenge”
banner
reused from a previous antiwar march on Washington DC spoke silent volumes.

At 10:15 pm the culminating event of the day took place in between the peace
flags strung up
around the Parrish steps. Tearful eyes were common as students held candles in
silence.
Occasionally, someone stood and voiced opinions on myriad issues in this service
reminiscent
of the Quaker meeting that followed the attacks last year. By 11:30, most had
blown out
their candles and returned to their rooms, bringing the emotional day to a
solemn close.

by Jeremy Schifeling
Gazette Section Editor

After several years away from Swat, one of the College’s most famous alums is
poised to
return to campus this October.  Former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis
’55 is
scheduled to deliver the 2002 Thomas B. McCabe Memorial lecture on October 3rd,
at 7:30 p.m.
in LPAC.

Mr. Dukakis, who is also known for his three terms as Governor of Massachusetts
during the
70s and 80s, was selected to give the annual speech by a committee of McCabe
Scholar alumni.
The decision was based on his alumni status, as well as his record as “a
distinguished
public servant, an academic, and a good speaker,” according to Dan West, VP of
Alumni,
Develoment, and PR.

As part of the event, Dukakis will be delivering a speech entitled “The
Uninsured: Forty-two
Million and Counting.”  He will follow his healthcare insurance talk by taking
questions
from the audience, said West.

Maurice Eldridge ’61, VP of College and Community Relations, thinks that the
speech will
mark Dukakis’ first official campus visit since his 40th College reunion seven
years ago.

However, Dukakis has remained busy in the meantime, teaching as a Distinguished
Professor at
Northeastern University and serving as Vice Chair of the Amtrak Board of
Directors.

*****

* President Bush spent Sept. 11 in Washington, Shanksville, PA, and New York
City, to
commemorate the lives lost in last year’s terrorist attacks.  Bush was guarded
by a large
security entourage everywhere he went, which included the placement of
anti-aircraft
missiles in DC, as intelligence officials warned of possible new attacks.  The
President
vowed to continue the fight against terrorism, but did not mention Saddam
Hussein in any of
his speeches.  He will address the UN regarding Iraq today, and is expected to
demand that
the entity take a more agressive stance against Iraq or face irrelevance in the
global
politics scene.

* New York City marked the anniversary of 9/11 with a ceremony at “ground zero,”
at which
the names of the terrorist attack’s victims were read by hundreds of friends,
family
members, and public figures.  Meanwhile, in Shanskville, PA, where Flight 93
crashed after
its hijackers were overthrown by passengers, the tragedy was remembered with a
single bell
toll and the release of doves into the air.  And in Washington DC, where the
Pentagon was
hit by a hijacked airplane one year ago, thousands of people attended an
early-morning
ceremony right outside of the now-repaired military complex.

* Yasser Arafat’s cabinet resigned yesterday, allowing the Palestinian leader to
avoid a
legislative confidence vote that he might not have been able to win.  Instead,
Arafat will
appoint an interim cabinet that will function until new elections are held in
January.
Arafat’s own Fatah party has become increasingly dissatisfied with his
administration, and
particularly the departing cabinet, which he appointed in June over concerns
that his
selections would not address rampant government corruption.

*****

Latin American & Spanish Film Festival
Kohlberg 115, 7:30 p.m.

Living Wage Educational
Hicks Mural Room, 9:30 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

by Pat Quinn
Sports Editor

The men’s soccer team suffered a tough loss to the Baptist Bible Defenders in
overtime
yesterday, 4-3.  Despite a goal and an assist each from Charlie Taylor ’06 and
Anteneh
Tesfaye ’03, the Garnet lost in double OT, ending their three-game winning
streak.

Swarthmore began the game well, keeping the ball in Defenders territory through
most of the
first half, though Baptist recorded a goal early when the Defenders’ Derek
Jacobs headed in
a rebound off goalie Nate Shupe ’05.

The Garnet passed well and had several breakaway opportunities but failed to
convert.  The
squad’s troubles continued when sophomore forward Marty Griffith jammed his
ankle, putting
him on the disabled list for at least a week.

With five minutes to go in the half, Swarthmore advanced the ball and finally
put it into
the back of the net when Tesfaye, assisted by Taylor, volleyed over the Baptist
Bible
goalie.

At halftime, the score remained tied, and Swat energetically took the field. 
Both teams
capitalized on offense, scoring two each.  Tesfaye tapped a pass to Steve Pater
’05 in front
of the goal, and Pater lobbed in a goal to tie the score at 2-2.  Then, with
7:14 to go, the
Defenders scored again off a questionable call by the referees.

Trailing by one and sensing that time was running out, Swarthmore once again
advanced
offensively.  Charlie Taylor shot a rocket from way outside to tie the score and
take the
game into overtime.

After a scoreless 10 minute overtime period, the game entered double overtime,
and both
teams sensed the end was near.  Unfortunately, when Shupe bobbled a shot,
Baptist Bible
recovered the ball and finished the game with a long shot.

Though the game ultimately ended in defeat, many Swarthmore players felt that it
should have
ended otherwise.  Griffith noted that this was a game that “we should have
won.”  With just
a few offensive and defensive breakdowns turning the tide of the game to the
Defenders,
Swarthmore was disappointed by the loss.

Swarthmore next faces Lincoln University at home, Saturday at 2:00, with hopes
of improving
their 3-2 record.

*****

Today:

Women’s Soccer at Bryn Mawr, 4:30
Volleyball hosts Arcadia, 7:00

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is fun being in the same decade with you.”
–Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a letter to Winston Churchill

*****
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