Campus Terror Response Includes Inquiry, Action

From increased enrollment in certain classes to panel discussions to creation of a Coalition for Peaceful Justice, the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks continues to ripple visibly across the UCSB community.

Missing from these ripples so far are overt signs of anti-Muslim feelings or hate directed at students or scholars from Middle East backgrounds. There have been "zero reports" of incidents on campus or in neighboring Isla Vista, according to Brandon Brod, hate incidents response coordinator for the Student Affairs Division. That view was seconded by Capt. Mike Foster of UCSBPD, who added that people will see increased security precautions at public events on and off campus.

To the best of her knowledge, no UCSB students have left campus due to the terrorist attacks or the aftermath, reports Mary Jacob, director of International Students & Scholars. While she has heard of "incidents" involving Muslims in the larger community immediately following the terror attacks, "there has been a lot of support and attempts at understanding as well," she said.

Meanwhile, the university seeks to share its knowledge and insights with the larger regional and national communities. A number of faculty, especially those affiliated with the interdisciplinary Global and International Studies Program (GISP), have devoted substantial time to media inquiries and groups' requests for speakers.

For example, the next panel in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center's series "Thinking through the Catastrophe" will tackle the "Moral and Ethical Dimensions of the Conflict" on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. in Campbell Hall. Moderated by Porter Abbott, IHC's acting director, the discussion will involve local religious leaders representing the Christian, Islamic, and Jewish faiths as well as Giles Gunn, professor of English and a member of GISP.

Subsequently, this discussion, like the two before it, will be cablecast on Cox Channel 21ÑWednesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.Ñand eventually over UCTV www.uctv.tv.

The MultiCultural Center will launch another, complementary series, called "September 11: The Crisis, Its Context, and Meanings," on Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. in the MCC Theater with an all-UCSB panel. Professors Richard Flacks of sociology and Nancy Gallagher of history will join moderator Cedric Robinson, professor of black studies, and Elizabeth Robinson, Associated Students advisor, in analyzing "Why Do They Hate Us so Much, and What Can Be Done?" The Robinsons have for nearly two decades produced a local cable TV program devoted to news and issues of developing nations.

Students' heightened interest in terrorism and international affairs has surfaced as jumps in enrollments for language classes in Arabic and Persian as well those in political science. "Many came to my classes as a result of the tragedy," said Magda Campo, a lecturer in Arabic and religious studies. Where 18 or 20 students would be expected in first year Arabic, she has accepted 28 this fall.

Persian drew 12 students last fall, but "we had to cap this year's first-year class at 20 and turn away at least eight students because of room size," said Dwight Reynolds, chair of Islamic and Near Eastern Studies and director of the Middle East Studies Center. "Definitely much of the increase is tied to the attacks."

"We're seeing increased enrollments across the board," reported Stephen Wiener, undergraduate advisor in political science. Though he thinks last year's U.S. presidential election and the slowing economy are factors as well as the Sept. 11 attacks, Wiener noted that classes on international organizations, trade, and the Middle East "are bursting at the seams."

Sociologist Mark Juergensmeyer, director of GISP and a terrorism expert, filled his 306-seat class on global conflict and had to turn away nearly 200 others.

At its first rally on Sept. 29, the new Peaceful Justice Coalition presented faculty speakers, such as Juan Campo, Eileen Boris, and Cedric Robinson, as well as staff and students, such as Marisela Marquez and Abeer Khan from the Academic Senate Office, and townspeople. The coalition has also set up what it calls the "UCSB Hate-Free Zone" across from the Arbor for silent peace vigils, which will be organized every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m., according to Sharon Hoshida, staff advisor.