Cornell University President Hunter Rawlings issued a statement today (Sept. 12, 2001) to members of the campus community.

I want to thank all members of the Cornell community for the extraordinary support that they have provided to each other in the face of the national tragedy that we experienced yesterday. The outpouring of concern by students, faculty, staff and alumni for each other's welfare, particularly for those who have been directly affected by these events, is a tribute to all Cornellians. We have also been heartened by the many expressions of concern and support that members of the Cornell community have received from alumni, colleagues and friends of the university around the world.

The aftermath of this tragedy will be with us for countless days ahead. While we have been heartened by the many reports from members of the Cornell community who had family members, friends and associates in proximity to the disaster sites that they are safe, others still await such news. I reiterate my appeal that all of us be sensitive to the needs of our colleagues and students in the face of this trauma. For many among us there may be a delayed reaction. For others there is already a hurt that has not been expressed. All of us have a responsibility to reach out to each other in this circumstance; helping each other to talk about our feelings, whether to a counselor or to a friend, may be the most important thing that each of us can do at this particular moment.

An interfaith prayer vigil will be held on Ho Plaza at 7:00 p.m. this evening. Cornell United Religious Work staff and chaplains will preside.

Student and academic support staff will continue to provide assistance to members of the community throughout the days ahead. An initial list of such activities for today is as follows:

- The EARS peer counseling program will be open from 2:00-11:00 p.m. in Willard Straight Hall.

- The Gannett Health Center will be open until 11:00 p.m.

- The Campus Life Management office will be open until midnight.

- Student support staff will be available on a continuing basis in the residence halls, the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Halls and the multipurpose rooms of Robert Purcell and Noyes community centers and the Community Commons.

Some members of the community have questioned our decision to continue to hold classes in the wake of yesterday's events. We do so not from a simplistic determination to maintain business as usual, but rather to provide the widest possible opportunity for the members of this academic community to come together and reflect on the meaning of what has happened. At a time of national disaster the interaction of faculty and students is especially important, and I have received many reports of classes held yesterday that helped our community come to grips with what has transpired. For many members of our staff and faculty, who themselves were frequently in need of support, classes provided a framework within which to have contact with our students at an especially difficult time. Dean of the Faculty Robert J. Cooke and I ask members of the faculty to continue to be sensitive to the concerns of students who have been affected and to provide them with suitable opportunities to make up whatever work may have been missed due to these circumstances.

We are a strong and resilient community. Let us continue to support each other with courage and sensitivity.