Remarks by President Leo M. Lambert

Good morning.

We gather this morning as a community to help each other cope with a national tragedy of stunning proportions. We have only begun to assimilate the events of yesterday -- surely one of the darkest days in history. One of our responsibilities as a community is to be there for one another in times of trial and tragedy. Students, I am here to assure you that the faculty, staff, and I are ready to listen to you and talk with you about the tragedy that has happened. We don't have all the answers. But we will question together.

Yesterday, I was reflecting on our respective generations. I remember President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963 vividly, including seeing his assassin shot on national television. The events of that four-day nightmare -- from the assassination to the funeral -- are seared into my memory. I believe your memories will be marked indelibly by the national tragedy that took place yesterday.

By the time I graduated from high school, we had held school assemblies to watch the assassination coverage of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, witnessed the first moon landing, watched the Vietnam War unfold on the evening news each night, and witnessed President Nixon's fall and the Federal government executive power shift to a man whom the country had never elected president or vice president. Reflecting back, it was quite a time to grow up, with the television playing a central role in bringing these events right into our living room. These events seemed very close to home to me. And I remember thinking, even as a kid, that the riots happening in Chicago, the Vietnam conflict, and the assassinations were changing America.

What have been the major news events in your life? The Challenger explosion? O.J.? The Gulf War? The big drop in the NASDAQ? There are lessons in these stories too, of course, but when I experienced them, at least, I didn't sense the ground under me had shifted. Yesterday, I felt the ground shift. America will be different because of what has happened.

But how will we be different? Tighter airport security? You bet. New anti-terrorism commissions appointed by Congress? You can bank on it. But I hope it will go deeper than that. I hope we will better understand the causes of the deep-seated hatred that resulted in this tragedy. I hope we will think carefully about not surrendering our free and open society bit by bit because of terrorism. I hope we will continue our journey toward that more perfect Union that the founders intended.

We are all blessed to be here in a University community -- a community of learners, a community of seekers during this time of trial. The events unfolding right now will affect the economy, the world political scene, and many, many aspects of American culture. We are fortunate to be here in an environment with so much expertise to help us fathom the changes ahead of us.

Permit me to make two other brief points. A few of you have written and asked why we did not cancel classes yesterday. We made this decision after careful thought, because we believed many students would be comforted by the opportunity to talk about the tragedy with their professors. Some faculty cancelled their own classes. This is their prerogative. But others saw this as a "teachable moment," -- not to go through the usual lesson plan or give the planned quiz -- but to talk about our common humanity. I was reluctant to take this teachable moment away from any faculty member and believe in my heart this was the best decision for Elon.

Second, please stay in touch with E-net on the Web. We have already made a decision to postpone Friday's laser show until later in the fall, at a time when we are in better spirits for celebration. Other updates will be posted as new information is learned.

Today after Trey and I have set the stage, we will hear from three speakers. Dr. Danieley will reflect on the tragedy as an elder, as someone who lived a fair piece of the 20th century. Dr. John Sullivan of the Department of Philosophy will talk to us about what this crisis means for us spiritually and for our sense of humaneness. And Gina Roberts of counseling services will talk to you about the fears and anxiety we all face right now and where you can go for help if you want to talk to someone. First, I ask you to welcome SGA President Trey Bolton.